"At that time, the conditions and facilities were very harsh," Lin says. "We got up at 5 am and practiced at least eight hours a day."

Looking back, though, he describes this experience as "precious and key" to his stellar career.

Keen to make his mark, Lin sought opportunities in Jiangxi province in 1993. With no savings or business connections, he worked on construction sites and as a truck driver on the graveyard shift.

Now, 20 years later, his company's revenue is about 500 million yuan a year.

"My classmates and I go back and visit Tagou frequently," Lin says. "The experience there had a very big impact on us. Without the hard training we received, I may not have been able to be persistent in the harsh working environment I experienced when I was starting out. Learning kung fu cultivated our hardworking spirit, made us fearless and able to bravely face difficulties, which is very important in business."

Lin likened the management style at his former kung fu school to that of the military. This determined and disciplined approach to running an organization, which he says he has adopted with great success professionally, is something he values more than books.

Liu Haiqin, headmaster of the Tagou Education Group, which is the biggest chain of kung fu schools in China, says the benefits of martial arts go beyond the mere physical.

"Many of our students become successful businesspeople later, and even now, they come back frequently and practice just like ordinary students several months a year," he says.

"Learning kung fu means you have to practice in the hottest summer and the coldest winter, which makes people more energetic and confident, and is very helpful for businesspeople who face a lot of pressure and changeable situations."

Tagou, founded in 1978 with just a handful of people and a few rudimentary buildings, now has more than 32,000 students nationwide.

It is one of China's most famous kung fu schools, offering martial arts as a core syllabus subject, along with a standard primary and middle school education. More than 380 world kung fu champions and more than 700 national champions have been cultivated by the institution. Every year, hundreds of foreign students also fly in from all over the world to learn the Tagou brand of kung fu, which was developed by a family with strong links to the Shaolin Temple.

In addition to martial prowess and personal discipline, kung fu is also about self-improvement and a highly developed sense of social consciousness that closely aligns with what's expected of modern businesspeople and corporations.

So says Chen Jian, 39, another Tagou graduate-turned professional success story.

Chen, who owns a garment company in Yueqing, Zhejiang province, says kung fu's "chivalrous spirit" makes an impression in the business world and helps with professional networking.

Chen, having studied at Tagou for a year, continued learning kung fu and went on to win titles at several national championship events.

Lin also agrees that kung fu teaches the importance of giving back to society.

He says his company, Dehe, builds schools in poor regions, pays for poor students to study at college and donates to support national disaster relief.

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