IT’S the seventh year that Syed Israr Ali Shan has lived in Shenzhen, and he has already opened seven fighting clubs in the city. The mixed martial artist from Dubai has won championships in three Asian contests held by K-1, a kickboxing platform and martial arts brand, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

    Shan started practicing martial arts when he was 4, and he obtained a black belt in karate when he was 11. He became fascinated by Chinese kung fu when he saw it in a movie by chance, which motivated him to travel to China and start learning it systematically from a martial artist in Shandong Province.

    Apart from kung fu, the martial artist also taught him traditional Chinese therapies, such as bone-setting, scraping therapy and cupping. After finishing school, Shan decided to return to China and devote himself to martial arts. Before he came to Shenzhen in 2009, he had already opened eight martial arts clubs in Guangzhou.

    Currently, Shan is the owner of seven fighting clubs in Shenzhen, including two in Futian District, and he has provided training to over 1,000 students in the city. He also organizes outings and voluntary events for students on weekends. “I want to teach them how to be a good person before teaching them martial arts,” he said.

    On every Sunday, the open day of Shan’s clubs, visitors can attend free classes at the clubs and contests are held for students. “Money isn’t the most important thing to me. I hope people can feel happy when they come to my clubs, because nowadays many people are burdened with huge pressure,” he said.

    Shan became economically independent when he was 15, while his five siblings were still relying on his parents financially. He has traveled to 56 countries and regions and learnt martial arts in South Korea, Japan, the United States, Thailand and China.

    Shan and his wife met in Shenzhen after they became neighbors in the same building. Now they have a daughter, and Shan will obtain permanent residency, or “green card,” in China in the near future. “Shenzhen is my second hometown,” he said. “I want to prove my value to Shenzhen and show people here what I can do for them.”  (Zhang Yang)