Martial Artist Chloe Chanudet hails from France and got hooked on kung fu after watching loads of B-movies as a kid. Here she tells us about sword play and kicking butt.

How’d you get into kung fu?
The big thing that made me interested in kung fu was Kill Bill. Even though it’s not really kung fu, I was crazy into this movie and I thought, “Okay, I want to be like Uma Thurman and play with swords.”

What’s the best thing about kung fu?
It’s a very complete sport–you need to have flexibility, speed and strength, so it’s really good for keeping you healthy. I like the spirit also. All the people I’ve met doing wushu are very friendly and welcoming.

Ever take anyone down with your kung fu skills?
[Laughs] Yes, because I also do sanda, which is like a more violent, more physical version of kung fu. Last time I kicked my teacher in the mouth and it was full of blood but he just said, “Come on! Come on! We’ll continue.” I always have a lot of bruises when I’m done and I have some scars from where my sword stabbed me. Mornings after practice my boss says to me, “What did you do last night?”

You practice with real metal swords?
It’s called a dao. I sometimes bring it when I go to work and my colleagues play with it. I do have to take my dao on the Metro when I go to class though. When I arrive at the security check it’s so funny because they look at me strangely but let me go in anyway.

DETAILS

What: Longwu International Kungfu Center

Where: 1 Maoming Nan Lu, 茂名南路1号

When: 1-9pm

Tel: 6287-1528