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FluorineSpark — Young Martial Art Master

Published: 2011-08-05 08:53:42 +0000 UTC; Views: 2038; Favourites: 37; Downloads: 53
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Description So there's a story about this guy.

I met a guy in a party when I went back to China this May. It's one of my mom's parties, and her circle is rich, obnoxious and boring. I kind of regret asking her to take me to the stupid party...I thought I'd know something about Beijing rich people, and I did in the first 10 minutes, and I want to leave.

But there's this guy, totally different from those stupid rich old people. He's about early 20, 5"8, very broad shoulder and stands tall and straight. He has this nervousness in his eyes, like he's not used to such scene. So I asked my mom, turns out, he's some sort of martial art master who has won several awards in his province. And he wants to open a martial art school in Beijing. He end up knowing bunch of monks (monks are rich!) and got invited, hoping to know more rich people and get investment.

I've Never... I mean never in my life, hit on a guy. But I do find him rather dashing, I can't leave the party for another 2 hours at least, and I'm leaving China the day after. So... I walk to him, introduced myself, and we start talking. I said I play video games (see, I never hit on a guy, and it shows). And he said he had never touched a console. He said his dream is to spread martial arts, get more kids to practice. That's about all the stuff we talked about. I took his picture, and I went out for a half hour walk in the garden just to kill time.

I used his picture (and other references, including the famous Bronzino portrait) and paint this portrait. A young idealistic martial art master, who would get corrupted, and become evil.

There you have it, the story about my big adventure with the young martial art master.
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Comments: 18

AnbuCaptainMasters [2012-10-30 08:19:15 +0000 UTC]

Wow! This is incredible.. I really like this, the guy reminds me of the famous Wing Chun Master Ip Man.

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FluorineSpark In reply to AnbuCaptainMasters [2012-10-30 22:45:27 +0000 UTC]

LOL, thanks!

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kvweber [2012-04-24 06:02:57 +0000 UTC]

Really fantastic work and a nice, touching story too. I know how it is meeting someone you think is just really amazing and then knowing that you're never going to speak to them again you just make conversation until the awkwardness grows to be too much and you move on. It's a sad but sort of beautiful moment in life; you want to regret it but you can't-- that sort of thing. At least you got the chance to capture him in such a powerful way.

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FluorineSpark In reply to kvweber [2012-04-24 06:06:26 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! I often wonder what happened to him...

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kvweber In reply to FluorineSpark [2012-04-25 06:27:18 +0000 UTC]

It would be nice to think that he achieved what he wanted to do, but even if he didn't maybe he found some other kind of happiness.

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FluorineSpark In reply to kvweber [2012-04-25 10:14:43 +0000 UTC]

Not with the people I saw him with... He has that idealistic and naive look on him, the kind that was driven by enthusiasm yet lack intelligence. My portrait doesn't do him justice on that end.

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ooosvn [2011-08-20 14:33:06 +0000 UTC]

Absolutely lovely young man. I can see what you saw in him and I too had found a similar, brave young soul and immediately started admiring him!

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FluorineSpark In reply to ooosvn [2011-08-20 21:54:42 +0000 UTC]

I can almost think of a story of how he got corrupted and become evil. LOL. but somehow I feel that the reality would be much more depressing.

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ooosvn In reply to FluorineSpark [2011-08-27 16:43:50 +0000 UTC]

Nah, nothing can change the good in such people

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FluorineSpark In reply to ooosvn [2011-08-29 03:33:03 +0000 UTC]

oh..... that just make my pessimistic and cynical heart all warm and fuzzy~ I really do want to believe it is true.

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ooosvn In reply to FluorineSpark [2011-08-29 06:09:48 +0000 UTC]

Is it not already

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cecaria [2011-08-11 19:00:43 +0000 UTC]

amazing picture and story, hopefully that won't happen to him.
And I never knew monks were so rich. Where do they get all there money from?

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FluorineSpark In reply to cecaria [2011-08-12 02:55:16 +0000 UTC]

mostly donations. I guess Chinese rich people had come to the point when they're getting old and seeking afterlife and salvation. And since Christianity is still largely forbidden, Buddhism and Taoism are very popular. And power monks are getting involved in local political power struggles in the way very similar to how Catholic church involved with European royal courts.

I once heard the grand master of Shaolin Monastery made a robe out of gold thread. And there're conversations about the how much money you need to donate to get a Monk become the chief of a provincial Buddhist association. (Sounds familiar, right? how much you need to get a priest becoming a bishop, LOL.)

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cecaria In reply to FluorineSpark [2011-08-12 03:16:09 +0000 UTC]

...wow.
I'm shocked, I know I shouldn't be, I mean Catholics use religion as a means of getting rich so why wouldn't the buddhists? But still so shocked.

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FluorineSpark In reply to cecaria [2011-08-12 09:41:10 +0000 UTC]

I was pretty shocked myself. I always pictured monks to be devoted and not of this world, hide in their temple and pray. I hope this kid get to open his school... But more likely he'd get his dream crushed.

You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself becoming the villain. Even more so in China I guess.

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fightingfailure [2011-08-05 15:41:53 +0000 UTC]

Great story, great painting!

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FluorineSpark In reply to fightingfailure [2011-08-05 18:58:32 +0000 UTC]

Thanks I had fun painting it and thinking about my brief meeting with the guy. I hope I get to meet him again and see how he's doing with his dream.

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fightingfailure In reply to FluorineSpark [2011-08-05 20:17:47 +0000 UTC]

He sounds like an interesting person, indeed. I hope you get to see him again too.

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