Chen Min and Hong Wenwu receive the "Sports and Social Charity Certificate" in the parliamentary building at the city of Buenos Aires. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The Argentina Citizens Martial Arts Club, founded and chaired by Chen Min and her husband Hong Wenwu, was recently awarded the honor of "Sports and Social Charity Certificate" by the city council of Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina.

The awarding ceremony was supposed to be held in March 2020 but was postponed twice because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Born in Taizhou's Sanmen county in 1985, Chen Min started practicing Chinese martial arts at the age of five before she was enrolled in the Zhejiang Provincial Martial Arts Team at the age of nine as the youngest athlete then. Chen is a former National Games and East Asian Games champion.

Chen Min strikes a kung fu pose. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Following her retirement from the team, Chen went to study in Argentina in 2007. A year later, Chen and her husband Hong Wenwu, a former Chinese martial arts exponent from the Argentina national team and a former Pan American tournament champion, established the Argentina Citizens Martial Arts Club.

Over the past 13 years, this couple has taught Chinese martial arts to thousands of people from various nationalities and races at the club, which has become the largest martial arts school in Buenos Aires. The club has developed more than 200 award winners.

A city councilor of Buenos Aires delivered a speech at the ceremony, saying that she and her child have been learning Chinese martial arts at the club for the past eight years. The mother and daughter were taking two online tai chi lessons every week even during the lockdown period when people were forced to stay home.

She believes the club is like a big family that transcends national borders and political biases and shares a common love for Chinese culture.

A group photo of the members of the Argentina Citizens Martial Arts Club. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

According to Chen, martial arts is the second most popular sport in Argentina, following football. Popular martial arts disciplines in the country include taekwondo, Jeet Kune Do, karate, Brazilian jujitsu, and kung fu, which Chinese martial arts is usually called.

Chen has gone to great lengths to promote kung fu in the country. She has invited her students to attend Spring Festival galas and other traditional festivities in the local China Town, showcased her kung fu skills when she was a guest anchor on Argentine television channels, performed kung fu in local films and TV dramas, as well as shared about Chinese legends in her lectures.

Chen has recently been preparing to hold an online competition for traditional Chinese martial arts, which has so far drawn more than 700 athletes from 22 countries.

"This is a brand new challenge for me, and I hope to make more people fall in love with Chinese kung fu and culture," said Chen.

Students do kung fu at the Argentina Citizens Martial Arts Club. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]