Jet Li Reveals the Reason His Martial Arts Surpass His Fellow Disciples in New Book: 'I Like to Think Rather Than Blindly Follow'

International martial arts superstar "Kung Fu Emperor" Jet Li stars in the recently released movie "Biao Ren: The Winds Rise in the Desert" and has taken the opportunity to launch a new book. Following his previous work "Beyond Life and Death: Jet Li Searching for Jet Li," he will release "Beyond Life and Death: The Way of True Freedom" on May 5.

On March 5, Jet Li announced the news on social media and shared personal experiences recorded in the new book. Jet Li recalled that from a young age practicing martial arts, he enjoyed thinking and questioning reasons. When his master told him to repeat a move 1,000 times, he would wonder, “Why do it 1,000 times?” While his fellow disciples blindly completed the repetitions, he would only want to practice 700 times. At first glance, this seemed rebellious, but in reality, he had grasped the underlying principle: “If you repeat a move 1,000 times without thinking, you’re simply training the body, not using the mind or heart method.”

He explained: “If I use my mind and heart method, I would choose to practice a move 700 times, but make every repetition perfect. I would focus on every detail of the move, allowing the mind, heart method, and body to become one.” Jet Li said that because his approach was different, he chose to pursue perfection in the shortest time, which distinguished him from his fellow disciples. Ultimately, he stood out among them, not only becoming the national all-around martial arts champion, but was also selected to star in movies, and eventually became the world-renowned Kung Fu Emperor.