Last Modified: 30 Mar 2006
Source:
ITN
A Chinese TV company has launched a Pop Idol-style competition to find the next Kung Fu star.
Stars such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li have endeared Chinese martial arts to a global audience.
And now the search is on to find the next big thing, with the winner being awarded a starring role in a major Kung Fu film.
Filming for the show, called K-Star, will stretch from mainland China to five other countries.
Monks from the Shaolin Temple, considered the cradle of Kung Fu, delivered a showcase performance of the martial art to launch the search.
Shaolin Monk Shi Yongxin said the show was searching for a Kung Fu star with both good martial arts skills and high morals.
He said the search would open traditional Chinese culture to the world."We want to push Chinese traditional culture and martial arts morals to the whole world through television broadcasting."
The competition will run from May with the finals expected in September 2006.
