A former reporter in Shenzhen has launched his own martial arts club to help other journalists resist bullying when on field trips.

Chen Yihuai used to be a photojournalist at the Southern Metropolis Daily mainly covering social news.[File photo]

Chen Yihuai used to be a photojournalist at the Southern Metropolis Daily mainly covering social news. In his decade-long career, he often faced physical confrontations.

One of his worst memories occurred in 2007 when he was pushed to the ground while reporting an explosion incident, and his camera taken away by unidentified people. Police did not catch the assailants and the case was never closed. In another incident, Chen was photographing a thief when a group of people surrounded him, and one man broke his nose with a punch.

"We journalists are often prone to both physical and verbal assaults. Apart from physical injuries, the trauma we suffer can be even worse. That's why we need to build up ourselves," said Chen. He added that jogging, mountaineering and gliding were among his hobbies to "release the pressure from work."

The reason why Chen launched his own club on July 25 was in part due to his interest in martial arts, which according to him, was also related to his experiences of being bullied. After he quit job in 2013, he engaged in various boxing contests before planning a martial arts competition of his own, and eventually decided to try and pass on his knowledge to others.

Chen named his club "Yiquan Vitality Club," a name associated with trendiness and desire, and he believed it would fit the demand of young people in their twenties and thirties.

Chen insisted his club was different from traditional ones in that he focuses on the element of joy instead of sheer bodybuilding. "For example, our logo is a kangaroo wearing a boxing glove, rather than a masculine-looking man having a towel hanging on his neck – something you usually see," said Chen, explaining how he wanted to change people's stereotypical view of marital arts clubs.

Chen said that his decade-long working experience in the press has "consumed all of his idealism."

"What was left was merely a job itself. That's why I wanted to leave it because I should pursue something I really want," he explained.

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