Hard punches, soft power: China pushes kung fu fighting When top Dominican martial artist Shannah Robin arrived to train at the Shaolin Temple, the cradle of Chinese kungfu, it was on an expenses-paid trip courtesy of Beijing. His course was part of a lavish government effort to promote the range of fighting disciplines known as "wushu", the Chinese word for martial arts -- or kungfu in the West -- and boost the country's cultural influence. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES