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Awakening the Sleeping Tiger: The True Story of a Professional Chinese Athlete Kindle Edition

by Dawn Cerf (Author), Yu Liu (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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How does an eager-to-please, young Chinese girl, owned by the unyielding Communist government, learn to fight for survival by becoming an independent thinker?

When Liu Yu, an impressionable Chinese girl, witnesses the venomous public trial of her mother's co-worker and friend during the Cultural Revolution, her life is changed forever. The incident silences her voice but not her desire to escape from poverty and the wearisome fate her mother endures.

At age eleven, Liu Yu grabs her chance to avoid being sent to the countryside in the government's plan to re-educate its young people even though it means leaving her supportive family behind. She catapults to the top of Communist society by becoming an elite professional athlete, living the dream of every child in China. Prestige and material comfort, however, are quickly overshadowed by loneliness and a brutal training regimen.

After enduring nearly ten years of rigorous martial arts training, feuding coaches threaten Liu Yu's dreams of a national championship. She must then decide whether to follow her family's values and her heart or push for the championship she feels is within her grasp.

Guided by her grandmother's wisdom, the young woman realizes what she wants more than fame and fortune is the chance to control her own life. Liu Yu risks everything, finding the courage to turn against the cultural tide in China to seek her own destiny. In the process she rediscovers her voice, the one she lost as a child of the Cultural Revolution.
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  1. Print length
    398 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    December 14, 2010
  5. File size
    2834 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Liu Yu was just 11 when she left her family in China. Her journey from shy, scrawny girl to strong, confident woman...offers a valuable look at a country and culture unfamiliar to many Americans. --Sarah Linn, The San Luis Obispo Tribune, 1/30/2011

From the Back Cover

Praise for Awakening the Sleeping Tiger:

"Brimming with historical detail, Awakening the Sleeping Tiger tells the tale of an unusual young athlete gifted with talent, integrity, and the determination to fulfill the destiny of her own choosing." - Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, 19th Generation lineage holder of Chen style Taijiquan.

"Liu Yu's remarkable memoir, Awakening the Sleeping Tiger, invites everyone to experience the golden age of Chinese martial arts, a time when competitive wushu was the main entertainment for millions of Chinese. I had the privilege of coaching Jet Li on my Beijing Wushu Team, and I acknowledge that professional wushu athletes gave up more than ten years of their lives, enduring physical and psychological hardship for the honor of perfecting their skills. There will be great athletes in the future, but history will not repeat the special years of wushu fame following on the heels of the Cultural Revolution." - Wu Bin, Coach of the Beijing Wushu Team, 1963 to 2002.

"One professional Chinese athlete's vivid coming-of-age story unfolds as she travels the road to winning the title of China's Collegiate Taiji Champion." -- Men Huifeng, Professor Emeritus of Taijiquan, Beijing University of Physical Education.

"Liu Yu lived an extraordinary life by any measure. She has graciously allowed readers of Awakening the Sleeping Tiger to see beyond the unreadable mask many Chinese learned to wear and to discover what it was like leaving home at the age of eleven to become a professional wushu athlete training at a multi-sports camp with Olympic aspirants. It is the story of a young girl who must cultivate inner strength not only to withstand the brutal training required to fulfill her dreams but also to fight her way out of the team, making her own path in the world." -- Gigi Oh, Publisher, Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004H4XIKY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yu Liu Wushu Taichi Center (December 14, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 14, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2834 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 398 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Dawn Cerf

    Dawn Cerf

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    When a fascinating story fell into her lap, Dawn Cerf felt compelled to run with it. The conception of Awakening the Sleeping Tiger arose during a group tour of China with her taichi teacher, Liu Yu, where Liu Yu spoke about her amazing background of growing up as a resident professional Chinese athlete. Dawn encouraged Liu Yu to put her unique story in writing, and the two collaborated on the fulfilling venture of making a book. Dawn has always enjoyed writing, though she is a former C.P.A. with an Accounting/Business Education degree from San Francisco State University. Dawn Cerf began taichi lessons with Liu Yu in 1994 and never plans to stop.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Yu Liu

    Yu Liu

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    By Chinese standards, Liu Yu led a charmed life as a professional Wushu athlete (martial artist) on the Jiangsu Province Professional Wushu Team (1974-1985). Although the reality was altogether different, this didn't stop Liu Yu's quiet determination to become a champion. She later applied the same zeal to her college studies, winning the titles of China's National Collegiate Taiji Champion in 1986 and City of Beijing Student of the Year in 1988. In 1989, she graduated from the Beijing University of Physical Education with a B.A. in Wushu and Physical Education. Since making her home in the U.S., Liu Yu served as the Head Coach of the U.S. Wushu Team from 1997-99 and was awarded Coach of the Year in 1998 by the USAWKF. She continues as a judge at worldwide Wushu tournaments. Liu Yu resides in San Luis Obispo, California, where she is the owner of the Wushu Taichi Center. She is pleased to share her remarkable story, revealing the hidden side of Chinese sports training as well as the Chinese culture, and she does so with ample charm.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
19 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2020
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I'm a student of wushu in America. The thought of studying - or being made to study - as hard as Liu Yu is intimidating.
Reading Liu Yu's incisive analysis of Chinese politics caused me to reconsider my own opinions of the country I grew up in.
I have a deep respect for her trials, and for her journey, and for her political insights.
I am glad she shared the struggles she underwent to marry a man she loved, and to pursue the life she wanted for herself.
She is a model for being courageous in the face of shallow, petty tyranny.
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peter alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2014
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Fantastic story. I studied kung fu for many years and have been practising chen style tai chi for 12 years. Enjoyed every page. Could not put it down. What a wonderful and inspiring lady is Liu Yu. She showed remarkable courage by staying true to herself throughout her career and life. Probably the best female martial artist in china in her time. She should be very proud. The world is a better place for people like her.
One person found this helpful
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Mary Marsden
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Read
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2018
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I would highly recommend this book. This is well written and I love the true story of a young Chinese woman struggling with the politics of her country at that tumultuous time. The martial arts aspect is always a winner and the discipline needed to continue.
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Hauoli
5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing and Compelling
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2015
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Inspiring and thought-provoking life story of Liu Yu. Liu's life story will prompt feelings of empathy, disdain, curiosity, introspection and perhaps gratefulness. Well-written and a hard-to-put-down book once you start reading it!
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Sheikhnbake
5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating addition to the literature of strong Chinese women overcoming great adversity
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2012
Verified Purchase
(...and getting the hell out of China). One of the very few by an athlete rather than a translator or academic.
One person found this helpful
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Steven M. Mintz
5.0 out of 5 stars From Ethics Sage
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2011
"Profiles in Courage" is the 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning biography describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight U.S. Senators throughout the Senate's history. The story of Liu Yu, a professional Chinese athlete, could have those words as a subtitle for the book Awakening the Sleeping Tiger. The book is an inspiring story of courage, integrity, and dedication to one's craft despite all odds. Liu Yu grew up in a China where loyalty to one's superiors was valued above all else. She faced a life-changing decision at an early age when asked by an official to turn against a coach who had taught and guided her to become a champion Chinese martial artist in the ancient practice of Wushu. Her sense of right and wrong guided her not to do so despite the personal and professional risk.

This book has it all: a character we want to cheer for; a person with a strong sense of honor and ethics; and a government in transition that creates barriers to the achievement of one's life goals. From a technical perspective the book is extremely well written. The authors, Liu Yu and Dawn Cerf, have created a compelling story based on real life events that engage the reader and make us want more - more quickly - to get to the end of the story. Has she been able to overcome the obstacles placed in her way to achieve her hopes and dreams?
3 people found this helpful
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Celtic Dragon 4
5.0 out of 5 stars The Dragon rates the Tiger
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2011
"Awakening The Sleeping Tiger" draws the reader inside a remarkable story of a gifted athlete, an alien culture, a young girl, family and country struggling to shape a new identity to present to the outside world. Liu Yu is a gracious guide to living a life of integrity in a world of intrigue and chaos. I'm already seeing the movie in my head. Her visual elements are that strong and lucid. I am anxious to read the book again in order to make fresh discoveries.
Grandmother Nai Nai's love and fortitude course through Liu Yu and thence to us, a strong hand on the tiller, guiding us all deftly across the years of a tempestuous adventure. Liu Yu and Dawn Cerf have done a marvelous job of bringing these people and events to life and bringing us to care about all of them.
2 people found this helpful
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Douglas
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2011
This is a well written book that flows nicely throughout. The author is an expert in her field and reading it brought back memories of martial arts practice and dreams from that era. Very moving and well written and I would recommend this to any Chinese martial arts enthusiast.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

REP
5.0 out of 5 stars thank you!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2013
Verified Purchase
i have learned so much about chinese culture, wushu and the power of determination. i wish i could meet the author one day to experience her way of teaching and thinking. i feel deeply impressed and touched by yu liu's story. thank you dawn cerf for making this book possible. i feel very inspired and i am able to understand my chinese uncle better now. thank you!
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