Master Patti Li, the only woman ever to achieve Chinese National All Around Champion three years in a row, coaches the athletes of Wushu West in Berkeley. In another unduplicated feat, she also took six gold medals in the Chinese National Games. Known in China as Hao Zhi Hua, Patti is an original member of legendary coach Wu Bin’s Beijing Wushu Team, which wowed Bay Area audiences with its 1980 performance at the Cow Palace in South San Francisco. At this performance, American martial artists experienced Chinese wushu for the first time and were amazed at the depth and skill of the Beijing Team. In America, there had been nothing like it. Even today in Beijing, mention of the name Hao Zhi Hua prompts awe and excitement, as local Chinese recall Patti at the height of her competitive career.

In 1990, Patti immigrated to Berkeley where she founded Wushu West and built the school of champions that is showcased in the Fire Ballet. Among her students are competition gold medalists, national champions, U.S. National Team members, and Olympic hopefuls, as the 2008 Beijing Olympic games will showcase Wushu as an exhibition sport. Her students have gone on to open their own schools and to star in the Cirque du Soleil production Ka. Wushu West Performers include Melvin Hsieh, Collin Lee, Kenny Leu, Johnny Lew, Cary Li, and Stephanie Lim.

Wushu West