6 Months Martial Arts kids: Melbourne to 2026 CETV Stage!How did they do it?
Melbourne Children’s Martial Arts Group: From Zero to CCTV Spring Festival Gala in Six Months — How Did They Do It?
With pure hearts and unwavering dedication, these young martial artists from Melbourne fulfilled their dream of shining on the National Children’s Spring Festival Gala stage.
A shocking 50°C temperature difference across continents could not stop these overseas-born children from returning to their homeland to perform.
From 48°C in Melbourne to –5°C in Beijing, these young Australian Chinese children gave their very best to their motherland on the sacred grand stage of the Great Hall of the People.
When they personally lifted the highest honor trophies, certificates, and medals at the Great Hall of the People, and when the official “Invited Gold Medal Young Performer” honor poster certified by CCTV was unveiled, every tear shed and every hardship endured transformed in that moment into soul-stirring glory.
Backstage, Wylkins held his trophy tightly in his arms.
When he watched the Spring Festival Gala replay with his parents and saw himself on screen, his small chest swelled with strength:
“I suddenly feel like I’m getting closer and closer to my idol, Bruce Lee!”
On February 3, 2026, after four weeks of intensive training, the team bound for Beijing answered their motherland’s call and set off across the ocean with their Kung Fu Grandma.
After an overnight trans-hemispheric flight, the moment they landed in Beijing, exhaustion could not hide their burning excitement. Young and old alike burst out: “Beijing, here we come!”
A 12-hour overnight flight carried them from the height of Southern Hemisphere summer straight into the depths of northern winter. Inside the cabin, they laughed and played, still carefree children at heart. Yet deep down, they understood better than anyone that they were fulfilling dreams their parents had carried for generations.
In the airport and departure halls, the moment Kung Fu Grandma gave the signal, they set aside their playfulness and rehearsed whenever they found a spare moment—dedicating every second to the team and to the sacred moment that awaited them.
“The Great Hall of the People, here we come!” Their landing shout pierced the sky.
As soon as the shuttle bus arrived at the hotel near the Xingguang rehearsal venue, the children didn’t even enter their rooms. At one command from Kung Fu Grandma, they plunged straight back into intensive training—beginning two days and two nights of intense joint rehearsals with their domestic teammates.
Every glance, every move, every step on stage was pushed to absolute perfection.
At dawn the next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, these young warriors from 48°C Melbourne were already lined up outside the rehearsal venue on Beijing’s Xingguang Avenue. The –4°C northwesterly wind cut like needles. Their small figures stood quiet, stubborn, without complaint.
The doors had not yet opened, but their hearts had already arrived. With their youngest shoulders, they carried the most serious passion; through the coldest morning and the most exhausting journey, they wrote the most moving story of perseverance. This moment was more tear-worthy than any stage performance.
No stage, no lights—only travel-worn fatigue, and the unwavering light still shining in their eyes.
February 6 became a day etched into their lives.
The National Children’s Spring Festival Gala and CCTV’s Xingguang Avenue were officially recorded. Their names shone on the program list as the stage broadcast live nationwide and around the world—supreme honor carried far and wide through the airwaves.
Under the world’s gaze, these overseas children stepped into the spotlight! Every move carried their parents’ nostalgia and hopes; every appearance echoed the strength of their cultural roots. In this moment, pride crossed oceans, and tears flowed for the fiery legacy they carried.
Across mountains and seas, the children took the stage!
Dressed in the spirit of China, every strike carried a pure, heartfelt passion.
In this moment, the world witnessed Melbourne’s young Chinese-Australian children expressing heartfelt patriotism through Chinese martial arts!
With the world’s eyes upon them, these overseas children, small yet resolute, carried a legacy spanning a thousand years. It was the long-held hope of their parents and a cultural commitment that crossed oceans.
Tonight, they are not only the stars of the stage but also the burning pride and hope in the hearts of every overseas Chinese.
As they stepped onto that dazzling, grand, and uniquely magnificent stage, every hardship, every fatigue, every struggle—all of it—was worth it in that moment!
After the performance, a group photo was taken with the Gala’s Outstanding Young Performers, and Kung Fu Grandma posed with the director as Best Mentor of the National Children’s Spring Festival Gala.
February 7—a once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable day.
Under a scattering of starlight, their dedicated bus arrived at the Great Hall of the People. Facing this sacred hall, the symbol of the nation’s highest honor, Kung Fu Grandma and all the children were moved to tears—this step fulfilled generations of parental hopes; this journey embodied the faith of overseas children crossing oceans.
Only Kung Fu Grandma and the team leader were allowed to lead the young performers into this holy place, while parents waited silently outside, holding all their pride and care in their watchful gaze.
The bus carrying the children slowly passed Tiananmen and entered the solemn Great Hall of the People.
As soon as they got off, Kung Fu Grandma pointed behind them and excitedly told the children, “Look, this is the Great Hall of the People—we’re about to perform here!”
The children erupted with cheers and excitement.
A photo inside the solemn Great Hall of the People! One picture captures a lifetime of pride; one entrance marks eternal glory.
Stepping onto the sacred, solemn red carpet of the Great Hall of the People, the children seemed to grow up in an instant. Their small bodies straightened, and their young hearts were filled with unprecedented honor and pride.
Though these overseas children, born and raised in Australia and still learning Chinese, may not fully grasp the weight of this hall, they could already understand its significance by looking into their parents’ eyes—waiting outside, full of expectation—and feel how heavy and precious this honor truly is.
The music played, lights blazed.
In that moment, all pain, all grievances, all fatigue vanished. They wiped away their tears, straightened their backs, and gave their most perfect, steadfast, and radiant performance—to their motherland, to the Great Hall of the People, and to all the loved ones watching over them.
These young hearts from Melbourne expressed their love through tears, carried their mission through perseverance, and protected their homeland with pure childhood spirit.
They honored Kung Fu Grandma’s teachings, fulfilled their parents’ hopes, answered their motherland’s call, and stayed true to their own burning passion.
In every captured photo, the team’s strength and collective glory shine eternal in that moment.
The plum blossom’s fragrance comes from the bitter cold; the brilliance on stage is earned through countless efforts behind the scenes.
The extreme temperature changes, consecutive days of intense training, and the jarring long-haul flight all weighed heavily on their young bodies.
With a 50°C temperature difference between hemispheres and an overnight flight spanning over ten thousand kilometers, almost all the children suffered from altitude and climate sickness—fevers, vomiting, and diarrhea hit them hard.
Miranda vomited all over just before going on stage, trembling and weak-legged from crying, yet she gritted her teeth and refused to give in, determined not to let her condition affect the team.
Watching the little girl shine flawlessly on stage to the music, Kung Fu Grandma felt both heartache and amazement: “My goodness, is this really a child? This is a tiny warrior carrying the hopes of the nation, upholding the team’s honor, and rushing to the motherland with a pure heart!”
A week ago, Melbourne was in the height of summer, the 48°C heat like a blazing furnace. For an entire month, the children endured grueling, nonstop training day and night, soaked in sweat and persevering through exhaustion.
Six-year-old hands, too small to hold the fan properly, slipped again and again—but each time they tried, stubbornly and painfully determined.
Under the scorching heat, Kung Fu Grandma’s training was extremely strict, yet the young children never backed down. Parents, unable to watch, quietly waited outside in the heat, leaving every bit of air-conditioned cool for the children inside.
Parents quietly watched their precious little ones—usually held tenderly and protected from harm—undergo Kung Fu Grandma’s strict training and polishing. Not a word of complaint, not a single protest; they hid their worry behind silent support.
They understood that this harshness was meant to prepare the children to firmly embrace the glory that awaited them on a bigger stage.
The strictest training, the deepest love, the most understanding parents, the most determined children—this scene alone is enough to bring tears to anyone’s eyes.
Some cried from pain, others trembled from exhaustion, yet not a single child backed down or fell behind. Parents accompanied them every step of the way, training day and night, placing their deepest care and heaviest hopes upon these tiny figures.
Under Kung Fu Grandma’s strict training, the young warriors had already etched the team’s honor into their very bones. They understood better than anyone that a single small mistake could affect the whole group, and a single misstep could let down everyone’s expectations.
cheng, who usually pouts and cries in the car when he doesn’t want to attend class and gives Kung Fu Grandma a defiant glare when corrected, was completely serious and focused during rehearsal this time. The moment he stepped off stage, he eagerly asked, “Kung Fu Grandma! Did I make any mistakes this time?”
His young, anxious voice was filled with a sense of responsibility and team honor far beyond his age, bringing Kung Fu Grandma to tears instantly.
The youngest in the team, little Liangliang, only four and a half, cried and fussed through multiple rounds of training. Kung Fu Grandma pretended not to notice and shouted, “Ready, go!” Watching the little one run formations through tears, she silently prayed: Please don’t give up!
With their parents’ care and support, the child seemed to understand that this overseas performance was extraordinary. Remarkably, the tiniest and most earnest member never made a single mistake.
The first time Chloe wore full stage makeup, she blinked her sparkling eyes, gently took her mother’s hand, and asked innocently, “Mom, do I look like Nezha?” One simple question—sweet to the heart and soul alike.
Connors’ mother, Rita, knelt beside him, carefully touching up their makeup and adjusting their outfits, her fingertips gently brushing their young cheeks. Every brush, every swipe, every adjustment carried the hopes of generations, the homeland dreams cherished by overseas Chinese, and the weighty, unwavering expectations placed upon them.
Seizing every spare moment, they rehearsed against the clock, their eyes full of tension and anticipation, quietly awaiting their moment of glory.
Vast mountains and rivers, deep youthful devotion;
Small children, shining for China!
These young ones live up to their homeland, their youth, and every watchful, heartfelt expectation.
