The 10th World Youth Wushu Championships had barely concluded in Tianjin recently when a makeshift game broke out on an outdoor basketball court. There was no ball, so a group of teenagers from four different continents chased an empty plastic water bottle instead.

Hours earlier, these same athletes were locked in fierce combat.

Now, the rivalry had vanished. In its place was a scene that captured the fundamental paradox of wushu: a sport that teaches you how to strike, primarily so you have the discipline not to.

For Swiss athlete Leandro Gia-Hy Luong, the most enduring lesson of his career so far isn't a high kick or a lightning-fast palm strike. It is a two-word command from his coach:"Don't fight."

For Luong, who inherited the sport from his father, wushu is an exercise in self-restraint. It is the art of "stopping conflict", a philosophy reflected in the very etymology of the Chinese character for martial "wu", which is composed of the radicals for "stop" and "spear".

Referee Anthony Sims from the United States shared a similar observation. "In almost every sanda match I officiate, I see the same scene," he said. "After an intense bout on the platform, the athletes often walk off and embrace each other or exchange shoulder pats in encouragement."

That is why, when asked to describe wushu in three words, Sims did not choose "strength" or "speed" or "cunning", but "perseverance", "humility" and "growth".

"I have been officiating for more than 20 years," Sims said. "I believe wushu makes people physically stronger and shapes values such as restraint, reflection and continuous growth. Mental strength is the most important."

Speaking of how wushu has influenced her life, Venezuelan athlete Valeria Dudamel summarized it in three words: "perseverance", "discipline" and "determination". "Those words belong not only to the training ground, but also to my daily life," she said.

Dudamel competed in the daoshu, or saber play event, at this year's championships. Every morning, she was among the first to arrive at the training venue. Once practice began, she rarely stopped. Opening stance, turns, downward cuts and closing movements — every action was repeated and refined over and over again.

Even during short breaks, she remained at the training area, silently rehearsing arm trajectories and footwork. Until the very last moment before stepping onto the floor, the broadsword never left her hand. "One of the most important lessons from learning wushu is how to face failure," she said. "What truly shapes a person is often not the moment of victory, but the humility and growth formed through mistakes, reflection and starting over again."

As these values extend beyond individual experience, what they connect is no longer limited to personal growth, but a shared value language among people from different cultural backgrounds.

After the taolu, or routine martial arts finals, Ludmila Rosales from Argentina and Catalina Brun Leiva from Peru approached the opponents they had just competed against and asked to exchange pins. They attached the new pins to their accreditation lanyards and happily posed for photos. The pins symbolized a bridge of goodwill, they said.

When asked what wushu had brought to them, both athletes mentioned "confidence", "love", "perseverance" and "friendship".

"For us, wushu is not only physical training," said Rosales. "It is also about building confidence through constant challenges and making friends from different countries through international competitions."

As the global governing body of the sport, IWUF has 162 national and territorial members across five continents, with one of its core missions being to promote friendship and mutual understanding.

The sentiments expressed by individuals at the Tianjin venue were not isolated personal impressions, but part of a broader and increasingly stable global consensus.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization says on its official page on traditional sports and games that such practices help enhance intercultural dialogue and peace, reinforce youth empowerment and promote ethical sports practices.

At this event, which brought together 1,179 participants from 78 countries and regions, the value embodied in a pin exchange or a pat on the shoulder echoed the traditional Chinese martial philosophy of "stopping conflict as the true meaning of martial arts", said Wu Jing, a Chinese actor and IWUF goodwill ambassador.

"Harmony in diversity and stopping war is the true essence of martial valor," he added. "We hope to give the youth a deeper understanding — not just of martial arts, but the chivalric tradition of the form and the wider culture that surrounds it."

Ma Yucong contributed to this story.