Jake Pinnick practices tai chi at the Wudang Mountain in Shiyan, Central China's Hubei province, in October. CAO LINGLING/FOR CHINA DAILY

　　"Time is silent, yet it never fails those who keep moving forward," Jake Pinnick said on RedNote.

　　Wearing a loose-sleeved training uniform with a flowing black beard and a topknot tied up with a hairpin, Pinnick, 36, from the United States, told an unusual story of "Becoming Chinese".

　　At Wudang Mountain in Shiyan, Hubei province, Pinnick was seen guiding a group of students practicing martial arts. The mountain is one of China's most famous and sacred Taoist sites, where Pinnick is known as a famous foreign coach.

　　He first demonstrated the sword routines once, then let the students follow along. He moved among the crowd, correcting each one's posture one by one.

　　In his view, Wudang martial arts are never meant to compete against or defeat others, but to achieve balance between inner spirit and outer strength, and integrate hardness with softness.

　　"They are supposed to develop you into a morally better person through some kind of character building," said Pinnick, whose fans have surpassed 2 million online.

　　Over the last decade in China, Pinnick has completely adapted to local culture. Now he likes drinking hot tea. He plays a vertical bamboo flute instead of the piano. He refuses waiters' kind offers of a knife and fork. Over the years, even his hair and beard have turned black, which, in his explanation, is that "each land shapes its people". He is proud of his Chinese name Li Zigen, which was given by his master.

　　Though facing doubts from some netizens, he never regrets his choice.