Following In A Father’s Footsteps –

A Martial Artist’s Pilgrimage To China

By Steve Bigham

Newtown resident Mike Porco, Jr, is back in town after spending two weeks traveling through China as part of a martial arts exchange program.

Mike, a 1994 Newtown High School graduate, is a third-degree black belt and instructor at the Newtown Academy of Karate. He made the trip along with fellow black belts from the World Tang Soo Do Association. The 17 participants also spent time in South Korea, the home country of Grandmaster Jae C. Shin, who handpicked each traveler.

Mike, 25, was following in the footsteps of his father, Mike, Sr, who made the same pilgrimage back in 1987. China, the birthplace of martial arts, has changed a great deal since Mike, Sr, went there. The country has become much more open, and despite recent tensions, political ties appear to be closer now. Westerners are now able to travel more easily there.

After departing from New York on July 27, Mike, Jr, arrived in Beijing 20 hours later. There, his group visited the Forbidden City, Tiannamen Square, and other sites, although they avoided the four-hour line to view Chairman Mao’s body. Mike, a fitness enthusiast, woke up early each day to jog the streets of China’s capital. China, home to a quarter of the world’s population, is not known for its physical fitness (two-thirds  of all men smoke).

“They looked at me like I was weird,” said Mike, a 1998 Western Connecticut State University graduate who now works with his father for Porco Construction.

The group also toured China’s Sports University, China’s Wu Shu Association & Summer Palace, the Great Wall of China, and Ming Tomb. The martial arts group then flew to Zhenzhou City where they made their way to Shoalin Temple, considered to be the home of Buddhism and Wu Shu Kung Fu. At the temple, they met with the head monk and performed near the front entrance. While there, Mike, Jr, spotted his father’s name on a monument that commemorated his group’s visit 14 years earlier.

The group then flew to Shanghai City where they toured the city before heading to Seoul, Korea. In Korea, the group’s itinerary included a trip to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.

Mike and his fellow travelers headed home August 12, arriving 20 hours later after a stop-off in Alaska.

Back home, Mike said he appreciates the little things like being able to drink the water, but he values his Chinese experience.

“The biggest difference between China and here is its slower paced and the people are more humble,” Mike said. “We preach the humility and respect. That’s all part of the art. If we don’t understand that stuff, then we can’t teach it.”

And Mike has already begun passing this lesson on to his students.