A young martial artist on Taicang's team wields a sword during the National Martial Arts Competition in Hebei. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Middle and primary school students from Taicang won a total of 15 titles at the National Martial Arts Competition in Hebei province, local media reported on Aug 7.

The titles came from two group events and 13 individual events.

"Through the events, our young athletes got to make friends with over 120 teams from across the country," said a spokesperson for the municipal education bureau.

"Such experience shall help them better prepared for future challenges," he added.

Since 2003, Taicang has been adding martial arts, or kung fu, to the curriculum of middle and primary schools.

In 2017, the city was honored by the national sports bureau with a "Special Contribution Prize" for its efforts in promoting the valuable heritage and ancient sport.

Champions of Taicang pose with their trophies in Qian'an, Hebei province on Aug 5. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]