From the golden years of performance wushu - Lu Yan - one of the best of the best.
"Lu Yan lived, ate and slept Wushu for 16 years at the home of Beijing Wushu, Shichahai. She was first selected to train in China’s National Sport when she was only 8 years old, being chosen by Li Junfeng from the local schools to join his Wushu classes.
During her early years the training was rigorous – Li Junfeng and Wu Bin are notorious for their strenuous training regimes, pushing their students right to the edge of their endurance. This is what made the athletes of this era the National Champions that they became, the Beijing Wushu Team being the National Team Champions for 10 years in a row. " (from her website)
After her compeitive career, in 1988 she went to the Beijing University of Sport to gain more qualifications for coaching. She coached for the Beijing wushu team, then in the Philippines, and then for the Wushu Association in Beijing until she was able to take retirement to coach privately. The amazing thing is that, with so many years of wushu behind her, she still enjoys teaching. Training with her is fun, though you cannot get away with any mistakes – she has trained champions, and she expects champion effort, if not results.
You can see her in the cudgel routine of the Beijing Wushu Team Video Training Series. from 1983. She has not lost anything much that I can see since then.
It is practically a secret that she also trained Cheng style baguazhang traditionally with Sun Zhijun. Her knowledge and ability to transmit this learning is of immense value to us. She is an amazing teacher, both encouraging and strict. Nothing gets past her, just sometimes she lets you get away with something for a while to allow you to get through the moves. By the time you've finished training with her you know every single thing you need to do, and have at least seen the right way to do it. I've trained the bagua sabre and spear with her, and every class you take away not just details, but something very key to how to move properly.
Here are some photos of the Cheng bagua sabre.
Below are some clips of her classic wushu competition routines, taken in 1987. http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTAzMDMwMzI4.html three section staff, mad and fearless skills
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTAxNjU2MDEy.html?from=y1.2-1-98.3.1-2.1-1-1-0 long fist
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTAxNjg0MTcy.html?from=y1.2-1-98.3.2-1.1-1-1-1 straight sword
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTA3ODY3NTEy.html?from=y1.2-1-98.3.3-2.1-1-1-2 staff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC0v5tFPYU4 1974 with Jet Li and Cai Yahui
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHUGaGbvddc&list=TLLInyKIrC4d17HSJSDZIIYKPpvGiTdY7T Three section staff from This Is Kung Fu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk69IHsAwdk Staff from the Beijing Wushu Team video series