High kick: In Qufu, Shandong, a town best known as the birthplace of Confucius, 35 students – from as far afield as Brazil, Ukraine, Spain and France – battle the elements as well as exhaustion at a local kung fu training academy. It is a disciplined regime, with activities beginning at 6 am every day and featuring several hours of practice. This includes running up and down thousands of steps through the steep hills of a neighboring national park. Varying in age from six to 50, students are divided into three groups based on their ability, with each group assigned a kung fu master. This photo, taken on July 22, shows a kung fu master (back R) training with one of his students. AFP