this is the world's largest school for learning kung-fu or chinese martial arts. some 35,000 students are

currently enrolled here. students come from all over china and are aged between 6 to 18 years old. once a year, they display the results of their hard training in a tournament. the event includes a form of traditional martial arts dance. there is also sanda, a type of chinese kick boxes. many of the students come from poor farming villages for har a sh training.

with china's current emphasis on academic success, seeing these children so focused on kung-fu is a curious sigts. for these youngsters, kung-fu is a way of escaping from the bottom rungs of society. they are literally fighting with their lives. >> the city of deng feng is hope to ancient temple which has achieved a mythical status around the world. the shaolin temple has a 1500-year history, but didn't

become famous internationally until the 1980s. at a that time, kung-fu bearing the team's name hit the world's movie screens. now, kung-fu shows are held every night, attracting tourists from all parts of the world. many have been established around the shaolin temple. with the number increasing at a rapid pace over the last ten years. there are now 80 with a total of 100,000 students enrolled. the largers is the shaolin temple, tagou kung-fu school.

some 1 is,000 students sign up each year and the student body has swelled to 35,000. the school offers full and short-term courses. in the summer, children from metropolitian y'all over china are brought from their parents. they come for an intensetive summer program. most of the children look out of shape and grew up overprotected as part of the country's one child policy. just five minutes after

orientation begins and some are already complaining. the students stay in this mor torrey building. each room accommodates more than ten students. the only furniture are simple beds and there is no television or internet. many of these youngsters are leaving their parents side for the first time. since students aren't permitted to bring their cell phones with them, they won't be talking to their mothers and fathers for a long time.

these little emperors are here to train for one intensive month. some end up dropping out. it's a sign that chinese parents who have a reputation for being overly protective, are changing their ways. the full time student's dormitory in the another bidding. these students have all been here for more than three years. unlike the short timer, full time stubt stupts are mostly from rural parts. >> these kids mostly came from

poor, inland farming villages. the students are in their early teens. 14-year-old john is the youngest in this room. they've already trained hard enough to develop lean and muscular bodies due to a rigorous program. it's 5:00 a.m. and the students are just getting up. he still looks sleepy.

they begin the day with an hour's run. they then do two hours of basic weight and gymnastics training and can't eat breakfast until they finish. they follow the same routine every day. after breakfast, they attend regular school classes and study subjects such as math and chinese. the same as any public school. in the afternoon, they train in their respective disciplines.

hathain trains in a study of chinese kick boxing. some majors are divided into five levels. he is the youngest in the second highest class. the key to winning in -- is speed and power. he is very fast, but still lacks power. he goes through a tough routine in sit ups, push ups and other body building exercises every day to try to overcome his weakness. on this day, the students are having their height and weight measured for the first time in three months. it's not a happy moment for afaye.

he has had an inferiority complex about his height since he was a very young child. every day, he buys milk with his limited allowance. he was born in a poor farming village in -- province. he has a younger brother and his

parents used to get by by growing wheat. when he was 11, he was the shortest in his class and continuely got bullied by his classmates. he looked feeble and introverted when he enrolled, but in just a

year, his facial chained to that of one of a martial artist. now that he feels much stronger, he has his mind set on his next goal. >> china's special police are an elite force that are usually deployed in an extreme situation such as rescuing hostages and capturing terrorists. we headed to shanghai to meet afei's parents and to hear their thoughts and their son's dream of becoming a special police officer. his mother and father are currently migrant workers.

they're employed at a construction site. they left their farm to their elderly parents and work almost non-stop throughout the year in major coastal cities. they both toiled long hours to pay for their son's education. they earn around 6,400 u.s. dollars a year. the tuition alone costing $3200 combined with the cost of raising his brother, the couple barely scrapes by.

we showed his parents some footage of their son at the kung-fu academy. in the three years he's been there, his parents have never seen him train as they can't afford the trip to hue nan province. we showed them them his interview as well.

this is the first time his parents have heard about their son's hopes for the future. they know that if he joins the special police, the work will be stable, but also understand how hard it is to land such a job. he is determined though and dreams of one day supporting his parents and younger brother. on this day, the students have been told to wait for their teachers outside the staff room. inside, the teachers are making a tournament chart for the annual kung-fu competition to be held in a week's time.

in the afternoon, students prepare for the event with some sparring. even when sparring, bouts can be quite intense. the boy has injured his wrist. afei is up next.

he scores half a point with his signature middle kick. he adds to that with another half point. he knocks down his opponent, a move that gets the most points. but his streak ends and he starts to struggle. he receives some instruction on how best to knock down his opponent.

after the sparring, he seeks guidance from a senior. 17-year-old jin is is from the same province as afei. he wants advice on the best way to take down his opponent. jin is a role model for aefi and is in the highest level class. students in the top class are

often recruited into the special police force. his dream for the future. it's three days before the tournament. he intensifies his training. he knows that if he wins the tournament, he'll be promoted to the highest class.

his parents can't go and watch their son compete. but they are hoping he can perform well and triumph at the tournament. despite having to move around a lot, they always carry one thing with them. the gold medals that their son has won in the past. he won these medicine hall dahl at the previous two tournaments.

the day of the tournament arrives. some 35,000 young martial artists will compete over one week. they've trained hard all year for this day and for many of them, their future depends on how well they perform.

it's a single elimination tournament, giving competitors just one chance to win. he looks upset about something. students of four classes of the same level compete in each section. he gets into the ring.

his opponent is older and more experienced. and favored to win the tournament. but afei matches him in round one. he seeps to ha seems to have th

hand. the second round ends after a phase opponent gets a bloody nose. everything hinges on round three. his opponent attacks with some swift moves. but afei counters aggressively. he begins to look tired.

he has narrowly lost. this is the first time he has gone out in the first round of the tournament.

a senior comes over after after hearing of his defeat.

two days later, we checked up on afei. he seemed to be doing all right and has decided what to tell his parents about the tournament. graduates from the kung-fu academies typically go on to become police officers, movie actors, military personnel and bodyguards. these youngsters from poor, chinese villages are hoping that martial arts will pave the way to a more prosperous future.

♪ hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's thursday march 26th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the saudi ambassador to the u.s. says his country has begun military operations in yemen. abdel al jabber revealed the development to reporters in washington. armed shia rebels in yemen continue to advance across the country. they seized the capital sanaa last month and are now moving toward the port city of aden, the stronghold of president abdul rabi mansour hadi. reports say rebels from the