Kalarippayat, the martial arts of Kerala, has helped change India's image in the minds of Chinese people, who till now associated the neighbouring nation with just Bollywood, beauty queens and software.

"I never knew that India had its own martial arts till I saw this one," Ma Lin, a martial art enthusiast said after witnessing a scintillating show of Kalarippayat by members of the Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode branches of C V N Kalari.

"Their deft steps, combat moves and intricate use of weapons have been most impressive. One day, I would like to visit India to learn them," a local Kung Fu buff, Li Kun said.

He particularly praised the complete coordination of the mind and body that the Indians displayed during their short performance in Beijing.

The 10-member team, including six who recently took part in an upcoming Jackie Chan film shooting in Shanghai, is in China to participate in the 6th Asian Arts Festival being held in Beijing and Changchun city of northeast China's Jilin Province from August 16-27.

Group leader G Sathyanarayanan said he was extremely happy to get an opportunity to introduce Kalarippayat before an appreciative audience.

Sathyanarayanan said the response he got from the Chinese audience was very encouraging considering that they could have just seven minutes to display their talents.

However, he was confident that in Jilin province they would have more opportunities to display the intricacies of Kalarippayat.

Indian embassy officials in Beijing said they proposed the idea of inviting a Kalarippayat group to the Chinese ministry of culture since they felt the need to alter India's image among the locals.