Martial artist's viral videos revive wuxia spirit

Hu Jianfeng, from Xinhua county, Hunan province, is known as the "Hunan Swordsman". He gained fame by sharing martial arts videos on social media.

His fluid demonstrations of Chinese boxing and sword techniques have earned the description of "childhood dreams of martial arts heroes come to life". His work recently caught the attention of the Iranian Embassy in China, with the embassy's official Douyin account becoming a fan of Hu's account.

Born into a martial arts family, Hu's father, Hu Zhihui, once worked as a stunt double in films and trained many students.

As a child with a weak constitution, Hu began learning martial arts at age six under his father's guidance. Initially, his father only hoped to improve his health, not expecting him to become a successor. The training was rigorous and without compromise. Hu trained with stances, mountain runs, and grueling basic drills, through which he showed remarkable perseverance and patience.

At 13, his father took him to the Beijing Shaolin Wushu School for professional training. A year later, an injury forced him to quit. Unable to let go of his childhood dream, Hu returned to his passion at 19 after having recovered. He and his father opened a local martial arts school.

"Martial arts made my body stronger and my spirit tougher," Hu said.

In late March 2024, Hu began filming and sharing videos of himself practicing boxing and sword techniques online, hoping to showcase the charm of martial arts to a bigger audience. Unexpectedly, his first video went viral. Many commented that they saw the "essence of wuxia" (martial heroism) in him. The likes and encouragement gave him the courage to continue. He started studying video production techniques to refine his content.

To date, Hu's Douyin account has garnered over 6.2 million likes. Hu dreams that through his efforts, traditional Chinese martial arts culture will reach more people and spread positive energy.