Falling head over heels for ancient martial art
Chinese wrestling is making a return thanks to a veteran of the fighting sport
At an indoor facility in downtown Beijing, a group of young enthusiasts was recently training and practicing the traditional martial art of shuai jiao, which is little known outside China.
The style of close combat fighting, also known as Chinese wrestling, dates back thousands of years and is considered by some experts as the predecessor of modern grappling and throwing sports such as judo.
In recent years it has started to regain popularity with martial arts practitioners in the capital.
Hu Wannian started practicing shuai jiao at the age of 6. In 2016, he founded a wrestling club and started promoting the martial art at an open area in his residential complex in Beijing. So far, the 62-year-old has trained 50 students.
