NW China's martial arts teacher becomes internet celebrity

LANZHOU -- Chang Zhizhao turns on the camera on his smartphone, performs a Changquan routine and posts it online. Little did he know it would end up having such a wide reach.

The 28-year-old Chang, who owns two world Changquan titles from the 14th World Wushu Championships and the 2nd Taolu World Cup respectively, is a martial arts teacher in the Department of Physical Education at Lanzhou University.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Chang has to teach his students Changquan and Tai Chi online because of home quarantine restrictions.

After his classes Chang always posts the videos on the internet to further promote traditional martial arts.

He hopes to share traditional Chinese martial arts and culture with young people in particular.

25-year-old Wu Xinxin, Chang's wife, is also a martial arts athlete who often stars in Chang's video classes and shares the videos on one of the China's most popular short video apps, Kwai during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Chang and Wu's online martial arts courses are easy to learn, and many people have found it suitable for practice at home.

Chang's following on Kwai has skyrocketed and now sits at over 170,000. He has also built up a strong international following, receiving a lot of support and praise from abroad.

"I hope that more and more young people will understand and love China's traditional martial arts and culture," Chang said.

After years of competitions, Chang noted that many martial arts experts have emerged in Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia among others.