Chinese Taekwondo Association revokes studio membership for zombie dance

The Chinese Taekwondo Association has revoked the membership of a Taekwondo studio in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, for performing a zombie dance that the association said smeared the image of China and promoted stereotypes of Chinese culture.

The dance, which was performed at the 2023 Seongnam World Taekwondo Hanmadang in Seongnam, South Korea, on July 24, combined Taekwondo techniques with elements of Hong Kong horror movies of zombies. The zombies in the dance were depicted with their arms extended in front of them and hopping around rather than walking, and they usually appeared in the outfits of official robes of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) with long braids.

The dance sparked heated discussion on social media, with some people calling it a creative way to promote Chinese traditional culture, while others said it further fueled stereotypes from the western countries who might characterize Chinese wearing robes and having long braids.

In a formal paperwork issued on Monday, the Chinese Taekwondo Association said that the dance smeared the image of China and had a negative impact on the promotion of Chinese culture.

The association said that it had investigated the matter and taken strict actions in accordance with the regulations. The studio's membership of the Chinese Taekwondo Association has been revoked permanently, its qualification for Taekwondo examination was canceled, and the participation in all national Taekwondo events is also prohibited.

The Taekwondo instructor qualification of coach Liu Hao, who choreographed the dance, has also been canceled. He has also been banned from participating in the training, competitions, and other activities organized by the Chinese Taekwondo Association.

The Guangdong Taekwondo Association and Shenzhen Taekwondo association have also been punished accordingly.

The Chinese Taekwondo Association said that it will conduct a thorough inspection across all Taekwondo studios nationwide in order to prevent similar incidents from happening.