Tang Bozhao won the adult men's "other traditional quan" event at the 2026 China Beijing International Wushu Competition with yaxingquan, the rare duck-style boxing. His routine went viral online, and he says the jokes help spread traditional wushu.

One of the rarest styles in Chinese traditional wushu has taken first place at the 2026 China Beijing International Wushu Competition. Tang Bozhao, 32, from Beijing, won the adult men's "other traditional quan" event with yaxingquan, or duck-style boxing. The event was held on 6 November at Yuetan Gymnasium.

Chinese media report that the competition's official results page lists Tang first with a score of 9 points, in a field of 15 athletes. Tang said the field included members of the Beijing Sport University professional team: "When I saw them come in I felt nervous. I never expected to finish first."

A viral routine

After the event Tang posted his routine online and it spread quickly. In the clip he moves around the carpet in a constant half squat, his arms, head and neck copying the movements of a duck. That is a long way from the hard, explosive look most people expect from wushu, and many viewers joked that it looked more like a dance than a fighting art.

Tang said he was not offended. In his view the jokes come from not knowing the style, and the attention has done traditional wushu a favour by bringing a rare style to a big audience. He explained that the routine is far harder than it looks: the neck and shoulders work the whole time, and every step is taken low, close to the ground, so a full set is very tiring. He added that yaxingquan is mainly practised for health, but properly trained it also has self-defence uses.

Yaxingquan belongs to the family of imitative (xiangxing) styles. By tradition it is credited to a Taoist known as the "Green Duck Taoist" on Mount Emei at the end of the Tang dynasty, and it blends the walking and swimming habits of the duck with attack and defence techniques. Today very few people can perform a complete set.

Who is Tang Bozhao

Tang has trained for 21 years. His main styles are Yin-style Baguazhang and Sun and Wu-style taijiquan. He learned yaxingquan from Zhou Yuxiang, son of the martial artist Zhou Mingde, a direct line of the style. He holds the Chinese Wushu 6th Duan, is a national first-class judge, a former national traditional wushu champion, and a recognised representative inheritor of yaxingquan as intangible cultural heritage. He first performed the style at a Beijing competition seven years ago.

771 athletes from 30 countries and regions

The 2026 China Beijing International Wushu Competition held its opening ceremony on the morning of 7 November at Yuetan Gymnasium. According to Beijing Daily, 771 athletes in 105 teams from 30 countries and regions are taking part, competing in 162 events across children's, youth, junior and adult groups. The programme covers international competition routines, optional routines, traditional styles and taiji.

The opening ceremony featured wushu performances and a robot wushu demonstration, a nod to wushu becoming an official event at the second World Humanoid Robot Games in 2026. Each athlete was introduced on the big screen with a 3D video of their movements. The event is guided by the Wushu Sports Management Center of China's General Administration of Sport and organised by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau, the Xicheng District government and Capital University of Physical Education and Sports.

Sources: Jimu News via ctdsb.net and cqnews.net, Beijing Daily (news.bjd.com.cn).

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