Kung fu fighting: girls fast as lightning put fresh spin on ancient Chinese art
Chinese martial arts have long been considered a male-dominated sphere, but a cohort of Gen Z women is challenging that assumption
In front of a secluded temple in southwestern China, Duan Ruru skilfully executes a series of chops and strikes, practising kung fu techniques she has spent a decade mastering.
Chinese martial arts have long been considered a male-dominated sphere, but a cohort of Generation Z women such as Duan are challenging that assumption and generating publicity for their particular school of kung fu.
“Since I was little, I’ve had a love for martial arts … I thought that girls learning martial arts was super swaggy,” Duan said.
The ancient Emei school where the 23-year-old trains in the mountains of Sichuan is thought to have historically welcomed a higher proportion of women and girls. But it has not achieved the same level of public fame as other kung fu schools, such as Shaolin.
That is starting to change thanks in part to Duan’s nine-woman troupe, Emei Kung Fu Girls, which meshes deft swordwork with social media savvy to help put the sect back on the map.
In slick videos, the troupe performs everything from combat scenes to flips in front of the Louvre in Paris, often backed by booming hip-hop beats.
