E-Paper
Photos: Chinese martial artists lock horns with bulls in wrestling bouts
In the centre of a faux Roman amphitheatre about 100 kilometres southwest of Shanghai, Wushu, or kung fu, athletes put on a wrestling show for tourists. A muscular martial artist riles up an adult bull, pushing its head from side to side before handing it over to the challenger. Years of hard martial arts training become clear as the young men grapple with the bulls by their horns, muscles popping as they strain against the powerful bovines' necks while deftly avoiding being stomped in a kind of drunken dance.
Updated on: Nov 02, 2018 12:06 PM IST
Share via
Copy link
1/8
View Photos in a new improved layoutUpdated on Nov 02, 2018 12:06 PM
A bull wrestler grapples a bull during a show at an arena in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, China. When 21-year-old Chinese martial artist Li Zhen first stepped into the ring to wrestle an adult bull he was naturally intimidated. “I was pretty scared. It’s a bull, after all,” he said. (Johannes Eisele / AFP)
2/8
View Photos in a new improved layoutUpdated on Nov 02, 2018 12:06 PM
A bull wrestler in the practise hall before a show at an arena. He risked having a leg snapped under the animal’s weight, being gored, or trampled. But Li’s training got him over those fears and he is now one of a group of Wushu, or kung fu, athletes who train in bull wrestling at the Haihua Martial Arts Centre, about 100 kilometres southwest of Shanghai. (Johannes Eisele / AFP)
3/8
View Photos in a new improved layoutUpdated on Nov 02, 2018 12:06 PM
A leash prepared before a show. A traditional sport of China’s Muslim Hui minority, the practice has come under fire from critics in China who say it constitutes animal cruelty. The centre’s master Han Haihua disagrees. “Our bull wrestling is not bloody or cruel,” the burly 65-year-old said, comparing it favourably to Spanish bullfighting’s ritualised killing of the animals. (Johannes Eisele / AFP)
4/8
View Photos in a new improved layoutUpdated on Nov 02, 2018 12:06 PM
The docile creatures are led to the centre of a faux Roman amphitheatre where performances are put on for Chinese tourists. A muscular martial artist riles up the animal by pushing its head from side to side before handing it over to the challenger. “We use our deep knowledge of Wushu and its techniques to throw the bull down without hurting it,” said Han. (Johannes Eisele / AFP)
5/8
View Photos in a new improved layoutUpdated on Nov 02, 2018 12:06 PM
In matches, points are scored by forcing the bulls off-balance and pushing them to the ground. “The difficult thing about it is that people and bulls are not the same weight,” said Li Bo, a hefty 23-year-old from China’s eastern province of Anhui. “Once you get to know them they are actually quite gentle and well-behaved,” he added. (Johannes Eisele / AFP)
6/8
View Photos in a new improved layoutUpdated on Nov 02, 2018 12:06 PM
Years of training become clear as the young men grapple with the bulls by their horns, muscles popping as they strain against the powerful bovines’ necks, deftly avoiding being stomped in a kind of drunken dance. The bulls appear at times disinterested, perplexed, or annoyed as they tumble over clumsily, shrug off their attackers or dash for the nearest exit. (Johannes Eisele / AFP)
7/8
View Photos in a new improved layoutUpdated on Nov 02, 2018 12:06 PM
A bull wrestler crashes into a barrier while throwing a bull to the ground. Han wants to spread bull wrestling further through annual competitions that he says already attract more than a hundred athletes from diverse combat disciplines like mixed martial arts, judo and taekwondo. (Johannes Eisele / AFP)
8/8
View Photos in a new improved layoutUpdated on Nov 02, 2018 12:06 PM
