Martial arts draw foreign visitors to Mount Emei

For Harry Zhu, a recent trip to Mount Emei in Sichuan province was a dream-come-true adventure, as he unexpectedly met and filmed an impromptu martial arts video with a United States influencer he has long admired.

The 27-year-old Chinese American, who spent his early childhood in China, grew up watching TV series about wuxia, or martial arts heroes, including The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber adapted from the wuxia novel of the same name by Jin Yong, or Louis Cha Leung-yung. Zhu said that the two most impressive characters for him in the series, Zhou Zhiruo and the Abbess Miejue, are both from the Emei school, one of the three major schools of Chinese martial arts, along with Shaolin and Wudang.

"The trip has awakened my childhood fantasies," Zhu said. "Although I'm not a religious person, it feels like a pilgrimage to me."

Much to Zhu's surprise, he ran into Brad Podray, a video blogger from the US who has over six million followers on TikTok alone, at the Golden Summit of Mount Emei.

At Podray's suggestion, they shot a martial arts-themed short video together with another woman tourist against the backdrop of the Golden Summit's Buddha statue.

Podray said he was quite satisfied with the video and would like to use it on his TikTok and YouTube accounts.

Mount Emei was a key stop on Podray's maiden trip to China with his wife and son. During the trip, they tried authentic Sichuan cuisine such as boiled fish and hotpot, while immersing themselves in the stunning natural landscapes and unique culture.

"The mountain is so beautiful, and the culture here is pretty cool. I wish I had more time here," Podray said, adding that he felt sad about missing the kung fu performance at the Golden Summit.

"I will come back to learn some Chinese kung fu when I get the chance," he added.

The Mount Emei scenic area has seen a notable increase in international visitors this year. Official statistics from the scenic area show that in the first seven months, it received 107,084 inbound visitors, a year-on-year increase of 31.42 percent. A key factor driving this growth is China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy, which Podray said made their entry process "very efficient".

"Just fill out a couple of papers at the airport and it's done. And it doesn't cost any money," he said, stressing that he will talk to people about it.

Another important factor attracting international visitors is the growing global prominence of Emei kung fu thanks to the hosting of multiple international martial arts events as well as the dedicated efforts of its inheritors, local officials said.

The 10th World Kungfu Championships will be held from Oct 14 to 20 in Emeishan, Sichuan. It is expected to bring together over 5,000 athletes from more than 50 countries and regions.

A new generation of inheritors, represented by Ma-Zhao Lingyun, better known by her given name, has leveraged new media platforms to boost the popularity of Emei kung fu among young people.

The 26-year-old rose to internet fame in 2020 because of a short video demonstrating Emei swordsmanship. In the video, she suddenly tosses a sword into the air and wields it with blinding swiftness in a series of Emei moves while taking out the trash in casual clothes.

Together with other martial art-sloving girls, Lingyun founded the Emei Kung Fu Girls, China's first all-female martial arts group, in April 2024. Their first promotional video received more than one billion views on social media platforms.

"Traditional culture needs more modern and vibrant forms of expression," Lingyun said. "Therefore, our team has been exploring ways to integrate Emei kung fu with culture, art, fashion, film and television, as well as cultural tourism resources."

Lingyun said her kung fu group has traveled overseas to create works in international settings, including Paris, to improve their global appeal.

"Having grown up on Mount Emei, I have a deep affection for it," Lingyun said. "I hope to cooperate with more local businesses, jointly develop some IPs with local intangible cultural heritage and promote them overseas."