Why Do Chinese Kung Fu Masters Keep Getting Beat Up? Written by Andres Salazar May 2017 was the home of one of the most controversial cultural moments in recent Chinese history. Combat sports competitor and MMA coach, Xu Xiaodong, challenged traditional tai chi master Wei Lei to a fight to test the legitimacy of Chinese kung fu in actual combat scenarios. Within the first twenty seconds, Xu knocked down Wei and landed strikes to the opponent’s head on the ground until he could no longer continue the fight (Atkin, 2018). This moment sparked immense controversy in China, putting doubt on the effectiveness of traditional Chinese martial arts, as well as…