POSITIVELY MEDIEVAL
Fighting styles, gear of Europe's Middle Ages gain traction in China
Spectators watch as participants fight in the Quanjia
Fighting Open Championship, a full-contact medieval combat tournament, Oct. 24 in Beijing.
A participant puts on plate armor before the tournament in Beijing.
A man looks through a medieval-style helmet with a chainmail coif.
Participants dressed in historical armor look on during the Oct. 24 Quanjia Fighting Open Championship tournament in Beijing. This medieval combat sport is known internationally as "buhurt."
People carry an injured participant on a stretcher during the Oct. 24 tournament in Beijing.
An axe features Daddy Pig, a character from the animated children's television series "Peppa Pig."
SPOTLIGHT| PURSUITS
About 80 fighters in steel armor storm across a Beijing park on an otherwise quiet Saturday, their swords, axes and polearms clanging against shields in a spectacle that echoes a medieval battlefield.
Among them is Guan Xiaoqi, nicknamed "Postman," who traded his desk job for 66 pounds of steel armor and a passion for participating in full-contact medieval combat tournaments. Now a martial arts coach, Guan is helping to grow China's medieval combat community, hoping to turn the niche pastime into a widely recognized sport.
"It's a sport that can bring excitement and passion to young people," he said, adding that participation steadily rose in recent years.
Guan said the physically demanding combat tests not only strength but mental endurance, with competitors battling in heavy armor until their opponents are brought down.
"We're all equally exhausted. If you think you're the most tired, you're probably just making excuses for yourself. If others can persevere, so can I," participant Zhang Chao said, describing the sense of achievement that comes with every contest.
Known internationally as "buhurt," the modern sport emerged from medieval reenactment communities in Eastern Europe and has grown into a global competition circuit. It arrived in China about a decade ago and since attracted a small but growing following in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.
With overseas teams joining the competition, Guan said the event in Beijing, Shanhe Cup Full-Contact Armored Combat Open, offered Chinese athletes a rare opportunity to measure themselves against more experienced opponents from countries including Italy, Russia and France.
While acknowledging the Chinese athletes' shortcomings, he remained optimistic about the country's progress.
"Now that we've seen where we fall short," he said, "we know what we need to work on to close the gap."
"It's a sport that can bring excitement and passion to young people."
Guan Xiaoqi, a participant in China's full-contact medieval combat sport, who is helping to grow the sport's community
