Watch a Kung Fu master stand up from a full split like it's nothing
For most of us, our impression of Kung Fu comes from Hollywood martial arts movies. (Or worse, Kung Fu Panda.)
So it can be easy to forget that real martial artists go through years of grueling training to achieve the superhuman feats they're capable of.
Over the weekend, the hallowed grounds of the legendary Shaolin Temple hosted its first open competition. Top Kung Fu masters were invited to compete in a range of segments, including knife-throwing, splitting concrete blocks, and two-finger push ups.
But this exhibition performance by former national Wushu champion, Wang Weibao, really looks like movie magic.
One of his moves involves him getting up on his feet from a split.
I mean, straight up from a full, sitting split. What!
The 40-year-old has been practicing martial arts since he was 8, and is a master of the Shaolin Two-Finger Zen style of Kung Fu.
The competition was held on the grounds of the 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located on Mount Song.
You can watch more of the competition, which was livestreamed here.
Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
