Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
In a half-covered amphitheatre in China, Wang Shuangshuang locked his shoulder against the neck of a bull.
He grappled with its horns to force the bull to its knees. This is Chinese bull-wrestling – or guanniu. The sport dates back more than 600 years, but is little known in the country and internationally.
Students like Shuangshuang sometimes sign up for competitions, but a lack of money and awareness of the sport means few people make it their full-time career.
“Our heritage right now is neither dead nor alive,” 72-year-old master Han Haihua said.
Guanniu was brought to Jiaxing by Hui Muslim migrants. It began as a herding skill and grew into a folk competition.
Unlike Spanish bullfighting, Chinese wrestlers use no weapons and do not kill the animal at the end of the bout. Instead, they seize the bull’s horns and try to bring it to the ground. They win extra points if they can jump onto its back.
