Earlier this month, a fight between an MMA practitioner and a Tai Chi master went viral. The outcome of the fight, and the reaction of its participants, caused major controversy throughout both Chinese martial arts circles and popular culture. Now, it seems, the Chinese government has stepped in to squash the story.
The viral showdown that started this affair occurred between Xu Xiadong, the director of the Beijing MMA Association, and Wei Lei, founder of Thunder-style Tai Chi. The two had argued over popular Chinese social media platform Weibo regarding whether MMA or Tai Chi was superior.