Song Haoming (right) and Fu Junxi Photo: Courtesy of China Hip-Hop Union Committee

With a symbolic toast posture and a graceful bow, Song Haoming and Fu Junxi, both born in 2010s from China, launched into a fluid yet powerful performance. Blending the agility of "Drunken Fist" and the movements of Tai Chi, the young duo has fused traditional kung fu with Hip-Hop dancing moves, making history by reaching the top four at the Juste Debout 2025 global finals, the best result ever for a Chinese team. 

Back in China, videos of another teenager started circulating on social media platforms. Zhang Keyi, a 13-year-old from Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province, went viral for her breathtaking knife-throwing skills combining dance, showcasing yet another dimension of traditional Chinese artistry.

Chinese martial arts, also known as kung fu or wushu, is well-known across the globe, from Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do to Jackie Chan's comedic kung fu films. Now, a new generation is carrying that legacy forward, integrating the centuries-old martial arts with innovative forms such as dance and pushing the boundaries of heritage skills. 

Marital flow 

Juste Debout, known as the "the world's biggest street-dance competition," attracts top-tier dancers from around the world. Despite facing elite competition, Song and Fu, 11-year-old and 12-year-old respectively, advanced to the quarter finals in the Hip Hop category of the competition.

The official Juste Debout's Instagram account praised the duo: "Song Haoming and Fu Junxi from China fought like warriors on the Juste Debout stage—fearless, relentless, and unstoppable. From the first round to the TOP 4, they gave everything. Pure heart. Pure fire. This wasn't just a dance show—it was a statement."

Fu's mother, Jia, told the Global Times the international response "exceeded her expectations."

When asked why the pair chose to incorporate Chinese elements into their routine, Fu explained, "This was our own idea."

According to Fu, he is a fan of wuxia culture while Song comes from a martial arts family. 

"When Sone suggested adding Chinese elements such as Drunken Fist, Tai Chi, and Wing Chun into our performance, I immediately agreed. Street dance comes from the West, but we are Chinese. We want to bring our culture into it and show the world Chinese culture's strength," Fu told the Global Times.

For both of them, the future is still full of possibilities. In addition to kung fu and street dance, many more opportunities await.

Looking ahead, Song the Chinese dancer  longs to incorporate more ethnic influences into his performance. Fu wants to explore more new creative fusions, such as incorporating lion dancing and other traditional Chinese arts into his performances to help spread Chinese culture. "There's so much more to explore, and we're just getting started."

Blades and grace

With ambidextrous precision and unerring accuracy, the 13-year-old Zhang has mastered the skill of throwing 12 knives into a target while spinning. Her mesmerizing technique has captivated millions online, with some of her videos amassing over 200 million views. 

Zhang's father, Zhang Demin, told the Global Times that his own fascination with knife throwing led him down this path, but his daughter's rapid progress soon surpassed his expectations. He recalls the day it all began: He had set up a target to practice, and his daughter, intrigued, gave it a try. Within half an hour under his guidance, her natural talent became evident. Her grasp of technique, stability, and muscle control stunned him.

In 2023, Zhang's father took her to apprentice under Master Ju Zhenfei, an inheritor of China's intangible cultural heritage in the art of knife-throwing. 

"Since she has regular school from Monday to Friday, she practices every day during summer and winter breaks, starting at 7.30 am and going until noon. Even on weekends, she sticks to her rigorous schedule," her father explained.

As Zhang's skills sharpened, her father began posting her videos online. Her knife-throwing feats have gained particular traction in Russia, where a competitor approached her with a video at a 2024 international knife throwing invitational, asking, "Is this you?" Zhang's rising profile even drew the attention of Jackie Chan's production team, who invited her to appear in a film.

A representative from the Russian grading association was also astonished by Zhang's performance during her assessment, noting that at such a young age, she could consistently land over 50 throws into the target from a distance of 5 meters. She also holds a personal record for a direct throw of 6.53 meters.

Her father affectionately named her signature move, the 12-spin knife throw Luoxuanlianhua (spiraling Lotus), a fusion of the eight years Zhang spent studying dance. "It looks like traditional martial arts because of the dance steps woven into the movements," he said. "It blends modernity with tradition, creating something entirely new."

By maintaining the core of her discipline while embracing innovation, Zhang plans to explore acrobatics and parkour in the future, aiming to combine these dynamic forms with traditional knife-throwing techniques.

Zhang Keyi Photo: Courtesy of Zhang Keyi