Standards

At tournaments, all the weapons and armor are made according to historical standards. The equipment rules are strict, and each item is thoroughly checked by the judges before use.

The Ming Dynasty-style armor Gao wore was designed and made by Xu Guoji after he found an authentic suit of armor of the "Eight Banners" - a military-administrative organization of the Man ethnic group during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) - in a museum.

"As I could not find any Ming armor, I checked some historical materials and discovered that the Qing Dynasty not only inherited the Ming's political system, but also its military equipment. Then I spent almost two months making a replica suit," Xu said.

An iconic figure in the Chinese team, Xu is a full-time craftsman and buhurt player. However, the sport is still relatively new to China, so it does not provide a generous return.

"I know there would be more benefits if the sport could attract more attention. But I believe that before popularizing the sport, we need to raise our standards through more practice and tournaments. If not, we may end up like some soccer teams, rich but weak," he said.

Lu Qi, who runs a martial arts club and a buhurt team in Shanghai, has a different opinion. In addition to routine training, his team members coach younger buhurt lovers and shoot short videos to promote the sport online.

"To be accepted by the public, it is necessary to cooperate with social media and different communities. Millions of people watched the video after we uploaded it, so we are bringing the sport into the spotlight. I hope more people will participate and more tournaments will be held on our home ground," he said.

It is hard to predict the future of buhurt in China. But the enthusiasts' efforts provide a glimmer of light in the dark.

On Oct 10 last year, a festival called The First Year of Armor was held in Hailongtun in the southwestern province of Guizhou. Organized by armor lovers, the festival attracted buhurt fans from all over the country, who reveled in a tournament between teams from across China and an exhibition of historical armor and weapons.

"What we are doing serves a small group of enthusiasts, so we cannot expect it to grow into a big industry. But I hope that through our persistence and efforts, more people will come to know the sport," Gao said.