https://www.scmp.com/rss/501210/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press As people age, it is not uncommon for many to let out a muted groan when getting out of bed in the morning. But if you “oof” every time you get in a car or “aargh” while bending over to pick up something, it may be time to prioritise exercises that target your mobility. Dr Miho Tanaka, a sports medicine surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the US, said good mobility is recognised as an important part of overall health. She pointed to research showing that high... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3339561/how-good-mobility-can-keep-you-healthy-after-30-and-best-exercises-help-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3339561/how-good-mobility-can-keep-you-healthy-after-30-and-best-exercises-help-you?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 11:45:09 +0000 dpa dpa In China, some seniors hoping to stay fit and live longer are taking up weapons training – but not for lethal purposes. For some retirees, these unconventional sports tools are part of their daily routine. Take Mr Wang, for instance: in a park near Beijing’s Olympic Centre, he swings his whip with steady, focused precision. With each sharp crack, he drives a colourful spinning top through the humid summer night. Wang recalls that years ago, his doctor advised him to exercise more because of his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3324040/how-chinas-elderly-stay-fit-tai-chi-swords-neck-swinging-and-dancing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3324040/how-chinas-elderly-stay-fit-tai-chi-swords-neck-swinging-and-dancing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:15:07 +0000 On a visit to a Buddhist monastery in St Louis, in the US state of Missouri, in April, 2022, Elaine Tsang’s world turned upside down. She suffered a seizure and was rushed to hospital, where she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most aggressive and most common type of brain cancer. The prognosis for survival is poor. Surgeons later removed a grade 4, fast-growing tumour the size of a tangerine. “The diagnosis came as a shock to me. I had gone with my family to visit the monastery that I grew... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3265609/young-brain-cancer-survivor-credits-her-buddhist-faith-and-yoga-practice-her-recovery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3265609/young-brain-cancer-survivor-credits-her-buddhist-faith-and-yoga-practice-her-recovery?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Jun 2024 09:15:09 +0000 In an attempt to defend the honor of one of China’s great martial arts, a tai chi master named Ma Baoguo became a laughing stock in China in May only to make matters worse this month during a flirtation with retirement. The 68-year-old Ma has long boasted of superb martial art skills and formidable inner strength. He told a journalist in 2017, “I can defeat opponents much bigger and heavier than me with just one finger.”  That does not appear to have been an accurate statement.  An amateur... https://www.scmp.com/sports/chinese-internet-roasting-tai-chi-master-it-may-be-good-thing/article/3111346?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sports/chinese-internet-roasting-tai-chi-master-it-may-be-good-thing/article/3111346?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Nov 2020 12:55:20 +0000 In 2015, Ella Tham headed to Singapore for spinal surgery to deal with a number of lingering issues with her back. A few days after the surgery she went for an early morning walk wearing a neck brace and was viciously, randomly attacked by a man with mental health issues. The assault put Tham back in hospital, dealing with paralysis issues down one side of her body. She spent a year in a wheelchair and said the ordeal left her broken down physically and mentally, but therein lied an opportunity... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/other-martial-arts/article/3109707/tai-chi-meets-yoga-teacher-ella-tham-endures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/other-martial-arts/article/3109707/tai-chi-meets-yoga-teacher-ella-tham-endures?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Nov 2020 00:00:14 +0000 Wang Qingmin, the amateur boxer who knocked out tai chi master Ma Baoguo this month, has said he was “scared” before the fight in his first interview since the bout went viral. The 49-year-old boxer put the 69-year-old traditional martial artist on the floor twice before delivering the knockout blow, all inside 30 seconds of the fight in Zibo, Shandong province, nine days ago. Speaking to local media in an interview that has been widely reported, Wang said he was “very uneasy” before the fight... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3086258/ma-baoguos-opponent-scared-koing-tai-chi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3086258/ma-baoguos-opponent-scared-koing-tai-chi?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2020 02:48:25 +0000 The knockout of 69-year-old tai chi master Ma Baoguo by a former martial arts coach 20 years his junior in Shandong has been watched around the world, with fans in China and overseas ridiculing the older man for taking on the challenge. Ma was knocked down twice before being knocked out within 30 seconds and taken to hospital, where he recovered and has since left. However, footage from before the fight that shows a conversation between Ma and the fight referee shared on Chinese social media... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3085441/referee-asked-tai-chi-master-ma-baoguo-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3085441/referee-asked-tai-chi-master-ma-baoguo-show?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2020 08:02:25 +0000 Chinese MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong has rubbed salt in the wounds after seeing 69-year-old tai chi “master” Ma Baoguo get knocked out in half a minute. Ma was flattened in a farcical match-up with an amateur martial arts hobbyist 20 years his junior in Shandong last weekend. Footage of the fight has gone viral on social media. “Shanghai’s Ma Baoguo knocked out by an amateur after four seconds. That’s what a ‘traitor’ gets,” Xu tweeted. “Mad Dog” Xu, of course, has history with Ma. “In 2017, he... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3085218/chinese-mma-fighter-xu-xiaodong-mocks-tai-chi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3085218/chinese-mma-fighter-xu-xiaodong-mocks-tai-chi?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 May 2020 05:00:49 +0000 An elderly Chinese tai chi master’s attempt to defend his craft’s honour and his own reputation ended dismally again in a tournament in Shandong held over the weekend. In what was another “kung foolery” moment, 69-year-old Ma Baoguo was knocked down twice before he had his lights punched out for good when he fought a former martial arts coach twenty years his junior. Ma had made a name for himself on social media as he promoted what many observers called “kung fu fakery”. And not long ago, he... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3085102/gone-30-seconds-tai-chi-master-ma-baoguo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3085102/gone-30-seconds-tai-chi-master-ma-baoguo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 May 2020 11:20:59 +0000 It was probably inevitable that two of Chinese MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong’s vanquished “fake kung fu” opponents would eventually square off against each other. But that doesn’t make it any less entertaining. In what turned out to be a fairly one-sided battle, Lei Lei and Tian Ye recently went at it to see who was the better kung fu fighter. You may remember Lei Lei – he was the tai chi “master” who sparked “Mad Dog” Xu’s rise to fame after getting knocked out by him in 10 seconds. The video of that... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3038760/two-kung-fu-masters-demolished-chinese-mma-fighter-xu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3038760/two-kung-fu-masters-demolished-chinese-mma-fighter-xu?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Nov 2019 08:28:12 +0000 Xu Xiaodong has been challenged by plenty of kung fu “masters” but they don’t normally back down before he makes them eat their words in the ring. So it was rare to see one such challenger give a sincere apology to the Chinese MMA fighter. Fifth generation iron palm kung fu master Sun Lei issued his challenge to “Mad Dog”, calling him out in a recent video on Chinese social media. “Xu Xiaodong, you recently are always talking smack about Chinese kung fu and iron palm kung fu. I am gonna... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3036896/kung-fu-master-says-sorry-backs-down-after-chinese-mma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3036896/kung-fu-master-says-sorry-backs-down-after-chinese-mma?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Nov 2019 07:01:08 +0000 Remember “A Hu”, the Chinese MMA fighter who knocked out the fake wing chun “master” last weekend? Well it turns out he actually fought two frauds in one night, and remarkably, beat them both in 72 seconds. A Hu went viral after obliterating Xu Xiaodong’s old rival Ding Hao in a kick-boxing match, dropping him with a vicious head kick. But another video unearthed from Chinese social media reveals he pulled double duty and also took on a tai chi practitioner called Song De Cai the same day. You... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3034680/chinese-mma-fighter-knocks-out-two-traditional-martial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3034680/chinese-mma-fighter-knocks-out-two-traditional-martial?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Oct 2019 05:56:36 +0000 It looks like Xu Xiaodong might have his next fight lined up, with Chinese MMA’s “Mad Dog” accepting the challenge of tai chi “champion” Fan Shuai Xin. Fan called out the 40-year-old – who likes to expose “fake kung fu” by beating up traditional martial arts masters he believes are frauds – in an interview with Chinese media. “Winter Melon,” Fan said, using the demeaning alias given to Xu by the promoters of his last fight in accordance with China’s censorship of him, “I’m not a tai chi master,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3019442/xu-xiaodong-accepts-challenge-tai-chi-idiot-liar-fan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3019442/xu-xiaodong-accepts-challenge-tai-chi-idiot-liar-fan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2019 09:13:32 +0000 Xu Xiaodong has mocked a “fake” kung fu practitioner, ridiculing Huo Yanshan as the “acupuncture master” after he won what clearly appears to be a staged bout in China against a supposed Sanda fighter. Dressed in traditional martial arts attire but wearing boxing gloves for last weekend’s fight, Huo circled around the ring with his opponent before checking a couple of his kicks. The “Sanda fighter” then flopped to the floor after one mighty chop to his left pectoral from Huo, and rolled around... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3016982/xu-xiaodong-mocks-acupuncture-master-huo-yanshan-fake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3016982/xu-xiaodong-mocks-acupuncture-master-huo-yanshan-fake?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jul 2019 11:44:54 +0000 Xu Xiaodong has called tai chi master Lu Hang a “cheat” for backing out of a fight after offering the Chinese MMA fighter 10 million yuan (US$1.45 million) if he beat him. Sichuanese Yang-style master Lu, who claims to be the No 1 martial arts fighter in China, said he still wants to teach Xu Xiaodong a lesson – but only after he has completed three years of intense training, which he plans to showcase on a daily live-stream. “I think Lu is a cheat,” Xu told the Post. “He wants to become an... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3016155/xu-xiaodong-calls-tai-chi-master-cheat-backing-out-10?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3016155/xu-xiaodong-calls-tai-chi-master-cheat-backing-out-10?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jun 2019 08:30:19 +0000 Xu Xiaodong has said he intends to countersue the tai chi “grandmaster” Chen Xiaowang, who won a Chinese court case that forced him to pay damages last month. The outspoken Chinese MMA fighter had claimed in a rant on social media earlier this week that he intends to move to Australia because “everyone is leaving China”. Chen relocated to Australia in 1990 having been born in Chenjiagou in 1945. But he revealed there are further reasons behind his plan. “I want to acquire Australian citizenship,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3015723/xu-xiaodong-wants-countersue-tai-chi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3015723/xu-xiaodong-wants-countersue-tai-chi?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jun 2019 10:29:52 +0000 Xu Xiaodong’s nickname may be “Mad Dog”, but the Chinese MMA fighter looked even angrier than usual dealing out his latest beat down of a kung fu fraud. The 41-year-old pulverised balding pressure point wing chun “master” Lu Gang in Karamay, China, last weekend breaking his hapless opponent’s nose and beating him in 47 seconds. But exposing yet another fake martial artist didn’t seem to satisfy Xu, who still looked spitting mad as he paced around the ring while a doctor tended to his most recent... https://www.scmp.com/sport/mixed-martial-arts/article/3011784/china-censoring-xu-xiaodong-exposing-kung-fu-frauds-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/mixed-martial-arts/article/3011784/china-censoring-xu-xiaodong-exposing-kung-fu-frauds-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 May 2019 05:47:25 +0000 Outspoken MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong has been ordered by the Chinese courts to pay hundreds of thousands of yuan in damages and publicly apologise on social media for insulting a tai chi “grandmaster”. Chen Xiaowang bills himself on his own website as the “19th generation lineage holder of Chen family taijiquan” and “one of the few holders of the highest rank of 9th Duan Wei conferred by the Chinese Wushu Association”. These accolades have been bestowed on him “not only for his high level of... https://www.scmp.com/sport/mixed-martial-arts/article/3011644/china-orders-xu-xiaodong-publicly-apologise-and-pay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/mixed-martial-arts/article/3011644/china-orders-xu-xiaodong-publicly-apologise-and-pay?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 May 2019 06:47:37 +0000