Taekwondo studio on the mat over 'Chinese zombie' show

The Chinese Taekwondo Association (CTA) has decided to punish Shenzhen-based X-Taekondo Studio for its choreographed performance at the 2023 SeongNam World Taekwondo Hanmadang event held in South Korea last month.

X-Taekwondo Studio's coach, Liu Hao, took the liberty of signing up for the competition on a tourist visa without informing the association.

Also, Liu choreographed the studio's competition entry based on the Jiangshi elements, or literally "stiff corpse" which is deemed to have promoted cultural dross and superstition, vilified China's national image and culture, and caused bad influence, according to the association's statement.

As a result, the CTA has canceled the studio's association membership and its credentials to host national Taekwondo grading tests and competitions.

Liu's teaching credentials will be revoked, and he won't be able to participate in training and competitions held by the association.

The CTA will further tighten its supervision of industry practitioners and studios across the country.

Jiangshi, also known as Chinese vampire, is a type of reanimated corpse in Chinese legend and folklore.

It is typically depicted as a stiff corpse dressed in official garments from the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), and it moves around by hopping with its arms outstretched. It kills living creatures to absorb their qi, or "life force" usually at night.