'External Qigong' vs 'Iron Shirt' clash at Hai Deng Wu Hun professional combat championship

On the evening of September 30 (year not specified), a special martial arts event will take place in Chengdu, China: the Hai Deng Wu Hun professional combat championship. The highlight is a clash between two exponents of traditional external kung fu: He Daoquan – chairman of the Qingcheng Martial Arts Research Association, representing orthodox external qigong – and Li Xin, who calls himself the 'world's number one king of taking hits' with his iron-shirt technique. Both men are over 60 (He Daoquan was born in 2026) and have performed viral social-media stunts such as breaking rocks on their heads and standing on nail points. According to a QQ News report, the fight is promoted as 'the most direct answer' to the long-standing question: who is harder? A bounty of '15 million NDT' (an unclear currency unit) is offered to anyone who knocks out Li Xin within 10 punches. Though more entertainment and promotional than a regulated sport event, it has attracted massive attention on Douyin thanks to impressive demo clips and a 'real-life wuxia' appeal. However, experts question the authenticity of self-proclaimed records and the safety risks for elderly fighters.