SHENZHEN — A taekwondo academy in China has been penalised by the Chinese Taekwondo Association (CTA) for “tarnishing the nation’s image” with its performance of a zombie-inspired routine at a global taekwondo competition. 

The governing body added in a statement on Monday (Aug 21) that the “zombie taekwondo dance” performed by Shenzhen-based X-Taekwondo Gym disrespected Chinese culture and promoted negative traditions and customs.

The controversial performance took place during the World Taekwondo Hanmadang which was held in Seongnam, South Korea from July 21 to 24. A hanmadang is a taewondo festival.

An estimated 4,000 people from 57 nations attended the annual event this year, South Korean media reported.

In footage of the performance posted online, seven participants from X-Taekwondo Gym can be seen stepping out in black robes similar to those worn by court officials of the Qing Dynasty. The look is completed with matching hats with fake long braids attached.

The men then begin their routine, busting out a combination of taekwondo techniques and dance moves inspired by "jiang shi" or jumping zombies popularised by Hong Kong horror movies. The performance was peppered with moments where the “zombies” hopped around with their arms extended in front of them.

The participants then take off their costumes halfway through and finish off their performance in taekwondo uniforms.

Despite successfully clinching first prize in the senior aerobic category for international participants with their routine, the performance did not sit well with Chinese authorities and netizens.

“The show promotes bad habits, tarnishes the image of the nation, desecrates Chinese culture, and causes bad influence,” the CTA said in its statement on WeChat.

It added that X-Taekwondo Academy had registered for the competition on its own by using a tourist visa to enter South Korea.

Chinese state-affiliated outlet Global Times reported that Chinese netizens also criticised the performance for supposedly reinforcing negative stereotypes of Chinese people, as the Qing Dynasty zombies carried echoes of the harmful Dr Fu Manchu stereotype in Western movies.

The fictional Dr Fu character was a Chinese criminal genius who was the hero-villain of novels and short stories by Sax Rohmer. 

The creative “zombie” routine, however, received rave reviews from online users outside of China.

A clip of the performance, which was shared on the YouTube channel Taekwon TV, has attracted more than 51,000 views in a month. The video is the channel’s most viewed so far.

One viewer commented: “Innovation. Integrating a particular Chinese culture into a modern world sport. This is a good way to show the creativity of the Chinese young generation to the world. Many congratulations on the achievement that the team has achieved.”

Another wrote: “Outstanding performance, worth the championship, China should be proud of these kids.”

Several comments in Chinese also defended the Shenzhen team, claiming that they did not find the performance offensive and found it unfair that the team had been punished.

Following the controversy, X-Taekwondo Gym had its official membership permanently revoked by the CTA. This means that the gym is no longer permitted to hold national taekwondo grading tests and tournaments.

The coach who choreographed the dance, Mr Liu Hao, was also stripped of his coaching qualifications and has been banned from taking part in any competitions or training programmes organised by the CTA.

The Guangdong Taekwondo Association was ordered to conduct an inspection and its qualifications, as well as that of Shenzhen Taekwondo Association, have been suspended for three years.

The CTA added that it will carry out a thorough inspection of all Taekwondo studios nationwide in order to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.