Extraordinary People and Rare Feats (Part 1)
Section 1: Bizarre Tricks and Master Skills — The Mysterious "Fire Art" of Exquisite Craftsmanship: Treading and Biting Plowshares, Touching Oil Cauldrons. Known in jianghu circles as "fire art," this involves heating a plowshare until red-hot in a roaring fire; after the master dons a monk's robe and performs rituals, he bites the red-hot plowshare in his mouth and circles the arena, or lays out 6 to 8 pieces in a row on flat ground and walks barefoot across them, feet sizzling.
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Section One
Strange Tricks and Special Skills, Exquisite Craftsmanship
Mysterious "Fire Skill" - Stepping on and Biting a Plowshare, Touching an Oil Cauldron
What is called "fire skill" in the martial world is this: a plowshare used for plowing fields is heated red-hot in a roaring fire. After the master, wearing a robe, performs rituals, he bites the red-hot plowshare in his mouth and circles the arena once, or lays out 6 to 8 pieces in order on flat ground and then walks barefoot over them, while his soles squeak and give off blue smoke, as if crossing a mountain of flames. Those with superior "fire skill" can also carry a plowshare in both hands while crossing the mountain of flames. "Touching an oil cauldron" means the performer throws a copper coin into a scalding oil cauldron. After performing rituals, he rolls up his clothes, bares his arm, reaches into the cauldron, and takes out the copper coin. Watching a fire skill performance makes one's heart pound with fear, but the performer is unharmed and acts as if nothing has happened.
A Thousand-Year-Old Skill Passed Down in Xiangxi - Climbing a Mountain of Knives and Crossing a Sea of Fire
"Climbing a mountain of knives" means stepping barefoot on a ladder tied with steel knives and climbing up along the blades; "crossing a sea of fire" means stepping barefoot on iron plates heated red-hot in a bonfire and passing through the fire pile. Climbing a mountain of knives and crossing a sea of fire may seem mysterious, but in fact it is also the result of diligent practice. When first practicing, one steps barefoot on sand, and regardless of severe cold or intense heat, one must repeatedly practice stepping on sand. Then the sand is replaced with pebbles, and one must practice until one's soles can step on sharply edged stones without feeling anything. At this point, the pebbles are replaced with broken glass, and one uses the soles to crush the broken glass into powder. Finally, the broken glass is replaced with blades... until the soles have a very thick and very hard layer of calluses, and one has practiced until the calluses are cut into shreds by the blades, only then is the skill considered complete.
The Strangest Egg - An Egg Within an Egg
Master Peng of Changsha Jingmei Cake Shop saw such a strange egg while beating eggs to make cake. After the egg was opened, no yolk was found at all. What remained was a mass of translucent substance, the color of lychee flesh and the texture of a soft-shelled egg. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it was composed of 4 small "eggs" pressed tightly together, and these 4 small "eggs" happened to be arranged in order by size. Professor Shen Youhui of the Biology Department of Hunan Normal University said that this may have been caused by parasites or pathological changes stimulating the oviduct. The 4 small eggs were soft-shelled eggs, indicating that the hen's body lacked calcium.
Xiangxi Divine Whip Special Skill - Splitting Newspaper into Fragments with a Whip
Gao Yun, a 20-year-old woman from Xiangxi, has the reputation of "Divine Whip." She can use a 5-meter-long whip to tear the newspaper in the hand of an assistant standing five meters away into smaller and smaller pieces again and again, until only a small piece of paper 5 centimeters wide remains, astonishing people.
A Wonder Who Can Cut Hair While Standing on His Head - Wang Xiaoyu of Changsha
In Hongyuan Residential Community on Guangji Bridge in Changsha City, Wang Xiaoyu demonstrated his innovative "kung fu scissors," namely the special skill of standing on his head with his body inverted while cutting other people's hair. He placed a square four-legged table about 1 meter wide against the wall, and placed a small round stool in front of the table. He stepped onto the stool, put both hands on the table, and with a sudden leap, his body went upside down. A girl cooperating with the performance came over and sat on the stool in front of the table waiting for a haircut. Wang Xiaoyu first gathered a tuft of hair at the back of the girl's head and quickly secured it with a hair clip. After the clicking sound of the scissors, the layers of hair at the back of the girl's head had already begun to take shape...
A Wonder Who Can Pull Three Cars with His Nose - She Jianhui of Wangcheng
She Jianhui, styled Master Honghui, is from Wangcheng County, Hunan. At the age of 5, he began learning skills under his parents' guidance, and at 6 he followed his parents around the country performing in various places. Now 46 years old, he has been engaged in the stunt industry for 41 years. On January 22, 2009, at the Jiuzhou Temple Fair held in Changsha, he performed the special skill of pulling three cars with his nose. In addition to being able to pull cars with his mouth and nose, he also knows more than 80 stunts, including threading pearls through his nostrils, threading iron nails through his nostrils, and drinking alcohol through his nostrils.
A Wonder Who Can Thread a Needle with His Tongue - Xiao Xuedong of Ningxiang
Xiao Xuedong, stage name "A Dong," 34 years old, from Huitang, Ningxiang. He has a jaw-dropping stunt called "Nine Dragons Frolic in the Sea": nine needles about 3 cm long and a thread about 30 cm long. First, he places the nine needles into his mouth one by one, with the tips pointing toward his throat and the tails toward his mouth, then swallows the white thread. Once the thread and needles are all in his mouth, he begins to thread the needles. After a few dozen seconds, he slowly pulls the white thread out of his mouth, and the nine silver needles emerge one by one. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes.
The Extraordinary Man Who Pulls a Bus with His Hair — He Jianma of Youxian
He Jianma, an extraordinary man from Youxian, Hunan, has mastered a remarkable "crown feat": using his hair to pull an 8.43-ton bus 30 meters across flat ground. This stunt has successfully challenged the Guinness record. He first fastens a specially made steel ring to his nearly 40-cm-long hair, then hooks one end of a long rope to the ring and the other end to an 8.43-ton bus. Then, with a loud shout, he leans forward, channels his energy, and the bus begins to move slowly, advancing a full 30 meters.
The Extraordinary Man Who Juggles 80 Iron Balls with One Palm — Liu Zhihe of Changsha
Liu Zhihe from Hexi, Changsha, Hunan, has a remarkable stunt: he can hold up 80 iron balls, each weighing half a jin, on one hand and make them all spin in the air simultaneously. He hopes to apply for a Guinness record for this feat. Stacked upright, the 80 iron balls stand over 1 meter tall and weigh more than 20 kilograms, yet Liu Zhihe can easily hold them up with one hand. As the four balls at the bottom slowly rotate on his fingertips, the 80 balls seem about to topple, but under Liu Zhihe's skilled control, they stand as steady as Mount Tai and can even "dance" all at once.
The Extraordinary Man Who Can Write with Over a Hundred Parts of His Body — Zhou Mingdi of Dong'an
Zhou Mingdi, a native of Dong'an County, Hunan Province, is currently a member of the Chinese Calligraphers and Painters Association and vice president of the Chinese Painting Academy of Datong Society in Thailand. Fond of calligraphy since childhood and devoted to brush and ink for decades, he can write in multiple scripts and has obtained certificates from Shanghai Great World Guinness and World Guinness. He can write using over a hundred parts of his body, such as hands, feet, mouth, and nose. Even more remarkable is his ability to split his attention eight ways and wield eight brushes at once, writing eight different characters simultaneously. Currently, the elderly Zhou Mingdi's calligraphy stunt of "writing with eight brushes at once" is being submitted for a Guinness World Record.
The Extraordinary Man Who Can Play Suona with His Nose and Write with His Feet — Mr. Ge
An elderly Mr. Ge from Hunan, though an old farmer, harbors a set of remarkable skills. He is not only the joy of his village but also the most curious and beloved old treasure that outsiders love to visit. Playing suona with his nostrils and writing brush calligraphy with his feet — that's not even the rare part; he single-handedly handles an entire wedding band. Some skeptics tried to challenge Old Ge, but ultimately found they could not match the old gentleman. After all, Old Ge spent 10 years of practice to develop his skills. With such versatility yet never flustered, no one but Old Ge can compare.
The Extraordinary Man Who Tears Calligraphy by Hand — Song Xuewen of Hengyang
Song Xuewen, a calligraphy marvel from Hengyang, Hunan, has developed a unique "hand-torn calligraphy." He picks up a newspaper and begins tearing it; as the scraps fall away, the outline of the character "Fu" (blessing) gradually appears. He assembles hand-torn characters into calligraphy works drawn from Han dynasty stele inscriptions and Han bamboo slip texts. Among them, the characters in several works imitating the "Zhang Qian Stele" and "Li Qi Stele" carry both the charm of calligraphy and the vigorous effect of stele rubbings. These characters are all torn by Song Xuewen from old newspapers. His greatest wish is to hold "hand-torn calligraphy" exhibitions abroad and carry this art forward.
The Extraordinary Motorcycle Performer — Huang Biao of Zhangjiajie
Huang Biao, a native of Zhangjiajie, Hunan, spent 11 years mastering his motorcycle skills. He can ride a motorcycle with both hands off the handlebars while performing 7 major stunts: eating instant noodles, playing the hulusi, playing the erhu, playing the guitar, juggling three knives, spreading his arms like a roc, and lying flat on the ground. His dream is to challenge a world record. Currently, the world record for riding a two-wheeled motorcycle with both hands off the handlebars is 16.7 kilometers, completed in 19 minutes and 45 seconds. Huang Biao believes he can cover 17 kilometers in under 19 minutes, and that each of his 7 stunts can break the world record at the time.
The Extraordinary Man Who Balances a Barbell on His Head While Spinning a Hula Hoop — Xiang Jingchun of Xiangxiang
When Master Xiang Jingchun of Xiangxiang "shows off" his stunt, he balances a 20-kg barbell on his head while spinning a hula hoop, and the barbell on his head must not fall. This "hula hoop" is a "soft hula hoop" made by Master Xiang from large prayer beads, weighing 4 kilograms — one can imagine the difficulty. Master Xiang Jingchun can also ride a 2.5-meter-high bicycle with a barbell on his head. In 2008, a performance by Master Xiang Jingchun in Beijing attracted the attention of a program director from a South Korean TV station, who warmly invited him to record the program "National Fitness Welcomes the Olympics." After the program aired, it was extremely well received by the Korean people.
The Extraordinary Man with Blowing Stunts — Mr. Chatty of Zhuzhou
On the evening of November 19, 2008, "Chinese Marvel" Mr. Chatty from Zhuzhou demonstrated his signature stunt "blowing up a balloon with his eyes" to the audience. Mr. Chatty attached a thin plastic tube to his glasses, took a deep breath, channeled his energy, and gradually inflated a balloon, amazing the audience. Another stunt by Mr. Chatty, "rapidly blowing up a hot water bottle with his mouth," left the audience even more astonished. Chatty has joined the China TV Guinness Celebrity Art Troupe, the Chinese Stunt Art Troupe, the "Chinese Marvels" National Top Stunt Celebrity Touring Troupe, and other artistic groups, frequently performing in various places.
The Modern "Divine Traveler" — Long-Distance Running Marvel Xiao Xiangao
Xiao Xiangao, hailed as the "long-distance running marvel," is a farming peasant from Zhijiang, Huaihua. Since the age of 13, he has persistently run for fitness, normally running 60 to 70 kilometers a day, and up to 120 kilometers at most. From 1986 to the present, he has run around the entire country 8 consecutive times, covering every province, municipality, and region in China except Taiwan. Over 30 years, Xiao Xiangao has worn out more than 400 pairs of shoes, worn through four maps, and covered over 500,000 kilometers — equivalent to circling the Earth more than 10 times — making him a veritable modern "Divine Traveler."
The Still-Floating Marvel — Kang Qinhua of Xinhua
After Beijing's successful Olympic bid in 2001, Kang Qinhua, a native of Xinhua known in the field as the "still-floating marvel," conceived of a "still-floating relay," dreaming of floating motionless in famous waterways such as the Xiang River and the Yellow River while passing an Olympic torch. At 1:58 PM on September 18, 2007, Kang Qinhua successfully traveled from the Monkey Stone Bridge in Changsha to his designated goal — the Orange Isle Bridge — holding a self-made torch. On August 16, 2009, Kang Qinhua presented a wonderful "fancy water floating" display, performing various tricks including still-floating while pulling a chest expander and lifting bricks on water.
The World's Magic Queen — Chinese Canadian Chen Zhiling
Chen Zhiling was born in Hunan and now resides in Vancouver, Canada. With her two hands, Chen Zhiling conjures infinite joy and has carved out a place in the Western male-dominated world of magic. Today she is a world-top female magician, honored with the title "World's Magic Queen." Last year, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Society of American Magicians. In 1992, Chen Zhiling participated in the World Magic Association Convention held in Salt Lake City, USA, and won first prize in the competition, becoming the first Chinese person in history to win first prize at a world magic competition. In September 1996 and July 1997, she also won the overall championship at the World Magic Union conventions held in Spain and Germany respectively, becoming the first woman to receive the world's most authoritative award.