Wang Ju (Wang Zhi An) was so popular because he dared to test the boundaries of China’s highly censored media and throw pointed questions at his guests. Below is an interview with Wing Chun fighter Ding Hao after he was beaten by Xu Xiaodong.
After Ding Hao’s interview, let’s take a look from Xu Xiaodong’s POV. He wore a mask at their first meeting because the video was uploaded on social media whose algorithm would automatically block the video if Xu Xiaodong’s “controversial” face was seen or his name was mentioned in any form.
It’s amazing how far Xu Xiaodong went to accommodate Ding Hao’s requests. It was Ding’s idea to fight on the floor and not in the padded ring. Ding insisted on not wearing gloves. Xu allowed that, but he wore gloves. The judges were all traditional martial artists and not MMA practitioners. In other words, Xu bent over backwards to get Ding to agree to the fight.
Crass and vulgar Xu Xiaodong could be more a gentleman than the seemingly cultured wushu masters. The latter half of the video is dripping with sarcasm.
Interestingly, the one who was completely obliterated by the authorities was not Xu Xiaodong, but the interviewer Wang Zhi An.