<p>Liu Xuliang lunges menacingly as if spoiling for a fight after too many drinks. But he is in fact stone-cold sober and an expert in an ancient Chinese martial art known as drunken boxing.</p>.<p>There are no precise figures but Liu estimates that excluding those in martial-arts schools, about 1,000 people in China practise "zui quan", better known as drunken or drunkard's boxing.</p>.<p>The 24-year-old, a full-time martial artist, crouches down, pauses, then springs up, twisting and twirling in the air.</p>.<p>In motions which appear haphazard but are actually perfectly controlled, Liu then staggers backwards and leans all the way back before collapsing, motionless and with his arms splayed.</p>.<p>"A drunken boxing practitioner is like a drunkard but actually he's very sober," said Liu.</p>.<p>"The drunken boxing practitioner seems to be drunk, very funny, stumbling and swaying, and even barely standing still.</p>.<p>"But actually he still has a strong sense of attacking and his boxing movements are very clear."</p>.<p>The martial art's origins are unclear, but it is often thought to have sprung up as result of the tale of the drunken Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology.</p>.<p>Liu, an expert in several different martial arts, became interested when he watched the "Drunken Master" Jackie Chan films from 1978 and 1994.</p>.<p>Liu said there has been a fall in the number of people doing drunken boxing from the 1980s. But he has seen a recent uptick and the Chinese government appears determined to keep it alive.</p>.<p>These days there is no fighting involved. Rather, Liu and other members of China's national martial arts team stage performances to raise interest.</p>.<p>Peng Aofeng, 30, another drunken boxing expert, was also drawn in by the Chan movies. "I thought it was cool," he said.</p>.<p>Peng believes that one major obstacle for drunken boxing's future is that it needs to be done on carpeted floor, because there is a lot of falling and rolling involved.</p>.<p>Another reason that so few people do it, said Peng, is that not many have the necessary "flexibility and explosive power".</p>.<p>Like Liu, he is playing his part in keeping the practice going.</p>.<p>"Among ordinary people or non-professional people, I have hardly ever seen anyone practise drunken boxing," he said.</p>.<p>"Perhaps it's too traditional."</p>
<p>Liu Xuliang lunges menacingly as if spoiling for a fight after too many drinks. But he is in fact stone-cold sober and an expert in an ancient Chinese martial art known as drunken boxing.</p>.<p>There are no precise figures but Liu estimates that excluding those in martial-arts schools, about 1,000 people in China practise "zui quan", better known as drunken or drunkard's boxing.</p>.<p>The 24-year-old, a full-time martial artist, crouches down, pauses, then springs up, twisting and twirling in the air.</p>.<p>In motions which appear haphazard but are actually perfectly controlled, Liu then staggers backwards and leans all the way back before collapsing, motionless and with his arms splayed.</p>.<p>"A drunken boxing practitioner is like a drunkard but actually he's very sober," said Liu.</p>.<p>"The drunken boxing practitioner seems to be drunk, very funny, stumbling and swaying, and even barely standing still.</p>.<p>"But actually he still has a strong sense of attacking and his boxing movements are very clear."</p>.<p>The martial art's origins are unclear, but it is often thought to have sprung up as result of the tale of the drunken Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology.</p>.<p>Liu, an expert in several different martial arts, became interested when he watched the "Drunken Master" Jackie Chan films from 1978 and 1994.</p>.<p>Liu said there has been a fall in the number of people doing drunken boxing from the 1980s. But he has seen a recent uptick and the Chinese government appears determined to keep it alive.</p>.<p>These days there is no fighting involved. Rather, Liu and other members of China's national martial arts team stage performances to raise interest.</p>.<p>Peng Aofeng, 30, another drunken boxing expert, was also drawn in by the Chan movies. "I thought it was cool," he said.</p>.<p>Peng believes that one major obstacle for drunken boxing's future is that it needs to be done on carpeted floor, because there is a lot of falling and rolling involved.</p>.<p>Another reason that so few people do it, said Peng, is that not many have the necessary "flexibility and explosive power".</p>.<p>Like Liu, he is playing his part in keeping the practice going.</p>.<p>"Among ordinary people or non-professional people, I have hardly ever seen anyone practise drunken boxing," he said.</p>.<p>"Perhaps it's too traditional."</p>