Qingdao No.2 High School · Class of 2026
ZHANG
JUNBO
The Martial Arts Ethnographer
武术练习者 · 纪录片导演 · 视觉人类学研究者
Wushu practitioner of 10 years. Documentary filmmaker. Visual anthropologist in training. I use the camera to document what the body already knows.
Qingdao, Shandong, China
// 01 — About
THE LENS
AND THE FIST
I have practiced Wushu — primarily Sanda (散打) — for ten years. What began as physical training became something else: a way of seeing. Martial arts taught me that the body carries history, that every stance is a text, every form a document.
At 16, I picked up a camera. I started filming the world I already knew — the training halls, the masters, the communities built around shared discipline. My documentaries have taken me from Wenzhou to Nanjing, from school corridors to community squares.
I am applying to study Journalism & Documentary Studies with a focus on Visual Anthropology. I want to build a practice at the intersection of ethnographic research and cinematic storytelling.
School
Qingdao No.2 High School
Program
International AP Track
Intended Major
Journalism / Visual Anthropology
Applying
Fall 2027 Entry
// 02 — Filmography
DOCUMENTARY
FILMS
Each film is a field report. Each frame, a question.
Bridges and Borders
Documenting the impact of globalization on individuals through field research and filmmaking, focusing on personal resilience and development.
The Future I Promised Myself
Director & Editor
A documentary of an 18-year-old dropout chasing a modeling dream to become a world champion, proving ordinary people can achieve greatness.
Martial Footprints
Director & Editor
Interviews with a professor and an Asian Games champion reveal Wushu's role in fitness, moral character, and its impact on Nanjing's history.
Dream Big, Kid!
Director & Editor
My team of 7 interviewed 30+ people, from PhDs to junior high students, and made a film about chasing any dream. 60+ guests joined our live screening.
// 03 — Extracurriculars
ACTIVITIES &
LEADERSHIP
Bridges and Borders
Program Director · Independent
Cross-cultural documentary project exploring globalization's human impact through field research and filmmaking.
Converged Media Center
Head of Camera Dept. · Qingdao No.2 High School
Led 50+ students in filming school events. Self-published on WeChat & ran a Bilibili channel with 6k+ fans and 100k+ views.
Martial Arts Elective — Teaching Assistant
Student Assistant Coach · Qingdao No.2 High School
As TA: inventory equipment daily, help plan lessons, and guide or demonstrate Wushu forms for students. Planning community outreach with local elder martial artists.
Jason in China
Director & Editor · TikTok / Social Media
Co-run the account, scripting & editing while a peer acts. Showcasing elite Qingdao school life & culture, with 100s of fans & 1k+ views.
Veritas Research Program
Member · Veritas
Took 4 courses; had 8h office hours in 9 days. Co-led an 8-peer performance art for 50+. Made a group film with 60+ at the screening.
Head of Dormitory
Dormitory Leader · Qingdao No.2 High School
Fixed a -190 score in 15 days. Set zones for 8 peers. Woke at 6 AM to lead cleaning. Led a 3-room 'Zero-Deduction' contest.
// 04 — Honors & Awards
RECOGNITION &
AWARDS
1st Place
Shandong Martial Arts Championships
National Grade 2
Martial Arts Athlete Certification
First Prize
CAIC Visual Anthropology Marathon
TARGET AWARDS — 2025/2026
YoungArts
Winner / FinalistCinematic Arts / Photography
America's most prestigious youth arts award. A win in Cinematic Arts would be the definitive proof of Junbo's filmmaking ability.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Gold / Silver KeyPhotography / Film
Broadest youth arts competition. Martial arts film series, Wushu documentary shorts, and cultural investigation reports all qualify.
NSPA Journalism Awards
FinalistDigital Story of the Year – Video
High school journalism authority. Winning in 'Digital Story of the Year – Video' or 'Photo Story' directly proves professional journalism potential.
John Locke Essay Competition
ShortlistPhilosophy / History / Psychology
High-level philosophy/history/psychology essay competition. Can combine embodied practice theory to write about 'How Wushu shapes personal identity'.
Stanford SWAPI
ParticipantStanford EChina Wit and Pep Initiative
Video-based debate competition. Trains critical thinking, information synthesis, and verbal expression — essential for future journalists and scholars.
// 05 — Academic Research
THE MAKING OF
KUNG FU
My research investigates how kung fu became a cultural symbol — through Shaw Brothers cinema, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and the nationalist imagination — and how that symbol is now being dismantled by MMA fighters, internet memes, and viral "debunking" videos.
Using film analysis, ethnographic interviews with martial arts practitioners, and audience perception surveys, I ask: Was kung fu ever real? Or was it always a myth we needed?
Film Text Analysis
Close reading of Fist of Fury, One-Armed Swordsman, and Ip Man — how camera language encodes nationalism.
Visual Ethnography
Interviews with 3-4 martial arts practitioners: traditional masters, Sanda coaches, community elders.
Audience Perception Survey
Comparing emotional responses across age groups to Ip Man vs. Ma Baoguo viral videos.
Research Question
"How did kung fu transform from a physical practice into a nationalist symbol — and what does its viral 'debunking' reveal about Chinese collective identity?"
Theoretical Framework
Deliverables
// 06 — Contact
GET IN
TOUCH
I am currently a junior at Qingdao No.2 High School, preparing for U.S. college applications for Fall 2027 entry. I am interested in connecting with journalists, documentary filmmakers, and researchers working at the intersection of martial arts and cultural studies.
School
Qingdao No.2 High School, Shandong, China
Bilibili
Converged Media Center · 6K+ subscribers