Salute! Chinese Influencer Builds Flying Sword Aircraft That Actually Flies, Like Something Out of Martial Arts Films

Innovation never stops! A Chinese influencer has created a spectacular sword-shaped aircraft that actually flies, seemingly lifted straight from an internal martial arts fantasy series, creating a sensation across global social media.

A Chinese influencer has sparked online buzz after turning the "flying sword" from fantasy xianxia novels into reality by developing a functional sword-shaped aircraft.

The man is Fan Sishan from Sichuan Province in southwestern China. He posted videos of himself sitting on a sword-shaped drone while striking cool martial arts poses from fantasy worlds, which went viral with over 3.3 million views and more than 284,000 likes.

In the videos, Fan appears in black clothing, creating an image resembling knights from Chinese xianxia series, blending fantasy and supernatural elements perfectly, making viewers feel like scenes had escaped from novels.

Xianxia is a popular Chinese fantasy series genre that evolved from internal martial arts (wuxia) but adds supernatural elements such as gods, magical powers, cultivation, and immortality, differing from wuxia which remains bound by real-world physics.

One influential work in this genre is the 2005 series "Immortal Sword Quest" (Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan), adapted from a Taiwanese RPG game and starring famous actors like Hu Ge and Liu Yifei, which inspired many new-generation fans.

Fan, born in the 1990s, revealed he grew up watching internal martial arts and xianxia series, particularly "Jade Blood Sword" which made him obsessed with sword arts since childhood.

His journey began as a hotel employee before transitioning to content creation in 2020 when his company encouraged employees to become influencers during COVID-19. He started producing content about swords and combat.

Fan later developed increasingly innovative ideas using physics and chemistry knowledge to create special effects like fire swords, ice swords, and "summoning lightning" scenes without relying on CGI.

Previously, Fan created a major project called "The Return of Ten Thousand Swords" before expanding that concept into developing the current sword-shaped drone.

However, because the sword shape isn't a standard aircraft design, the team spent considerable time solving balance problems and adjusting thrust and control systems so the rider could maintain stability in mid-air.

From the original prototype that could only hover for about 10 seconds, Fan's "flying sword" can now fly for up to 3 minutes at approximately 2 meters above ground—a significant achievement after more than 18 months of failed experiments.

Although the project remains experimental and not ready for commercial production, it has become one of the viral projects that remarkably blends xianxia imagination with modern technology.