Graduate Zhijun Wang has spoken to SBS Mandarin about what prompted him to make a popular pose in kung fu movies before flipping across the university's Sir John Clancy Auditorium stage to receive his degree last week.
The engineering graduate, who came to Australia from China nine years ago, waited on the stage wings while the Deputy Dean called his name.
He moved forward and struck a move the well-known pose before doing a cartwheel across the stage and accepting his Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering.
The audience met his manoeuvre - done in gown, cap and all - with applause.
Wang told SBS Mandarin that he wanted to add a "wow" factor to a "quite formal" occasion, because graduation is "a truly happy and celebratory occasion for the graduates".
Wang practicing Kung Fu. Source: Supplied
UNSW Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education) Professor Geoffrey Crisp presented Wang with his degree.
He told SBS World News it was quite amusing to see such a manoeuvre in a formal event.
"(I am) very pleased to see the impact the awarding of a UNSW degree had on one of our students," he said.
Wang's attention-grabbing move has since gained traction on WeChat, a Chinese social media platform.
Wang, who's nicknamed 'Iron Man' by his friends, said he had been practicing martial arts since he was 17.
"My nickname is Iron man, because I admire the quite real hero figure who develops technology by his intelligence," Wang said.
"It has been motivating me since I came to Australia."
Wang with his mother and grandmother. Source: Supplied
