A freshman who donned armor to play an ancient soldier, stole the show as students registered for college in Chongqing recently.

Last week, 19-year-old He Ruifeng donned a suit of armor modeled after that of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) at Southwest University of Political Science and Law, quickly attracting a lot of attention.

He, from Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, was overjoyed when he received his admission letter from the law school in August. So he posted a video of himself in the armor on video-sharing platform Bilibili, with the caption, "If this video goes viral, I will definitely wear it on my first day of college."

To his surprise, the video drew more than 30,000 likes and 240,000 views. "So I kept my promise," he said.

He said he purchased parts of the suit online last year and remade them with friends who admire ancient warriors. The armor's mask reflects legendary warriors, He said. Typically worn in battles, the armor can also symbolize a man protecting his country.

The temperature was nearly 36 C on registration day, and the suit, weighing nearly 20 kilograms, posed a challenge for He as he walked around the campus.

"It's not a problem for me as long as I have a passion for it," he said.