A young construction worker has shot to internet fame after viral videos showed him performing death-defying acrobatics at his workplace.

The man who goes by the nickname Xiao Wei captured the attention of web users across China and stunned them after he flipped, twisted and jumped on construction site equipment.

The workman from Dayue City in Central China's Hubei Province has been uploading the impressive acrobatic feats on his personal account on social media site Weibo – China's version of Twitter – where his clips have been shared thousands of times.

Xiao Wei's skills are comparable to some of the country's best Olympic gymnasts, but instead of using parallel bars he makes use of scaffolding at his worksite, swinging and jumping on metal poles sometimes several dozen feet from the ground.

He demonstrates so much balance, flexibility, and strength that many of his fans are wondering why he has chosen a life as a construction worker, earning relatively low wages.

In videos uploaded on his personal page Xiao Wei explains that this is because he is a 'shy' person who is 'terrified' at the prospect of speaking to strangers.

The workman also claimed he needed to 'hide behind a rock' just to record question and answer videos.

His strange phobia is also why he chose not to become a gym trainer.

He demonstrates so much balance, flexibility, and strength that many of his fans are wondering why he has chosen a life as a construction worker, earning relatively low wages.

The workman from Dayue City in Central China's Hubei Province has been uploading the impressive acrobatic feats on his personal account on social media site Weibo.