A Chinese policewoman fought off a machete-wielding thug with her bare hands , despite sustaining several wounds in the process . The unarmed 22-year-old , Cao Yu , held off the man in a terrifying five-minute struggle in a public square in Guizhou province in southwestern China earlier this month . The man in his twenties , who was holding two knives , stabbed her in the shoulder after she confronted him while on patrol , reported the People 's Daily Online . Scroll down for video . Chinese social media users praised 'tough girl ' Cao Yu for her incredible bravery . The 22-year-old confronted the man , who was waving around a machete in a public square in south west China . She continued to grapple with him as he wielded the 60 centimetre-long machete , sustaining further wounds to both hands , before her colleagues turned up to bring the man under control . The young policewoman , who was found 'bleeding all over ' , is now recovering in hospital after the horrific incident . Ms Cao said : ' I could n't just let the man hurt innocent people . ' The 60 centimetre-long knife that caused terrible cuts on the unarmed 22-year-old policewoman . The thug also held another small knife . She added in an interview with a local television station : ' I was trying to take over the machete and stall him until another officer came to help me . 'There were a lot of tourists walking around the square , and I needed to make sure that they were safe . ' The man is thought to have robbed a passer-by when Ms Cao saw him . Bloodied : The wounds on Cao Yu ’ s shoulder and right hand after she was struck with the machete . Mr Cao is getting medical treatment in the local hospital after fighting off the robber . Jiao Chun , one of the policemen who arrived on the scene , said : 'Our colleagues asked him to drop his machete but he did n't . He kept saying that he wanted to rob someone for more money . ' Chinese social media users have praised Ms Cao 's extraordinary bravery after CCTV footage of the whole incident was released this week . One user posted on Weibo , the Chinese equivalent of Twitter : 'She is a REAL tough girl ! Those who say they are so tough every single day are not tough at all ! ' Another asked why an armed police officer was not sent immediately to deal with the incident : 'Where are the qualified policemen ? Are we too shorthanded to send an armed and well-trained policeman to fight the bad guy ? '
22-year-old Cao Yu was on patrol when she confronted the man . Robber wounded her five times as she awaited reinforcements . Colleagues say they found her 'bleeding all over ' when they arrived . Score: 6