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 .