Huo Yuanjia
霍元甲
Chinese master of the family style Mizongyi from Tianjin, who in 1902 defeated a Russian wrestler and in 1910 co-founded the Chin Woo Athletic Association.
Quick Facts
ChinaBiography
Huo Yuanjia (霍元甲) was born on 18 January 1868 in the village of Xiaonanhe in Jinghai County near Tianjin, the fourth of ten children. He is known as a master of the family tradition Mizongyi and co-founder of the Chin Woo Athletic Association (Jingwu).
He learned Mizongyi from his father Huo Endi, also a martial arts master, and from a Japanese teacher named in a source as Chen Seng-ho. In 1890 he defeated a fighter from Henan, winning his father's recognition, and in 1902 he defeated a Russian wrestler in Xiyuan Park in Tianjin. In 1909–1910 he is said to have challenged the Irish boxer Hercules O'Brien; whether the match actually took place is disputed.
Together with Nong Jinsun, he co-founded the Chin Woo association in 1909–1910, officially established in June 1910; Nong Jinsun became its president. It was supported by Sun Yat-sen and Song Jiaoren, and masters of Eagle Claw, Seven Star Praying Mantis, Xingyiquan and Wu-style Taijiquan taught there. His students included Liu Zhensheng and the historian Chen Gongzhe.
He suffered from asthma and recurring jaundice, later tuberculosis. He died on 14 September 1910 in Shanghai; the official cause was tuberculosis with hemoptysis, but the 1989 exhumation found arsenic in his remains. He has been portrayed on screen by, among others, Wong Yuen-sun (1981), Bryan Leung (1982), Eddy Ko (1995), Vincent Zhao (2001), Jet Li (2006) and Ekin Cheng (2008); the character Chen Zhen was invented for the films.
Associated Martial Arts
Organisations
- Chin Woo Athletic AssociationCo-founder · 1910
Filmography
A screen role does not mean the person actually practises the art — that is listed above.