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Useful Notes / Wong Fei-hung

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A statue of Wong Fei-Hung in Foshan, China. Movies tend to give him a whole lot of Adaptational Attractiveness to boot.

A Chinese Folk Hero, Wong Fei-hung (1847-1924) was a Real Life historical figure and Martial Artist. Fei-hung (his given name, with Wong being his family name) was the son of Wong Kei-ying, one of the Ten Tigers of Canton and the man who trained Fei-hung. Fei-hung is the most famous practitioner of the Hung Ga style of Kung Fu, a style most famous in the west for being the basis of Earthbending in Avatar: The Last Airbender. In addition to his martial skill, Fei-hung was also a physician, practicing traditional Chinese medicine at Po-Chi-Lam, a clinic on Foshan that he opened.

Fei-hung has been portrayed in film 89 times (77 of which were by Kwan Tak-hing, which is the cinematic record for most times an actor has portrayed the same character). In addition to the many portrayals of Wong Fei-hung himself, he has been a direct inspiration for a great many other fictional characters.


Tropes as portrayed in fiction:

  • Bare-Fisted Monk: He perfected this move in kung fu.
  • Drunken Master: Most notably in the Drunken Master series, but other portrayals of him have shown him using Drunken Boxing.
  • Real Song Theme Tune: The traditional tune "On the General's Orders" is often associated with the character's film and TV appearances. A version with lyrics, George Lam's "A Man of Determination" (or "A Man Should Better Himself") was used for the Once Upon a Time in China series.
  • Signature Move: The Shadowless Kick. What exactly it is depends on the work, ranging from just a very fast kick to laserblasts launched by kicking. In real life, it's usually a combination of a low-kick and a grapple.
  • Star-Making Role: For both Jackie Chan and Jet Li, two of the most prominent Chinese action stars in recent years.


Appears in the following works:

Fictional Characters Based on Wong Fei-hung:


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