Chinese martial arts: From being shot and killed by the armed police during a mountain search to bec

Time flies, and the day of the martial arts gathering has arrived in the blink of an eye.

The meeting place was Hong Sheng Guan.

Hong Sheng Martial Arts School is the largest martial arts school in Foshan. It was founded by Zhang Yan in the first year of the Xianfeng Emperor's reign. Zhang Yan studied under Zen Master Zhishan of the Southern Shaolin Temple and passed down the Cai Li Fo Fist lineage.

The current owner of the school is Chen Sheng, and the instructor is Li Su. Their disciples are all over Foshan, and their influence is enormous.

Foshan is home to numerous martial arts schools, including Hung Kuen, Wing Chun, Pak Mei, Choy Li Fut, and Hsia Ka Kung, among many others of all sizes. But the leader is undoubtedly Hung Sing Kung.

Chen Hongwu came out of the Chen family residence and walked along the street.

The bluestone pavement gleamed in the morning light. Teahouses, cloth shops, and blacksmith shops along the street opened one after another, their shop assistants removing the door panels and their shouts rising and falling. He bought two sesame seed cakes from a stall on the street corner and ate them as he walked.

Hongsheng Hall is located at the end of Ancestral Temple Street in Foshan. It has blue bricks and gray tiles, and a black lacquered plaque hangs above the door with the four large characters "Hongsheng Ancestral Hall" written in a vigorous style. It is said to have been written by Zhang Yan himself.

There are two stone lions in front of the gate, one male and one female, each holding a stone ball in its mouth, which has been touched until it is smooth and shiny.

On the left and right are two couplets: "Punching the fierce tiger of the Southern Mountain, kicking the dragon of the Northern Sea." The characters are faded and worn, indicating that they are old objects left over from the Guangxu period.

When Chen Hongwu reached the door, there were already seven or eight rickshaws and two black Fords parked outside.

Two disciples of the Hong Sheng Guan stood at the entrance, wearing red sashes around their waists, responsible for registering and calling out names.

The one on the left has a muscular build, with prominent veins on the back of his hands; he's clearly a seasoned practitioner of Hung Kuen. The one on the right is slightly thinner, with slightly bulging temples and a piercing, introspective look in his eyes.

"Hung Kuen School, Iron Bridge Three Lineage, Master He Yongfu is here—" The name was announced in a loud and clear voice.

A short, stocky man strode in. His neck was as thick as a bucket, his arms reached past his knees, and his hands were calloused. He had mastered the art of Hung Kuen bridge hand.

Before Chen Hongwu could even enter the room.

"Brother Chen!" Ip Man greeted him from inside the door, followed by three people.

Today he was wearing a gray cloth long gown with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, making him look clean, neat, short and capable.

"Come, let me introduce you to a few friends." Ip Man stepped to the side and pointed to a lean man in his early thirties behind him. "This is my senior brother, Ruan Qishan, who studied under Master Guo Baoquan. He has been practicing Wing Chun for almost twenty years."

Chen Hongwu observed that Ruan Qishan was dressed in a gray cloth short jacket, with a slender build, but he stood there with a steady center of gravity, his feet neither too far apart nor too far apart, his knees slightly bent, a standard Wing Chun stance. His palms were broad and thick, with large knuckles, clearly the result of years of practicing sticky hands and rolling hands.

Ruan Qishan later left a significant mark on the history of Wing Chun in Foshan, especially excelling in "javelin," throwing punches like javelins that had been thrown into the air with tremendous force, earning him the title "Ruan Qishan, King of Javelin."

He glanced at Chen Hongwu, cupped his hands in greeting, and gave a sharp look.

Ip Man then pointed to another middle-aged man in his forties: "This is Yao Cai, Master Yao, who runs the Yao Family Wing Chun school on Chopstick Street. He is of the same generation as me, a student of Ruan Jiyun, and is skilled in 'Siu Nim Tao'. His stance is very proper."

Siu Nim Tao is the introductory routine of Wing Chun. It may seem simple, but it actually contains all the stances, stance techniques, and power generation secrets of Wing Chun.

As the saying goes in boxing: "If your small thoughts are not right, you will be wrong for life."

Yao Cai is also famous in the history of Wing Chun, and later he was known as one of the "Three Heroes of Wing Chun" along with Ip Man and Ruan Qishan. He had a string of Buddhist beads hanging from his waist, was slightly plump, and had a friendly smile. When he cupped his hands, his sleeves slipped down, revealing the dense calluses on the back of his hands.

"This is Master Wu Zhongsu, also a fellow disciple of our Wing Chun lineage," Ip Man said, pointing to the last person.

Wu Zhongsu was a student of Chen Huashun and a contemporary of Ip Man. He was skilled in "Seeking the Bridge". He was a man of few words and only nodded to Chen Hongwu without saying a word.

Ip Man then pointed to Chen Hongwu and introduced him, "The three masters should have all heard of his illustrious name: Chen Hongwu, who killed Mo Tianyang amidst a hail of bullets and punches, and single-handedly stormed the Heyi Hall. Brother Chen!"

The three men's eyes lit up when they heard the name "Chen Hongwu".

Yao Cai looked Chen Hongwu up and down, then smiled and said, "I've long admired your name!"

Ruan Qishan nodded as well: "It's a pleasure to meet you. I heard from Junior Brother Ye that Master Chen is also quite knowledgeable about Wing Chun. I hope you can give me some pointers when you have the chance."

Chen Hongwu cupped his hands in greeting: "Masters, you are too kind. I dare not presume to offer guidance, but we can certainly exchange techniques."

"You can't learn real skills by working behind closed doors. The consequences of the Qing Dynasty's isolationist policies are obvious to all."

Upon hearing this, the expressions in their eyes softened considerably.

Having heard about Chen Hongwu's various deeds, they had assumed he was an arrogant and ruthless genius.

Now that I see him, he is so humble and polite.

Rumors are never credible!

The group turned and walked towards the door. The disciple guarding the door saw Ip Man, nodded, and was about to call out his name.

Ip Man announced first: "Ip Man, of the Leung Bik lineage."

In the years since returning to Foshan from Hong Kong, Ip Man has mainly been teaching martial arts to military and police personnel and privately, without officially opening a school.

Historically, it wasn't until 1941, when the Ip family had declined and Ip Man was living in poverty, that he opened his first boxing school in the Lianchang Cotton Shop on Yong'an Road in Foshan, openly recruiting students and teaching boxing.

The disciple sang it once, then looked at Ruan Qishan and Yao Cai, and sang it for them one by one.

When it was Chen Hongwu's turn, he clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Chen Hongwu, I belong to no sect or school."

His martial arts foundation lies in Xingyi, but he has also dabbled in Tai Chi, Bagua, and Bajiquan, all thanks to the cramming-style instruction he received from his predecessor in prison in his previous life.

At first I didn't understand its meaning, but now that I've mastered the skill, I realize how much I've benefited.

But that senior didn't even reveal his name, let alone his sect or lineage.

Chen Hongwu could only report that he was unaffiliated with any sect or faction.

The gatekeeper's pen paused for a moment on the register, then he suddenly looked up. "You're Chen Hongwu?"

"A true man never changes his name or surname, I am Chen Hongwu!" Chen Hongwu said calmly.

The gatekeeper's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, his lips twitching slightly, but he didn't make things difficult for him on the spot. He simply raised his voice a few decibels as he announced the name: "Chen Hongwu, unaffiliated with any sect or faction—"