Wang Wu: A Famous Martial Arts Master of the Late Qing Dynasty

Wang Wu (王五,1844-1900), whose given name was Wang Zhengyi (王正誼), was born in Cangzhou, the famous martial arts town in what was at the time Zhili (直隸), and what is present-day Hebei (河北) province.

Note: Zhili means“ directly ruled.” This was the administrative region ruled by the imperial court during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasties. The area was renamed Hebei after the fall of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Wang Zhengyi’s Martial Arts Background

Wang Zhengyi’s first martial arts teacher was Xiao Hecheng (蕭和成). Although not renowned, Xiao Hecheng lay Wang Zhengyi’s martial arts foundation. Not much is known about the type of martial arts Xiao Hecheng taught, but he is mentioned in various sources as Wang Zhengyi’s first teacher.

At that time, one of the most well-known martial arts masters in Cangzhou was Li Fenggang (李鳳崗), who was the inheritor of Liu He Men (六合門) – Six Harmonies, a style exclusively practiced by the Chinese Muslims in Cangzhou. Li Fenggang was highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat and in the use of many weapons. He was especially known for his proficiency in the use of the Shuang Dao (雙刀) – Double Sabers and was referred to as Shuang Dao Li Fenggang (雙刀李鳳崗) – Double Saber Li Fenggang.

Note that the literal translation of Men (門) is “gate” or “door.” However, when used to denote a martial art, such as Liu He Men, “Men” refers to style or method.

Wang Zhengyi knelt at the door of Li Fenggang’s house seeking to become his disciple. However, since Li Fenggang was Hui Zu (回族), of Chinese Muslim ethnicity, the dictum was not to teach Liu He Men to those who were not Hui Zu. Wang Zhengyi converted to become a Muslim, whereupon Li Fenggang was moved by Wang’s persistence and finally relented and accepted him as a disciple.

His classmates called him Xiao Wu Zi (小五子) – Fifth Little Brother (literally “little fifth brother”), not because of his stature but because he was the newest among Li Fenggang’s disciples and thus did not have any seniority. Hence Wang Zhengyi became known by the name of Wang Wu, meaning “Wang the Fifth.”

Li Fenggang operated the Cheng Xing Biao Ju (成興鏢局) – Cheng Xing Escort Agency, which he inherited from his uncle, Li Guanming (李冠銘), from whom he also inherited the martial arts of Liu He Men. This was a dangerous profession at that time and one that was often operated by skilled martial artists. It is likely that Wang Wu would have used his martial arts skills in the service of the Cheng Xing Escort Agency. Cheng Xing (成興) means to be in “high spirit,” which, when used in the name of an escort agency implies a high moral character.

Under Li Fenggang’s tutelage, Wang Wu made great strides and became proficient in empty-hand skills and weapons, especially excelling in the use of the Shuang Gou (雙鉤) – Double Hooks and the Da Dao (大刀) – Big Saber, for which he became famous, gaining the name Da Dao Wang Wu (大刀王五) – Big Saber Wang Wu.

Note that the word “Dao (刀),” whose literal translation is “Knife,” is often translated as “Broadsword” because of its broad blade. However, since the Dao is a single-edged weapon, I prefer to use “Saber,”which is more indicative of the weapon. All traditional Chinese martial arts weapons with one edge are referred to as “Dao.”

Wang Wu made rapid progress in his training and became Li Fenggang’s most accomplished disciple. It was not uncommon in those days for a master to send their disciples to learn from other masters to supplement their martial arts skills. So it was that Wang Wu was sent to apprentice under the tutelage of Li’s senior training brother, Liu Shilong (劉仕龍). With Liu’s teaching, Wang Wu continued to expand and enrich his skills.

The town of Cangzhou was on a vital trading and transportation route between Zhili and Shandong Provinces. The Cheng Xing Escort Agency protected goods along these routes. Wang Wu accompanied Liu Shilong on these dangerous routes where caravans were often subject to attack by marauding bandits, especially in the borderlands beyond the Great Wall. Wang Wu gained valuable experience in this field, and he honed both his martial arts skills and knowledge of the operations of the Biao Ju.

Note: Read the post about “Cangzhou: The Hometown of Chinese Martial Arts” on this blog for more information on the popular Gong Fu styles practiced there.

Wang Wu Bids Farewell to his Masters

In 1881, when Wang Wu would have been 37 years old and in his martial arts prime, he bid farewell to his master and moved to first to Tianjin (天津) and then to the Beijing (北京), where he employed his skills working for various Biao Ju agencies.

While in the capital, Wang Wu met many of the prominent martial artists of the time, and also became acquainted with a Qing court official, Tan Jixun (譚繼洵), who was the Governor General of Huguang, a region that comprised several provinces. Wang Wu later became the martial arts teacher and personal protector of Tan Jixun’s son Tan Sitong (谭嗣同).

The Yuan Shun Escort Agency

Eventually, Wang Wu used his vast experience and martial arts skills to establish the Yuan Shun Biao Ju (源順鏢局) – Yuan Shun Escort Agency. The agency quickly gained a reputation for never losing the goods they escorted. It was one of the most famous escort agencies in Beijing. As a group, these agencies were known as Jing Chen Wu Da Biao Ju (京城五大镖局) – The Capital’s Five Great Escort Agencies.

Wang Wu was known to be generous, righteous, and upright.  At the agency he was called Wang Zong Biao (王總鏢), head of the escort agency; Zong Baio means “head” or “chief.”

It is said that Wang Wu had four rules for his escort agency:

1. He personally escorted important officials and caravans.
2. Visiting friends should be treated warmly and provided with travel expenses upon departure.
3. Clothing should be provided for the poor.
4. During the Chun Jie (春節) – Spring Festival, food should be provided for the poor.

These principles demonstrated a sense of duty, morality, patriotism, and compassion toward his fellow countrymen.

Regarding the name of the escort agency, note that Yuan means source of a river or root, and Shun means smooth or harmonious. “Harmonious Source” would be a good English equivalent. You can learn more about escort agencies in my blog post about the Biao Ju (“The Legendary Biao Ju: Ancient China’s Escort Agencies”).

The Agency’s Compound

The Yuan Shun Escort Agency was housed in an extensive compound that included warehouses, stables, living quarters, offices, and training grounds for the escort personnel. Although the compound is largely gone now, due to the construction of houses and other edifices on the site, some of the original structures still stand at Xi Banbi Jie 13 (西半壁街13号) – 13 Xi Banbi Street, which is south of Zhushikou (珠市口), a main thoroughfare in Beijing.

Wang Wu established the Fu Wu Yi Xue

During the late Qing Dynasty there was considerable unrest and oppression. Wang Wu opened the Fu Wu Yi Xue (父武義學) – Father Martial Arts School, where he taught his martial arts and met with friends who were part of the reform movement that was taking root.

Wang Wu and 100 Days Reform Movement

In1898 there were several factions with different political ambitions. The Imperialist groups wanted to maintain the status quo; the reformists wanted to implement changes that would provide more opportunities to the common people. There were also revolutionary groups that wanted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and oust the foreign powers.

The reformists launched a movement that became known as Bai Ri Wei Xin (百日維新) – 100 Days Reform Movement. Tan Sitong was one of the leaders of this movement. The group leaders would often meet secretly at Wang Wu’s Yuan Shun Escort Agency to discuss matters pertaining to their movement. Wang Wu sympathized with them and provided support. This movement was short-lived and its leading members were executed without trial by orders of Empress Dowager Cixi. The execution was extremely cruel, carried out with a blunt execution blade that required repeated chopping on the neck to finally sever the head.

The Boxer Uprising and the Death of Wang Wu

The suppression of the 100 Days Movement sparked further resentment from rebellious groups. This ultimately ignited the Boxer Uprising in 1900. Although this was largely a peasant movement, many prominent martial artists and their disciples took part in the uprising, often brandishing traditional Gong Fu weapons. Their battle cry was “Fu Qing Mie Yang (扶清灭洋) – Support the Qing, Exterminate the Foreigners.”

Wang Wu took part in this revolt, and although there are different accounts relating to his death, we do know that he was killed during the uprising.

The Boxer Movement was both supported and oppressed by Empress Cixi. One account is that Wang Wu and other members of the Boxer Movement were overwhelmed and captured as they sought refuge at the Yuan Shun Escort Agency. Shortly thereafter they were executed by orders of Cixi to appease the foreign powers.

Some Closing Words

My motivation for writing this post is due primarily to my deep interest in the martial masters and the styles that derived from the Cangzhou region, since some of my martial arts lineage stems from there.

Second, I am interested in the Biao Ju, the Escort Agencies of the time, as these were often manned by well-known martial artists.

I first learned about Wang Zhengyi (Wang Wu) while doing research on famous martial arts masters of the late Qing Dynasty. I had also seen several martial arts movies that featured the character of Wang Wu, and this piqued my interest. I wanted to know more about Wang Zhengyi’s martial arts background since he was from Cangzhou.

Wang Zhengyi is remembered as a martyr and there are statues of Da Dao Wang Wu (Big Saber Wang Wu), depicting him wielding or holding the Da Dao. He is also regarded as one of the Top Chinese martial arts masters of the late Qing Dynasty.