Huo Yuanjia: Difference between revisions

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Huo Yuan Jia (Fok Yun Gap in Cantonese) was born sometime between 1867 and 1869 in Xiaonan Village in Jinghai County in [[Tianjin]], the fourth of his father Huo En Di's ten children. Huo En Di made his living by guarding merchant caravans traveling to [[Manchuria]] and back, as members of families with a long tradition of martial arts like the Huos often did, but the family's primary source of income was from farming. The Huo family had a long tradition of being practitioners of [[Chinese Martial Arts|Wushu]]; Huo Yuan Jia, however, was born weak and susceptible to illness (at an early age he contracted [[jaundice]] that would recur periodically for the rest of his life), so his father forbid to teach him [[Chinese Martial Arts|Wushu]].

Because of his weakness, Huo En Di wanted his son Huao Yuan Jia to pursue scholarly interests instead of learning [[Chinese Martial Arts|Wushu]]. This was perhaps a blessing, as he in later life became renowned for his humbleness and educated judgment, however at the time it was a great hurt to his pride. Local eight and nine year old children had continuously taken advantage of him frequently being ill, defeated and humiliated him even after he turned twelve. His father hires a tutor from Japan, Chiang Ho San, who in exchange for being taught his family style of martial arts called [[Mízōngyì]], teaches Huo Yuanjia the values of humility and perserverance. Refusing to accept his father's word, Huo Yuan Jia hid in bushes and even dug out a small hole in the wall of the training area and secretly observed his father teaching his family's style of martial arts. Each day he quietly sat and watched, and each night he went to a tree grove and practiced secretly with Chiang Ho San. This continued for about ten years.

In 1890, a martial artist by the name of Du came from Henan Province to visit the Huo family. His manner provoked a trial of strength with the boxers of the family. After seeing a demonstration by Yuan Jia's younger brother, he was goaded into a fight. Huo Yuan Jia’s brother was beaten, but to the family's surprise Yuan Jia himself got up and avenged his brother’s defeat. No one expected Yuan Jia to win, but win he did. His father then officially accepted him and taught his younger son all that he knew. His name started to spread and he soon began defeating neighboring practitioners in local contests. These bouts made Huo Yuan Jia famous in his village and the neighboring areas.

Huo Yuan Jia began working in unison with his father, it has been said that one day, while escorting a group of traveling religious men, the two Huo men were confronted by a bandit who gave them a letter threatening the monks with an attack from his army. Unperturbed, Huo Yuan Jia met the bandit leader's challenge and defeated him, breaking both of the bandit’s arms in the process; his many troops dispersed. Knowledge of this feat spread fast, adding further to the growing fame of Huo Yuan Jia.

On his return to his home he sold firewood to make a living, laterand takingin jobs1896 fromHou aYuan localJia loan collectorworked as wella asporter fromin a friendmedicine in thea herbmedicine shop in businessTianjin, where he learned much about the world, for the shop owner, a doctor, had recently returned from Japan, and aboutmade him aware of the threat that the western imperialismJapanese posed towards [[China]]. The [[Boxer Rebellion]] helpedin to1898 helped accentuate his growing realization that [[China]] was being torn up and humiliated by foreign powers, both [[Western]] and [[Asian]].

During that time, China was in a state of turmoil. It was the end of the Qing Dynasty and China was weak and politically confused. The country was suffering from one natural disaster after another on top of oppression by European colonists. The Chinese people were regarded as invalids because of the miserable economic conditions. Many western foreigners arrived and referred to the Chinese as the "Sick Men of Asia". Phrases such as 'No Dogs and Chinese Allowed' were widely used by the Europeans forcibly occupying territories in China.