05/26/2026
Five Tigers Descend South of the Yangtze River – Fu Zhensong.
When discussing major events in the modern martial arts world of southern China, one of the most celebrated is the "Five Tigers Descending to the South." Five masters of the northern school traveled south together, spreading northern martial arts to the Hubei and Hunan regions. In addition to Gu Ruzhang, the "Iron Sand Palm" master mentioned earlier, Fu Zhensong, the founder of Fu-style internal martial arts, whom we will introduce today, was also one of them.
Fu Zhensong (1881-1953), courtesy name Qiankun, also known as Jiannan, was a native of Qinyang County, Henan Province. Having loved martial arts since childhood, at the age of 16 he hired Chen Yanxi, grandson of Chen Changxing (the teacher of Yang Luchan, the founder of Yang-style Tai Chi, who was known as "Master of Memorial Tablets" due to his standardized movements), to teach him Chen-style Tai Chi. He also became a disciple of Jia Qishan (a student of D**g Haichuan, the founder of Baguazhang) to learn Baguazhang.
Fu Zhensong's mastery of both major internal martial arts styles quickly made him famous in his hometown, leading to his recommendation by various villages to become a martial arts teacher and militia instructor. However, this did not make him complacent. During his visit to Guanzhong, he continued to seek out renowned masters, eventually meeting Song Weiyi, a Wudang swordsman (a direct disciple of Wudang boxing and the teacher of the sword saint Li Jinglin), in Yizhou. Song Weiyi imparted the essence of Wudang Tai Chi to Fu Zhensong, further elevating his martial arts skills. In 1920, Fu Zhensong abandoned farming to join the army, serving under Zhang Zuolin as the commander of a martial arts company. Six years later, he rose to the position of captain of Zhang Zuolin's guard. However, the martial arts world was where Fu Zhensong could truly showcase his talents.
In 1928, the Central Martial Arts Academy was established, and Fu Zhensong was invited to serve as the chief instructor of Baguazhang. He was hailed as a "Tiger General" in the "List of Famous Martial Arts Figures" compiled by the Ta Kung Pao. In 1929, the Guangdong-Guangxi Martial Arts Academy was established in Guangzhou. Li Jishen and Chen Jitang, then political figures in Guangdong Province, invited Fu Zhensong, Gu Ruzhang, Wang Shaozhou (or Li Xianwu, according to another account), Wan Laisheng, and Geng Dehai to go south to teach martial arts. This is the famous "Five Tigers Going South". In addition to serving as an instructor at the Guangdong-Guangxi Martial Arts Academy, Fu Zhensong also served as the chief martial arts instructor at the Whampoa Military Academy. His eldest son, Fu Yonghui, came to Hong Kong with a martial arts troupe to perform.
Afterwards, Fu Zhensong began to organize all the knowledge he had learned in his life, including Tai Chi, Bagua, Wudang sword, and various boxing styles he had learned from his friends Li Jinglin, Sun Lutang, and Li Shuwen. Ultimately, he created a unique internal martial arts system known as "Fu-style Internal Martial Arts".
Fu Zhensong's prestigious position as a founder of a school of thought ensured his continued respect from all sides even after 1949. At the first National Games held in Guangzhou in 1950, Fu Zhensong was selected as a performance member and was very popular with the public. On April 26, 1953, Fu Zhensong was invited to perform at the Lingnan Cultural Relics Palace. Perhaps due to overwork, Fu Zhensong felt dizzy and unwell after returning home that evening. He was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a cerebral hemorrhage. On May 1, Fu Zhensong passed away at the age of 72.
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