In 1953, Wu Taichi Grandmaster Wu Gongyi challenged Baihe School boxer Chen Kefu.

The Controversy Sparked by a Video

In 1953, in Macau, Wu Gongyi, the eldest son of Wu Jianquan (the founder of Wu-style Tai Chi) and president of the Jianquan Tai Chi Association, engaged in a life-or-death martial arts duel with Chen Kefu, a master of the White Crane style. This event caused a stir among officials, civilians, and the press in Hong Kong and Macau. The reason for the duel was that Wu Gongyi claimed to be "unmatched in the north and south," prompting Chen Kefu to issue a challenge. Major newspapers even engaged in fierce verbal battles over this.

How to determine the winner became a contentious issue. Under various instigations and encouragements, both parties signed a life-or-death agreement, deciding to settle matters through actual combat. However, Hong Kong law strictly prohibited duels, so both parties eventually moved the duel to Macau, assuring the governor that no fatalities would occur, and they finally received approval.

If one only looks at the descriptions from writers and journalists at the time, the image of the duel in the reader's mind would surely be as spectacular as a classic kung fu film. Phrases like "quick as a rabbit and swift as a hawk," "fast as lightning," and "windy kicks" were commonly used in the written descriptions. Unfortunately, this duel was recorded on video, and it is currently the earliest known footage of an actual Chinese martial arts combat. After this footage was unearthed, whether it was viewers who equated martial arts with the fighting scenes in wuxia films or people familiar with global combat sports, all issued unanimous ridicule. "It's not even as good as two women fighting," "Are these masters battling? It's worse than children playing around"... Such cutting comments are common evaluations from those who watched the footage. "Unwatchable" could already be considered a very fair review.

Another effect of this video was sparking recent online reflections and heated debates about Chinese martial arts. While there have been many debates within professional circles before, this one is different because it involved ordinary netizens.

Many reflective martial arts enthusiasts claim that their views began to change after watching this video. They then extensively searched for materials and sought evidence. In these debates, this video almost always comes up.

Traditional Chinese martial arts are far from being as miraculous as legends and imaginations suggest. This conclusion particularly hits a sore spot for the Chinese, hurting their pride. People feel that the national culture they are most proud of, which they have always believed to be the best in the world, turns out not to be what they imagined.

Just like when the Celestial Empire encountered the powerful ships and cannons of foreign powers, people instinctively reject this cruel reality strongly, despite having no solid evidence to refute it, but still holding an inexplicable sense of superiority internally.