Due to the lack of historical data, only the technical level and title of three foreign boxers who were defeated by Master Wang Xiangzhai are known. Hungary Inge won the world lightweight professional boxing champion and worked as a boxing coach of the Shanghai YMCA. Keniqi Takuike, a Japanese master of five Dan in Judo and four Dan in Kendo, was also defeated by Wang Xiangzhai. After that, he began to learn Yiquan. When he went back to Japan, he founded Taikiken. Norwegian Andersen, who was defeated by Zhao Daoxin, worked as the bodyguard of Song Ziwen, the minister of the finance at that time.
Through the analysis of historical records, it was found that:
The major battlefields were in China;
Foreign boxers knew little about Chinese martial arts before fighting and underestimated Chinese Wushu;
Foreign boxers were defeated by top-grade Chinese Wushu masters;
This batch of masters came from northern China, eight of whom were from Hebei province. Three men were ethnic minorities while Wang Ziping and Ma Jinbiao were Hui nationalities and Tong Zhongyi was of the Man nationality;
According to statistics on Che Yonghong, Huo Yuanjia, Han Muxia, Wang Ziping, Chen Zizheng, Sun Lutang, Tong Zhongyi, Ji Wanshan and Wang Xiangzhai, the first time they defeated the foreign boxers, their average age was 47.2 years old, while Sun Lutang was a 69-year-old man when he beat six Japanese samurai in Shanghai;
Eight of the 15 Wushu masters practiced Shaolinquan, five men used Xingyiquan and one studied Taijiquan.
At the time, foreign boxers who came to China were very arrogant and supercilious. In the fall of 1925, a batch of Japanese judo masters gave an open challenge at Kunshan park of Hongkou District, Shanghai. They wrote such phrases such as “no competitor of fists in east Asia, kicking China shows invincible might” and “smash all enemy resistance.” However, Chinese master Tong Zhongyi defeated a Japanese samurai and broke the enemy’s spirit.
In 1930, Chinese wrestling master Yang Fawu also defeated many Japanese judo masters, which disgraced the Japanese Mikado.
Chinese Wushu masters achieved a series of brilliant combat performances and stirred the international fighting circle.
However, some Chinese masters also fell prey to a plot by foreigners, such as Huo Yuanjia. In 1910, Japanese established a judo association in Shanghai. Many Japanese judo wrestlers in Shanghai held a grudge against Huo Yuanjia for his fame and success. They arranged competitions between Huo and some of the best judo athletes from Japan. However, all of them were defeated by Huo Yuanjia and his discipline Liu Zhensheng. The president of the judo association threw Huo Yuanjia out on the steps, and the Chinese Wushu master suffered a broken arm. The Japanese wrestlers pretended to respect Huo Yuanjia by preparing a peace-making dinner for Huo Yuanjia. A Japanese doctor invited Huo to the hospital. Huo was straight and did not suspect foul play. But, the day after Huo Yuanjia took the medicine given by the Japanese doctor, his tongue became stiff and his feet and hands tremble. A few days later, he died suddenly at the age of 41. The Japanese doctor fled back to Japan in a panic.
Chinese Wushu Going Global
Chinese Wushu has gone through three stages since the 1950s:
I. Closing stage: from the 1950s to 1960s. During this period, the Chinese Wushu circle had no connection with the international fight circle. A few Wushu delegations gave performances abroad accompanying the country’s leaders.
In 1960, the China Youth Wushu Team along with the China sports delegation attended the second annual Czechoslovakia National Games Friendship evening party performance, opening the prelude to the foreign exchange of Wushu. In the same year, the Chinese Wushu team, along with a delegation to visit to Myanmar led by Zhou Enlai, went to Myanmar to perform, and won a warm welcome from the Myanmar people.
II. Demonstration stage: from the mid-1970s to mid- 1980s. The Chinese Wushu circle gave public shows to various countries in the world, allowing foreigners to learn the charming nature of Chinese Wushu from the aspects of Kungfu or dancing.
In June 1974, Chinese Wushu team delegation was invited to visit Mexico and the United States. U. S. President Richard Nixon met with all the delegation members and watched a Wushu performance in front of the White House, drawing huge international attention.