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[Global Connection] Mysterious Fist Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor · Hong RunyuanAuthor: JEFFI CHAO HUI WU Time: July 12, 2025, Saturday, 3:29 PM ········································ [Global Connection] Mysterious Fist Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor · Hong Runyuan In the many encounters of my life, some fates are destined to be remembered by time. Mr. Hong Runyuan is such a significant figure who should not be overlooked. He is both a cultured and refined collector of cultural artifacts and a traditional martial arts practitioner with exceptional skills and a measured demeanor. More importantly, he is the inheritor of the national-level intangible cultural heritage representative project "Mizongquan," officially approved and confirmed by the Chinese national cultural authorities. This identity is the highest recognition of his lifelong dedication to martial arts cultivation, cultural accumulation, and the effort of passing on traditions. My acquaintance with Mr. Hong Runyuan can be traced back to the grand event "Top Ten Masters Gather in Hong Kong" in 2008. It was an era of heroic encounters, where various martial arts masters gathered together, and my first impression of him was that of an ancient figure who was "gentle yet strong, concealing his sharpness within." Unlike some martial artists who are flamboyant and utilitarian, he has always walked between literature and martial arts with an extremely low profile, hidden yet as steady as Mount Tai. Since then, we have kept in touch and occasionally exchanged ideas, but the real in-depth interaction came over a decade later when we stood side by side again on a new platform promoting Tai Chi and traditional culture. Mr. Hong Runyuan's "Mizong Quan" has been passed down since the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. Its techniques emphasize "form follows intention, steps like a swimming dragon." True to its name, it is unpredictable and mysterious. He did not inherit it merely through words, but has genuinely mastered the essence of this set of skills. Through years of teaching, promotion, demonstration, and cultural advocacy, he has brought this endangered martial art back into the public eye. His martial arts embody a profound traditional spirit as well as the wisdom of modern dissemination; it is a fusion rather than conservatism, an expansion rather than a rigid adherence. In addition to martial arts, Mr. Hong Runyuan is equally accomplished in the field of cultural collection. During an exchange, I was amazed by a set of fan-shaped artworks he presented; they were not merely simple collectibles, but rather an integrated narrative that encompassed the author's background, historical origins, calligraphic style, and artistic spirit. When he spoke about each piece, it was not just a simple display, but rather like recounting hidden chapters of history, evoking deep respect. He has organized multiple folk culture exhibitions in the Hong Kong region, promoting knowledge of calligraphy, painting, ancient texts, and cultural artifacts, allowing traditional culture to resonate in the marketplace. What is even more remarkable is that when I established the "Australian International Qigong and Tai Chi Academy" in 2024, Mr. Hong Runyuan readily supported and actively participated in our exchanges with various sectors of Tai Chi, Qigong, and traditional culture in Hong Kong. He appeared with us at the "International Tai Chi Day" event, full of spirit and as charismatic as ever. He has always stood at the forefront of promoting Chinese culture and connecting the traditional spirit of Chinese people worldwide, never seeking fame or profit, only hoping to share a bit of warmth and light. In our private conversations, he once lamented, "Mizongquan is not a fighting technique, but an art of tracking the human heart and walking the path." I have always remembered this sentence. What he valued was not just the speed of punches and kicks, but the sense of belonging and continuity on a spiritual level. This has made me increasingly respect his inherent quality of "teaching by example." In this tumultuous era, how many martial arts are treated as performances, how much culture is used as decoration, while Mr. Hong Runyuan quietly guards the clarity that belongs to Mizongquan and the Chinese cultural lineage like an old well. He is neither a high-profile "king of boxing" nor a mercenary "famous master," but a genuine and authentic heir who combines martial arts and literature, with one hand on the boxing manual and the other on the scrolls. Every step he takes is deeply rooted in the soil of the times; every punch he throws reveals a reverence for the national spirit. I often say that a true person of both literary and martial arts must have "stillness within movement and roots within stillness," and Hong Runyuan is precisely such an existence. Among all my friends who engage in martial arts and culture, he is one of the few who can truly integrate the literary and the martial. More importantly, we are not mere chance encounters in the rivers and lakes, but rather kindred spirits who have consistently maintained a connection and walked in tacit understanding at different nodes in time. May this short article record not only my respect but also pay tribute to a national-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor; commemorate a cultural practitioner; and witness a person who integrates culture and martial arts. The Lost Fist is no longer lost, because there is someone like him, always present. —— Written in Sydney, Australia, in memory of my acquaintance with Mr. Hong Runyuan in both literature and martial arts. 
[图 1/2] Master Hong's Imposing Posture in Training 
[图 2/2] From left: Master Hong Runyuan, heir of the Mizongquan, former Chairman of the Hong Kong Olympic Committee, Bei Junqi, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tai Chi International Academy, Lin Wenhui, and Chairman of the Australian International Qigong Tai Chi Academy, JEFFI CHAO HUI WU. ········································ [Image loading failed: https://taichiau.org/cn/webpages/profiles/jw_hongrunyuan_03.jpg] Master Hong is also an antique collector. From left to right in the picture: JEFFI CHAO HUI WU, Master Hong, Lin Wenhui, appreciating the rare collection. 
[图] The following is the manuscript authorized for use by Master Hong Runyuan. Introduction to Hong Kong, China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage "Mizongquan" The Chinese martial arts have long been associated with the lineage of the wandering hero Yan Qing, who passed down the Yan Qing Fist in the Hebei and Shandong regions. According to historical records, the earliest documentation can only be traced back to the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, when Sun Tong from Tai'an (Daiyue) in Shandong learned the Mizong boxing technique and traveled north to Cangzhou in Hebei to teach and develop it. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the martial artist Huo Yuanjia, who founded the Jingwu Athletic Association in Shanghai, gained fame both domestically and internationally for defeating Japanese warriors with his skills. With the publication of "Jingwu Benji," which was prefaced by Mr. Sun Yat-sen in the eighth year of the Republic of China (1919), the name Mizong Fist began to spread, replacing Yan Qing Fist. According to the "Shaolin Mizong School Boxing Manual" published in the 44th year of the Republic of China (1955), my master, Xiang Yuting, was from Cang County, Hebei Province, and practiced martial arts from a young age. At the age of 24, he became a lecturer at the Northeast Changsheng Escort Agency, during which he was promoted by Wang Huaqing, the commander of the Nine Gates in Beiping (later proposed to be promoted to the commander of the Beiping garrison), and served as the chief instructor of the first battalion in the army for seven years. He later followed the army to Zhang Xueliang and continued to teach for another three years. After gaining the appreciation of Zhang Zongchang, the governor of Shandong, he was invited to teach in his army for two years. After Zhang Zongchang's death, Master Xiang moved to the Shanghai Jingwu Association. When the War of Resistance Against Japan broke out, he traveled alone to Guangzhou Bay (now Zhanjiang) and taught at the Xiying New Martial Hall. After the liberation, he settled in the Nanhua Sports Association in Hong Kong, where he taught martial arts for the rest of his life. In the early 1950s, northern martial artists settled in Hong Kong, and in old photographs, those referred to as the "Three Heroes of Hebei" included Hao Dehai, who excelled in Pi Gua Quan, and Meng, who practiced Mizong and two-handed grappling techniques. In the late 1950s, my school held a sports meeting at the Nanhua Sports Association, where I encountered Master Xiang and thus became his student. Time flies, and over sixty years have passed in the blink of an eye. In 2009, the state commissioned professors from Jinan University to conduct a survey of the intangible cultural heritage categories retained in Hong Kong. Coincidentally, I reported the inheritance of Cangzhou Wushu Mizongpai's "One Fist and One Sword" to the survey personnel, and in 2014, it was approved by the state and published in that year's "Government Gazette" by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. "Mizongquan" and "Juepao Sword" were thus listed as "social practice" projects of intangible cultural heritage in Chinese martial arts. In 2016, it further received the "Service Provider Certificate" for the "Cultural and Entertainment Services" option issued by CEPA (the "Arrangement for the Establishment of a Closer Economic Partnership between Mainland and Hong Kong"). The essence of Mizong Pai martial arts is "treating others with respect, being tolerant and accommodating; being able to give and receive, stopping at the right moment." Practicing Mizong Quan focuses on the body, eyes, hands, steps, and techniques, with emphasis on evasion, expansion, leaping, and shifting. The Mizong step subtly aligns with the shifting directions of Bagua, emphasizing the regulation of tendons, joints, and organ functions, maintaining physical comfort, and sustaining an elegant quality of life. The cultivation of both martial skills and ethics subtly fosters the martial virtue of respecting teachers and valuing the way of courtesy and tolerance. The study of martial arts emphasizes mutual learning and the spirit of benevolence, enhancing friendship through exchange and mutual growth in teaching. Traditional Chinese martial arts bear the mission of inheriting intangible cultural heritage. My concepts and techniques of Mizong Quan have been promoted and demonstrated in many primary, secondary, and higher educational institutions as an option in physical education courses, also serving as a part of national education and the cultivation of cultural confidence among youth in Hong Kong. On a social practice level, Mizong Quan serves as a resource for cultural and entertainment endeavors, a medium for martial experience, and a vehicle for cultural inheritance, contributing to the prosperity and sustainability of Chinese civilization. Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong, China: "Mizongquan" of Cangzhou Martial Arts, Applicant for Inheritor Hong Runyuan July 2025 Copyright © Tiglion Consultancy Company Limited. Source: https://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696817 |
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