Li Shuwen () (1864–1934) was a master practitioner of the

Chinese martial art Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

Bajiquan Bajiquan () is a Chinese martial art that features explosive, short-range power and is famous for its elbow and shoulder strikes. Its full name is kaimen ba ji quan (). Origins Baji quan was originally called bazi quan ( or ) or "rake fist" ...

. He was known as "God Spear Li" (神槍李). His prowess was said to be enough that he boasted that he did not have to strike the same opponent twice. He was a martial arts adviser of

Fu Zhensong Fu Zhensong (; 1872–1953), also known by his courtesy name Fu Qiankun, was a grandmaster of Wudangquan martial arts. He was best known as one of the famed "Five Northern Tigers," and a third-generation master of Baguazhang who founded Fu S ...

, notably once fighting him to a draw. Li's students eventually became personal bodyguards for

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

, and

Henry Pu-Yi Aisin-Gioro Puyi (; 7 February 1906 – 17 October 1967), courtesy name Yaozhi (曜之), was the last emperor of China as the eleventh and final Qing dynasty monarch. He became emperor at the age of two in 1908, but was forced to abdicate on 1 ...

. While not due to malicious intent, Li Shuwen killed many people during his life in either martial arts matches or self defense, causing victims' relatives to hold a grudge. He died of a poisonous tea served by one of them. Regardless, his reputation as one of the world's greatest martial artists persists to this day.

In fiction

Li Shuwen is depicted as a "Servant" character in the ''Fate'' franchise, beginning with ''

Fate/Extra ''Fate/Extra'' (stylized as ''Fate/EXTRA'') is a dungeon crawler role-playing game developed by Type-Moon and Imageepoch and published by Marvelous Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable. The game takes place in a parallel univer ...

''. The Japanese manga "Kenji" depicted Li Shuwen according to numerous accounts from various sources, notably from Li Shuwen's last student

Liu Yunqiao Liu Yun-qiao (劉雲樵, 1909 - January 24, 1992) was a Chinese Army Colonel and a martial artist from the Republic of China. He was born in Jibeitou Village, Cangzhou, Hebei Province and is most famous for his martial arts prowess. He was a cl ...

References

Chinese martial artists 1864 births 1934 deaths {{PRChina-martialart-bio-stub