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

Chinese martial art Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

of Bajiquan. He was known as "God Spear Li" (神槍李). His prowess was said to be such that he boasted that he did not have to strike the same opponent twice. He was a martial arts adviser of Fu Zhensong, notably once fighting him to a draw. Li's students eventually became personal bodyguards for

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

, Chiang Kai-shek, and

Puyi Puyi (7 February 190617 October 1967) was the final emperor of China, reigning as the eleventh monarch of the Qing dynasty from 1908 to 1912. When the Guangxu Emperor died without an heir, Empress Dowager Cixi picked his nephew Puyi, aged tw ...

. 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 after consuming 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, a type of familiar, in the ''

Fate Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predeterminism, predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often used interchangeably, the words wiktionary ...

'' franchise, beginning with '' Fate/Extra''. He also shows up in other ''Fate'' works, such as ''Fate/Type Redline, Fate/Samurai Remnant,'' and '' Fate/Grand Order''. The franchise features several versions; he is depicted as a young or older man depending on the story, and due to Servants being subject to

character class In tabletop games and video games, a character class is an occupation, profession, or role assigned to a game character to highlight and differentiate their capabilities and specializations. In role-playing games (RPGs), character classes ag ...

es, he is either a Lancer or Assassin. The Japanese manga ''Kenji'' depicted Li Shuwen according to numerous accounts from various sources, notably from Li Shuwen's last student Liu Yunqiao.

References

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