If you are a Kung-Fu movie enthusiast, you've no doubt encountered films based upon the legends of Wong Fei Hung several times, either as a stoic healer/martial arts master in the masterpiece Once Upon a Time in China series, or as a younger rebel/martial arts master in the amazing Drunken Master series (Wong Fei Hungover?), or perhaps as a precocious kid/martial arts master in Iron Monkey. Despite these radically different portrayals of the man, he was a seriously real-live actual person who, while maybe not at the and did invent and master many powerful Kung-Fu techniques, including the famous "Shadowless Kick". He is widely celebrated in Chinese folklore, and over 100 films, despite only having lived about 100 years ago.

Despite being an academic and a medical doctor, Wong Fei Hung is also the most ass-kickengest folk hero in history. While many of the stories surrounding his accomplishments are of dubios veracity, and his cinematic portrayals are usually greatly exaggerated, his real story is still very impressive, and if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have some of the greatest martial-arts films ever created. You can find out more about his actual life at the links below:

The Man and the Legend
The Real Wong Fei Hung