Wong Fei - hung Wong Fei - hung ( 9 July 1847 – 25 March 1924 ) was a Chinese martial artist , physician , acupuncturist , and revolutionary , who became a folk hero and the subject of numerous films and television series . He was considered an expert in the Hung Gar style of Chinese martial arts . One of the best known Hung Gar practitioners in modern times , Wong ' s lineage has received a lot of attention . As a physician , Wong practised and taught acupuncture and other forms of traditional Chinese medicine in Po - chi - lam ( ) , his private clinic in Foshan , Guangdong . A museum dedicated to him was built in Foshan . Wong ' s most famous disciples included Wong Hon - hei ( his son ) , Lam Sai - wing , Leung Foon , Dang Fong , Wong Sai - wing and Ling Wan - kai . In folk tales , Wong is often associated with the Ten Tigers of Canton . Biography . Wong was born on Mount Xiqiao , Foshan , Guangdong , during the reign of the Daoguang Emperor in the late Qing Dynasty . At the age of five , he started learning Hung Gar from his father Wong Kei - ying . When he was 13 , he learnt the essentials of the Iron Wire Fist and sling from Lam Fuk - sing ( 林福成 ; Lin Fucheng ) , a student of " Iron Bridge Three " Leung Kwan , after meeting Lam in Douzhixiang during a martial arts street performance . He learnt the Shadowless Kick from Sung Fai - tong ( 宋輝鏜 ; Song Huitang ) later . In 1863 at the age of 17 , Wong set up his first martial arts school in Shuijiao . 26 years later in 1886 , he opened his Po - chi - lam ( 寶芝林 ; Baozhilin ) clinic at Ren ' an . In 1919 , Wong was invited to perform at the Chin Woo Athletic Association ' s Guangzhou branch during its opening ceremony . Wong died of illness on May 24 , 1924 in Chengxi Fangbian Hospital in Guangdong . He was buried at the foot of Baiyun Mountain . Wong ' s wife Mok Kwai - lan , and his two sons , along with his students Lam Sai - wing and Dang Sai - king ( 鄧世瓊 ; Deng Shiqiong ) , later moved to Hong Kong and established martial arts schools there . In legend , Wong was recruited by Liu Yongfu , commander of the Black Flag Army , to be the army ' s medical officer and martial arts instructor . Wong also instructed Guangdong ' s local militia in martial arts and once followed the Black Flag Army to fight the Imperial Japanese Army during the Japanese invasion of Taiwan in 1895 . Personal life . Wong married four times in his life . The personal names of his first three wives are unknown . He had four known children - two sons and two daughters . As a martial artist . Wong was a master of Hung Gar ( also called Hung Fist ) . He systematised the predominant style of Hung Gar and choreographed its version of the Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist , which incorporates his Ten Special Fist techniques . Wong is famous for using the Shadowless Kick . He named the techniques of his skills when he performed them . Wong was adept at using weapons , such as the staff and southern tiger fork . One tale recounts how Wong defeated a group of 30 gangsters on the docks of Guangdong with a staff . Wong is sometimes incorrectly identified as one of the " Ten Tigers of Canton " . His father Wong Kei - ying was one of the ten but he was not . Wong is also sometimes referred to as the " Tiger after the Ten Tigers " . Cultural references . Film and television . A series of 89 movies on Wong Fei - hung was produced since 1949 in Hong Kong . Kwan Tak - hing starred as Wong and earned himself the nickname " Master Wong " for his role . Other prominent actors who played Wong Fei - hung include : Jet Li in the " Once Upon a Time in China " film series ; Vincent Zhao in the television series " Wong Fei Hung Series " . Theme song . The Chinese folk song " On the General ' s Orders " ( 將軍令 ) has become popularly associated with Wong Fei - hung because it was used as the theme song in various movies about Wong ( especially those starring Kwan Tak - hing ) . The song was used in the opening of the 1978 film " Drunken Master " , starring Jackie Chan . In the " Once Upon a Time in China " film series , the song was titled " A Man Should Better Himself " ( 男兒當自強 ) and Wong Jim provided the lyrics . The song was performed by George Lam and Jackie Chan ( in the second movie ) . A rearranged version was rewritten and performed by Dayo Wong as the theme song of " Men Don ' t Cry " . The Taiwanese singer Kenji Wu performed a song titled " On the General ' s Orders " but the tune is different from the original one .