BONUS Episode: Martial Arts Legend Hong Yixiang 洪懿祥

John talks with Chris Bates about one of Taiwan’s greatest ever
martial artists, Hong Yixiang 洪懿祥 (1925–1993).





Hong was Taiwan’s foremost master of the Chinese internal martial
arts (which consist of baguazhang 八卦掌, xingyiquan 形意拳
and taijiquan 太極拳.)





The Hong family learnt these fighting forms from exiled
Mainlanders who fled the communists in the late 1940s. These
skills were put to good use in dealing with local gangsters in
the turbulent post-WWII years in Taipei.





Chris, who trained with Hong and his sons, translated his
biography “Blurred Boundaries,” written by son Hong Ze-han, into
English. Like the book, this Formosa Files episode is not just a
conversation about kung fu, but a rich cultural dive down
little-known alleys.


 


(Chris previously spoke with John about his own martial arts
odyssey in Taiwan: “Bonus Episode: Way of the Warrior - Martial
Arts Master Chris Bates,” May 25, 2023. )