Wu Mei: Legendary Shaolin Martial Artist

Namesake of the empress, Wu Mei – or Ng Mui – lived over 1,000 years after Wu Zeitan. One of the legendary ‘Five Elders’ in Shaolin martial arts, Wu survived the destruction of the Shaolin Temple during the Qing Dynasty.

The Qing emperor (the dates are very unclear) accused the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng of supposed anti-Qing activities. This caused the Qing ruler (again, the reign cannot be determined) to order the destruction of the temple.

In this brutal and bloody assault on the temple, the only survivors to crawl from the ruins were the so-called Five Elders. Wu Mei was one of them.

These legendary Elders are credited with spreading martial arts across China, with Wu – perhaps the most skilled – inventing and perfecting some of the most famous and important styles, including the Dragon style, Five-pattern Hung Kuen, Wu Mei Pai, Tibetan White Crane and the famous Wing Chun.