Cai Longyun, the Great Dragon with Magic Fists

Master Cai Longyun (蔡龙云) was a contemporary living legend of Chinese martial arts. He is regarded as one of the fathers and promoters of modern Wushu, while at the same time being an old-school kung fu practitioner and a fierce fighter.

Cai Longyun was born in 1928 into a family with a long martial arts tradition.

His father, Cai Guiqin, was a well-known martial arts master from Shandong Province, skilled in Chaquan, Huaquan, Hongquan, and Paoquan. In addition to being a martial artist, Cai Guiqin was a philosopher, educator, and a great patriot.

When Cai Longyun turned four years old, his father began training him in kung fu and educating him in various subjects.

His father’s attention was focused entirely on him, so intensely that it sometimes became unbearable.

Cai Longyun later recalled that during his childhood he often thought about running away from home and even doubted that this man was truly his father.

Only the deep love he felt for his mother kept him from carrying out those plans and enduring the harsh training routine imposed by his father. Each day followed the same pattern: Cai Longyun began training at 4 or 5 in the morning, finished at 7 to have breakfast and go to school, and after returning, resumed training until dinner time.

At first, his father focused on basic training techniques, or Yaotui Kungfu (腰腿功夫)—training of the legs and waist.

This is the first level of training in any Chinese kung fu style.

Cai Guiqin had the boy practice various types of leg stretching on a bar, kicking drills, exercises to stretch and strengthen the back and waist, and static postures—standing firmly like a post.

Over time, Cai Longyun was able to hold the horse stance for half an hour and perform sets of 200 to 300 kicks without rest. If his father judged that an exercise had not been performed perfectly, he would strike him with a stick until he reached the expected level.

After mastering the basics, he began learning different styles, including Huaquan, Shaolin, Xingyiquan, and Taijiquan. At the age of nine, he also started learning from other prominent kung fu masters of the time while continuing his training with his father.

East vs. West

In the 1940s, Westerners often viewed Chinese people as weak and looked down on their martial arts. Public exhibitions by Western strongmen or boxers were common, offering rewards to anyone who could defeat them in strength tests or combat.

In 1943, the organizers of one of these events issued a public challenge to Chinese martial artists to compete in a series of matches against Western fighters.

Master Cai Guiqin and his friend Wang Ziping, the famous Chaquan master, decided to select a group of their students to fight. Cai Longyun, who was 15 years old at the time, told his father he wanted to participate.

At first, Cai Guiqin refused due to his son’s young age, but seeing his determination, he eventually included him in the team of eight fighters.

The event took place on November 13, 1943.

The fights were not divided by weight classes, and opponents were chosen by drawing lots.

It was a gloved match where strikes from the waist to the head were allowed. Only side kicks and heel kicks were prohibited.

Below the waist, only circular kicks and sweeps were allowed.

Any strike to the body counted as one point; knocking the opponent down counted as three. Once on the ground, a ten-count was applied, as in boxing.

The fights consisted of three rounds of two minutes each, with one minute of rest between rounds.

That day, the Chinese team won five matches, drew one, and lost two. According to Cai Longyun, they should have won all eight, but the judges—who were all Western—manipulated the scores in fights that did not end by knockout.

Cai Longyun’s Fight

Cai Longyun’s opponent was a renowned 25-year-old Russian fighter named Marceu.

He entered the ring with the confidence of someone experienced in competition. The physical and age difference was so noticeable that both Westerners and Chinese alike believed Marceu would easily defeat the unknown young Cai Longyun.

The referees were Western, so communication with the Chinese fighters was mostly through gestures. Before the first round, the referee signaled both fighters to come to the center of the ring to greet each other.

Having never fought in a ring before, Cai Longyun thought the fight had already begun and, instead of touching gloves, struck Marceu on the left ear. The crowd burst into laughter, even more convinced of the young fighter’s impending defeat.

When the fight truly began, the Russian attacked aggressively while Cai Longyun stayed defensive, dodging and looking for openings. At one point, as Marceu threw a powerful left punch, Cai Longyun turned left and struck his face with a left punch. The Russian stepped back, but Cai followed with a hook kick to his left leg, knocking him down.

Marceu got up, but as soon as he raised his hands, Cai Longyun kicked him on the left side of the chin, dropping him again. As he rose, Cai kicked him once more—this time from the right—sending him down for the third time.

The referee intervened to give the Russian time to recover. Furious, Marceu charged again with a flurry of punches. Cai evaded by retreating, then surprised him with a kick to the left side of the face, knocking him down for the fourth time.

End of the first round.

In the second round, Marceu attacked furiously with rapid punches, forcing Cai Longyun to block and retreat. He pushed Cai toward the ropes, but suddenly Cai slipped under a jab and moved behind him.

As Marceu turned, Cai struck him with a left punch, sending him into the ropes. When Cai moved in to continue attacking, the referee stopped them and brought them back to the center.

Cai feinted with his left hand toward Marceu’s face. Marceu dodged left and threw a right punch. At the same time, Cai launched a right kick to his head. Marceu ducked, so Cai used the momentum to switch into a backward sweep with his left leg, knocking him down again.

Marceu got up and attacked the head. Cai blocked and threw another right kick to the head. Marceu ducked again and anticipated the sweep, jumping to avoid it.

Cai reacted instantly—instead of completing the sweep, he switched to a right front kick to the Russian’s stomach, hitting him mid-air and sending him crashing to the canvas once more.

Marceu rose slowly to buy time. Cai attacked with a jumping front kick. Marceu caught his leg and tried to throw him backward, but using his opponent’s momentum, Cai performed a full backward flip and landed on his feet.

The crowd—both Chinese and Western—went wild at this display of skill and began cheering for the previously underestimated young fighter.

The third round began with Marceu mentally defeated. He could only defend against Cai Longyun, who entered a frenzied state, striking faster and harder than before.

At one moment, Cai delivered a left kick just below Marceu’s ear. As Marceu leaned left to evade, he was hit with a powerful right jab followed by a final blow to the abdomen. Marceu did not rise again, and Cai Longyun won by knockout.

That day, the young fighter earned the nickname Sheng Da Quan Long, often translated as “Great Dragon with Magic Fists.”

After the fight, Marceu and the event organizers complained about the advantage kung fu fighters had by using kicks and proposed a rematch under Western boxing rules. Cai Longyun accepted without hesitation. The fight was postponed for three years.

In 1946, Cai Longyun faced the then heavyweight world champion, an African-American boxer known as Luther “the Black Lion,” and defeated him by knockout.

From that point on, his fame and prestige within Chinese martial arts circles became well known.

Year 1946: Cai Longyun waits as the referee counts, securing his knockout victory over heavyweight world champion Luther “the Black Lion.”