Gan Fengchi is a real person in history, born in the Qing Dynasty on the occasion of Kangqian, a native of Jiangning, Jiangnan (now Nanjing, Jiangsu Province). Books such as "The Tribute of the Elders of the National Dynasty" and "Qing Historical Manuscript" have his biography. His name is also left in the existing Qing court archives. During the Yongzheng period, Li Wei, the governor of Zhejiang, said in a secret recital to the emperor that Fengchi was "refined and strong, and martial arts were strong" and that he was "quite familiar with astronomy and the art of war" (1). It is said that as early as his youth, he was known for his "fist bravery" (2). He was also praised for his "ability to break through the strength of his hands, turn lead and tin into water" and "the art of guidance" (3), and to heal people's diseases. The "art of guiding" mentioned here is today's qigong. He was a well-known martial artist and qigong master at that time.

Because Fengchi is strong in martial arts and famous at home, as early as his lifetime, anecdotes have been widely spread. However, due to rumors and rumors, coupled with the strong atmosphere of Qing people talking about swordsmanship, people often compare with it, and inevitably add absurd and bizarre content, so that the gap with the real situation is getting farther and farther away, making it impossible for people to rely on. However, through these "absurd" and "exaggerated" rumors, we can still roughly outline the basic outline of this hero.

Gan Fengchi's appearance is not burly, like a gentle and elegant scholar: he has a bold personality, and he is used to fighting grievances for others, and doing good things such as helping the young and the weak. In the Qing Dynasty, in the city of Jiangning, there were eight banners of heavy soldiers. In the garrison battalion, some officers and soldiers who relied on their own courage and good deeds were eager to try Gan Fengchi's skills. One day, they invited Gan Fengchi to the camp to perform his skills. Gan Fengchi knew their intentions, and he didn't shirk it, smiled and put his arm flat on the stones at the door, and asked someone to drive the ox cart and roll it on wheels. Dozens of times like this, the arm is "scarless" (4). When the battalion soldiers saw his profound skills, they were all amazed and convinced. Once, Gan Fengchi was a guest at the home of a man surnamed Zhang in Taicang. At that time, the plum blossoms were in full bloom, and the host prepared wine to invite relatives and friends to enjoy it. During the banquet, people invited Gan Fengchi to perform skills to feast their eyes. Gan "makes people secretly want flowers, ask for a ball of cotton, pick a little, round as a button, stand a hundred steps out of the throw, plum blossoms, no difference" (5). Gan Fengchi also used to compare with others when he was drunk. He put a wine urn upside down in the courtyard, stood on it, and then pinched a bamboo pole with two fingers for everyone to push and pull, and the bamboo pole and the people were like pillars holding the sky, not moving at all. Just as everyone was struggling, he suddenly let go of his two fingers, and everyone couldn't hold it, so they fell to the ground along with the bamboo pole.

Because Gan Fengchi is usually helpful, whenever he encounters something in danger, many people will naturally think of him and ask him to help. In Kaifeng City, Henan, there are two masters and apprentices, who are accustomed to bullying the township with courage. One day, the apprentice was injured in the thigh by a horse because he forcibly borrowed a horse. When the master learned about it, he rushed to kick the horse again to show his revenge. Just when the owner of the horse was helpless, he saw Gan Fengchi who was staying in Bianliang, so he hurriedly stepped forward to plead with him. Then the master said to the fierce master, "You are really not brave to win by kicking and hurting my horse, but if you can kick Master Gan down, then you are worthy of being a hero!" His master felt insulted, and sure enough, he went straight to Fengchi, but as soon as he touched Gan's body, he fell to the ground, and he cried out in pain, and after a while, his legs and feet were swollen like a fight. Feng Chi warned him not to bully others, and at the same time took medicine to treat his injuries and reduce swelling. Since then, the master and apprentice have changed their tracks, and they no longer dare to come nonsense. Gan Fengchi's reputation has become even greater.

"Gan's Shiduo Warriors" (6). Heroes from all walks of life, there are those who learn from each other because they admire each other, and there are also people who want to raise their prestige from overwhelming each other. With Gan Fengchi's identity, it is rare to meet and deal with all kinds of characters.

In Kangxi, Gan Fengchi was invited by a prince to live in the mansion of the Jingshi Domain. At that time, in order to show their prestige and at the same time to find party support, the princes and nobles made friends with the world's nobles as guests. Gan Fengchi is the brightest among the martial artists, so he is naturally favored by the royal family, and he also took the opportunity to get acquainted with many strong martial arts players. There was a strong man named Zhang Dayi, and he came from Jinan, Shandong Province to meet him. The prince was very happy about the meeting between Gan and Zhang, and specially held a banquet to congratulate him. In the banquet, the prince proposed that Gan Fengchi and Zhang Dayi compete in martial arts. Zhang Dayi is eight feet long and is a typical Shandong biao man. He was good at his legs, and he bounced and jumped like a sudden storm, and in order to increase his lethality, he also wrapped his toes in a layer of iron. Before the fight, Gan leaned on the pillar but stood, in terms of momentum, Zhang Po had the upper hand, and the people around him were sweating for Gan Fengchi. But when Zhang Dayi jumped and kicked his leg towards Gan Fengchi, Gan only caught his foot and pinched it, Zhang shouted Ming Oh and fell to the ground. It turned out that the pieces of iron wrapped around Dayi's toes were deeply embedded in the flesh, and the blood soaked the entire shoe.

Ma Yulin, a native of Jimo, Shandong, is also a capable person who wanders the rivers and lakes. Although he has a large waist, he is agile and can "rise from a wall" like an ape (7). Ma Yulin was a guest at a large merchant in Yangzhou before Gan Fengchi. But the businessman admired Gan's reputation and far surpassed Ma Yulin in hospitality. This made Ma Yulin very unconvinced, and named him to fight Gan Fengchi. The competition was very hard, and the two sides fought for a day, but they did not distinguish between high and low. Gan Fengchi thought to himself, a fierce opponent like Ma Yulin can't just fight hard, and he must spend some effort to win. When he fought again the next day, he looked for flaws in the horse. Ma Yulin suddenly stepped forward, trying to catch him. He flashed lightly, and with two fingers, Ma Yulin couldn't hold his foot, so he staggered to the ground. After Ma Yulin was defeated, he felt that he had no face, and he did not say goodbye to his master, and left secretly.

Gan Fengchi fights with people in the martial arts, and generally does not take the initiative to be strong, and stops in moderation, and never does things that kill people and then hurry. This is where his generosity and righteousness lie. He often said to people: "My strength is not as good as that of the middle, so those who can overcome others will use their strength to control their ears." (8) It can be seen that his estimation of his own strength is objective and humble.

Gan Fengchi also encountered a master and lost. One day, he took his apprentice to the street, and there was a chai man, because he accidentally touched the apprentice, and his clothes were torn. A dispute broke out between the two sides, and then the use of force was restarted. Gan Fengchi punched his apprentice, but he didn't hurt Chai Fu, but he fell to the ground instead. Another time, he went to the temple to watch a play, and people knew that he had the kung fu of standing like a stake into the ground. Therefore, even if he is crowded on the field, everyone will not get close to him. A lame beggar, without any care, not only squeezed towards him with all his might, but also deliberately carried out **. He was in a hurry, swung his fist and slammed it, and after everyone's persuasion, he stopped. But the beggar didn't care and said, "How can the chicken ribs be a fist, and there is nothing to suffer." (9) When he heard this, he was astonished, and he couldn't help but sigh for a long time when he knew that he had met a master again. from

As a result, he became more and more restrained and did not dare to be angry casually.

Gan Fengchi's reputation is far and wide, and many people rise up to worship him as a teacher. There are also some of them who are not as good as the disciples after the competition. When Gan Fengchi passed through Jining, Shandong, Li Gongzi, a local wealthy family, was also a very capable person, and when he heard that Gan Fengchi was coming, he set up a banquet to catch the wind, and by the way, he also wanted to spy on Gan's kung fu. When the two saw each other, when they bent their waists and were noisy, Li took advantage of the situation to raise his legs and pass over his head. Gan Fengchi pretended to be unaware and returned from the banquet. While Li Zheng was rejoicing in his masterpiece, Gan Fengchi sent the servant to deliver a small paper bag. It turned out that when Li raised his feet, Gan Fengchi had reached out and pulled out his crotch. Inside the paper bag is a small piece of silk torn from the pants. Li admired it very much, went to the inn to accompany the sin, and sincerely accepted the work from the teacher.

Gan Fengchi is proficient in qigong and can also use it to cure diseases. The youngest son of fellow villager Tan was 19 years old and sought medical treatment in all directions, but to no avail. When Gan heard this, he "sat down at night with his back together" (10), and luck was cured, and within two months, the young man was in good health.

At the time of Kangqian, it was known as a prosperous era, but the vast number of people were still poor and miserable, and various contradictions were intertwined and complicated. Although Gan Fengchi occasionally mingles with the palace and dignitaries, it is more of a place to be with the middle and lower classes. Jiangnan was originally an eventful place, and after Kangxi, due to the bribery and efforts of the rulers, the vast majority of landlords and literati had colluded with the Qing court. At the same time, the anti-clearance undercurrent is still looming from time to time. Since Gan Fengchi was in contact with the three religions and nine streams, and the hidden anti-Qing activities were mainly spread among such people, it was natural that he would also be implicated. Between the 45th and 47th years of Kangxi (1706-1708), Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong and other provinces pursued the monk Yinian and the related "Zhu Third Prince Case" (Zhu Third Prince, it is rumored to be the son of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty). Feng Chi was arrested and imprisoned for being "famous in the matter", and he was also punished twice (11). In the seventh year of Yongzheng (1729), Li Wei, the governor of Zhejiang, found out an organization headed by Zhang Yunru and used "charms to confuse people and plot misdeeds" in Jiangning and other places. The prison case involved more than 100 people, and Gan Fengchi Lu was one of the important criminals. This time, however, he lost his heroism. According to Li Wei's secret compromise to the emperor, "Yi (referring to Fengchi) saw that his feelings were revealed, and he thought that his accomplices were vomiting, such as being frightened, prostrating and begging, and he was willing to surrender himself for redemption" (12), and confessed the names and surnames of his fellow Taoists. In April of the eighth year of Yongzheng (1730), the Qing court sent Li Yongsheng, the secretary of the Ministry of Works, to be the minister of the Qincha and went to the full court for trial. Feng Chi and Zhang Yunru are both "each intended to behead like a law" (13). But some people also say that Emperor Yongzheng once opened the net, and when Zhu Bi was decided, Gan Fengchi was released.

After Zhang Yunru's case, Gan Fengchi no longer had the demeanor and courage of the past, with infinite remorse and hatred, he lived in his hometown and lived silently until he was over eighty years old. After his death, he was buried in Fengtaimen, this county, and the stone tablet reads: "The Tomb of the Warrior Gan Fengchi" (14).

For Gan Fengchi's life, someone once commented: "Fengchi's material strength is not reduced by his predecessors, and he was born to be peaceful, and he did not get an official to self-efficacy, and he died in the countryside, and his name will be annihilated in the future, which is not fate." (15) This duke lamented that Gan Fengchi was unhappy, mainly referring to the eagle dog who did not get an official position and became a ruler. Actually, that's what makes him so cute. Of course, judging from Gan Fengchi's credible deeds, he has indeed not done anything powerful and earth-shattering, and some of them have also seen each other. But from these trivial records, we still see his resolute and upright side.

Gan Fengchi sympathizes with the lower classes, and with his strong martial arts, he does some good deeds to help the good and hoe the evil. This is indeed commendable in the Qing Dynasty officialdom when the greed and morale were declining, and the people were often in a dark world where there was nowhere to redress grievances and nowhere to retribution. As for the big political mistakes made by Gan Fengchi in his later years, he used a long-term stop to express deep self-remorse, unlike some people, who were willing to fall and even collude with the rulers. It is for this reason that people still understand him and miss him. In real life, out of some expectation of ideals, since the people can weave layers of magical and holy halos for Qing officials, why can't they make the image more lovely and beautiful for people like Gan Fengchi? Based on this reasoning, it is understandable that people have smeared Gan Fengchi with all kinds of "absurd" and "exaggerated" oil paint. Of course, ideals are not reality, "absurdity" is not equal to history, and ideal characters cannot be confused with historical figures.