The Most Famous
MARTIAL ARTS from China
This page contains a list of the greatest Chinese Martial Arts. The pantheon dataset contains 179 Martial Arts, 6 of which were born in China. This makes China the birth place of the 5th most number of Martial Arts behind Brazil, and Russia.
Top 9
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Chinese Martial Arts of all time. This list of famous Chinese Martial Arts is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.
1. Ip Man (1893 - 1972)
With an HPI of 82.04, Ip Man is the most famous Chinese Martial Arts. His biography has been translated into 50 different languages on wikipedia.
Ip Man (born Ip Kai-man; 1 October 1893 – 2 December 1972), also known as Yip Man, was a Chinese martial arts grandmaster. He became a teacher of the martial art of Wing Chun when he was 20. He had several students who later became martial arts masters in their own right, the most famous among them being Bruce Lee.
2. Wong Fei-hung (1925 - 1925)
With an HPI of 69.01, Wong Fei-hung is the 2nd most famous Chinese Martial Arts. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.
Wong Fei-hung (born Wong Sek-cheung with the courtesy name Tat-wun; 19 August 1847 – 17 April 1925) was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero, who practiced in 19th century Guangzhou. Though he was considered an expert in the Hung Ga style of Chinese martial arts, his real public fame was as a physician who practiced and taught acupuncture, Dit Da (Chinese chiropractics) and other forms of traditional Chinese medicine in the (now closed) Po Chi Lam (寶芝林; 宝芝林; Bǎozhīlín; Bou2-zi1-lam4), a medical clinic in Canton (Guangzhou), Guangdong Province. Two museums dedicated to him were built in his birthplace in Foshan, Guangdong. Wong has been the subject of numerous martial arts films and television series, most notably the Once Upon a Time in China film series (1991–1997) by Tsui Hark. He has been portrayed by several stars of Hong Kong and Chinese cinema, including Gordon Liu, Jackie Chan, Kwan Tak-hing, Jet Li, Vincent Zhao, and Sammo Hung. The Wong Fei-hung film series holds the Guinness World Record for the longest running film series and most films in a movie series.
3. Huo Yuanjia (1868 - 1910)
With an HPI of 68.98, Huo Yuanjia is the 3rd most famous Chinese Martial Arts. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.
Huo Yuanjia (18 January 1868 – 14 September 1910), courtesy name Junqing, was a Chinese martial artist and co-founder of the Chin Woo Athletic Association, a martial arts school in Shanghai. A practitioner of the martial art mizongyi, Huo is considered a hero in China for defeating foreign fighters in highly publicised matches at a time when Chinese sovereignty was being eroded by foreign imperialism, concessions and spheres of influence. Due to his heroic status, the legends and myths surrounding the events in his life are difficult to distinguish from facts.
4. Zhang Weili (b. 1989)
With an HPI of 50.83, Zhang Weili is the 4th most famous Chinese Martial Arts. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Zhang Weili (Chinese: 张伟丽; pinyin: Zhāng Wěilì; born September 30, 1990) is a Chinese professional mixed martial artist. She most recently competed in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the former two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion and the first Chinese fighter to win a UFC championship. A professional since 2013, Zhang formerly competed for Kunlun Fight (KLF), where she was the KLF Women's Strawweight Champion. As of November 25, 2025, she is #1 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings and #3 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.
5. Zhang Di (b. 1968)
With an HPI of 42.43, Zhang Di is the 5th most famous Chinese Martial Arts. Her biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Zhang Di (Chinese: 张迪) is a female Chinese Judoka. She competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games and won a bronze medal in Women's –61 kg.
6. Chen Zhong (b. 1982)
With an HPI of 41.14, Chen Zhong is the 6th most famous Chinese Martial Arts. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Chen Zhong (simplified Chinese: 陈中; traditional Chinese: 陳中; pinyin: Chén Zhōng; born November 22, 1982) is a retired Chinese taekwondo competitor who represented her country at international level for more than 10 years, including three consecutive Summer Olympic Games. She won China's first Olympic gold medal in taekwondo at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and successfully defended her title at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but did not make it past the quarter-final round.
7. Wang Xianbo (b. 1976)
With an HPI of 40.85, Wang Xianbo is the 7th most famous Chinese Martial Arts. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Wang Xianbo (simplified Chinese: 王显波; traditional Chinese: 王顕波; pinyin: Wáng Xiǎnbō) (born 28 August 1976) is a Chinese judoka and Olympic medalist. She competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, winning a bronze medal in the middleweight class.
8. Cheng Xunzhao (b. 1991)
With an HPI of 38.33, Cheng Xunzhao is the 8th most famous Chinese Martial Arts. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Cheng Xunzhao (born 9 February 1991) is a Chinese judoka. He represented his country at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
9. Guo Qing (b. 2000)
With an HPI of 32.12, Guo Qing is the 9th most famous Chinese Martial Arts. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Guo Qing (Chinese: 郭清; pinyin: Guō Qīng; born 16 May 2000) is a Chinese taekwondo practitioner. She was a silver medalist at the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships and the 2024 Summer Olympics, and a double gold medalist at the 2025 World University Games.
People
Pantheon has 9 people classified as Chinese martial arts born between 1868 and 2000. Of these 9, 6 (66.67%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Chinese martial arts include Zhang Weili, Zhang Di, and Chen Zhong. The most famous deceased Chinese martial arts include Ip Man, Wong Fei-hung, and Huo Yuanjia. As of April 2024, 3 new Chinese martial arts have been added to Pantheon including Zhang Di, Wang Xianbo, and Guo Qing.
Living Chinese Martial Arts
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Zhang Weili
1989 - Present
HPI: 50.83
Zhang Di
1968 - Present
HPI: 42.43
Chen Zhong
1982 - Present
HPI: 41.14
Wang Xianbo
1976 - Present
HPI: 40.85
Cheng Xunzhao
1991 - Present
HPI: 38.33
Guo Qing
2000 - Present
HPI: 32.12
Deceased Chinese Martial Arts
Go to all RankingsNewly Added Chinese Martial Arts (2025)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Martial Arts were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Martial Arts since 1700.
