Zhou Tong was the archery teacher and second military arts tutor of famous Song Dynasty general Yue Fei. Information regarding his actual life is largely absent in history records. However, the fact that Zhou was Yue Fei's teacher has led to his popularity in Chinese folklore. Various sources portray him as four distinct people with backgrounds in Military and civilian combat arts. Several of these personas are said to have taught these arts to Lin Chong, Lu Junyi, and Wu Song, three of the "108 outlaws" on whom the Water Margin novel is based. For centuries, Zhou has had an intimate connection with topics related to Yue Fei, including martial arts, film, and literature. Many martial arts styles associated with Yue Fei—Eagle Claw, Chuojiao and Xing Yi—commonly include Zhou Tong within their lineage history. In the folk biography of Yue Fei, Zhou's abilities as a martial artist are described as being "high and strong." However, the oldest historical record that mentions his name only says he taught archery to Yue Fei. Zhou's character appeared in a string of black and white Yue Fei films during the early half of the 20th century. There is even an individual wuxia novel that focuses on Zhou's fictional adventures as a young man. (more...)
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