‘민족영웅 훠위안자’에 가려진 ‘진짜 훠위안자’ ―『申報』ㆍ『時報』에서 霍元甲를 보다

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine Huo Yuanjia, known as national hero in China. Specifically, the paper investigates who he was and what he did through analyzing the newspaper advertisements about Huo Yuanjia in Shen Daily and Eastern Times in 1909 and 1910. In the papers, Huo Yuanjia was mentioned four times in total--once in December 1909, twice in April 1910, and once in June 1910. According to the advertisements, Huo Yuanjia performed martial arts in Shanghai, and after the performance, he taught martial arts at China Chin Woo Athlete Association as a martial artist. These facts indicate that the ‘real’ Huo Yuanjia and his ‘actual’ achievements are quite different from what has been known about the national hero. In China, however, the real facts about the hero seem to have been concealed. And yet, Huo Yuanjia became a national hero in China through various achievements which could not be verified, and still he has been respected as a national hero of China.