The rise and fall of historical dynasties, as well as the succession of vivid historical figures, have left deep imprints in the long river of history. Next, the History Encyclopedia editor will take you into the story of Xu Heng, the first martial arts champion in Jiangxi province.
Xu Heng, also known as Jiping, is from Leping, Jiangxi. He was born in the eighth year of the Xining reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty and died in the twenty sixth year of the Shaoxing reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty. Xu Heng studied literature and martial arts from a young age and passed the imperial examination in the second year of Chongning reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty.
In the field of humanities, although Xu Heng has achieved such good results, he is not satisfied with it. He still hopes to become a talented person in both literature and martial arts. So he specialized in martial arts, studying military tactics during the day and learning swordsmanship and horseback shooting techniques in the morning and evening.
In the fifth year of Chongning, which was 1106 AD, Xu Heng finally achieved excellent results and won the first place in the martial arts examination, becoming the first martial arts champion in the history of Jiangxi since the Tang Dynasty.
After Xu Heng won the top scorer in martial arts, he naturally had good martial arts skills, so he was appointed as the Right Class Palace Supervisor, responsible for the emperor’s safety. Later on, one year, floods flooded both sides of the Yangtze River, and Xu Heng was appointed as the anti-corruption envoy for the eastern and western routes. Under his leadership and efforts, he ultimately helped the people in the disaster area overcome their difficulties. It is precisely because of this that the emperor highly praised him and specifically approved him to act in a visible manner.
Later on, Xu Heng also served as the inspector of the Guangdong Road Criminal Investigation Bureau. At that time, a major thief named Liu Long was very rampant and was a local problem. After Xu Heng took office, he went alone to persuade Liu Long and eventually made him surrender.
At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a sudden change in the world. Later, Zhao Gou declared himself emperor and appointed Xu Heng as the defense commissioner of Kangzhou under Emperor Gaozong of Song. Not long after, Xu Heng returned to his hometown due to old age. Before he left, Emperor Gaozong of Song personally wrote the three characters “Ren Shou” for him, and at the age of 80, he was given the opportunity to build a “Ren Shou Lou”.
In 1156 AD, Xu Heng passed away at the age of eighty-one.
