Song Xuandao/Story

Profile
A highly renowned martial artist and practical master of Tai Chi Chuan. He has fought many a martial artist since his youth, and even now, at the age of 70, his strength shows no sign of waning. He is a pioneer in mixed martial arts competitions. The power of his strikes, delivered with fluid movements, is legendary in Chinese martial arts circles.

Background
A well-known and respected elder, now set to become part of a new legend. At first glance, he appears to be a quiet, laid-back old man, polite to everyone. But, in his younger days he was a martial arts master who consistently entered and won martial arts competitions in Shanghai and other cities, earning himself the nickname of "The Relentless Tiger". He has never taken on a disciple in his life, has never belonged to any particular organization, and generally leads a life of leisure. His circular movements may look graceful and beautiful, but it is said that each of these strikes is more than capable of killing a man with ease. Song participates in the tournament at the request of his close friend, Su-Shi Min, chairman of China's largest TV station. As an invited competitor, he automatically advances to the final qualifying round.

Interview
A legendary fighter appears!

The newly announced invited participant is a legendary master of Chinese martial arts known only to those in the know, Song Xuandao! During the brief postwar period, he was a tai chi fist master who prided himself on his unrivaled strength in the various martial arts competitions held in Shanghai and other cities, and was renowned as "The Relentless Tiger". After that, however, he stopped participating in official tournaments, took no apprentices, and was known only by his name, and his legend as an unorthodox fighter. So why did Song accept an invitation for an official tournament after all this time? We interviewed Song in his home.

Interviewer: First of all, I'd like to ask you how you came to accept this invitation?

Song: The "how" of the situation doesn't make for a very good story, I'm afraid. In short, an old friend asked me to do something for him. I was told that he is one of the organizers of the event, you see. He pestered me so persistently that it became too much of a hassle to refuse.

Interviewer: How long has it been since you last participated in a tournament like this?

Song: It's been almost 50 years now. I had a lot of energy back then. Even now I'm still amazed at how I went from place to place.

Interviewer: With all due respect, do you think that such a long time away from the scene will affect your performance?

Song: It's certainly possible. 50 years is a long time, after all. If my friend hadn't been so persistent, I wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble. But I suppose that's just the way things are in this world.

Interviewer: Have any of the announced competitors caught your interest?

Song: Hmm... I am not very good at remembering people's names and faces. I don't know who is who...

Interviewer: How likely do you think you are to win?

Song: I can't say, luck of the hour has a lot to do with this sort of thing. I am not sure.

Interviewer: Finally, do you have any aspirations for the competition?

Song: Well, let's just say that I will work as hard as I can until I get tired.

Fan Q&A
"Question 1""Q. What is the 'Crane Fist' mentioned in the secret data? And is it incorporated into your current fighting style?" A. One of the world's oldest martial arts. The fundamentals of martial arts are, similar after all, so to say that it wouldn't be incorrect to say I have incorporated it into my style.

Question 2 "Q. You've had a run-in with Silber previously. What is your impression of him now, compared to back then?" A. The man has very much grown since then. He's certainly become much stronger.

Question 3 "Q. You're too strong, old man. Forgive me, please." A. Is that so? Well, I'm too old for this kind of thing, so I hope they'll give me a break.

Question 4 "Q. What's with the sneakers? They're pretty cool." A. They make it far easier to move around.

Question 5 "Q. Have you ever been approached to act in a commercial for tea, seaweed, or fishing?" A. No, I haven't.

Question 6 "Q. What is your personal treasure?" A. A book of Chinese poetry I intend to take with me to my grave.

Question 7 "Q. Why do you 'hate men'? Did you have some kind of bad experience in the past?""A. Why, you may ask, are there so few men who like men?"