Yu Dayou, courtesy name Zhifu, art name Xujiang, was a Chinese martial artist, military general, and writer best known for countering the wokou pirates along China's southeastern coast during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the Ming dynasty.
11 Facts About Yu Dayou
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Yu Dayou was born in present-day Heshi Village, Fujian, but his ancestral home was in present-day Huoqiu County, Lu'an, Anhui.
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Yu Dayou led Ming forces to attack the wokou base in Zhoushan in northeastern Zhejiang.
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In 1562, Yu Dayou was reassigned to serve as the garrison commander of Fujian.
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Yu Dayou was known for being an honest and upright official.
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Yu Dayou was posthumously honoured as "Left Chief Controller" and given the posthumous name "Wuxiang".
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Yu Dayou successfully forced the Dutch to withdraw from Penghu Island to Taiwan in 1624, but was subjected to a series of massive raids in 1627 and 1628 by Zheng Zhilong, culminating in the sack of his base at Xiamen.
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Dayou Street in Liandu District, Lishui, Zhejiang is named after Yu Dayou to celebrate his achievements in defeating the wokou.
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Yu Dayou was a martial artist who specialised in a style of weapon fighting called "Jingchu Changjian".
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Yu Dayou studied martial arts in Shaolin Monastery, and later wrote and compiled Zhengqi Tang Ji.
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Around 1560, Yu Dayou travelled to Shaolin Monastery to observe the Shaolin monks' fighting techniques.