In Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s, underground jianghu forces quickly grew and spread in a black-and-white environment, and countless teenagers stepped into the jianghu for the sake of a dashing life full of fame and fortune, during which many legendary jianghu figures emerged, such as "lame Hao", "Ma Brothers", "Hong Hanyi" and so on. And the 14K talker "Bearded Yong" who has been rolling in the jianghu for fifty years is one of them.
"Bearded Yong", whose real name is Pan Zhiyong, came to Hong Kong with his family at an early age. At the age of fifteen, when he was in middle school, his grades were not satisfactory and he often wandered the streets, unconsciously being recruited by the same party to join the underworld, becoming a member of the 14K society, and starting the lowest level of horse boy life. Follow the big brother in and out of the jianghu every day, and lead the order to fight with his companions at any time. This bloody life did not come to an end until he was 17 years old.
Returning from the jianghu, Bearded Yong is still a teenager, but he has more jianghu experience that others have not had. After that, Beard Yong worked as a worker, worked as a hawker, and lived the most ordinary life, which lasted until around 1973. At that time, affected by the stock market crash and the energy crisis, the economic environment was greatly damaged, many factories went bankrupt, many people were unemployed, and the underworld prevailed at that time, and small traders and peddlers were extorted. Faced with the helplessness of life and the confusion about the future, Beard Yong had the idea of re-emerging from the jianghu.
In the 1970s, kung fu was once popular, and martial arts superstar Bruce Lee was a popular idol at that time. In order to have a strong physique and the capital to re-emerge from the jianghu, Beard Yong learned kung fu, which he learned, such as Sanda, Muay Thai, wing chun and so on.
Opportunities are always left to those who are prepared. At that time, some people from the interior gradually formed a "big circle gang" of the nature of the underworld in order to make a living, they fought, extorted, collected protection fees, went on a rampage to break the rules of the jianghu, and relied on fierceness and fearlessness to fight local gangs, which for a while made many local gangs dare not compete with them. When the twenty-something bearded Yong saw this situation, he thought it was the best opportunity for him to "ascend to the throne".
At that time, the Kowloon Sparrow Pavilion in Mong Kok was often kicked by the Big Circle Gang, and Beard Yong took the initiative to find the owner of the Sparrow Pavilion with several brothers to help him watch the scene, and the boss also agreed half-heartedly. A few days later, the people of the Big Circle Gang did come again, Beard Yong did not say a word, directly closed the door, and his brothers lifted the long knife is a rush of blood, the Sparrow Pavilion suddenly bleeds into a river, and finally ends with bearded Yong's victory. After this battle, Beard Yong became famous in one fell swoop, and more and more younger brothers came to defect.
After that, Beard Yong completely transformed into a big brother, leading a group of brothers to repel all those who came to make trouble, while fighting around with other gangs for territory and interests, once dominating Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok in Hong Kong's Mong district. It is best known for the battle against New Ngee Ann, which unified the underground red light district of Hong Kong on Portland Street in Mong Kok.
After a bloody and rainy struggle, Beard Yong climbed to the top of the food chain, became a street bully, and sat on a 14K Yi character pile of people, with thousands of protégés under him, becoming one of the most powerful jianghu big brothers.
With the transformation of the social environment, many jianghu characters have transformed and entered the formal path, and Beard Yong is no exception. In the 1980s and 1990s, bearded Yong ventured into the gambling, film and entertainment industries as a businessman. Cai Ziming's Fuyi Film Production Company, Hong Hanyi's 348 Disco, Shenzhen's sauna shop, etc., he has participated in the investment.
Bearded Yong is bloody and rainy in the jianghu, drunk on life, but in the second half of his life, he was first reported undercover and imprisoned, and then diagnosed with cancer. After ten years of fighting the disease, he died in February 2016. At his funeral, many gangsters and some entertainers came to mourn and send him on his last journey.
Bearded Yong's life is a microcosm of Hong Kong's underworld, and his passing also means the end of a special era.