Ten Tigers of Canton

The Ten Tigers of Canton or Ten Tigers of Guangdong refer to a group of ten Chinese martial artists from Guangdong (Canton), China, who lived during the late Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). They were said to be the best fighters in southern China at that time. Much of their existence has been embellished by folk legends and stories passed down from generation to generation.

Ten Tigers' martial arts
The Ten Tigers of Canton traced their martial arts lineage to the Southern Shaolin Monastery in the Jiulian Mountains in Fujian province. Southern Shaolin is a branch of the better known Shaolin Monastery in Henan province. As such, the Ten Tigers' martial arts styles resemble those of Shaolin Kung Fu.

The Ten Tigers are:

Wong Fei-hung and Ten Tigers
Wong Fei-hung, son of Wong Kei-ying, is also sometimes called the "Tiger after the Ten Tigers". In Chinese folk legend, Wong Fei-hung is best remembered for his heroic efforts in upholding the Chinese people's pride and dignity during a period when national morale was low, in the face of strong competition and oppression from foreigners.

Film
The Ten Tigers appeared in the 1980 Hong Kong film Ten Tigers from Kwangtung produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio. It featured a star-studded cast of Shaw Studio actors, including the Venom Mob, Ti Lung and Alexander Fu.

Apart from appearances in Chinese films, the Ten Tigers were also featured in the 2004 film Around the World in 80 Days, with Sammo Hung making a special appearance as Wong Fei-hung. Wong and the Ten Tigers assisted the protagonists in fighting the aggressive Black Scorpion gang.

The Ten Tigers were also featured in the 2006 underground cult film Mad Cowgirl.

Television
In 1999, Hong Kong's ATV produced a 40-episodes TV drama series titled Ten Tigers of Guangdong (英雄之廣東十虎).

Literature
In The Eleventh Tiger, a BBC Books original novel by David A. McIntee, the Ten Tigers are featured, with Wong Kei-ying and Wong Fei-hung as major characters in the story.