Jin Yong and Gu Long wrote about a legendary "wulin" of the distant past...a time long before modern nations and modern technology emerged. This gave the superhuman feats of their characters some plausibility. Neither Jin Yong nor Gu Long set any of their stories in the 19th or 20th Centuries.
The 19th and early 20th Centuries, however, did feature their share of "wulin" legends...some fictional, others based on real historic individuals. If there were to be a martial arts competition among the following 19th/early 20th Century fighters, who would be the last man standing?
Fong Sai Yuk
Hung Hei Gwoon
Wong Fei Hung
Fok Yeun Gap