The Greats and their historical/literary predecessors

[Dennis Chen]

So, it's blatantly obvious that Hong Qi Gong is a copy of Ji Gong. The "Gong" honorific is the same. They're both mendicants. Ji Gong was said to be the earthly reincarnation of the arhat Xiang Long. Hong Qi Gong used Xiang Long Shi Ba Zhang.

Duan Zhixing and Wang Chongyang were historical figures. It's interesting that they were probably the closest to each other in that they traded martial arts. And one became a Buddhist Monk and the other was a Daoist Priest. Historically, Wang Chongyang advocated the internal alchemy (meditation, etc.) of Daoism instead of the outer alchemy (immortality pills, etc.). Which I believe is the historical basis for Jin Yong's creation of WCY's greastest art as being an internal energy art: Xian Tian Gong. I don't know much about Duan Zhixing or his historical life to see any connections between Yi Yang Zhi and himself.

That just leaves Huang Yaoshi and Ouyang Feng. Were they based on anybody in history or in literature?

[Radken]

I'm a big Ji Gong fan but even I have to say that's a bit of a stretch there. Many historical and literature figures carrry the same honorific. And Ji Gong was known by many other names such as Ji Dean, Daoji, Li Xiuyuan, etc. And the drunk fighting beggar archetype is not new even before Jin Yong came along. (Iron-Crutch Li from The Eight Immortals.) Your theory would be more agreeable if you said only the technique, Xianglong Shi Ba Zhang, was inspired by Ji Gong since there are also eighteen moves in the set as there are eighteen arhats.

Ji Gong was also a monk but I doubt that has any influence on Duan Zhixing.

[Dennis Chen]

I disagree. If it had only been 1 thing that they share, then it'd be a stretch. But there are multiple similarities and connections between the 2 characters. Hong Qi Gong, Bei Gai, 9 Zhi Shen Gai, also had many names, but there's a connection with 2 of them, albeit that it's an honorific. I don't know if Ji Gong was as much of a foodie as Hong Qi Gong, but the fact that he was a Buddhist Monk and still ate meat, means that he really loved food, too much to let it all go. They both love wine. They're also both vagrants who roamed the world helping people as much as they could. And Ji Gong was also largely a mendicant, albeit a mendicant monk. Hong Qi Gong is also the 18th Beggar Clan Leader. While, admittedly, I believe Fu Hu is #18 and Xiang Long is #17 of the 18 arhats, it's still an allusion to the 18 arhats. Of which, Xiang Long was a member and Ji Gong is his reincarnation.