Was Huo Yuanjia real in history or was he written in a martial arts novel?

Huo Yuanjia was not a fictional character. His real name was Huo Qubing, a general and martial artist during the Han Dynasty. Huo Qubing was born in 141 B.C. in the Xinjiang region of the Western Regions. After that, he fought with the Han army in the north and south. He performed well in many wars and was known as the "Wolf Smoke Ten Thousand Miles Famous". Huo Yuanjia was written as a martial arts novel in the early 20th century and was widely spread. Although Huo Yuanjia's story had many fictional plots, his image and deeds had been passed down for hundreds of years and became an indispensable part of Chinese martial arts culture.