Wan also sought out the martial arts master Du Xinwu, who was working at the Ministry of Agriculture, and learned Zi Ran Men boxing from him.
[1] Whilst working at the University, Wan wrote a series of articles on the martial arts for the Chen Bao Morning News.
In The Common Basis..., Wan recommends the investigation and modernisation of traditional Chinese martial arts, a demand that was to be echoed by Bruce Lee and other revivalists some fifty years later.
A successful appearance at the first national contest of the Central Guoshu Institute in 1928 led to a government-sponsored post as director of the Guangdon-Guangxi Martial Arts Academy.
[3] Wan was one of the "Five Tigers" (the others being Gu Ruzhang, Li Xianwu, Wang Xiao and Fu Zhensong) who were dispatched to Guangzhou to teach their martial arts methods.