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95-520: The system combines the martial arts techniques from various Northern and Southern Chinese kung-fu systems; the powerful arm and hand techniques from the Shaolin animal forms from the South, combined with the extended, circular movements, twisting body, and agile footwork that characterizes Northern China's martial arts. It is considered an external style, combining soft and hard techniques, as well as incorporating

190-504: A boxer from the Qingyun temple near Dinghu Mountain who had trained under Du Zhang Monk (独杖禅师), who began teaching him the Fut Gar (佛家) style of Chinese martial arts when he was seven years old. When Chan Heung was fifteen, Chan Yuen-wu took him to Li Yau-san (李友山), Chan Yuen-wu's senior classmate. Li Yau-san had trained under Zhi Shan Monk (至善禅师). Under Li Yau-san's instruction, Chan Heung spent

285-437: A disciple of Chan Cheong-mo 陳長毛. With his teacher Chan Cheong-mo's 陳長毛 permission, he continued his studies from Chan Yen, the chief instructor of King Mui Village's Hung Sing School. Chan Yen learned Choy Li Fut from his father, Chan Yau-kau, who was a student of Chan Heung. In 1949, the communists took over mainland China. Before Wong Gong 黄江 moved to Hong Kong, both of his teachers told him to continue teaching in order to keep

380-447: A few forms . To learn a complete system, Shaolin monks master a number of styles and weapons. The most famous styles of Shaolin kung fu are: and many other styles. Huang Zongxi described martial arts in terms of Shaolin or "external" arts versus Wudang or internal arts in 1669. It has been since then that Shaolin has been popularly synonymous for what are considered the external Chinese martial arts, regardless of whether or not

475-498: A fort during the Jin and a commandery during the Southern Qi . Emperor Wen of Sui had bestowed the estate on a nearby monastery called Shaolin for its monks to farm, but Wang Shichong, realizing its strategic value, seized the estate and there placed troops and a signal tower, as well as establishing a prefecture called Yuanzhou. Furthermore, he had assembled an army at Luoyang to march on

570-581: A member of the Ming royal family who joined the sangha after the Ming was overthrown by the Qing in 1644. (Gan is also remembered for founding the martial art Huāquán 花拳, literally "flower fist", about which he wrote the book Introduction to Huāquán .) Gan in turn taught Wan Bangcai, who taught Yan Degong, who taught Yan Sansen, who taught Yan Jiwen, who taught his nephew Gu Ruzhang. Generation 1–9 Yán Jīwēn also taught Gu

665-464: A popular novel, The Travels of Lao T'san , published as a series in a literary magazine in 1907. This story was quickly picked up by others and spread rapidly through publication in a popular contemporary boxing manual, Secrets of Shaolin Boxing Methods, and the first Chinese physical culture history published in 1919. As a result, it has enjoyed vast oral circulation and is one of the most "sacred" of

760-585: A result of the 1904–1907 serialization of the novel The Travels of Lao Ts'an in Illustrated Fiction Magazine : One of the most recently invented and familiar of the Shaolin historical narratives is a story that claims that the Indian monk Bodhidharma, the supposed founder of Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism, introduced boxing into the monastery as a form of exercise around a.d. 525. This story first appeared in

855-420: A separate division in modern Wushu curriculum. Northern styles exhibit a distinctively different flavor from the martial arts practiced in the South. In general, the training characteristics of northern styles put more focus on legwork, kicking and acrobatics. The influence of Northern styles can be found in traditional Korean martial arts and their emphasis on high-level kicks. It has been suggested that

950-420: A strategy. In Shaolin, closely related forms are coupled together, and these couples are called the small and the big forms, like the small and big hong quan, which altogether make the Shaolin hong quan style, and the small and big pao quan, etc. There are also some styles with one form, like taizu chang quan. These styles each teach a unique strategy. Shaolin kung fu has more than hundreds of extant styles. There

1045-470: A strong Buddhist flavour were practiced by Shaolin monks since this time, which was later used to create more advanced Shaolin martial arts. Shaolin monks had developed very powerful martial skills, and this showed itself towards the end of the Sui dynasty. Like most dynastic changes, the end of the Sui dynasty was a time of upheaval and contention for the throne. The oldest evidence of Shaolin participation in combat

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1140-429: A student, but only to study Buddhism . One morning, when Chan Heung was practicing his martial arts, Choy Fook pointed to a heavy rock and told him to kick it into the air. Chan Heung exerted all of his strength as his foot crashed against the rock, sending it twelve feet (3.7 m) away. Instead of being complimented, he watched as Choy Fook placed his own foot under the heavy rock and effortlessly propelled it through

1235-416: A wide range of weapons as part of its curriculum. It contains a wide variety of techniques, including long and short range punches, kicks, sweeps and take downs, pressure point attacks, joint locks, and grappling. According to Bruce Lee : Choy Li Fut is the most effective system that I've seen for fighting more than one person. [It] is one of the most difficult styles to attack and defend against. Choy Li Fut

1330-514: Is a stele from 728 that attests to two occasions: a defense of the monastery from bandits around 610 and their role in the defeat of Wang Shichong at the Battle of Hulao in 621. Wang Shichong declared himself Emperor. He controlled the territory of Zheng and the ancient capital of Luoyang . Overlooking Luoyang on Mount Huanyuan was the Cypress Valley Estate, which had served as the site of

1425-717: Is also used as a brand for the so-called external styles of kung fu. Many styles in southern and northern China use the name Shaolin. Chinese historical records, like Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue , the Bibliographies in the Book of the Han Dynasty, the Records of the Grand Historian, and other sources document the existence of martial arts in China for thousands of years. For example,

1520-566: Is based on a Qigong manual written during the 17th century. This is when a Taoist with the pen name 'Purple Coagulation Man of the Way' wrote the Sinews Changing Classic in 1624, but claimed to have discovered it. The first of two prefaces of the manual traces this succession from Bodhidharma to the Chinese general Li Jing via "a chain of Buddhist saints and martial heroes." The work itself

1615-463: Is exclusive to Choy Li Fut is the Nine-Dragon Trident created by the founder, Chan Heung. This weapon was designed to shred any part of the opponent with which it might come into contact. The many hooks and blades can seize an opponent's weapon and, with one twist, rip it from his hands. The Nine-Dragon Trident (Gau Lung Dai Chah, 九龍大叉) is known as the "King" of all weapons. Chan Heung 陳享 set up

1710-477: Is full of anachronistic mistakes and even includes a popular character from Chinese fiction, the 'Qiuran Ke' ('Bushy Bearded Hero') ( 虬髯客 ), as a lineage master. Scholar-officials as far back as the Qing dynasty have taken note of these mistakes. The scholar Ling Tinkang (1757–1809) described the author as an "ignorant village master." Even then, the association of Bodhidharma with martial arts only became widespread as

1805-409: Is one of the styles used by Mortal Kombat protagonist Liu Kang . His Pao Chui, Choy Lay Fut, Monkey Fist, and Dragon moves derive from Shaolin kung fu. Shaolin monks (referred to simply as "monks" in-game) appear in the roguelike game NetHack , along with samurai . They are one of the two roles to use martial arts skills, with monks having the most powerful martial arts skills in the game. In

1900-452: Is recorded documentation of more than a thousand extant forms, which makes Shaolin the biggest school of martial art in the world. In the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Shaolin monks chose 100 of the best styles of Shaolin kung fu. Then they shortlisted the 18 most famous of them. However, every lineage of Shaolin monks have always chosen their own styles. Every style teaches unique methods for fighting ( 散打 ; sàndǎ ) and keeping health via one or

1995-905: Is the external (as opposed to internal ) martial arts of Northern China , referring to those styles from the Northern Shaolin Monastery in Henan and specifically to the style practice by Gù Rǔzhāng (顧汝章 1894–1952; also known as Ku Yu-cheung), the Sōngshān Shí Lù Shàolínquán (嵩山十路少林拳) / Song Mountain Ten Road Shaolin Boxing. In the 20th century, the style became known simply as Northern Shaolin or Northern Shaolin Boxing School ( Chinese : 北少林拳門 ; Cantonese Yale : Bak-siu-làhm Kyun-mun ). Northern styles/Běi pài (北派) feature deeply extended postures—such as

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2090-515: Is the largest and most famous style of kung fu. It combines Chan philosophy and martial arts . It was developed in the Shaolin Temple in Henan , China during its 1500-year history. In Chinese folklore there is a saying, "Shaolin kung fu is the best under heaven," which indicates its superiority among martial arts, and "All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin," which indicates its influence on other martial arts. The name Shaolin

2185-732: Is the only style [of kung fu] that traveled to Thailand to fight the Thai boxers and hadn't lost. Chan Heung (陳享), also known as Din Ying (典英), Daht Ting (逹庭), Chen Xianggong, and Chen Xiang (both in Mandarin), was born on August 23, 1806, or July 10, 1806 of the lunar calendar, in King Mui 京梅 (Ging Mui), a village in the San Woi 新會 (Xin Hui) district of Jiangmen, Guangdong province of China. Chan Heung's uncle Chan Yuen-wu (陳遠護),

2280-453: Is unique to the Choy Li Fut style is sometimes termed "whipping", where the practitioner's upper torso twists to generate more power in executing hand and arm techniques. In other martial art styles, the upper body is less dynamic, placing more emphasis in stability and generation of static power. Other differences include how the practitioner's stance should be while facing their opponent. In

2375-831: Is unlike this. Strive for quiescence of body, mind and intention. Some lineages of karate have oral traditions that claim Shaolin origins. Martial arts traditions in Japan , Korea , Sri Lanka and certain Southeast Asian countries cite Chinese influence as transmitted by Buddhist monks. Recent developments in the 20th century such as Shorinji Kempo ( 少林寺拳法 ) practised in Japan's Sohonzan Shorinji ( 金剛禅総本山少林寺 ) still maintains close ties with China's Song Shan Shaolin Temple due to historic links. Japanese Shorinji Kempo Group received recognition in China in 2003 for their financial contributions to

2470-657: The Boxing Classic: Essential Boxing Methods made the earliest extant reference to the Shaolin Monastery as Chinese boxing's place of origin. This is, however, a misconception, but even the fact that such a mistake could be made helps to show the historical importance of Shaolin kung fu. In 495 AD, Shaolin temple was built among the Song mountains in Henan province. The first monk who preached Buddhism there

2565-763: The Manchu Qing dynasty had contributed to China's defeat in the war. Between 1847 and 1850 many Chinese leaders formed secret societies to overthrow the Qing. In 1850, under the leadership of Hong Xiuquan , the Taiping Rebellion broke out in Guangxi , and the movement would maintain control of large areas of southern China under the banner of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom until its collapse in 1864. During this era of rebellion and dissent, Chan Heung left his home in King Mui with his wife and two children, and seized

2660-450: The Ming – Qing transition when they began to specialize in unarmed combat. As the reputation of the Shaolin martial arts grew during the following centuries, its name became synonymous with martial arts, regardless of whether an individual art traced its origins to the Shaolin Monastery in Henan or not. As a result, the "Shaolin" moniker was applied to other Buddhist temples with strong reputations for martial arts. The characteristics of

2755-525: The 5th generation of the King Mui lineage, they are; Chan Yong-fa and Niel Willcott. In 1898, Chan Cheong-mo 陳長毛 founded the Sei Yup (four counties) Hung Sing School in Kong Chow 岡州 City now called Jiangmen. He learned Choy Li Fut from Chan Heung when he was a child. After Chan Heung died, he continued to study from Chan Heung's eldest son, Chan On Pak 陳安伯. He invited Chan On-pak's younger brother Chan Koon-pak to be

2850-452: The 8th to the 15th centuries, no extant source documents Shaolin participation in combat; then the 16th and 17th centuries see at least forty extant sources attest that, not only did monks of Shaolin practice martial arts, but martial practice had become such an integral element of Shaolin monastic life that the monks felt the need to justify it by creating new Buddhist lore. References to Shaolin martial arts appear in various literary genres of

2945-613: The Buk Sing Choy Li Fut Branch. The mainline transmission is referred to as King Mui (京梅), because the founder's family came from the King Mui village, and it is where Chan Heung 陳享 officially started teaching Choy Li Fut in 1836. Today, Chan family descendants prefer to use the term, "Chan Family" tradition, because the modern-day successor (Keeper of the Style) was Chan Yiu-chi 陳耀墀, the son of Chan Koon-pak, and grandson of Chan Heung. Notable none Chan family student of Chan Yi-chi

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3040-511: The Chinese character Hung 鴻 meaning “goose” to Hung 雄 meaning "strong." From that time on, Choy Li Fut schools in Koon-pak's King Mui area designated themselves with the slogan Hung Sing 雄勝, meaning "Strong Victory," while Cheung Hung Sing's schools kept their "Goose Victory" Hung Sing 鴻勝 motto. Foshan was a hot bed of political activities. There was a strong Manchu presence in Foshan, and battles between

3135-404: The Chinese martial art of wrestling, Shuai Jiao , predates the establishment of Shaolin temple by several centuries. Since Chinese monasteries were large landed estates that made a considerable regular income, monks required some form of protection. Historical discoveries indicate that, even before the establishment of Shaolin temple, monks had been armed and also practiced martial arts. In 1784

3230-471: The Choy Li Fut system alive. In Hong Kong, Wong Gong 黄江 is still actively involved in teaching Choy Li Fut. Chew Kam-wing 赵锦荣 now is in his mid-80s, and he and his classmates had a meeting, and all agreed that he should pass on his Keeper's position to Wong Gong 黄江. All the senior members of Chan Cheong-mo's 陳長毛 students believed Wong Gong 黄江 had achieved the greatest success in the teaching of Choy Li Fut. On February 16, 2006, Chew Kam-wing 赵锦荣 officially signed

3325-404: The Choy Li Fut system spread, different schools and branches added other martial arts masters to their curriculum, adding new forms or modifying some form techniques. This dissemination and evolution of Choy Li Fut resulted in the variations of forms and practices we see between schools and branches. The Cheung Hung Sing branch of Choy Lee Fut does not practice the same forms as passed down within

3420-1045: The Choy Li Fut system. Chan Heung 陳享 recorded his discoveries and knowledge onto paper for his future students to follow and eventually recorded over 250 forms and techniques. The Choy Li Fut system has over 150 various single person, multiple person, weapon, and training apparatus forms, e.g. the Ching jong , the Sui Sau Jong, and the Ma Jong. Since Chan Heung was a student of three highly skilled Shaolin masters, each teacher had many traditional forms. Chan Heung also developed many training and fighting forms from his own experience and years of training. There are even specialized forms for various students who had different physical shapes and abilities. These forms have been recorded into scripts which have been handed down to his closed-door students. Initially, Ng Lun Ma 五輪馬 (Five Wheel Stance Form) and Ng Lun Chui 五輪搥 (Five Wheel Striking Form ) were created as

3515-459: The Hung Gar and Wing Chun styles, practitioners hold their torso perpendicular to an opponent, to allow the full use of both arms. In contrast, Choy Li Fut holds the torso at an angle to the opponent to reduce the target area exposed to him, and to allow the practitioner more reach. Front stances in Choy Li Fut have the front bent leg angled in to protect the groin, while other martial arts systems have

3610-530: The King Mui 京梅 area. Historically all Choy Li Fut schools ultimately have the same origins, but because of the anti-Manchu government revolutions of the mid-19th century and the ensuing chaotic political situations that existed in China, various name changes and changes in leadership created the belief that there were two completely separate Hung Sing Choy Li Fut schools. The Hung Moon 洪門 Secret Society represented all revolutionary factions, including all Choy Li Fut representatives. Choy Li Fut schools chose to write

3705-559: The Manchu government and the Hung Mun members were bloody and frequent. The Foshan Choy Li Fut School opened in 1848 under Chan Din-foon 陳典桓 utilized the name "Hung Sing Kwoon 洪聖舘" (Meaning Great Saint Hung) to avoid associating themselves with the Hung Moon 洪門 Secret Society and to protect themselves from government persecution. The Foshan Hung Sing 佛山鴻勝舘 branch was extremely popular and this worried

3800-443: The Manchu government supporters as well as created intense rivalries between martial arts schools. Rumors and gossip of the school being affiliated with the Hung Mun 洪門 Secret Society created even more tension between the Manchu controlled local government and the school. Originally, The Hung Sing Kwoon (Great Saint Hung 洪聖舘 - different to that of Cheung Hung Sing's Goose Victory Hung Sing Kwoon 鴻勝舘) started by Chan Din-foon around 1848,

3895-524: The Northern Shaolin sets. The Northern Shaolin style was made famous by the late Gu Yu-jeung. Many legends tell of Gu's feats; according to tales related by his close students, Gu's father was an accomplished exponent of the Tan Tui ("springing leg") form . When he was young, Gu traveled throughout Northern China to learn all the northern kung fu systems . He was renowned for his Iron Palm techniques and

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3990-461: The Shaolin Temple itself. The monks of Shaolin allied with Wang's enemy, Li Shimin, and took back the Cypress Valley Estate, defeating Wang's troops and capturing his nephew Renze. Without the fort at Cypress Valley, there was nothing to keep Li Shimin from marching on Luoyang after his defeat of Wang's ally Dou Jiande at the Battle of Hulao , forcing Wang Shichong to surrender. Li Shimin's father

4085-550: The Shaolin staff style Five Tigers Interception to Yú's teachings. The earliest extant manual on Shaolin kung fu, the Exposition of the Original Shaolin Staff Method was written in around 1610 and published in 1621 from what its author Chéng Zōngyóu learned during a more than ten-year stay at the monastery. Conditions of lawlessness in Henan —where the Shaolin Monastery is located—and surrounding provinces during

4180-708: The Stūpa of the Four Heroic Monks ( Si yi seng ta ) at Mount She near Shanghai . The monks won their greatest victory at Wengjiagang. On 21 July 1553, 120 warrior monks led by the Shaolin monk Tianyuan defeated a group of pirates and chased the survivors over ten days and twenty miles. The pirates suffered over one hundred casualties and the monks only four. Not all of the monks who fought at Wengjiagang were from Shaolin, and rivalries developed among them. Zheng chronicles Tianyuan's defeat of eight rival monks from Hangzhou who challenged his command. Zheng ranked Shaolin first of

4275-437: The air. Chan Heung was awestruck by this demonstration. Again he begged Choy Fook to teach him his martial arts. This time the monk agreed, and for nine years, Choy Fook taught Chan Heung both the way of Buddhism and the way of martial arts. When he was twenty-eight, Chan Heung left Choy Fook and returned to King Mui village in 1834, where he revised and refined all that he had learned. In 1836, Choy Fook gave Chan Heung advice in

4370-533: The application of the long spear . He organized all his learnings into what is today's Northern Shaolin style. The monastery in Henan is the original Shaolin Monastery . The monks began to practice military weapons sometime around the Tang dynasty and became famous for aiding the future Emperor Li Shimin in struggles against rebellious forces. The monks were primarily known for their spear and staff techniques until

4465-432: The basic training forms that beginners must master to learn the basic foundation of stances, movement, and hand techniques. Present day schools and branches may use different teaching and training forms as well as their own curriculum and methodologies to teach Choy Li Fut. Because of the massive number of forms in the Choy Li Fut system as a whole, it is not required to learn every form to complete training in Choy Li Fut. As

4560-433: The basics by practicing the routines until the movements in the routines can be executed naturally based on instinct. Then, two or multiple main sets are practiced to train responses and applications of techniques learned from the sets. The practice sets/routines are not only practical in applications but are also graceful and artistic in nature. The fluidness of the movements combined with acrobatic techniques are trademarks of

4655-629: The body. These exercises are altogether called the 72 arts in the folklore. However the actual exercises are not actually countable. Combat skills ( 拳法 ; quánfǎ ), including techniques, tactics, and strategies for barehanded, weapon, and barehanded vs. weapon situations. Kung fu teaches techniques for both defense and offense. Defensive techniques are mostly four types, dodge, block, catch, and parry, and offensive techniques are feint, hit, lock, and throw. Shaolin kung fu teaches all these types of techniques. In kung fu, techniques are taught via two-person practices. In these practices, one party attacks and

4750-732: The certificate of Jeong Moon-yen to Wong Gong 黄江 as the new keeper of the Sei Yup Hung Sing Kwoon (Four Counties Hung Sing school). The Kong Chow lineage of Choy Li Fut was created by Wong Gong in 1989. Wong Gong 黄江 named his lineage "Kong Chow 岡州" (Gangzhou) because before the Republic of China, the district of Choy Li Fut's hometown Xin Hui 新会 and Jiangmen were known as Kong Chow 岡州. Northern Shaolin (martial art) In its broadest sense, Northern Shaolin ( Chinese : 北少林 ; pinyin : Běishàolín ; Cantonese Yale : Bak-siu-làhm )

4845-516: The destruction of the Shaolin Temple sometime during the late Qing Dynasty. The founders of the five major family styles of Southern Chinese martial arts; Hung Gar , Choy Gar, Mok Gar , Li Gar and Lau Gar, were respectively, Hung Hei-gun (洪熙官), Choy Gau-yee (蔡九儀), Mok Da-si (Mok Ching-kiu, 莫清矯), Li Yau-san (李友山), and Lau Sam-ngan (劉三眼); and all are said to have been students of Jee Sin Sim See. Choy Fook had learned his martial arts from Choy Gau-yee (蔡九儀),

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4940-608: The first Choy Li Fut martial arts school at the local family temple of his village. As his reputation spread, hundreds of people from nearby villages came to learn Choy Li Fut. Shortly after Chan Heung established his new school, the First Opium War broke out in China. Chan Heung joined the army in Canton to fight against the British invaders. After China's defeat in 1842, he returned home to his family in King Mui. Political corruption within

5035-1192: The form of a special poem known as a double couplet, as follows: In 1836, Chan Heung formally established the Choy Li Fut system, named to honor his 3 teachers: that Buddhist monk, Choy Fook, who taught him Choy Gar, and Li Yau-san who taught him Li Gar, plus his uncle Chan Yuen-woo 陳遠護, who taught him Fut Gar, and developed to honor the Buddha and the Shaolin Kung Fu roots of the system. Chan Heung 陳享 revised and refined all that he had learned from his teachers and with his disciples, established standardized hand and leg techniques. Choy Li Fut's hand techniques contain 10 elements 十訣: Kam 擒 slapping or pressing palm deflection, Na 拿 shooting arm bridge, Gwa 掛 back fist, Sou 掃 sweeping, Caap 插 yin/yang knuckle strike, Paau 拋 upward power shot, Jong 撞 small upward power shot, Jaau 爪 claw, Bin 鞭 swinging power shot, Pek 劈 chopping, and Leui Yam 擂陰 yin/yang fist. Choy Li Fut's leg techniques contain 6 elements: Chaang 撐 bracing, Ding 釘 nailing, Liu Tek 撩踢 kicking, Sou 掃 sweeping, Jit 截 blocking, Au 勾 hooking, and Daan 彈 springing. There are 8 techniques of how

5130-415: The founder of Choy Gar. Choy Fook had trained under five teachers, over a period of many years. His teachers were Jue Yuan Monk (觉远上人), Yi Guan Monk (一贯禅师), Li Sou (李叟), Bai Yu-feng (白玉峰), and Cai Jiu-yi (蔡九仪). At the time Chan Heung sought him out, he had lived as a recluse on Lau Fu mountain (羅浮山) and no longer wished to teach martial arts. Chan Heung set out to Lau Fu mountain to find him. When Choy Fook

5225-407: The front bent leg facing forward. During revolutionary battles between anti-Qing and government forces (1850–1877) , whoever belonged to the Choy Li Fut system would identify themselves by crying out "yak" when striking with the palm, "wak" when thrusting with a tiger claw hand, "ha" when striking with the fist, "hok" when using a crane beak strike, and "dik" when kicking. These sounds are unique to

5320-733: The great river "), five masters of the Northern Chinese martial arts sent to Guangzhou (Canton) to organize another National Martial Arts Institute. In Guangzhou, the name "Shaolin" 南少林寺福建省(refer to South Shaolin temple in Fukian province—being sub-temple from the Northern one) was already associated with Hung Gar and other styles, so the style (嵩山十路少林拳 Sōngshān Shí Lù Shàolínquán / Song Mountain Ten Road Shaolin Boxing) practiced by Gu Ruzhang came to be known in those days in southern China by

5415-430: The hand and leg techniques are applied. They are: Yam 陰 negative, Yeung 陽 positive, Gong 剛 hard, Yau 柔 soft, Heui 虛 false, Sat 實 real, Tau 偷 stealing, and Lau 溜 sneaking. The stances of Choy Li Fut are similar in height to other martial arts styles, such as Hung Gar , but not as high as those of Wing Chun . This allows the practitioner to move quickly during combat without sacrificing stability and power generation. What

5510-483: The head instructor and assisted in teaching Choy Li Fut at the school. Some of Chan On-pak's other students were Yuen Jic, Mun Leung, and Mak Seih-guan. In 1906, Chan Koon-pak went to Canton (Guangzhou) and Chan Cheong-mo 陳長毛 officially took over the school and became the head instructor of the Jiangmen Hung Sing School. Before Chan Cheong-mo 陳長毛 died in 1953, his adopted son and successor Chew Kam-wing 赵锦荣

5605-517: The heated discussions regarding the history of Choy Li Fut. Choy Li Fut schools can trace their lineage from the schools started by the original 18 disciples whom Chan Heung sent out in 1848. Many schools can easily trace their origins from these four main branches: the King Mui / Chan Family Choy Li Fut Branch, the Fut San / Hung Sing Choy Li Fut Branch, the Jiangmen 江門 or Kong Chow 岡州 Choy Li Fut Branch, and

5700-419: The horse, bow, drop, and dragon stances—connected by quick fluid transitions, able to quickly change the direction in which force is issued. The group of Northern martial arts includes many illustrious styles such as Baguazhang , Bajiquan , Chāquán , Chuojiao , Eagle Claw , Mizongyi , Northern Praying Mantis and Taijiquan . Chángquán is often identified as the representative Northern style and forms

5795-441: The late Ming dynasty and all of the Qing dynasty contributed to the development of martial arts. Meir Shahar lists the martial arts tai chi , Chang Family Boxing, Baguaquan , Xingyi quan and bajiquan as originating from this region and this time period. From the 1540s to the 1560s, pirates known as wokou raided China 's eastern and southeastern coasts on an unprecedented scale. The geographer Zheng Ruoceng provides

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5890-408: The late Ming: the epitaphs of Shaolin warrior monks, martial-arts manuals, military encyclopedias, historical writings, travelogues, fiction, and even poetry. These sources, in contrast to those from the Tang dynasty period, refer to Shaolin methods of combat unarmed, with the spear , and with the weapon that was the forte of the Shaolin monks and for which they had become famous, the staff . By

5985-673: The lineages of Chan Heung. The Major forms taught by Cheung Hung-sing was the In and Out (Internal and External) Bagua Kuen which contained 1080 moves in it. This form was passed down to Cheung Hung-sing by Monk Ching Cho, and later was broken up into three forms by Chan Ngau-sing. Those forms are Cheung Kuen, Ping Kuen, and Kau Da Kuen as passed down by Chan Ngau-sing. Other forms of the Fut San Great Victory (Hung Sing) were Ga Ji Kuen, Che Kuen, Lin Wan Kuen, and more. However, Cheung Hung Sing's branch

6080-579: The maintenance of the historic edifice of the Song Shan Shaolin Temple. Several films have been produced, particularly during the 70s and early 80s, about Shaolin kung fu. Films such as 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Shaolin Temple, and Shaolin Wooden Men. Modern films include Shaolin Soccer and Shaolin. Shaolin has influenced numerous rappers, notably the members of Wu-Tang Clan . Shaolin kung fu

6175-421: The martial arts taught at each temple were so different from each other that they became identified with their place of origin. The Northern Shaolin (北少林 denotes the famous 河南崇山少林寺 Song Mountain Shaolin Temple, in Henan province) style associated with Gu Ruzhang was first taught to a lay disciple, the celebrated 18th century master Gan Fengchi of Jiangsu Province , by a Shaolin monk named Zhao Yuan, born Zhu Fu,

6270-542: The mid-16th century military experts from all over Ming China were travelling to Shaolin to study its fighting techniques. Around 1560 Yu Dayou travelled to Shaolin Monastery to see for himself its monks' fighting techniques, but found them disappointing. Yú returned to the south with two monks, Zongqing and Pucong, whom he taught the use of the staff over the next three years, after which Zongqing and Pucong returned to Shaolin Monastery and taught their brother monks what they had learned. Martial arts historian Tang Hao traced

6365-848: The most detailed of the 16th-century sources which confirm that, in 1553, Wan Biao, Vice Commissioner in Chief of the Nanjing Chief Military Commission, initiated the conscription of monks—including some from Shaolin—against the pirates. Warrior monks participated in at least four battles: at the Hangzhou Bay in spring 1553 and in the Huangpu River delta at Wengjiagang in July 1553, Majiabang in spring 1554, and Taozhai in autumn 1555. The monks suffered their greatest defeat at Taozhai, where four of them fell in battle; their remains were buried under

6460-437: The motto as their secret passwords “Hung Sing 洪勝” which meant "Hung Society Victory" but because that was too close to the outlawed Hung Mun Secret Society, so they changed the Chinese characters which sounds similar to Hung Sing 洪勝 but replaced the first character Hung 洪 to Hung 鴻 and named it Hung Sing 鴻勝, but when written in literal translation the name Hung Sing 鴻勝 means "Goose Victory". Chan Heung 陳享 son, Koon-pak 官伯, changed

6555-426: The name of their schools in various ways to hide their affiliation with the outlawed Hung Mun 洪門 Secret Society and to protect themselves from government persecution. Many Choy Li Fut schools had a secret slogan during these times: "Hung 洪 Ying 英 Ji 至 Sing 聖 ; Ying 英 Hung 雄 Wing 永 Sing 勝. " This translates as: "Heroes of the Hung Party are superior; Heroes always win." Chan Heung's 陳享 followers adopted two words of

6650-498: The narratives shared within Chinese and Chinese-derived martial arts. That this story is clearly a twentieth-century invention is confirmed by writings going back at least 250 years earlier, which mention both Bodhidharma and martial arts but make no connection between the two. During the short period of the Sui dynasty (581–618), the building blocks of Shaolin kung fu took an official form, and Shaolin monks began to create fighting systems of their own. The 18 methods of Luohan with

6745-591: The new kung fu system were: Chan Din-yao 陳典尤 in Nan Hai 南海; Chan Dai-yup 陳大揖 in Guangzhou 廣州; Chan Din-sing 陳典承 in Zhongshan 中山; Chan Mau-jong 陳謀莊 in Panyu 番禺; Chan Din-bong 陳典邦 in Dong Guan 東莞; Chan Din-wai 陳典惠 in Kaiping 開平; Chan Din-jen 陳典珍 in Taishan 台山; Chan Sun-dong 陳孫棟 in Enping 恩平; Chan Din-dak 陳典德 at Heshan 鶴山; Chan Dai-wai 陳大威 in Zhaoqing 肇慶; Chan Sing-hin 陳承顯 in Xinhuicheng 新會城; Chan Yin-yu 陳燕瑜at Jiangmen 江門. And admirable tasks were performed by Chan Dai-sing 陳大成, Chan Din-seng 陳典勝, Chan Mau-wing 陳謀榮, and Chan Din-gung 陳典拱, who taught Choy Li Fut in twenty-six villages in

6840-575: The next four years learning the Li Gar style. Impressed with Chan Heung's martial arts abilities, Li Yau-san suggested that he train with a Shaolin monk called Choy Fook (Cài Fú, 蔡褔) to learn Choy Gar, a Southern Shaolin style of wushu 武术, as well as Chinese medicine and other Shaolin techniques. According to legend, the monk Jee Sin Sim See (至善禪師) is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders – along with Ng Mui (五梅大師), Fung Doe-duk (馮道德), Miu Hin (苗顯) and Bak Mei (白眉道人) – who survived

6935-683: The nickname Northern Shaolin. Note that some heirs to Gu Ruzhang 's tradition teach these routines in a different order, particularly those under the lineage of Chan Kowk Wai( 陳國偉 ). These are the 10 forms as standardized by Gu, comprising the core of the system, sometimes known as the Ten Classical Forms. They are standard in all of Gu's Northern Shaolin Kung Fu lineages. However, as mentioned above, they are sometimes taught or learned in differing orders. As with many different martial arts, from lineage to lineage, one may find slight differences in

7030-541: The number of forms he taught to just a handful. Enough to provide the students with all the proper techniques, including a few weapon forms. This ensured the survival of the school. Because Jeong Yim concentrated on teaching combat skills, some of the best Choy Li Fut fighters came from the Foshan Hung Sing branch. As the school became more established, Jeong Yim 張炎 would further educate his students with more advanced forms and techniques. Because of early combat training and

7125-523: The opportunity to set up many Choy Li Fut schools in Southern China to help spread revolutionary ideas against the Manchu government. Chan Heung had 18 original Choy Li Fut disciples, known as the eighteen Luohan (十八羅漢). They were named to honor the Bodhidharma , who is traditionally considered to have taught the Shaolin monks the methods of the original Eighteen Lohan hands, in 527 CE, which some consider

7220-819: The other defends or counters or stands in posture for the other party to perform the technique. In Shaolin kung fu, in addition, two-person forms are taught. In these two-person forms, attacks and defenses are performed one after the other. Each technique is followed by its counter, and the counter by its counter, and so on. These forms ensure perfect memorization and exact transmission of the techniques from generation to generation. In addition to techniques, kung fu styles teach tactics. Tactics govern combination of techniques for better results. Because tactics are not specific techniques, they could not specifically be pre-coded into two-person practices and forms. In Shaolin kung fu, tactics are taught via solo forms ( 套路 ; tàolù ). Every form teaches some related tactics, which altogether shape

7315-608: The particular style in question has any connection to the Shaolin Monastery . Some say that there is no differentiation between the so-called internal and external systems of the Chinese martial arts, while other well-known teachers hold the opinion that they are different. For example, the Taijiquan teacher Wu Jianquan : Those who practice Shaolinquan leap about with strength and force; people not proficient at this kind of training soon lose their breath and are exhausted. Taijiquan

7410-484: The predecessor of Shaolin martial arts. In 1848, the original eighteen started branching out to teach Choy Li Fut throughout Southern China. The first disciple to teach Choy Li Fut outside of King Mui was Lung Ji-choi 龍子才, who opened a school in the town of Xunzhou in Guangxi . Soon after, Chan Din-foon 陳典桓 initiated the first Hung Sing (Great Saint 洪聖舘) in Foshan . Some of the other original eighteen disciples who promoted

7505-898: The presence of high kicks and flying kicks found in Southern styles, in Okinawan martial arts , and hence in modern non-Chinese styles such as karate and taekwondo (and by extension modern kickboxing ) are due to influence from northern styles during the first half of the 20th century. The Northern Shaolin style of kung fu is one of the most prominent traditional northern styles of Chinese martial arts . The northern styles of kung-fu generally emphasize long range techniques, quick advances and retreats, wide stances, kicking and leaping techniques, whirling circular blocks, quickness, agility, and aggressive attacks. The system teaches empty-hand techniques and weaponry through predetermined combinations, known as forms, routines, or movement of sets. The students learn

7600-553: The reputation Jeong Yim 張炎 gained for reopening the school, the Foshan Hung Sing Choy Li Fut school soon became known as the Jeong Hung Sing school of Choy Li Fut. The Choy Li Fut martial arts system has spread throughout the globe, with schools on almost every continent. All are recognized as an important part of the Choy Li Fut family because they are the pioneers that helped spread the art of Choy Li Fut throughout

7695-484: The school flourished up to the time of his death. In 1867, Chan Heung 陳享 and Jeong Yim 張炎, left Hong Kong to return to their respective cities. Chan Heung returned to King Mui to re-open his Great Saint Hung School (Hung Sing - 洪聖舘) and Cheung Hung-sing returned to Fut San to re-open the Hung Sing Kwoon (Goose Victory 鴻勝舘) that he established in 1851. This was documented by Chan Heung, but he never said that Cheung Hung

7790-755: The skills of Iron Body and Iron Palm . On a famous occasion in 1931, Gu is said to have demonstrated the latter on a horse. Among the martial artists who gathered at the Central National Martial Arts Institute in Nanjing in 1928, Gu placed in the top fifteen and was included— alongside Fu Zhen-song, Li Xian-wu, Wan Lai-sheng , and Wong Shao-chou in the Five Southbound Tigers aka The Five Tigers From The North (五虎下江南, Pinyin Wǔhǔ Xià Jiāngnán; literally, "five tigers heading south of

7885-526: The temple. According to Meir Shahar , this is explained by a confluence of the late Ming fashion for military encyclopedias and, more importantly, the conscription of civilian irregulars, including monks, as a result of Ming military decline in the 16th century. Stele and documentary evidence shows the monks historically worshiped the Bodhisattva Vajrapani 's " Kinnara King" form as the progenitor of their staff and bare hand fighting styles. From

7980-532: The top three Buddhist centers of martial arts. Zheng ranked Funiu in Henan second and Mount Wutai in Shanxi third. The Funiu monks practiced staff techniques which they had learned at the Shaolin Monastery. The Wutai monks practiced Yang Family Spear (楊家槍; pinyin : Yángjiā qiāng). There is a famous saying that kung fu trains both the body and mind. Body building exercises improve body abilities, including flexibility, balance, hardness, power, speed, and control of

8075-546: The transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China , and regarded as its first Chinese patriarch . In Japan, he is known as Daruma. The idea that Bodhidharma founded martial arts at the Shaolin Temple was spread in the 20th century, however, this idea came from a debunked apocryphal 17th century legend that claimed Bodhidharma taught the monks philosophies of Chan Buddhism , in which the monks were then able to use these philosophies to create their own combat techniques of Shaolin kung fu. The idea of Bodhidharma influencing Shaolin boxing

8170-732: The way the movements are expressed. Students learning this style usually do not only learn the 10 core forms however. There are often additional teachings such as introductory material (Lienbuquan, Gongliquan, Tantui), several traditional weapons forms, two-man forms qigong [including the famous Shaolin Golden Bell Qigong System], etc. Shaolin Kung Fu Shaolin kung fu ( Chinese : 少林功夫 ; pinyin : Shǎolín gōngfū ), also called Shaolin Wushu ( 少林武術 ; Shǎolín wǔshù ), or Shaolin quan ( 少林拳 ; Shàolínquán ),

8265-403: The world. Over time, in addition to the development of new techniques and other martial-arts styles, as with many martial arts, Choy Li Fut has developed into several lineages that may differ in training and style, and even differences in historic perspectives. It is these developments that caused differences in forms and the application of techniques between branches and schools and contribute to

8360-428: Was Hu Yuen-chou 胡雲綽, instructor of famous Choy Li Fut master Doc-Fai Wong 黄德輝 considered by many as a 5th generation successor and inheritor of the King Mui lineage. After Chan Yiu-chi 陳耀墀 his son Chan Sun-chiu became the inheritor and Keeper of the style. Following the passing on April 22, 2013, of Chan Sun-chiu (Keeper of King Mui Choy Li Fut)陈燊樵, all the descendants and known students become his current successors of

8455-474: Was appointed to be the keeper and head instructor of the Hung Sing School in Jiangmen city. Chew Kam-wing 赵锦荣 taught in the Jiangmen Hung Sing School until the Chinese government banned traditional kung fu teaching. All of his students eventually stopped practicing and no longer taught Choy Li Fut. Chew Kam-wing 赵锦荣 taught his sons Choy Li Fut privately; unfortunately his sons were not up to the standard that

8550-464: Was at the Shaolin temple, he had been seriously burned, and his head had healed with scars. This gave him the nickname "Monk with the Wounded Head" (爛頭和尙). Using that description, Chan Heung eventually located the monk and handed him a letter of recommendation from Li Yau-san. However, Chan Heung was disappointed when Choy Fook turned him down. After much begging, Choy Fook agreed to take the young man as

8645-528: Was going to be Chan Din-foon's 陳典桓 successor. Regardless of the year, Cheung Hung-sing took over his school and replaced the schools name of Great Saint School (Hung Sing - 洪聖舘) with his own Goose Victory (Hung Sing 鴻勝舘) name. The Manchu government quickly sent soldiers to try to shut down the school. Because the survival of the Fut San Hung Sing Choy Li Fut school depended on training fighters quickly and efficiently, initially Jeong Yim 張炎 limited

8740-400: Was known as the fighting branch as Cheung Hung Sing was steadily training revolutionary fighters. Having both Northern and Southern Chinese influences gives Choy Li Fut a wide variety of weapons in its arsenal. Originally, there were 40 weapons in the system of Choy Li Fut. After many years of teaching, some past masters added different forms and other weapons into the system. One weapon that

8835-418: Was required for passing down the traditional teaching. Only few of the senior students of Chan Cheong-mo 陳長毛 are still alive in China. In Hong Kong, Wong Gong 黄江 is the last one. In Jiangmen city, there are Wong Kan-fu 黄勤富, Lui Sieh-gen 吕社根, and the old keeper Chew Kam-wing 赵锦荣. Wong Gong 黄江 was born in 1928, and he is a native of Jiangmen city. He studied kung fu with his father as a child and later became

8930-572: Was the first Tang Emperor and Shimin himself became its second . Thereafter Shaolin enjoyed the royal patronage of the Tang. Though the Shaolin Monastery Stele of 728 attests to these incidents in 610 and 621 when the monks engaged in combat, it does not allude to martial training in the monastery, or to any fighting technique in which its monks specialized. Nor do any other sources from the Tang, Song and Yuan periods allude to military training at

9025-473: Was the monk named Buddhabhadra ( 佛陀跋陀罗 ; Fótuóbátuóluó ), simply called Batuo ( 跋陀 ) by the Chinese. There are historical records that Batuo's first Chinese disciples, Huiguang ( 慧光 ) and Sengchou ( 僧稠 ), both had exceptional martial skills. For example, Sengchou's skill with the tin staff and empty-hand strikes is even documented in the Chinese Buddhist canon . Bodhidharma is traditionally credited as

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