中原 The Central Plains of China

Some may already know that the Central Plains 中原 refer to the lands on the map shown above. They may also know that Henan Province is the cradle of the Chinese civilization. Likewise the same can be said of Chinese martial science. What they don't know is that how much this Henan culture has affected the peoples of the surrounding provinces, & thus they in turn affect the development of martial science. Naturally, the main concentration of martial science traditions is based in Henan, Hebei, Shandong & Shanxi provinces, the greater part of the plains. In Henan we have 少林 Shaolin, 陈式太极 Chen Family Taiji, & 心意 Xinyi quan. In Hebei we have famous styles like 八极,劈挂,秘宗 Baji, Pigua & Mizong. Shandong is most famous for its 螳螂 Tanglang (Mantis), with many different hard & soft styles. Shanxi is better known for again, Xinyi. Its brother style, 形意 Xingyi is developed in Hebei, thus more famous there. Other than that we also have 武当 Wudang in Hubei province; 八卦 Bagua in Anhui province & in the Capital Beijing. These are the oldest schools of Northern Kung Fu, but main Southern Wushu styles like 洪家 Hung-kar, 蔡李佛 Choi-lay-fut, 永春 Wing-chun & 白鹤 Bak-hok are all derived from 南少林 Southern Shaolin, so the difference of 'North' & 'South' is really only in name & geography. Let me now talk about some of the ancient styles.

华陀 Hua Tuo (1??-220AD) & the 5 Animal Exercises

Some Karate Masters, and even some ignorant Wushu Masters, have the mistaken idea that Chinese martial science evolved from the 五禽戏¸ 5 Animal Health Exercises created by the great Chinese physician Hua Tuo, who lived during the last days of the Eastern Han (25-220AD) Dynasty. He was the first Chinese surgeon in history, developing the use of anesthesia, and furthered the limited Chinese knowledge of anatomy. But it is ridiculous to credit him for being the father of Chinese martial science, because since ancient times there are only health exercises evolving from martial science, never martial science evolving from health exercises. However, there is evidence to suggest that the physician himself must have had a basic understanding of martial science. He must've combined this foundation with his medical genius to invent the 5 exercises, as they use the same breathing methods & stances as some ancient styles of martial science. Thus, it is more correct to say that health exercises are by products of martial science - as in the case many Taiji and the Chi masters of modern China. Perhaps not unlike the 'aerobic kickboxing' popular in some parts of the US today.

The same group of misinformed masters also has the idea that martial science is brought from India to China by the Buddhist Saint, 达摩 Bodhidharma. According to the 高僧传 <Legends of Buddhist Saints>, he arrived in Guangzhou, China in 527AD and visited 梁武帝 Emperor Wu of the Southern Liang (502-557AD) State. As the Emperor could not understand his teachings, he crossed the Yangzi River into the Northern Wei (386-534AD) State, residing in the 嵩山少林 Shaolin Temple in Henan province for some years (most say 9) before returning to India. Some history books say he passed away at 洛阳龙门 Longmen, Luoyang (still in Henan) on the way home. He is later popularly credited to be the Founder of Shaolin Wushu. But from the Buddhist history books we know for sure that Bodhidharma was no martial arts master - he was an enlightened monk from Southern India who was in China not to teach martial arts, but to spread his religion. This religion happens to be a school of Buddhism known to the Chinese as ÁI Chan, or Zen to the Japanese. It still remains influential today, & Bodhidharma is the true Founder. Indeed, Bodhidharma was a very fit monk; this was due to constant yoga and meditation practice. But to have a Buddhist Saint throwing punches and kicks - that's a bit too far-fetched. However, one cannot deny that Bodhidharma's teachings did shaped the spiritual aspect of martial science to a significant degree.

According to the 少林寺志 <Shaolin Historical Records>, the Shaolin Temple is built by 北魏孝文帝 Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei in 495AD for another Indian monk named 跋陀 'Ba Tuo' or 'Buddha' & his 2 Chinese disciples. They also claim they are the first to introduce martial arts to the Temple. This doesn't make sense, because in the Buddhist history books there's no mention of a monk by such a name or one known for martial skills. Besides, if this 'Buddha' is really so important, why is it that up till today the Shaolin monks still venerate Bodhidharma in so many ways, instead of him? I suspect 'Buddha' is a metaphorical character that people referred to Buddhist holy men from the West at that time. The words of 西方圣人 'Saint from the West' written on the signboard hung above the Thousand Buddha Hall in the Shaolin Temple seems to confirm this. Thus any attempt at attributing the position of Founder of Kung Fu to either of them is futile. As to the famous saying: 天下武功出少林 all martial arts originated from Shaolin, I think it is unacceptable as well. In fact, the opposite is true. My view is that Shaolin martial arts originated from the populace of surrounding provinces (particularly Henan), and are eventually returned to the whole world… no doubt in more refined systems. Ask any Shaolin disciples, and they will surely agree.

岳飞 Yue Fei (1103-1142AD), Xinyi, Xingyi & Baji

心意,形意,八极 Xinyi, Xingyi, & Baji quan are triplets of one ancient, representative style of martial science; which is simple, direct & powerful, but has no name. From these characteristics we know that it's very effective. Many people attribute the founding of this ancient style to Yue Fei. A famous General of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279AD), he drove back the invading hordes of the Manchurian Nuzhen tribes of the northeastern Jin State for some years with a smaller army. In 1142AD, the treacherous Premier Qin Hui, 秦桧 bought over by the Jin State, wrongfully condemned him to death for treason. As Yue Fei was a historical hero, his stories naturally tend to be exaggerated. Legend has it that Yue Fei, famous for his mastery of the 大枪 lance as well as the 牌刀 sword & shield, studied the techniques of these weapons and developed from them a general martial art that he could teach his soldiers. Those that were better with the lance became the ancestors of the Xinyi stylists whereas those better with the sword & shield were the ancestors of the Xingyi stylists. Those that were equally skilled in both were the ancestors of the Baji stylists.

The principles of the 3 styles are totally the same, but the applications slightly different. Thus trained, they were very successful in fighting the Jin troops. After Yue Fei was maligned & slain, all of his men were all angry & disenchanted; many decided to become Buddhist monks or Taoist priests to get away from it all. Wandering all around Northern China, these ancient styles continued to be passed on undocumented by these holy men through the years. This legend is very convincing, but of course impossible to confirm from historical records. Furthermore, to attribute the weight of 3 long traditions to one man is too much, even if they are similar & even for one as great as Yue Fei. There is some amount of truth in this legend, but it would be better for you to find out for yourselves.

Hundreds of years later, a certain young man named Ji Longfeng 姬龙峰 (1588-1662AD) from Shanxi province learned it from a nameless wandering priest. At that time China was newly taken over by the Rulers of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911AD), descendants of the Manchurian Nuzhen tribes of Yue Fei's time. That's why all those monks & priests dormant since the end of the Song Dynasty became very much active in resistance activities once again. Although born a Muslim, but as a Chinese warrior Ji was naturally anti-government. So he decided to go to the Shaolin Temple in Henan province, the rallying place of all the anti-government activists. After a tough journey he arrived at Shaolin, & started exchanging pointers with the monks. The monks were all amazed at his skill with the lance as well as his unarmed fighting skills. Welcomed by the monks, he then decided to stay in the Temple. During the 10 years he was in the Temple, he once observed 2 cocks fighting & was much inspired. Combining what he learned from the wandering priest with the animal styles he saw in the Temple, he finally developed the complete Xinyi system. He taught it to the monks who pass it on as 心意把 Xinyi Ba, their dearest art up till today. Others from Henan also learned from him, the most prominent being Ma Xueli, who began the Xinyi lineage of Henan. When the planned revolt failed to materialize, Ji returned home to Shanxi. Back home he taught Xinyi to his family members & to a certain Dai Longbang. Dai's disciple, Li Luoneng from Hebei later returned to his home province & created a slightly different style, Xingyi, and started spreading it there. Ji Longfeng was nicknamed 神枪 "God of the Lance" for his exemplary skill, & respected like a guardian deity for he defeated a band of bandits raiding his village singled handedly even in his old age.

The year Ji Longfeng died, 吴钟 Wu Zhong (1662-17??) was born in Hebei province, Meng Village of the Cang County. Like Ji Longfeng, Wu Zhong was a Muslim. One day when he's 18, another wandering holy man came to teach him the nameless ancient style, which would in the future be named Baji & Pigua. To Wu Zhong, his master would only be known as Monk Lai 癞和尚. This Monk Lai must be another one of the descendants of Yue Fei's troops. Monk Lai left Wu Zhong after teaching him for 10 years, but 2 years later another holy man known only as Monk Pi 癖和尚 came to visit him, claiming to be his senior under Monk Lai. This Monk Pi taught him the art of the 六合大枪 Liuhe Lance & gave him a manual of Baji teachings from their master. Wu Zhong later went to the capital Beijing & was given the chance to show his skills to a Manchu Prince, which he did, earning him again, the title of the "God of the Lance". This shows that unlike Ji Longfeng, Wu was not so anti-government. Wu had many disciples, but the most prominent one was surprisingly his daughter 吴荣 Wu Rong, who was better known for Pigua then for Baji.

More than a 100 years later, another famous "God of the Lance" was born. He's none other than 李书文 Li Shuwen (1864-1934), the most fearsome Baji master of the last century. I don't think it is by chance that Ji, Wu & Li, as well as many other masters of the ancient style, are all known as the "God of the Lance". Do they all have some karmic connection with General Yue Fei (assuming he really is the first ancestor)? Perhaps we could speculate further with concepts of reincarnation, but this is just a Wushu website. The more important thing is that now you realize how powerful is the influence of this style such that it is the most researched martial science in the Central Plains. An example of this fact is that the 16^th generation Chen Family Taiji master 陈鑫 Chen Xin was found to have secretly kept & studied an old manual of Xinyi quan, the earliest written copy. That's why some masters boldly call the style: 拳法之核心 the matrix of martial science.

张三丰 Zhang Sanfeng, Wudang & Taiji

A legendary Taoist Mystic, Zhang Sanfeng is widely accepted to be the Founder of Wudang & Taiji. Like Xinyi, 太极拳 Taiji is another distinctive style of Chinese martial science. However, its fame overshadows that of Xinyi. Ii is very popular as a health exercise worldwide, yet the least understood as a martial science. Either people do it to soft or too hard; few can really achieve an absolute balance of the yielding & the strong that is the ideal in Taiji. The most important mistake is to forget Taiji is a martial science. If you treat it simply as a leisurely activity, then Taiji will forever be just that. If not, it may one day be the best life-protecting skill.

Zhang lived around the end of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1330-1367AD) to the beginning of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1400AD). Legends say that he had learned wushu in the Shaolin Temple in his youth, but later left abruptly for some unknown reason. Some storytellers say that he had learned Kungfu without the permission of the Abbot, and was thus forced to leave. From then on he wandered the world as a 游侠 vigilante, fighting the Mongol invaders whenever opportunity arises. During this time he also met & learned the teachings of Taoism from many wandering priests. He then practiced asceticism in Sichuan province, and later wandered to 武当山 Mt Wudang, spanning Hubei, Shaanxi & parts of Henan. During this time the people nicknamed him, "Dusty Zhang" as he never changes his robes, & always look dirty & untidy. One day, he chanced upon a battle between a crane & a snake. He observed that whenever the crane tried to peck the snake's head, its head would yield and its tail will strike the crane. The crane would then go for the snake's tail, but the tail would yield & its head will bite the crane. Finally the crane attacked the snake's body, only to be struck by both its head & tail. Frustrated, the crane flew away. After spending some days pondering on what he saw, he conceived a system of fighting based on his Taoist wisdom.

This system would later be known as Taiji. He then continued to stay on Mt Wudang as an ascetic for many years, until his supposed 'death' - his body simply vanished from the grave without a trace. Months later he was seen wandering the lands around the mountain once more, & the ordinary folks all regarded him as an immortal.

Zhang is said to have passed his skills to the Taoist priests on Mt Wudang, who went on to create 武当武术 Wudang Wushu. The most famous arts of Wudang includes its fencing, light-body, breathing arts & of course its unique Taiji. Zhang also taught the populace around the Mountain in the course of his wanderings. Chen Bu 陈卜 from Shanxi, the first patriarch of the Chen family was perhaps one such person. He must've learned Taiji concepts around the late 1360s, but nobody can confirm from whom.

The Chen family shifted to Henan province in 1374. Chen Bu's 9^th generation descendant Chen Wangting 陈王庭 is to create Chen Family Taiji nearly 300 years later, around 1644, this time with official records. In a similar lineage is Wang Zhongyue 王宗岳 also from Shanxi; who went to Chen Village in Henan to exchange Taiji concepts with 14^th generation master 陈长兴 Chen Changxing (1771-1853) around 1790 杨露禅 Yang Luchan (1799-1872) the invincible Founder of Yang Family Taiji was also Chen Changxing's disciple for 6 years. The other major styles like the Wu(2), Wu(3), Sun & many other minor styles are all derived from the Chen & the Yang Families.

Although there is no connection between Wudang, Taiji & Zhang Sanfeng in clear writing, we can still conclude that all have undeniable links with one another.

八卦掌 Baguazhang is the most unique of Chinese martial science, with an equally mysterious origin as well as founder. Many of us know that the first person to officially teach Bagua is Dong Haichuan, but none of us know how he came to know such a special style. Although Xingyi & Taiji techniques can both be found in Bagua, its footwork, parrying & training methods are one of a kind. Thus we know Bagua existed long before Dong did. The tablet on his tomb says he sought out a friend in 江皖 Jiangwan (modern Anhui province) for instruction, after which his skills improved tremendously. Not long after, he went to Beijing & suddenly became an eunuch in the Forbidden City; which is another great mystery. Legend has it that on 九华山 Mt Jiuhua (one of the 4 Sacred Mountains of Buddhism in China) in Anhui, he met a young Taoist novice practicing a Kung Fu style which he has never seen before. This style utilizes the palms and the arms instead of just the elbows & the fists. Curious, he sparred with the novice, only to be defeated in less than a few minutes. Shocked, he asked to see his master. The novice introduced him to his master, and Dong begged the old priest to teach him. The old priest reluctantly agreed on the condition that Dong must never reveal anything about him to the outside world. After staying for a couple of years he left Mt Jiuhua with new Bagua concepts - a much stronger fighter. While he is an eunuch in the Palace, his profound martial skills were noticed by many, one of whom is Prince Su. The Prince hired him as his personal security chief. During his years in this post, he built up an invincible reputation, defeating many jealous rivals from the court who wanted him dead. Dong later retired & started teaching a new style called Baguazhang in Beijing. During that period many famous wushu masters (like Xingyi Master 郭云深 Guo Yunshen) came to visit him, some to challenge, others to discuss & exchange concepts. Of course, after these episodes Dong's reputation was made even greater, & his fame eventually spread across the whole of Northern China.

Dong had 8 prominent disciples, the foremost being 尹福 Yin Fu & 程廷华 Cheng Tinghua. These 2 are to later divide the Bagua lineage into the 尹式 Yin Style & the 程式 Cheng Style, the most influential of all Bagua Styles. There're other clans who claim to have lineage separate from Dong, but nobody knows how much truth there is in their claims. What we can say, is that Anhui is the most probable birthplace of Baguazhang.

Legend has it that 螳螂拳 Tanglang (Mantis) quan was founded by 王郎 Wang Lang, a native of Shandong province, Jimo county. Some believe he lived during the early Northern Song (960-1127AD) Dynasty, but that is not acceptable, because that would give Tanglang quan a 1000-year-old history, longer than even Xinyi. Given the complexity & varitey of Tanglang we know today, it is more likely that Wang, if he really existed, lived at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty like Ji Longfeng did. For a style to exist a 1000 years or more, one of the most important factors is simplicity, followed by obscurity. A style as famous & complex as Tanglang, 十八家之精 "the essense of 18 styles" would have greatly fallen away after the passage of one millenium. Shaolin traditions was able to survive for 1500 years because it had little fixed styles, but instead kept changing and mingling with the world around it. This is simple Taoist wisdom.

The legends of Wang Lang are many, but most say that he was already quite well versed in martial science before he went to the Shaolin Temple. He left Shandong due to problems with the Qing government. Some say his family was massacred, & a wandering Shaolin monk rescued him. In any case he stayed at the Temple to study Shaolin Kung Fu, exchanging concepts with many like him staying in the Temple, experts from a total of 17 styles. He became very good, and nobody was able to defeat him except the chief monk. He was disturbed by this & wandered to a nearby forest to contemplate on his loss. Sitting by a tree, he suddenly heard noises made by insects from the branch above him. Looking up, he saw that a praying mantis was attacking and devouring a larger cicada. He was impressed & took the mantis back to the Temple, keeping it as a pet & studying its movements. He felt that while the attacking techniques of the mantis may be strong, its leg movement would be inadequate for humans. So he incorporated 猿猴步法 ape-like footwork & experiences with 17 other styles, he started to create a combined fighting style - Tanglang. Weeks later, he challenged the chief monk again & defeated him this time round. The chief monk was shocked but also full of admiration, so he asked Wang Lang to share his knowledge with the monks & the other visitors. He continued staying in the Temple until the Abbot advised him one day to wander the world to further develop his new style. He did so, but had never met his match. So in his old age he returned to Shandong & went into a hermitage in 崂山 Mt Lao, passing his time by teaching Tanglang to people who sought him out till his death. Thus, Tanglang grew deep roots in the martial traditions of Shandong province.

While the <Shaolin Historical Records> do write of a gathering of 18 masters of individual styles converging in Shaolin at the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty, it does not mention of Wang Lang or his Mantis style as some claim they do. Nor do they appear in the beginning of the Qing Dynasty as said in the legends. If Wang Lang was so influential in the Temple at any time, there is sure to be objects of remembrance, like that of Xinyi's Founder - Ji Longfeng's painting which used to hang in the Temple before WW2. Even today, Shaolin monks do not practice Tanglang forms, as much as they should if Wang Lang really trained & taught there centuries ago. Much evidence suggests that the name 'Tanglang' did not exist before the Qing Dynasty, & was almost exclusively centered in Shandong until this century. The same can be said of its Founder Wang Lang. Even so, it cannot be denied that Tanglang do have an unexplainable connection with Shaolin; there just aren't any clear records that can verify this. A common Founder like Wang Lang among the many styles of Tanglang again seems unacceptable, but we'll just have to take it for granted until someone can really explain the clear origins of the relationship between Man & Mantis in Shandong.

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