White Crane Style
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Fujian White Crane, also known as White Crane Boxing () is a Southern
Chinese martial art Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...
that originated in
Yongchun County Yongchun (; Min Nan: Éng-chhun; lit. 'eternal spring') is a county in western Quanzhou city of southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China, located on the upper reaches of the Jin River. It is under the administration of Quanzhou City. ...
,
Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
() province. According to oral tradition, the style was developed by Fang Qiniang (方七娘;
Amoy Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...
Min Nan Southern Min (), Minnan ( Mandarin pronunciation: ) or Banlam (), is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Chinese languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian (especially the Minnan region), most of Taiwan ...
: Hng Chhit-niâ), a female martial artist. It is associated with traditional fighting techniques, including long range, but is most similar to close-quarter or
hand-to-hand combat Hand-to-hand combat is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of ranged weapons.Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills in ...
. It is most recognizable by the way the fighter imitates a bird's pecking or flapping of wings. While some white crane styles make use of traditional weapons, others have discontinued the use of weaponry. Fujian White Crane descends in part from Shaolin Boxing and imitates characteristics of the white crane. This system is separate though related to Lohan Quan (Fujian Shaolin). The entire system of fighting was developed from observing the crane's movements, methods of attack and spirit, and may have evolved from the southern Shaolin animal styles. There is no singular Fujian White Crane system. Multiple branches are collectively referred to as Fujian White Crane, including Sleeping, Whooping, Feeding, Flying and Jumping Crane styles based on imitative characteristics of their techniques. This group does not include Tibetan White Crane, which developed independently in western and southern China.


Features and characteristics

The Fujian White Crane is a half-hard, half-soft style of Nanquan. It is a short-ranged fighting style where hand strikes are performed by imitating the crane's beak, with moves executed in conjunction with the movements of the practitioner's spine. Techniques delivered with legs are limited, but include defensive kicking and sweep techniques. The style has a strict moral code to ensure the students do not use its techniques for malicious purposes. For purpose of self-defense, this form uses various body parts (elbows, fingers, legs, palms, fists) and weapons, as well as movements that are coordinated, flexible and strong. Fujian White Crane places emphasis on evading the enemy attack, to bait the aggressor to open themselves for practitioner's own attacks. Many of the style's movements are targeted towards vulnerable body parts, such as the
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
and
throat In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the front part of the neck, internally positioned in front of the vertebrae. It contains the Human pharynx, pharynx and larynx. An important section of it is the epiglottis, separating the esophagus from the t ...
.


History


The legend of the white crane

Fang Zhonggong, father of style founder Qiniang, was one of the monks of the "
Southern Shaolin Monastery The Southern Shaolin Monastery or Nan-Shaolin () is the name of a Buddhist monastery whose existence and location are both disputed although associated ruins have been identified. By tradition, it is considered a source of Nanquan. History The f ...
", that is mentioned in many Nanquan legends. He was expert in the " 18-fist boxing of the Lo Han" (Shiba Luohanquan). Upon the destruction of the monastery, Fang and other monks fled to
Fujian province Fujian is a province in southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefecture city by population is Qua ...
, in a neighboring county to Yongchun. There, he would have a daughter, Qiniang. As Qiniang was growing up, Zhonggong would teach his martial arts knowledge to her. After her mother's death, Qiniang moved to
Yongchun County Yongchun (; Min Nan: Éng-chhun; lit. 'eternal spring') is a county in western Quanzhou city of southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China, located on the upper reaches of the Jin River. It is under the administration of Quanzhou City. ...
,
Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
province, where many cranes live. After having moved there, she subsequently hears that her father has been killed in a duel, trying to protect his daughter's honor. This prompted Qiniang to seek revenge, but she had to improve her martial arts skills, if she was to fight the one who killed his father. One day, while Qiniang was doing her chores, a crane landed nearby. Qiniang tried to scare the bird off using a stick and the skills she had learned from her father, but whatever she did, the crane would counter. Qiniang tried to hit the crane on the head, but the bird moved its head out of the way and blocked the stick with its wings. Qiniang tried to hit the crane's wings, but the crane stepped to the side and blocked the stick with its claws. Qiniang tried to poke the crane's body, but the crane dodged backwards and struck the stick with its beak. From then on, Qiniang carefully studied the crane's movements. There are many versions of this legend. It is said that this incident was a dream of her doing her chores instead of doing it for real and only after waking up, she started revising her theories In other accounts, the crane does not block a stick, but evades and counters it. The point of the style is to emphasize evasion and attack an opponent's vulnerabilities instead of using physical strength. Regardless, this crane encounter inspired Qiniang to combine the crane's movements with techniques learned from her father, ultimately creating the White Crane Style. Since it was created by a woman, White Crane fighting elements are especially popular in women's self-defense training because the movements do not require great strength. They more closely imitate the delicate pecking motion associated with this fighting style.


Documented history

During the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1662) lived Fang Zhong (方種 - also known as Fang Zhangguang), a practitioner of Southern Chinese martial arts from Funing Prefecture, Fujian (now
Xiapu County Xiapu (; Foochow Romanized: Hà-puō) is a county in the municipal region of Ningde, Fujian, People's Republic of China, located along a stretch of East China Sea coast, with many harbours and islands. It is bordered by Fuding City and Zherong ...
). Fang Zhong was from a wealthy family and renowned for excellent fighting skills, having trained with well-known martial arts masters. Fang Zhong lost his wife in his early years, who had given birth to only one daughter, Fang Qiniang (方七娘), and Fang Zhong taught his skills to her. According to the traditions of the Lee family branch of Flying Crane, Qiniang was born in the mid-17th century. Fang Zhong and Fang Qiniang have held various aliases. Fang Zhong is a survivor from the end of the
Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
and had participated in anti-
Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
and Fuming activities, having connections to
Hongmen The Tiandihui, the Heaven and Earth Society, also called Hongmen (the Vast Family), is a Chinese fraternal organization and historically a secretive folk religious sect in the vein of the Ming loyalist White Lotus Sect, the Tiandihu ...
associates. Both have used pseudonyms to avoid being caught by the Qing government due to their anti-Qing activities. "Fangzhang" (方掌) and "Fangzhang" (方種) are believed to be the same person, and "Fangzhangguang" should also be "Fangzhang". "Fang Chung Gong", is a transcript of voice transmission. Fang Zhong also adopted the name "Fang Hui Shi" after defeat of anti-Qing forces. One day, Qiniang saw a huge crane and attacked it with a stick. As she was unable to defeat it, she realized the crane had come to teach her, and developed her own unique techniques from the experience. Qiniang would modify her father's Nanquan techniques in the way that would serve as basis for what is now known as Fujian White Crane Kung Fu. She had four principal students who later developed four main branches of Fujian White Crane: Eating, Crying, Sleeping, and Flying. Many systems evolved from each of the four original types of White Crane. Zeng Si from Yongchun, married Qiniang and had two sons. Zeng Si and Qiniang returned to the Gu family's ancestral hall in Hou Temple, Rulin Village, Wulijie Town, Yongchun County to teach martial arts. Yongchun County is adjacent to Kinmen, which is the threshold for Taiwan. At the ancestral hall (coaching temple) there are paintings of White Crane Taoist and Zeng Si revered as the first teacher of White Crane. In the Flying Crane tradition, Fang Qiniang never married, had children or a husband. Rather, she retired in Baihe An (white crane temple) and taught martial arts. According to the Yong Chun Bai He tradition, the Ong Gong Shr Wushuguan was established in the town of Yongchun (永春; Minnan: eng2 chhun1), prefecture of
Quanzhou Quanzhou is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China, People's Republic of China. It is Fujian's largest most populous metropolitan region, wi ...
,
Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
province, when its founders were taught by Fang Qiniang during the reign of the
Jiajing Emperor The Jiajing Emperor (16September 150723January 1567), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizong of Ming, personal name Zhu Houcong, art name, art names Yaozhai, Leixuan, and Tianchi Diaosou, was the 12th List of emperors of the Ming ...
(r. 1521–66) of the
Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
. Pingyang White Crane was created by Fāng Qī Niáng during Shunzhi period during the Qing dynasty. During Jiaqing period, this kongfu spread to Pingyang city. Yongchun-style White Crane was created by Fāng Qī Niáng during KangXi period during the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
. Li Wenmao (), an opera performer and leader of the 1854–1856
Red Turban Rebellion The Red Turban Rebellions () were uprisings against the Yuan dynasty between 1351 and 1368, eventually leading to its collapse. Remnants of the Yuan imperial court retreated northwards and is thereafter known as the Northern Yuan in historiogr ...
in
Foshan Foshan (, ; Chinese: 佛山) is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the Pearl River Delta m ...
, is said to have practiced the Yǒngchūn style of White Crane. The Xu Xi Dao style of White Crane as taught by Chen Zhuozhen was derived from Zhong-Ho 'Springing Crane', and was developed in Taiwan by Huang Laoyang in the 1950s.


Branches and schools


Yongchun White Crane in China

The lineage of The Weng Gong Ci Gym in
Yongchun County Yongchun (; Min Nan: Éng-chhun; lit. 'eternal spring') is a county in western Quanzhou city of southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China, located on the upper reaches of the Jin River. It is under the administration of Quanzhou City. ...
is: * 方掌光 - Fang Zhang Guang * 方七娘 - Fang Qi Niang * 曾四 - Zeng Si * 潘賢 - Pan Xian * 潘堆金 - Pan Dui Jin * 潘賽玉 - Pan Sai Yu, 潘敦池 - Pan Dun Chi, 潘大任 - Pan Da Ren * 潘深恩 - Pan Shen En, 潘月照 - Pan Yue Zhao * 潘利秋 - Pan Li Qiu * 潘貞團 - Pan Zhen Tuan * 潘孝德 - Pan Xiao De * 潘成廟 - Pan Cheng Miao * 潘瓊琪 - Pan Qiong Qi


Eating/Feeding Crane in Taiwan

The lineage of Feeding Crane in Taiwan is: * 方七娘 - Fang Qiniang * 曾四叔 - Zeng Sichu * 鄭禮叔 - Zheng LiShu * 蔡忠叔 - Cai Zhongshu * 蔡公頸 - Cai Gongjing * 林德順 - Lin Deshun * 劉故 - Liu Gu * 劉銀山 - Liu Yinshan * 劉長益 - Liu Zhangyi (Liu Chang-I)


Sleeping Crane

Lin Chuanwu, originally from Chengmen in the Fuzhou area, studied this sub-style from the monk Jue Qing for 5 years at the Shimen temple.


Calling/Whooping Crane in China

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Lin Shixian (林世咸), an expert in Yongchun Baihequan (永春白鹤拳), went to Fuzhou to teach his martial art. Among his disciples was Pan Yuba (潘屿八), who passed it on to others. Pan Yuba had also learned Luohanquan (罗汉拳). By the time this style was learned by Xie Zhongxiang (谢崇祥) in Changle, Fuzhou, it had undergone many changes and was called Minghequan.


Lineage

* Lin Shi Xian * Pan Yu Ba * Xi Zong Xiang * Lin Zhen Lan - Chen Shi Ding - Huang Xing Xian * Lin Jan Hua, Zheng Hui Sheng -Ruan Dong * Lin Yuan Dun - Zheng Xian Qi


Jumping/Shaking Crane in Taiwan

* Fang Qi Niang * Zheng Li * Zheng Cong * Li Seng * Fang Shi Peng * Fang Yong Cang * Lin Guo Zhong * Huang Xing Xian * Zheng Xian Qi * Huang Yi Xiong


Flying Crane

*Fang chi-niang *Lee fah-sieng *Lee mah-saw *Lee kiang-kay *Lee joo-Chian


Influence on other styles


Karate

Fujian White Crane is noted to be major influence on
Naha-te Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts, such as karate, tegumi and kobudō, which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island. Due to its location (between "Mainland Japan" and Taiwan), Okinawa was influenced by various cul ...
styles of
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
n
Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
. It accepted that Naha-Te, which is among the three major foundations of Ryukyu Karate, was created under the influence of
Chinese martial arts Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...
. Wu Xianggui (Go Ken Ki) is believed to have introduced the Fujian White Crane techniques to the noted Naha-te pioneers. The two schools of Naha-te, Goju-ryu and Uechi-ryu, use the routine "San Chian" from Fujian White Crane. San Chian is best known by the
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
pronunciation of its name, Sanchin. Uechi-ryu's relationship with Fujian White Crane remains vague. The school's founder, Kanbun Uechi, studied a martial art called "Pangai Noon" (half hard, soft) under unknown master (it was believed to be Zhou Zihe, but this is now disputed) in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, the latter passing down the "Sansen" (Sanjin) form to Uechi.
Kenwa Mabuni was one of the first karateka to teach karate in mainland Japan and is credited as developing the style known as Shitō-ryū. Originally, he chose the name Hanko-ryu, literally "half-hard style", to imply that the style used both hard and sof ...
would subsequently learn Sanchin from either or both
Higaonna Kanryō , and sometimes known as Higashionna West to distinguish him from his cousin, was a Ryukyuan martial artist who founded a fighting style known at the time as Naha-te. He is recognized as one of the first students of Fujian White Crane Kung Fu ...
and Chojun Miyagi, and integrate it into his
Shitō-ryū is a form of karate that was founded in 1934 by . Shitō-ryū is synthesis of the Okinawan Shuri-te and Naha-te schools of karate and today is considered one of the four main styles of the art. History Kenwa Mabuni (Mabuni Kenwa 摩文 ...
karate.


Hung Ga

According to one of the founding legends of
Hung Ga Hung Ga Kuen (Cantonese) or Hongjiaquan (Mandarin) ( zh, 洪家拳, link=no, meaning "fist of the Hung family") - alternatively shortened as either Hung Ga () or Hung Kuen () - is an ancient southern Chinese martial art, which roots lie in th ...
, Fang Qiniang became the wife of Hung Ga founder Hung Hei-gun and the two would combine Fang's White Crane style with Hung's White Tiger style, resulting in the Hung Ga kung fu. Per Roland Habersetzer, Hung Ga has been dubbed the "Tiger-Crane" style (Hu-he-chuang-xing-quan).Chu, R., Ritchie, R., Wu, Y. (2015). Complete Wing Chun: The Definitive Guide to Wing Chun's History and Traditions. Tuttle Publishing. Page 114.


Wuzuquan


Southern Praying Mantis


See also

*
Chin Na Qin Na () is the set of joint lock techniques used in the Chinese martial arts to control or lock an opponent's joints or muscles/tendons so they cannot move, thus neutralizing the opponent's fighting ability. ''Qin Na Shu'' ( meaning "techniq ...
*
Shaolinquan Shaolin kung fu (), also called Shaolin Wushu (), or Shaolin quan (), 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 hi ...
*
Zhang Sanfeng Zhang Sanfeng (also spelled Zhang San Feng, Chang San-Feng) refers to a legendary Chinese Taoist who many believe invented the Chinese martial art tai chi. However, other sources point to earlier versions of tai chi predating Sanfeng. He is ...
*
Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
*
Kuntao Kuntao or kuntau (, ) is a Min Nan, Hokkien term for the martial arts of the Chinese community of Southeast Asia, specifically the Malay Archipelago. It is most commonly practiced in and associated with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and S ...
*
Liu Seong Kuntao The Liu Seong System is one of the many styles of Kuntao, which are hybrid martial arts systems derived from the cultures of Chinese Indonesia. The Liu Seong system was brought to America, from Indonesia, by Willem A. Reeders (1917-1990). Willem ...
*
Yongchun County Yongchun (; Min Nan: Éng-chhun; lit. 'eternal spring') is a county in western Quanzhou city of southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China, located on the upper reaches of the Jin River. It is under the administration of Quanzhou City. ...


Notes


References


Sources

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Citations


External links


White Crane Online - learn Tai Chi online

White Crane Academy - classes, courses, and workshops in the south of England

Weng Gong Ci Whu Shu Guan

Weng Gong Ci Whu Shu Guan InternationalWhite Crane Martial Arts

Southern Crane Kungfu & Tai Chi U.K.

FuJian White Crane Kung Fu Club

White Crane Kung Fu

White Crane Fighting Arts

All Masters Martial Arts Centre

Feeding Crane - Taiwan - Liu Chang I

White Crane Kung Fu & Tai Chi Club of Scotland

Mr. Mah Peng Kong - Bai Hu Quan 白 鶴 拳
{{Martial arts Chinese martial arts Fujian Nanquan Buddhist martial arts