Fujian White Crane (martial art)
Encyclopedia
| 白鶴拳 | |
| Fujian White Crane | |
|---|---|
| Mandarin Standard Mandarin Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore.... : |
Bái Hè Quán |
| Amoy Min Nan Min Nan The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora.... : |
Pe̍h-ho̍h-kûn |
| Literally | "white crane fist" |
- This article is about the FujianFujian' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
style of White Crane. For the Tibetan style, see Lama (martial art)Lama (martial art)While today the martial arts known as Lama Pai, Tibetan White Crane, and Hop Gar exist as relatively distinct lineages and/or organizations, all originated with a single figure known as Sing Lung who arrived in Guangdong Province during the Qing Dynasty and taught a martial art then known as...
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White Crane Boxing is a Southern Chinese martial art which originated in Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
(福建) province and is now practiced throughout the world. According to oral traditions, the creation of this style is attributed to Fāng Qīniáng (方七娘; Amoy Min Nan
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
: Hng Chhit-niâ), a female martial artist. The characteristics of this style are deep rooted stances, intricate hand techniques and fighting mostly at close range as if to imitate a pecking bird. The flying crane style however has a greater amount of long range techniques although it too does prefer close quarters hand oriented combat, which simulates the flapping of the wings. Some white crane styles also use a great variety of traditional weapons whereas others have discontinued practice with ancient weaponry.
Fujian White Crane is an imitative-style of Shaolin Boxing based on the characteristics of the Taiwanese
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
Crane. An entire system of fighting was developed based on the observations of their movement, fighting abilities and spirit. There are only four other animals of Shaolin Boxing: the Tiger
Black Tiger Kung Fu
Shaolin Shandong black tiger fist is a northern Chinese martial art which originated in Shandong Province.-Techniques:...
, Leopard
Leopard Kung Fu
Leopard Kung fu is style of Kung fu and is one of the Five Animal styles.It was supposedly created by Jue Yuan with help from Bai Yufeng and Li Sou. The emphasis of leopard is speed and angular attack. The leopard does not overwhelm or rely on strength, as does the tiger, but instead relies on...
, Snake
Snake Kung Fu
There are several Chinese martial arts known as Snake Boxing or Fanged Snake Style which imitate the movements of snakes. It is a style of Shaolin Boxing. Proponents claim that adopting the fluidity of snakes allows them to entwine with their opponents in defense and strike them from angles they...
and Dragon
Dragon Kung Fu
The movements of the Southern Dragon style of Shaolin Boxing are based on the mythical Chinese dragon. The Dragon style is an imitative-style that was developed based on the imagined characteristics of the mythical Chinese dragon....
.
The legend of the White Crane
The Fāng family lived in FujianFujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, in a place where there were many cranes
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
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Qīniáng's father knew the Southern Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
and taught them to his daughter.
One day, while Qīniáng was doing her chores, a crane alighted nearby.
Qīniáng tried to scare the bird off using a stick and the skills she learned from her father but whatever she did, the crane would counter.
Qīniáng 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.
Qīniáng tried to hit the crane's wings, but the crane stepped to the side and this time blocked with the claws of its feet.
Qīniáng tried to poke the crane's body, but the crane dodged backwards and struck the stick with its beak.
From then on, Qīniáng carefully studied the movements of cranes and combined these movements with the martial arts she learned from her father, creating the White Crane style of Fujian province.
There are many versions of this legend, some in which the crane does not block the stick Qīniáng used; but it evaded, and countered. The point of the style is to make less use of physical strength, stressing evasion, and attacks to vulnerable areas instead. White crane fighting elements are popular, especially in women's self defense, because they don't depend on strength and women are better able to imitate the pecking motion so common in the crane style of fighting. Popular karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
bunkai
Bunkai
, literally meaning "analysis" or "disassembly", is a term used in Japanese martial arts referring to the application of fighting techniques extracted from the moves of a "form" ....
(breakdown) of white crane katas like hakutsuru, stress vital point striking or kyusho.
Source
- Bubishi George Alexander ISBN 0963177516 and Secrets of the Bubishi DVD ASIN: B00015400K
- Bubishi Patrick Mccarthy ISBN 0804820155
Branches
Over time White Crane branched off into 5 styles:| Chinese Chinese language The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages... | Pinyin Pinyin Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into... | Minnan | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeping Crane Fist | 宿鶴拳 | sù hè quán | siok4 hoh8 kun5 | also known as Jumping, or Ancestral Crane |
| Crying Crane Fist | 鳴鶴拳 | míng hè quán | beng5 hoh8 kun5 | also known as Calling, Whooping, or Shouting Crane |
| Feeding Crane Fist | 食鶴拳 | shí hè quán | chiah8 hoh8 kun5 | also known as Morning Crane |
| Flying Crane Fist | 飛鶴拳 | fēi hè quán | hui1 hoh8 kun5 | aka fei hok kuen |
| Shaking Crane Fist | 縱鶴拳 | zong hè quán | hui1 hoh8 kun5 | aka jun hok kuen |
History
The Ancestral Crane master Dr. Yang (Jwing-Ming YangJwing-Ming Yang
Jwing-Ming Yang started his martial arts training at the age of fifteen under the Shaolin White Crane Master Cheng, Gin Gsao . In thirteen years of study under Master Cheng, Dr. Yang became an expert in the White Crane style of Chinese martial arts. Dr...
), dates the creation of Fujian White Crane to c. 1700.
According to the traditions of the Lee family branch of Flying Crane, Fāng Qīniáng was born in the mid-18th century.
According to its traditions, the lineage of the Ong Gong Shr Wushuguan in the town of Yǒngchūn (永春; Minnan: eng2 chhun1) in the prefecture of Quanzhou
Quanzhou
Quanzhou is a prefecture-level city in Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders all other prefecture-level cities in Fujian but two and faces the Taiwan Strait...
in Fujian Province was established when Fāng Qīniáng taught its founders during the reign of the Ming emperor Jiāzhèng (嘉政).
However, there was no Ming emperor Jiāzhèng (嘉政); there was a Ming emperor Jiājìng (嘉靖), who ruled from 1521 to 1566.
Lǐ Wénmào (李文茂), a historically verifiable opera performer and leader in the 1854–1855 Red Turban Rebellion in Foshan
Foshan
Foshan is a city in central Guangdong province in southern China. The prefectural area under the city's jurisdiction over an area of about 3,840 km² and a population of 5.4 million of which 1.1 million reside in the city proper ....
, is said to have practiced the Yǒngchūn style of White Crane.
The Xu-Xi Dao style of White Crane as taught by Chen Zuo Zhen (Chen Zhuo Zhen) is described with pics on www.chinesemartialarts.eu > White Crane Style. The Xu-Xi Dao style derives from Zhong-Ho 'Springing Crane' and was developed in Taiwan by Huang Lao-Yang in the 1950s.
Feeding Crane in Taiwan
The lineage of Feeding Crane in Taiwan:- 方七娘 - Fāng Qī Niang
- 曾四叔 - Céng Sì Chū
- 鄭禮叔 - Zhèng Lǐ Shū
- 蔡忠叔 - Cài Zhōng Shū
- 蔡公頸 - Cài Gōng Jǐng
- 林德順 - Lín Dé Shùn
- 劉故 - Liú Gù
- 劉銀山 - Liú Yín Shān
- 劉長益 - Liú Zhǎng Yì (Liu Chang I)
Influence
Fujian White Crane is one of the constituent styles of Five AncestorsFive Ancestors
Five Ancestors Fist is a Southern Chinese martial art that consists of techniques from five different styles:* the breathing methods and iron body of Da mo * the posture and dynamic power of Luohan...
.
Five Ancestors as well as various styles of Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, notably Goju-ryu, Chitō-ryū
Chito-ryu
is a style of karate founded by , . The name of the style translates as: chi - 1,000; tō - China; ryū , "1,000 year old Chinese style." The character tō refers to the Tang Dynasty of China...
and Uechi-ryu, obtained the routine San Chian / San Zhan (Mandarin) from Fujian White Crane.
San Chian is best known by the Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
pronunciation of its name: Sanchin
Sanchin
is a kata of Southern Chinese origin that is considered to be the core of several styles, the most well-known being the Goju Ryu and Uechi Ryu styles of Karate as well as the Chinese martial arts of Fujian White Crane, Five Ancestors, Pangai-noon and the Tiger-Crane Combination style associated...
.