Wushu Festival

Wushu Festival

Choi Wingsum, One of the Successors of Pak Mei Quan in Canada

    Choi Wingsum, One of the Successors of Pak Mei Quan in Canada
    Mr. Zhang Liquan was a master representing a historic generation of Pak Mei Quan. In the period of 1930s and 1940s, employed as a drillmaster in Huangpu (Whampoa) Military Academy, Guangzhou, Zhang began to teach disciples among folk people and to exchange some experiences and skills in practicing the Quan with other masters. He went to Hong Kong and continued teaching the Quan later. No matter in Guangzhou or in Hong Kong, many wonderful legends and folktales about Zhang and his Kung-fu have been coming down. Due to his hard work, non-stop goal pursuing and continuous practice in playing Chinese traditional Kung-fu, Zhang finally had been a famous master of the Quan. It is easy to be acknowledged that Zhang had been practicing his Kung-fu hard enough in owning that fame in those years. It is really worth fro all of us to study the legacy of the theory and technique about his Quan and Kung-fu skills.
There are many contents of Pak Mei Quan coming down including both the Quan and weapons in practicing. The most representative practice of the Quan is Zhi Bu (straight stepping), Shi Zi (cross), San Men (three doors), Jiu Bu Tui (nine step pushes), Si Men Ba Gua (four doors and the Eight Diagrams), Shi Ba Mo Qiao (eighteen touching bridge) and Meng Hu Chu Lin(fierce tiger jumping out of woods). According to the introduction issued by some disciples of Pak Mei Quan in Hong Kong, Meng Hu Chu Lin might be the highest among the all.
     Recently, I met Choi in Hong Kong while he was to visit his relatives, and talked with him frequently. He told me his experience and achievement in learning and practicing Pak Mei Quan for such ages.
    Choi Wingsum, one of the disciples of Pak Mei Quan in Canada, left Hong Kong for Canada to develop his business in 1979. Several years later, overcoming various obstacles, he established Pak Mei Chinese Kung-fu Association and Chengde Hall Hospital. Now he is the chief supervisor of Bai Mei Cai Yongshen Quan School in Ontario State, Canada and Hong Kong.
    Choi had learned Pak Mei Quan from Zhang Bingfa, the third son of Zhang Liquan, when he was young. He has been practicing the Quan for over 30 years and began to teach in Hong Kong since 1970. While he moved to Canada in 1979, he did not intend to open any school to teach the Quan. By way of an avocation, he simply taught several disciples who really wanted to learn Chinese Kung-fu. In 1991, Mr. Zhang Bingfa, the teacher of Choi, died of illness. This matter aroused Choi's determination to teach Pak Mei Quan in Canada in order to memorize his teacher. Later, he set up Chengde Hall in Toronto to publicize Pak Mei Quan and Chinese traditional culture.
     As one of the main disciples of Chinese Kung-fu with a lot of traditional Chinese culture borne in his mind, Choi really cares about the continuality of Chinese traditional culture. He named his school Chengde Hall since Cheng means honesty and De, ethics. He wrote a two-line poem for the Hall that "honesty, the way we get along with people, ethics, is prior to all values in our life." He believes that the ethical education is an important part of Chinese traditional Kung-fu in teaching and learning within the period of thousands years. He hopes that his students could possess good nature and abide by the ethics code of Chinese traditional culture when they have been learning Kung-fu. His desire issued to his students totally fits the general standard in
Chinaese traditional Kung-fu field, while the standard also emphasizes that ethics is prior to skill and never teaching issued to those without ethics. His insistence is noticeably valuable.
    Having contacted lots of Kung-fu practicing people in different styles, I think the real practice of Kung-fu, no matter belonging to which style, must have something in common. Many characteristics of the exercises and usages of Pak Mei Quan are expressed in its sets of movements. Therefore, the topic of our conversation had to be including his understanding of the commonness of Kung-fu. He also made a presentation of applying his Kung-fu then for me.
   Pak Mei Quan emphasizes taking possession of the unique characteristics of south style Kung-fu, Liu Jin(six strength), Tun Tu(breathing out and in), Fa Jin(outburst of strength) and Hua Jin (discharge of attacking). Practicing or playing Ma Bu(standing as a horse) of Pak Mei Quan, one should keep his feet relative position with his knees bent Bu Ding Bu Ba (neither vertical nor posed as a Chinese character, eight…)then what will be the correct relationship between the requirements both in practicing and in real fighting? Is the Kai Zhuan Shi (opening movement)a normative starting of the Quan? Is it pragmatic? What should be practiced? How to Fa Jin, how to Chou Suo (pull back), how to use them in real fighting? What is the relationship between these innumerable questions and other different styles of the Quan and various kinds of Chinese Kung-fu?
    Recently, I had talked with Mr.Choi Wingsum for dozens of hours. When I saw his presentation in practicing his Kung-fu, I was deeply impressed. I think Choi is a man working really hard and his Kung-fu is developed on a high level. His Jing Jin(shocking strength) and Chou La Jin(the power in taking out and pulling) making me taken by storm are strong ones in Kung-fu field. I judge it so according to the common requirements and standard of Chinese Kung-fu.
Choi believes that Pak Mei Quan belongs to Nei Jia Quan (the Quan focusing on one's inner breathing and strength). Practicing Pak Mei Quan, we emphasis inner practices of Jin Gu Qi(muscle, bones and breathing). The Quan cannot be used without Jin Gu Qi. The practice focusing in Jin Gu Qi will be an important part in our later exercising courses taught by our masters.
"Practicing one's inner breathing inside and muscle, bones and skin outside", said by the Quan exercisers in north China for ages, has been coming down as a famous proverb in Chinese Kung-fu field. Conclusively, they take trek breathing practices as inner ones and the muscle, bones and skin practices as the external. This idea certainly differs to the one issued by South Shao Lin Kung-fu which takes the practice of muscle and bones still as inner practices. In the south part of China, the masters and exercisers of Kung-fu have already known to practice their Jin Gu in an inner way already being popular in Fujian and Guangdong Provinces. The practicing ways of muscle and bones are various, yet they have shared the common goals: by practicing their muscle and bones, they could stretch and shrink their Jin Gu making them strengthened to be available to gamer their powers and to attack their opponents in sending out Jing Bao Jin (shocking force in burst). Besides, by the inner moving of your muscle and bones, you can discharge and melt the coming strength made by your opponent to let him scratch his head over the parts of his body or the directions you are attacking. That's the target the South style Kung-fu requires the learners to practice their inner strength and their muscle and bones as well.
     Indeed, Zhang Liquan was a wonderful master of Chinese Kung-fu. The Pak Mei Quan taught by Zhang Liquan has really got the main characteristic of the Kung-fu schools in middle and south China. Paying attention to the contents of Pak Mei Quan circulated at present, we can totally see the necessary elements and characters strength and power, discharging outside forces attacked by his opponent by practicing and running his own inner power, teaching and training how to advance, back-off, how to move and use the upper, middle and lower parts of his body respectively and cooperatively when he is attacking and defending himself in real fighting:.
     Choi has studied Kung-fu for over thirty years getting his own understanding. As he said, he has been overcoming a lot of obstacles and difficulties and coming through repeated practices having his own understanding and conclusion.
(To be continued. In our next issue, we will have an introduction of Mr. Choi's further explanation for his Kung-fu and understanding of Pak Mei Quan.)

Chin Woo Wu Hu Spear I

    Chin Woo Wu Hu Spear I
    Wu Hu Qiang(five tiger spear), also goes by the alias Wu Hu ( five tiger) Zui Hun (fiercely attacking and pursuing your rival's pneuma) Qiang, is one of the skilled spears trained and practiced in Jing Wu (Kung-fu in a purity) Ti Yu Hui (sports institute). It was founded by a famous Kung-fu master named Zhao Zhilian from Cangzhou (a city located in Hebei Province, China). Its name reflects the specialty that you will make your spear stabbing your opponent like five tigers pouncing on him in a snap pressing and making him and others quite scared in feeling his own pneuma extremely being pursued by your spear instantaneously. Your spear, whenever attacking or
defending, wherever stabbing forward or backward, whether moving upward or downward, will be taken and stuck through the midline of your rival as a dominant stress blocking his throat with every thrust.
    The spear you hold has only one sharp lanceolated cusp. Its peculiarity is that you need to brandish the spear up and down freely in practicing. You should be moving dexterous in action and swift in every stretching and recoiling, thus you may master all the skills in long distance attacking and quick hitting. As the saying in Martial Arts field says that "stretching the spear in a beeline for each swift movement forward and backward never being seen and caught by others”, you should practice and get the skills in clipping spear Kung-fu as your tactics or even your As to many spear skills, we mainly take and emphasize Zhong(middle) Ping(level) Qiang(spear) stretching towards straightly making a beeline for the middle part of opponent's body with a dominant stress. The sharp lanceolated cusp and another tip of your spear should be kept in a beeline for the target on your opponent's body wherever. The moving routine of the spear is matched to the principle of the transformation of Yin (indicating any feminine or negative part in nature) and Yang (the masculine or positive parts). All your movements with your spear should also be coordinate with the actions of your body moving forward or backward, upward or downward, and dodging any attacking made by your opponent. The skills of your spear are emphasized blocking tightly and splitting fiercely. Beng (bursting) Na (seizing) Gou (hooking) Ti (lifting),Ban (removing) Lan (stopping) Pu (catching) Za (pricking), Tiao (picking) Dian (pointing) Feng (blocking) and Ya (pressing) are the twelve essential points of the spear skills. These spear skills have been contributed to a perfect integrity and, placed in the ten basic series of Martial Arts managed by Jing Wu Sports Institute. People practicing these spear skills well and proficiently will have got a great progress gradually strengthening their arms, waist and legs. It will benefit some new learners surely.
     I would like to introduce the Wu Hu Qiang practiced by the former general instructor Mr. Xie Shengren(1939--2000 ) from Jing Wu Sports Institute in Singapore as follows.
Chia Shue Foy, also named Shuhui, was borned in 1939 and died in 2000. He jointed the Chin Woo Sports Institute in Singapore in the early 1952 and began to study all kinds of Kung-fu in the institute, then he followed Sir Wei Yuanfeng to learn Kung-fu. From then on, he devoted himself to the Chin Woo Sports Institute in Singapore and brought up numerous talented people mastering Chinese traditional Kung-fu.

Ba Shi (movements) of Ma Sanyuan¡ˉs Xin Yi Quan

    Ba Shi (movements) of Ma Sanyuan’s Xin Yi Quan
    Liu He (six conformities) in Xin Yi Liu He Quan (boxing using one's heart and mind) associated in one stresses on Kung-fu and emphasizes Jin (strength) and Li (force). Though the movements of the main Shi Da Xing (ten big forms) and Xin Yi Ba (postures using one's heart and mind) are quite simple, the concerned requirements are very strict. Every movement or posture should own both external form and internal spirit. To sum up, there are Nei San He (three internal conformities) and Wai San He (three external conformities). Nei San He-in one means that your heart has to conform, to your mind, the mind, to Qi and Qi, to your strength. Wai San He means that your hands have to conform to your feet, your elbows, to your knees, and your shoulders, to your crotch. The Nei and Wai joined together are called Liu He. "Liu He means that the Nei plus the Wai" being the basic requirement of Xin Yi Liu He Quan. If you could meet the above mentioned requirements, you would certainly have strengthened the unity, harmony and agility of your whole body, minding, breathing, strength and spirit. Whatever and however you move in a whit, your whole body will be moving accordingly. Whenever or wherever you are being still, your whole body will be in a complete quiescence, you would be as alert and agile as an active monkey being so swift, agile and moving as sudden as lightning, your opponent would have no chance to fight back, since your whole body is confirmed into an entire part exerting its potential to a maximum extent and applying its strength to a great limitation. It is a kind of Jue Duan Jin (an absolute and broken strength) being a very powerful force, you will due become very accomplished in playing Kung-fu since you have been practicing it for ages called Jiu Jiu (nine times nine describing a long, long time) Wei Gong (being real Kung-fu). What level you might have been on in your achievement would not be reached by other ordinary players in Kung-fu field.
Once you are still, all your outside forms are drawn back to your "Xin Yi', your spirit and power would accumulate inside your body waiting for a moment to be sent out. Your ease and relaxation might be somewhat showed to others while your spirit and energy have been stored inside without any certain form or movement showed them outside but highly concentrated into a focus inside or outside whatever. It is concluded that "whenever you are in stillness, it will be quiet in all parts of your body and spirit."
     Motion and stillness, strength and softness are two kinds of opposite phenomenon. Liu He in one makes its elements combined organically requiting that the motion and stillness, as well as strength and softness as a few expression of Yang and Yin should be assisted in any practicing the Quan or even in real fighting. Whether or no practicing or viewing Xin Yi Quan, you should pay attention to both the internal and external, if Yin is contained between Yang, Yang, between Yin. Quan Jing (some formulas explaining boxing) says "you will find Yin between Yang and Yang between Yin. Whereas Yin and Yang are in the universe expressing all the sky and ground, thunder and lightning, or would be achieved perfectly in your Kung-fu movements being a complete part with their full spirit associated Yin Yang in one."
     In case your movements conform to the requirements issued by Quan Jing, the more you practice the Quan, the higher level you will reach in total achievement and the deeper and more interesting being valuable to be appreciated. Otherwise, it won't be a kind of art.
       1. Dan Ba (single movement)
         1 Keep a preparation of standing up and erase your complicated thoughts and relax your shoulders and droop your arms and hands down. Your waist must be in no force but drooped down with your head straightened upward supported by your Qi (interior breathing and strength). Have your eyes looking forward flatly. Your tongue should be touched your soft palate slightly. Raise your anus up slightly and keep your Qi sinking down in your Dan Tian (an acupoint located fight inside your navel).
      2. Bend your knees down a little bit. Raise your left foot closely abutting on the shinbone of your right foot. Shrink your body tweaking and turning leftward with your body moving like having a pan on your back. Lift your left hand up to your left ribs and raise your right hand up to your mouth. Your neck should be shrunk and your head, move facing upward slightly. Your eyes should be looked flatly at your front.
      3. Force your feet trampling both strongly on the ground and pull back your right hand in forcing as a motive power for your hitting with your left hand somewhat like sending out an arrow rushed out by a very strong bow. The sound you shout is following your hands moving and the hands moving will be falling down after your sound ceased. The Ding-shi (fixed movement) is Zuo Gong Bu (left bow stepping) Dan Ba (single movement). Zuo (left) The Ding Si and the fight should be exchanged to each other and practiced in alternation.
     The chart says:
     Dan Ba starts on to be led by your minding continuously. You make your body shrunk turning around and hold your Dan Tian closely. The bow pulled in extremity is like a full moon or a tiger holding his head. The string of the bow sounds clearly hitting a bird falling down but breaks itself.
     2. Shuang Ba (double movements)
1. The preparation style is the same as the above.
2. You shrink and bend down, move the center of your gravity to your right leg and keep your right knee facing the inside of your left bandy-legged knee. Let your hands drooping down closed by your knees, crotch and stomach, then push your hands pouncing onto your front. At the same time, force both feet stepping on the ground with your hands pressing down beside your left foot. Your head should be peaked up with your Qi rising upward slightly. Your eyes should be looked downward at your front. The Ding-shi is Zuo Gong Bu Pu Cai Shi.
      3. Move your left foot backward to the front of your right foot. Keep the tiptoe of your left foot a little bit up. Have your hands backward like grasping something through your stomach to the front of your breast. Move your body like having a pan on your back. Your neck should be shrunk and your head, move facing upward slightly. Your eyes should be looked forwards.
4. Force your feet stepping on the ground. Have your Zhong Jie (the middle part of your body) hitting with a Shu Chang Jin (a colligating and long force), move your hands pushing out through your breast at the same height of your breast. Keep your eyes looked at your front. The sound is following your hands moving and the hands moving will be falling down after the sound ceased. The Ding-shi (fixed movement) is Zuo Gong Bu (left bow stepping) Shuang Ba (double movements).
     The chart says that you should shrink your body and hold your Dan Tian in doing Kung-fu, touch and dredge all the main and collateral Jing Luo (channels for your Qi moving) inside your body without loosing your conscious minding. The backbone should be stretched like lodging a pan on your back shaping like an eagle or a bear, the force sent out by you from your Dan Tian sounding like thunder roaring.

 

An Introduction of Jia Pai Divided up within a Quan Zhong

An Introduction of Jia Pai Divided up within a Quan Zhong
Jia Pai (school or group), is generally referred to as a sort of different varieties or subspecies within a particular Quan Zhong (species or genres of boxing). In Mainland China, different styles of various individualities within a Quan Zhong would be normally qualified as unlike Jia Pai differed from each other with distinct Shi (branches usually denoted by diverse family names), Shi (styles) or Pai (groups). In Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Guangdong Province, those are primarily designated as Jia (schools), Pai or Jia Pai.
     Compared with Quan Zhong, the appearance or creation of different Jia Pai is attributable to the diversification of the marked individualities of martial arts. During the period of teaching and learning a Quan Zhong, a Jia Pai had been formed and come into being due to the learners with various personal experiences and understandings had inosculated their Kung-fu with what they had learned and practiced.
    So-called a style of individuality has been a general result summed into by what a pugilist has ever practiced and experienced for a long time and his particular understanding (including all the good qualities whatever he has absorbed and gathered from other schools of Quan). On the other hand, it might be formed by a pugilist who, in order to give prominence to his individuality, purposely added or abandoned something in the content of the martial arts he learned.
     Quan Zhong can also be formed along with the historical development and maturity of a certain or more Jia Pai. In fact, the existing or newly emerging Quan Zhong nowadays also own some styles or particularity of various individualities somewhat similar to Jia Pal at the beginning of their formation. They might also be a combination or association of some local colored collective wisdom within different Quans. For example, the well-known Xing Yi Quan (forming and minding boxing) was derived from Xin Yi Quan (minding and intending boxing). Cai Li Fo (Cai school, the Li and the Buddha school) Quan belonging to Nan Pal (the south group) has getting its name because it bears the most of the contents of Cai Jia Quan (the Cai school boxing), Li Jia Quan (the Li school) and Fo Jia Quan (the Buddha school). In addition, many Quan Zhong come from the north and south of China mostly came into being after the separation and development of some earlier formed Quan Zhong.
     In recent years, some Pai ofTai Ji Quan (shadow boxing), such as Chen Jia Pai (Chen school) and Yang Jia Pal (Yang school) and so on, almost advocate roughly the same theory though, but widely diverge from each other with their understandings, researching and practicing ways and exercises. Compared with many existing Quan Zhong come from the north and south of China nowadays, those various styles of Tai Ji Quan seem to be different ones.
     Making a comprehensive view over any or all Quan Zhong and Jia Pai in the kaleidoscope of traditional martial arts, we can notice they are not on the same level and layer. We can recognize different levels and layers by thinking about the various kinds of Chinese traditional Kung-fu with their comprehensive culture contents and what the martial artists have been exercising in one sort has been emphasized already with his general cultural quality.
     Absorbing, gathering and abstracting the common characteristics and the cores of the theories and practicing experiences of any or all Quan Zhong and Jia Pai, we will get that all kinds of Chinese traditional Kung-fu surely being a Da Jia (a huge household).

An Explanation of Four Methods in Gu Lao Wing Chun Quan:

An Explanation of Four Methods in Gu Lao Wing Chun Quan:
Da Nian Tou (big idea): This kind of Kung-fu is mainly applied to your attack or defense onto the middle part and the upper of your opponent's body. You can send out your forces with your hitting in clapping your hands inside or outside. You can also clap your hands at first layer. Nei, the second or the third. Your forearms will be the first layer, while the elbows and the arms, the second and the third respectively. The requirement is the same as stated above when you are practicing Tan Shou (spreading hands).
     You should strike your opponent onto the center of his eyebrows as well as his nose and eyes by applying the principle in attacking midline of your own Zheng Zhang (central vertical palm).
Xiao Nian Tou (small idea): Practicing your attack or defense with your marked fists onto the middle part and the lower of your opponent's body, you can hit him on his oxter, belly and rids by making use of the middle stance of your body.
Bang Shou (binding your hands): When you are guarding against the attacks sent by your opponent onto the middle part and the lower of your body, you can send out your forces sideward, forward, upwards, backward or downward at some varions angles. You can force your opponent's gravity center sidelong, and change your outer hand into an inner in either a little or more. You can press your opponent's elbows and armpit by applying an action in moving along a small arc, stirring up his Qiao Gan (bridge pole), mainly attacking his throat and chin in shoveling his neck.
     Chou Di Chui (striking your opponent under your sleeve): You should mainly attack the center of your opponent's chest where his heart is located around. The sleeves of the ancient dress in China had been relatively large, so it's hard for your opponent to judge the strike you are sending under your sleeve hiding your hands or fists in mystery.
     Lan Qiao (barring bridg): You should block the attack made by your opponent from the middle way and the upper, in closing and pressing his Qiao Shou (dridge hand).You can either attack his neck, nose or chest bu using the hand method in both attacking and defendingl.
Note: You can lessen the area being attacked, counteract your opponent’s strength, strengthen your striking power and get advantaged position by Zhuan Ma (changing your horse-riding stance), Zhuˍan Yao (turning your waist), or Chu Jian (making your shoulders outward)

 

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