When was White Crane brought to Guangdong province

In the last article, we discussed the White Crane and Wing Chun connection. Here we will discuss the time frame and the historical period when White Crane came to Guangdong province. We can say for sure that White Crane was brought to Guangdong  as early as the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty.

Yongchun White Crane Boxing was introduced to Guangdong by Zhou Zichao (1760-1837), a general from the Yongchun White Crane school. Zhou Zichao, a native of Yongchun County, was a bright young man from a wealthy family who practiced both literature and martial arts from a young age, possessing extraordinary strength. He first passed the military examination, and then in 1793, during the 58th year of Qianlong's reign, he went to Beijing for the imperial examination, ranking third in the first class of military examinations, and was appointed as a bodyguard to the emperor. He accompanied the emperor to Rehe, where he bravely captured an assassin, earning him a one-eyed peacock feather and the title of Martial Merit General. Later, he was ordered to Xiamen to lead the navy in defending the coastal waters, and for his military achievements, he was promoted to Assistant Commander of Yazhou and General of Haimen, Guangdong, concurrently in charge of Pinghai. During his tenure as General of Haimen, Guangdong, Zhou Zichao was very strict in managing his troops, emphasizing their martial arts and combat training. During military martial arts training, Zhou Zichao personally taught the soldiers White Crane Boxing, thus spreading the Yongchun White Crane Boxing art to Guangdong. As we can see, some form of Yongchun White Crane reached Guangdong province by the very end of 1700's and very early 1800's. 

Next wave of White Crane practitioners came to Guangdong a few decades later. Lin Jun (also known as Lin Wanqing, courtesy name Shixiao), a martial arts student from Yongchun, was the son of Lin Jieyun, a martial arts graduate. He came from a family with a strong martial arts tradition, was skilled in Yongchun White Crane Boxing, and excelled in riding and archery.  He was renowned for his chivalry and willingness to fight injustice. After the Opium War, witnessing corruption and the collapse of society, Lin Jun resolved to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Under the guise of teaching martial arts, he mobilized a large group of people in Yongchun, Dehua, and Nan'an, gathering them at Jinfeng Temple, Wanchun Village, Kuixing Rock, and Shanmen Rock to practice martial arts diligently. In 1853, during the reign of Emperor Xianfeng, Lin Jun gathered several thousand followers, calling himself the Red Coin Society, and launched an uprising in Dehua County in response to the Taiping Rebellion. Lin Jun's rebel army fought across Fujian, conquering eighteen prefectures and counties. Wherever they went, they opened granaries to relieve the poor, released prisoners, and posted proclamations in the name of Hong Xiuquan, calling on the people to rise up and overthrow the Qing government. Their actions shook Fujian, and Hong Xiuquan bestowed upon them the title of "Heroic King of Three Thousand Years." In 1857, during the seventh year of the Xianfeng Emperor's reign, Lin Jun led his army north to join forces with the Taiping Army. He was attacked and killed in Shunchang, northern Fujian. His more than ten thousand men were scattered and displaced, some eventually fleeing to Southeast Asia and to Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Guangdong provinces. Many of his followers were originally disciples of Yongchun White Crane Fist or martial arts masters. To evade capture by the authorities, they went into hiding, working odd jobs or teaching martial arts for a living. The martial arts they taught originated in Yongchun, and locals referred to it as "Yongchun Fist" taught by "Master Yongchun."

Yongchun Fist spread to Guangdong, being taught in Nanxiong, Zhaoqing, and most importantly for our research, some of Lin Jun's men reached the Red Boat Opera Troupe.