A Legend

In a sleepy little town , hidden in a valley between three mountains , where everyone know everyone else and there are no secretes among people lives very special man . On the first glance he is no different than anyone else , he goes to work , sometimes plays guitar , he likes to go out for a drink with friends , enjoys good movie , domestic food and Sunday sleep . But he has a secret , every day to a small group of carefully selected students he teaches kung fu.

This looks like a plot from Hong Kong kung fu movie bit it is a true story . In small town in western Serbia , Kosjeric , lives and works one of the best Wing Tsun masters in Europe. Although he learned his art from one of the first kung fu practitioners and later masters of WT in Europe, Slavko Truntic he never used his name to hide behind it. His art is his own and he always put his own name and his own “face’” behind his Wing Tsun . He is one of the few people I’ve met who truly understood the art and made it his own . He doesn’t like term “master” but he is one , a true master of the art . He does not follow the system blindly, he is no slave to the form, he is not afraid to experiment ,to test , to try different ways and approaches and eventually to adapt the art to him self . He is practicing Wing Tsun for almost three decades . For all these time he had a handful of carefully selected students. At one point he had a public school and that school was the most successful Wing Chun school in Serbia with 120 studens. Other Wing Chun “masters” couldn’t stand this and gave their best to sabotage his school. Finally , using political connections with ministry of sports they manage to close his school. He retreat from public scene and continued his work quietly with couple of relatives and close friends . He chooses his students carefully and for a good reason. His students are treated like his own family , literary. To them. He is not only a teacher , he is a father, an older brother , protector , advisor , anything that is required at particular moment . His students found not only a Wing Tsun teacher but someone who is there for them in moments of deepest crisis , when everyone else gave up on them. When students are unhappy ,depressed , have love problems , family issues , couldn’t find a job , needed advice about something , they all turned to their teacher .He does not teach only wing tsun , he teaches his students how to become good, honest , hardworking people , how to be respected members of the community and how to set an example for others . Moral and ethics comes before everything. And before that comes deepest respect to humanity and care about nature and all living things .

He also teaches survival and military tactical training . His training sessions are extremely hard ,sometimes ruthless , but there is no other way to teach real thing . And all this time , almost 30 years , he stayed quiet , keeping low profile . Modest , humble, quiet , but fierce fighter , a true warrior ,wise , caring person , it might look like a fictional character ,but he is true , one few true masters of the art , my friend and kung fu brother, Ivan Stefanovic 

WCK - WC (Wing Chun- White Crane) connection

There are many versions of wing chun history and each of these versions place origin of the art on different place and in different time . Furthermore most of these versions of “history” tend to give definitive answers about origin and development of wing chun , usually without any research of any kind. There are very little real research on this subject and almost all were done by nonprofessionals without any method in collecting , sorting , interpreting and verifying the data .

On the other hand , historical research in some small parts doesn’t have to be purely concentrated on collecting historical and archeological information and it doesn’t require a degree in history or archeology , but it does require some knowledge in technical aspects of wing chun and some other arts.

It is widely believed that Fujian White Crane is predecessor of Wing Chun . It is also common believe that White Crane is mixed with some other art and that mixture became wing chun. Most version take as other art , which was mixed with white crane , some form of snake style kung fu, at least that is what popular legends are telling us.

There are also group of White Crane masters from Taiwan who believe that Wing Chun is sub style of White Crane . I will return to this claim little later.

Before I start , I want to say that I also did some historical research regarding the origin and development of Wing Chun and I gave my best to uphold the standards of scientific method . My findings shaped my view on the matter of wing chun history but it is also important to say that I do not claim to have any definitive answer or definitive version of history of the art. Furthermore I am not a historian nor archeologist , I have master’s in Economics and organization sciences , and although I did gave my best to do research according to scientific standards , not being a professional in required fields my research should be taken with a reserve ( as much as all others) . I am open and really looking forward for new , better researches and new information which can give some better view on the history of the art we all love so much and also can help my research and make it more complete and more accurate. My version of history can be seen here

http://penglaimartialarts.blogspot.tw/2015/02/wing-chun-history-another-angle.html

Now , what I want to share is technical comparison of two old southern fighting styles ,  Wing Chun and Zong He quan ( style of White Crane). Both styles are old and both styles are preserved in their original form, from the time of foundation. Both style were founded around the same time although Snake Crane Wing Chun is little older.

I am practicing Wing Chun for a very long time and  I also practice Zonghe quan in a close group of practitioners led by Master Hong Guo Rong in Tainan, Taiwan for two years or  more. I am not Zong He expert but I do have ,if nothing else, a basic knowledge of the style .

Being practitioner of both styles I am in a situation to make an accurate comparison of these two fighting arts.  Both styles are almost identical when we talk about basic principles and theories , I can say more than 95 % of basic principles , strategies , theories are identical , it name of the style is not specified it wouldn't be possible to determine whether they are talking about SCWC or Zong He . Of course 5% are different and these 5% are what give both styles different appearance and different expression of techniques and training . It is just like DNA  comparison of human kind and apes , there are only 2% difference in DAN sequence while 98% are identical ,but these 2% are what makes all the difference . 

While  different on first glance , closer look reveals many identical things on purely technical level . It is important to notice that I am talking about identical , not similar things . Two most important things that are identical are body structure of the basic stance and power generation . Position of the spine , neck , area know on Chinese as"kwa" ( hips \ pelvic area ) , knees , distance between feet , all these things are identical . Power generation , concept and technology of generating , focusing and releasing power are also identical. These two things are the most important parts of any Chinese martial style , the basic foundation on which any given style is built . Furthermore , many hand positions and way of their application are identical . Of course , there are a lot of differences , but thous differences are on combat application level . For example , both arts have different footwork , but the way of transferring weight , center of gravity and keeping balance during the movement are identical. All hands positions from WC can be found in Zong He ,although Zong He has some hand techniques which cannot be found in WC . Chi sao is also in some segments completely the same , for example "big huen sao" platform in both styles is the same , Both styles have several other chi sao platforms but the way of applying them and purpose of practice is the same ,as well as power management , whether is releasing of power or managing incoming power . Movements are different but basic principles and bio mechanics behind those movements are the same.

I could write a lot more details but this is enough and all this identical things leads to one possible conclusion , both arts came from the same source . There was no mixing Withe Crane with some other art it is just  a different path of development influenced by different historical , geographical , political , cultural and environmental factors as well as other factors connected to the personal lives and personal characteristic of people who developed the style over time like education, character , believes ect.  At the end I can say , if I would be forced to use Zong He in confined space such is a boat or some narrow passage , it would look like WC ,

“External” vs “Internal”

There is an everlasting battle between so called “internal” and “external” fighting styles. On one side we have styles defined as “internal” which put their emphasis on neigong training , spending much if not all of their training developing a kind of internal energy which gives a practitioner superior fighting abilities . On the other side ,”external” style spend much of their training in developing physical attributes for fighting like strength ,speed , reflexes, ability to take a punch … Both groups consider them self as superior and both have their reasons for that , whether they are true or not .

Internal styles consider them self as more sophisticated, more advanced, more developed, sometimes even more intellectual. Often they back up their claims with history records where some famous ancestor had tremendous fighting abilities ( although this is true for all Chinese martial styles) . As a rule, these styles have very detailed and precise theoretical basis (sometimes maybe overdeveloped and too complicated) on which they build their techniques, training, and fighting approach.

Again, as a rule internal styles as a major part of their practice have cultivation of internal energy for health reasons and prolonging life. Sometimes complete practice is dedicated to this goal without martial elements.  

External styles consider them self as a superior fighting systems and they base their claims in fact that only external styles participate in full contact competitions and only external styles are proved as combat efficient in real , full contact conditions. And, in most cases, they are right about that .

The question is , what group of martial arts is better, internal or external? Or , is there really an internal\external dichotomy and where is its root?

I wrote before about historical root of internal vs external divide. “Internal”, “soft”,” Taoist” ,Wudang  and “external”, ”hard”, “Buddhist” Shaolin systems. This classification first time was used (and invented) at Gou Shu academy by Sun Lu Tang , Li Cun Yi and their close friends in the early 1920’s. Being practitioners of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Xing I (main representatives of “internal” styles) leading people of the Gou Shu academy including Sun Lu Tang and Lu Cu Yi , for purely marketing purposes separated their arts from all others by declaring them “wudang internal stylys” while all the rest fell into category of external or Saholin styles . This classification took deep roots and very soon led to a constant duels between shaolin and wudang styles which became very serious in the beginning of 1930”s.

Today , the real problem , more on the West than it is the case on the East ,comes from misunderstanding of weigong and neigong training. There is actually no external\internal dichotomy . Yes , external training is what most people think it is , developing physical attributes for fighting . On the other hand , internal training is largely misunderstood ,sometimes to the point that people think this kind of practice will give them some superhuman abilities. Simply, purpose of internal training is to increase body efficiency, efficiency of movement , speed, power …but , if there is nothing to increase , internal training without external is for the most part useless. Internal training, and if you want ’internal” skills are natural evolutionary step of external practice , without external , internal has no sense , like having a sniper rifle and bullet but without gun powder , and practicing shooting with that weapon.

In every martial style , after a significant time of training, practice will be slowly transformed and moved to the area of internal .Of course this is the case if we understand internal as a biomechanical efficiency and not some mystical , unexplainable force which creates superhumans .

The truth is , and I have to be blunt here , some people hate physical engagement of any kind . They don’t like to work hard , they are afraid of pain but they want to practice martial arts ad to feel some achievement ,therefore they will believe in ”internal” energies which will some day transform them in tremendous fighters ,or even warriors( seems this term is very popular among martial artists , especially among ones who never experienced war).

On the other hand, there are people who only believe in external training methods and they do not want and often cannot understand internal training.

As we can see , external and internal not only that can coexist but actually naturally follow one another and together push martial skills on the highest level. Separated , they can be limiting factor in training and mislead a practitioner to a completely wrong practice path

New wing chun style on Taiwan

Having luck that late Bruce Lee practiced that particular style , Yip Man's wing chun was for decades , even on the East , considered the only wing chun style and it certainly has the most followers everywhere . The truth about other styles , even the fact that they exist was not known outside Hong Kong and Foshan, and often deliberately hidden by follower of Yip Man and his style . On Taiwan for decades only Yip Man's style was practiced and  there was no other choice . Not that I have anything against Yip Man or his style , it is  good , efficient martial style , I practiced it my self for years , but it is always good to have a choice , the opportunity to try and find an art which is best fit for someone . Now , situation is changed and a lot of information about different wing chun styles surfaced out. Fortunately , Yip Man's style is not the only style available on Taiwan . I am practicing Snake Crane Wing Chun , a style kept among Law family members since the day when the art was created among Red Boat opera members . Historically speaking it is the oldest known style which was preserved over time in its original form. It is a window in the past still in its original form as it was in 1850's  . I fell in love with the style immediately and now I spending all my free time practicing it . I will post couple of video clips to show what am I doing and how , and soon the book about techniques and theory of this specific style , written by my teacher , Sifu Wayne Yung will be available .

Teaser for video story about my kung fu on Taiwanese TV

Emei , between myth and reality

Emei mountain , one of four holy Buddhist mountains and third most significant kung place, right after Shaolin and Wudang . According to some “sources” Emei kung fu is more than 2000 years old , first styles emerged before fist Chinese dynasty and actually , Emei kung fu is the oldest kung fu in whole China.

Other “sources” put creation of Emei styles in different time periods , from prehistory to 17^th century and many of these “histories” include various legendary figures who can be found in better known Shaolin and Wudang  “histories”.

Emei kung fu styles are described as efficient as Shaolin styles but also have internal component developed as much as it is in Wudang styles if not more .

Some older sources are talking about only one , single Emei style , while today there are undefined number of different styles

When we give closer look at Emei kung fu history one thing soon becomes pretty  obvious. Creation myths(“histories”) about Wudang and Shaolin are really detailed, there are large number of books that cover this specific subject and at first glance these books leave an impression they are written after serious historical and archeological research . Today we know that classification to Wudang and Shaolin styles was invented in Goshu academy during Republican period in China . Also it is very well known fact  Wudang and Shaolin were not places for research and development of  kung fu . Kung fu was never practiced in Wudang before early 1930’s while in Shaolin martial arts were practiced by individuals who brought them there , there was no Shaolin kung fu .

Myth , actually group of stories about origin of Emei kung fu are comparing to  wudang and shaolin stories very short ,with scant information , often contradict each other although these stories share some common characteristics

This situation is not a surprise , just as it is a case with Wudang and Shaolin creation stories , Emei creation stories are pure fiction , with one significant difference , development time . While stories about Wudang and Shaolin had almost a century to evolve ( first Shaolin storiy can be found  in 1905, wudang stories are from early 1930’s ) and these places were and still are very popular if not the most popular kung fu places , interest about Emei didn’t exist until recently , although there are some mention about styles practiced on Emei in republican period. No one talked about Emei until “kung fu craze” in the late 1970”s and beginning of the 1980’s.

China was closed until recently and travel to Emei was almost impossible and there were no practitioners of Emei kung fu outside China (which is very peculiar). For these reasons there was no interest for this styles therefore there was no need for any “histories”.  Situation changed in last couple of decades, China is open now and great number of people hurried and still hurry to find and learn some exotic and still undiscovered styles hidden in inner China .Now , when interest started to raise there was a need for “histories” because that is very important for many people . On the other hand , there was not enough time to developed “histories” in such detail like it was the case with other two kung fu ‘centers”. Crude stories , with very little information and no details , but with very clear message about what style is superior to all others show that development time was short , most likely these stories were written by single individuals to promote their styles and there was no time (nor will) for information exchange , that is why stories are so different from one another. Lack of details clearly shows that stories cannot be older than one generation.

This , of course doesn’t mean that no kung fu was practiced on Emei  mountain . Styles practiced  there were common styles for northen China like Pi Gua , long Fist, Tai Chi and many others but we cannot talk about some specific group of Emei styles .

The truth is , until decade ago there were not more than 10 kung fu practitioners on Emei mountain . During cultural revolution, communist government killed a great number of kung fu masters and few lucky survived but they couldn’t practice openly nor have students so whatever they knew it was not passed to new generations.

It is also a truth that today new “old” , original , secret styles are discovered almost daily , together with new grandmasters , masters ect. I think the rate of style discovering is proportional to a number of foreign visitors. Closer look on that “old, original, secret” styles clearly show that these styles are nothing more than modern wushu , sometimes mixed with some of the traditional styles . Also it is obvious that all these Emei masters, grandmasters and couches are professional wu shu performance artists.  

In the future it is highly possible that some new “old, original:” center if kung fu will be discovered , when Emei fashion pass and people start to search for something new and more exotic

Kung fu in schools 2

Teaching kids is a big challenge , especially when we talk a out kung fu . Young practitioners are not quite interested in complicated theories neither they are eager to spend hours practicing basic techniques over and over again. If it is not interesting , constantly  changing , fun , if it doesn't keep their attention all the time , kids will not engage kung fu training. The point is to  develop kid's physical attributes , strength , speed , reflexes using a wide range of drills and exercises in a form of games which will keep kids attention occupied constantly . Games must change quickly and not suppose to be longer than 4-5 minutes . Although , drills (games) do not look like traditional kung fu drills they develop same attributes as  drills used in traditional kung fu training .Here are some of the exercises i use in my class

Introduction to Snake Crane Wing Chun Hand techniques

Snake Crane Wing Chun is one of the oldest Wing Chun styles today . Kept in secret until recently this style still preserves original teachings and techniques of the first generation of  masters and creators of the art . Being a family style , known to only handful of people over the years , style was preserved in its original form , kept from any outside influences . All techniques , concepts and principles are exactly the same as they were in 1850 , when the style was created in Red Boat opera company . 

One of Snake Crane Wing Chun basic concepts is ‘snake reel and crane withstand’.  Just as the snake suddenly attack and in the moment of contact curls around the victim completely disabling any movement in SCWC this concept is used in hand and leg techniques to stick and\or trap the opponents bridge hands and make their attacks or defense activities completely  blocked.  “Crane withstand “ represents the concept of resistance to the  opponent’s violent and powerful attacks by the momentum built up on hand bridge or foot. This force is generated using the proper SCWC body structure and sent throughout the body to the bridges to meet and resist incoming force by neutralizing it several different ways . Sake Crane Wing Chun demonstrates both , the snake and crane motions in three hand forms . What is interesting , while morphologically  we can clearly divide movements on snake movements and crane movements  ,one movement can have snake or crane characteristics , which depends of the situation and the quality , characteristic and type of the force used for that particular movement .Of course this requires a lot of training and it is not a skill which beginners can completely understand .

Like in most of the other Wing Chun styles , in Snake Crane Wing Chun is believed that moves come from the "Snake and Crane competing to their  best” 「蛇鶴爭暉」.   What does really "Snake and Crane competing to their  best” mean?   Snake and crane movements have distinct characteristic and are built upon specific concepts and principles , physical ,that determine specific ways of force generation and structural alignment , and fighting concepts and principles , that determine the technology of using the specific movement in a fighting situation .  Snake Crane Wing Chun combines the best features of snake and crane movements into a simple , yet extremely efficient and effective fighting style .  Morphologically , snake techniques are Tan Sau, Lan Sau, Fok Sau , LapSau etc, while the crane techniques are  Ton Kiu, Guan Sau and Bong Sau etc.   The following briefly describes several techniques of the snake and crane motions of Snake Crane Wing Chun.

Snake’s hand techniques:

Tan Sau(Palm side up):  The” palm up block “(snake head reversed) moves from the side of waist to the center of the body.  Then moves and extends outwards to block the opponent’s bridge along the centerline.

Lan Sau(Blocking hand): The palm like a snake head moves from the side of the waist to the centerline of the body and extends outwards to block directly the opponent’s bridge hand along the centerline.

Fok Sau(Lying hand): the palm moves out from the centerline, such as the snake head going  quickly outwards, blocking and lying on the opponent’s bridge hand.

Lap Sau(Grabbing hand): Tan Sau ,when the palm is turned around or LanSau can be easily changed into a lap sau. The fingers are open and they pointing forward  whiled the thumb pointing to the ground reminding on a snake’s open  mouth.  Fingers grab and hold the target, and then pull back.  This technique look just like the snake head  attacking  the victim with wildly open mouth while fingertips looks like a fangs. After biting the victim snake will pull back her body quickly ,  that’s why the last motion of the techniques is pulling back. 

Crane’s hand techniques:

Ton Kiu(Swallow bridge hand):  Upper arm is ideally parallel with the ground , but necessarily , and forearm and arm make 135 degrees angle . This block is usually used to cover upper gates. 

Guan Sau(Cultivating hand): Lower  block usually used to protect lower gates from various attacks. It is performed just like a crane’s wing lowered down in a sweeping movement ,”cleaning “ and “picking up” everything that coms toward the lower gates

 

Bong Sau(Crane’s wing hand): It is performed by rolling the forearm out and the raising the elbow up, the fingertips are moving forward toward the center of the opponent . Bong sau can be performed to cover lower, middle and upper gates.

"Internal" and origin of martial arts

There isn’t a Chinese martial system today in which “internal” part couldn’t be found .All CMA today offer not only a way to increase combat efficiency of the practitioner but also a methods of “internal” training for health purposes and personal development .Some systems are completely dedicated to “internal” training disregarding fighting aspects of the art. These “internal” aspects are explained through traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine usually using concepts of Taoism , Confucianism and I-Ching . Some people even use this “internal” part to prove superiority of their arts and also originality claiming that systems in which “internal” part ( qi gong ) cannot be found are incomplete and not original ones. Using theories borrowed from Taoist cosmology and I-ching , often making them more complicated and harder to for understanding certain people are trying to put them self in a position above all other martial arts practitioners trying to convince others how they are the only ones who possess some exclusive knowledge and skills .

Is this really true ? Are the systems with “internal” ,”health “ part really more complete and more original? 

Let’s see what historical facts have to say about that.

During Ching dynasty martial arts looked pretty much different than today . Purpose of martial arts was –fighting, nothing more and nothing else . Main focus in training was weapon training, empty hand systems either didn’t exist or they took small part in training , usually at the very beginning of the training .Complete empty hand systems did not appear until middle of 19^th century when fire arms completely replaced old weapons . People practiced martial arts during Ching dynasty for purpose of pursuing a military , security or law enforcement career (have in mind that law enforcement during Ching dynasty was quite different form today) . Training was completely dedicated to fighting efficiency and no internal training was involved in it. Qi gong was not an integral part of martial arts during the Ching dynasty period, neither was part of martial arts during the rule of previous dynasties. Vast majority of martial artist were illiterate and they couldn’t understand today’s theories, neither they could teach someone something like that. It was not before the very end of the Ching dynasty period when “qi gong” started to be incorporated into martial systems and that trend continued and accelerated during republican period. No one practiced martial arts for health purposes before republican period and that trend was supported by the government. By the end of Ching’s rule martial arts became popular among wealthy social class of merchants who led the development of martial systems in the direction of empty hands techniques and started to incorporate other things in their training, like qi gong . It is pretty obvious that qi gong and martial techniques developed separately and for a good reason, while qi gong is dedicated to perseverance and prolonging life and maintaining good health, martial arts have completely opposite purpose , destruction of life and health of the opponent . One thing is also important , some method of training like some “iron shirt” or similar methods (today wrongly marked as “qi gong” methods ) directly shortened the practitioners life for decades , goal of this training systems was purely martial and health of the practitioner was completely disregarded. We have no evidence, written or any other kind that qi gong was integral part of martial arts prior the republican era. 

“Internal”, “soft”,” Taoist” ,Wudang  and “external”, ”hard”, “Buddhist” Shaolin systems. This classification first time was used (and invented) at Gou Shu academy by Sun Lu Tang , Li Cun Yi and their close friends in the early 1920’s. Being practitioners of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Xing I (main representatives of “internal” styles) leading people of the Gou Shu academy including Sun Lu Tang and Lu Cu Yi , for purely marketing purposes separated their arts from all others by declaring them “wudang internal stylys” while all the rest fell into category of external or Saholin styles . This classification took deep roots and very soon led to a constant duels between shaolin and wudang styles which became very serius in the beginning of 1930”s . Today some people refer to Emei styles as something between Shaolin and Wudang styles but we can’t find and classification nor metion of “Emei” styles before cultural revolution in China.

More confusion comes from the fact that many people use term Qi to describe biomechanical efficiency of “internal” styles. There is nothing internal in Tai Chi , Ba  Gua or any other “internal” style’s combat techniques . We do not talk about Qi in its original meaning because there is nothing internal in these techniques, it is simply a specific way of using the body - skeleton, joints, tendons … There is nothing mystical in that , there are no “energies” or anything that cannot be explained and measured by physics , biology , kinesiology . ect. Simply a body used in certain way, joints and skeleton have to assume specific posture ( alignment) in order to increase power or eliminate (incoming)force . It is important to note that all martial arts systems use this kind of biomechanical efficiency to the certain point , some more , some less . 

It is important to note that "internal" or soft approach is rather new in  Chinese martial arts and we can't find completely "internal" , soft systems before middle of the 19th century , despite of many "histories" where creation of many systems is put far back in the past .

 Taoism , Confucianism , I-ching , Buddhism are used today to explain martial training , concepts and applications of techniques. It is common believe that martial arts were developed as Buddhist or Taoist arts but as we could see that is not true. Using , mostly Taoist teachings and I ching to describe martial arts are work of one man , Sun Lu Tang , the most influential martial artist of all times. He was not only an excellent practitioner of martial arts but also highly educated which was extremely rare at time. He had a knowledge , will and means to combine his martial experience with classical Chinese philosophy. When Ba Gua practitioners talk of their forms as physical embodiment of I Ching they quoting Sun Lu tang , Same goes for Tai Chi practitioners who say that their art is good for health and aligning their energies with energy of Tao. Same goes for Xing I practitioners who say that 5 forms of their art interact like 5 basic elements of Taoist cosmology .  In several books published in the late 1920"s and 1930's , Sun Lu Tang formed modern view on martial arts , especially on Ba Gua , Tai Chi and Xing Yi , arts that he was master of . Before his books were published we can’t anyone who used traditional Chinese philosophy and traditional medicine to describe any martial art. 

This is what history has to say about “internal” and “externa’,  Shaolin, Wudang and Emei , Qi Gong and their relations and connections to martial arts .

Literature :

"Chinese martial arts : From Antiquity to 21st century"                            Peter A. Lorge

"China's cultural heritage: the Qing dynasty"                                             Richard.J Smith

"Chinese history'"                                                                                      Endymion P. Willkinson

"Warfare in Chinese History"                                                                     Hans J. Van de Ven,

 "A Military History of China"                                                            Robin Higham & David A. Graff

"Soldiers of the Dragon: Chinese Armies 1500 BC–1840 AD"                 C.J.Pe

 " Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals"                                                Brian Kennedy & Elizabeth Guo

 "Chinese boxing Masters and Methods"                                                   Robert W.Smth

"The study of Xing I boxing"                                                                    Sun Lu Tang

"The study of Tai Chi boxing"                                                                   Sun Lu Tang

"The study of Ba Gua boxing"                                                                  Sun Lu Tang

"The true essence boxing"                                                                          Sun Lu Tang 

"A study of Shaolin and Wudang"                                                             Tang Hao

"Secrets of Sholin boxing"                                                                         Tang Hao

"The qi fist classics"                                                                                    Tang Hao

"Taichi boxing and Neijia boxing:                                                                Tang Hao

Wing Chun in Schools

Many school kids on Taiwan practice Taekwondo , in some schools this sport is part of regular  physical education program.Here , where the purest and oldest forms of Chinese kung fu are still preserved and practiced I though it is not right to teach a foreign art to kids in Taiwan .I started to teach one of the oldest , if not the oldest wing chun styles in couple of school in Tainan . Here are some footage from classes ...

From ancient China to 21th century Europe .

My article published in latest ''New Martial Hero" magazine issue

One of the greatest and probably best known achievements of classical Chinese civilization is kung fu . Chinese civilization is one of the oldest on the world and Chinese culture in it’s essence contains every possible human experience .A product of that enormous experience, an answer to every possible challenge is a practice of self development called Kung fu. Today , Chinese martial arts belong to everyone and they enriched lives of millions of people all around the world.

                                               Fang Shi-Pei (方世培)(1834-1886)

The most popular arts are certainly Tai Chi Chuan and Wing Chun .While everyone know about these two arts there are large number of lesser known arts, still hidden from world ,unique in their structure , techniques and martial approach. One of these hidden jewels is rare form of White Crane Kung fu , Shaking or Vibrating Crane (Zong He Quan). Zong He Quan is very specific style of White Crane , probably the softest s of all Crane styles . It was founded by Fang Shi-Pei (方世培)(1834-1886) also known as Fang Fei-Shi (方飞石) in the last decades of the Qing Dynasty rule . Master Li (李师) taught Fang Shi-Pei at the Tian-Zhu Temple on Mount Cha Shan for about 10 years . Master Li (李师)was a third generation student of Master Zheng Long (郑龙). Master Zheng Long passed away in 1755 and was a student of Zheng Li who was one of the original 28 students from Yong Chun village in Fujian Province. During his studies under Master Li ., Fang Shi-Pei  noticed a pattern in animal behavior and natural occurrences which led him to believe that Chi is activated by vibrating/shaking movements and sound articulation. Using his previous knowledge and his discovery he created new style of White Crane boxing.

Fang Shi-Pei had many students , among them was Fang Shao-Qi who brought the art to Taiwan and taught students in Kaoshiung, Tainan and Yanshui. Fang Shao-Qi had many students like: Tong Jin-Long, Lin Xi-Di, Li Dong-Liang, Chen Bo, Lin Se, Chuo Ching and many, others.

               Zhao Yi Di (趙依俤) with his 4 students (last one on the left is Hong Guo Rong)

Chou Ching passed the art to to Zhao Yi Di (趙依俤). Zhao Yi Di was low profile teacher and he had only four students .One of these four students is Hong Guo Rong from Tainan .Hong Guo Rong is just an ordinary man, modest ,humble and quiet. He doesn’t attract attention, his behavior is just the opposite, he doesn’t want any. .No one would ever guess he is one of the best kung fu teachers in Tainan. Like his own teacher , he had only small number of students and it is not easy to even find his school and it is even harder to be accepted as his student As a teacher, master Hong is very strict, every little detail must be perfect. On the other hand , word “impressive” does not cover level and amount of his knowledge .

Teacher Hong Guo Rong by the altar dedicated to Fang Shi Pei , founder of Zong He Quan

Teacher Hong with his students

I have started my martial arts journey in 6^th grade . At first I have practiced Karate and Judo . Several years later, in 1989 I have discovered Wing Chun and never stopped  practicing it until this day .One of my teaches and man who greatly influenced my view of the art and life its self is Bobby Gabershek , one of the most influential wing chun masters in European continent . He is the man who invented CQB(close quarter combat)and still using traditional wing chun in his training system ,adapted for special military and police forces and body guards .I have learned practical wing chun and that approach helped me in several occasions , especially in a war against terrorists and invading forces in 1999 . where I participated as a soldier in the first line of combat.

Bobby Gabershek , one of the best military\police\bodyguard instructors on the world today, a man who invented CQB

 I came to Taiwan in 2011 and since that time I have improved my wing chun knowledge learning from several prominent teachers . I have tried other Chinese martial arts as well but I couldn’t actually understand them well nor I could change my body mechanic , well , not until I have found teacher Hong Guo Rong and started to practice White Crane .I have a feeling Zongehe quan is made for me , for my body and for my mind set , I have learned more in couple of months with teacher Rong than in year on other places .The art its self is so fit for me and the teacher is really excellent . Although I am 41 years old I have passion for training which can be compared with passion of young children for new toys . Every day , no matter how busy or how much work there is to be done , I practice one hour of wing chun and one hour of white crane , if there is more time , then I practice more .    Having heard I am practicing Zong He quan , several people from my country expressed a desire to learn this exotic martial style .

Basic Zonghe Quan drill

 I hope , with my teacher’s permission , I will bring this interesting style to those who are willing to learn.    From imperial China to 21th century Europe in only 5 generations ,a great journey of a beautiful form of Chinese kung fu that united people from the opposite parts of the planet.

Vladimir Zlatić

                                   

「從古代中國到21世紀歐洲」

中國文明中最經典也最為人所稱讚的莫過於"功夫〞。

中國文化可說是世界上最古老的歷史文化之一，蘊含豐富深粹的人文經驗，

而〞功夫〞則是貫穿這悠久歷史下，傳達出各種無限可能與法展多樣的最佳體現。至今，功夫甚至已影響全球上百萬人，融入生活中。

〝太極〞和〝詠春〞是最普遍常見的武術，即便如此，在這兩大武術背後仍隱藏少有人知道ㄈ的體系、技巧以及要領。而白鶴功夫中的〝縱鶴拳〞就屬其中瑰寶。

縱鶴拳是屬於白鶴功夫中一種特別的拳法，或許是所有鶴拳中最柔軟的拳法。這拳法是在清朝後期由方世培(1834-1886)所創立，他也被許多人稱呼方飛石。他的師父 李師在茶山上的一間寺廟傳授教導方世培功夫10年。而李師 是鄭龍的第三代弟子，鄭龍於1755年過世，而他的師父 鄭禮是福建省詠春庄中原傳28個弟子之其中一個。

在李師的教導下，方世培體會到一種於動物行為與自然之間微妙關係，這讓他相信〝氣〞的運行是來自於身體震動和丹田發聲。因此結合他之後所學與後來所發現的，創立了〝縱鶴拳〞。

方世培有很多學生，其中方绍耆將這套拳法帶到台灣，並在高雄、台南等地傳授教導許多學生，包含弟子 卓慶，他將功夫傳授給趙志鵬。趙志鵬只有4個弟子，來自台南的洪國榮就是其中一個。洪國榮是個安靜、謙遜有禮，低調樸實的人，不說沒有人會知道他是台南最好的功夫師父之ㄧ。就如他的師父一樣，洪國榮只收少數幾個學生，他教學非常嚴謹而且仔細，在經驗與知識上也很淵博。

我在小學6年就開始接觸武術，起初是學習跆拳道跟柔道，過了幾年後在1989

，我發現了詠春，並且一直學習探索到現在從沒間斷。Bobby Gabershek是其中一個影響帶領我對武術有另一層認識的老師，他在歐洲是具有影響力的功夫師父，他也創立了CQB(close Quarter Combat),他持續延用詠春拳在他的訓練系統中，並再加入一些特殊的軍式與警用防衛技巧。我所學習到的詠春技巧，幫我順利渡過一些事件，特別是在參與從役1999年戰爭中得以應付恐怖份子和多次無預警的攻襲。

2011年我來到台灣，在幾位傑出的老師教導下，讓我在詠春上的經驗與知識的累積又再增進。我也曾嘗試學習過其他的中國武術，但始終沒法非常了解透徹，

直至我遇見洪國榮師父，並開始學習縱鶴拳。我感覺到縱鶴拳就像是為我的身心量身打造的，在洪師父優異的教導下，幾個月的學習體驗可媲美在其他地方約一年的學習。

即使我已經41歲，但我對練功夫這件事所抱持的熱情可不輸小孩拿到新玩具。不論每天有多忙，我還是會堅持每天練習一小時的詠春和一小時的縱鶴拳，如果有更多空檔時間，我就會練習更多。有好幾個來自我家鄉的人，一聽聞到我正在練習這獨特的拳法，也都表示強烈的興趣想學習，我希望有朝一日可以在洪師父的同意下，將這拳法介紹給真正想學習的人。白鶴拳從中國皇朝到21世紀歐洲才經歷5代，這套優美拳法的旅程將繼續延伸下去，並將來自地球不同地方的人連繫一起。

Special thanks to my friend , Master Wayne Yung for all his help and support