Talk:Chāquán
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[edit] Chinese Muslim soldiers fighting in the Crusades?
Changquan migrated outside of China along the Silk Road to Turkey where Muslim soldiers refined and modified the art in battles against Christian Crusaders (see Crusade). Islamic Long Fist would later return to China where it was reincorporated into Changquan and other later styles of traditional Wushu such as Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu.
I don't rule it out because many Chinese Muslim families traditionally went into the military/bodyguard/mercenary professions but, back then, the journey from China to the Eastern Mediterranean was an arduous one, even for battle-hardened men. Goods may have regularly traversed the entire length of the Silk Road but it was unusual for people to do so. Goods usually made their way along the road being sold from one merchant on to the next, each of whom covered part of the distance. Ibn Battuta, Zheng He, Marco Polo - these men were the exception, not the rule.
Moreover, Chaquan, the Chinese martial art most associated with Muslims, is from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), predating the Crusades, which start in the 11th century. So, in all likelihood, does Northern Praying Mantis, which dates back to the early Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), according to Shaolin monastery records.
JFD 21:45, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Origin of Chaquan
There is a research on the origin and different styles of Chaquan in late 1980's and a very detailed and large book is published. The main editor was Zhang Wen-guang a very famous Chaquan martial artist and a chairman of the Chinese Martial Art Association. The first recorded origin is a Wu Jin-Shi (Martial Jin-Shi of Imperial Examination) who died in the battle with the rebels in mid Qiang Long Era. His name was Sha Mi-er and he was a Hui (Chinese Muslim) from Shangdong. The elements were passed from prior art, the codification is mainly from Sha Mi-er
Karolus 2006/10/16
