Northern Shaolin (martial art)

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For the Shaolin Temple, see Shaolin.

For a general overview of Shaolin martial arts, both Northern and Southern, see Shaolin Kung Fu.

In its broadest sense, "Northern Shaolin" (Chinese: 北少林; Pinyin: běishàolín, Cantonese: Bak Siu Lum) refers to the external (as opposed to internal) martial arts of Northern China in general—becoming synonymous with Chángquán—instead of only those styles from the Northern Shaolin Monastery in Henan. At its most specific, "Northern Shaolin" refers to the style disseminated by Gu Ruzhang ( Cantonese Ku Yu Cheung).

1 Characteristics
2 History
3 The Northern Shaolin curriculum of Gu Ruzhang
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Characteristics

The Northern Shaolin style of kung fu is one of the most prominent traditional northern styles of Chinese martial arts. The northern styles of kung-fu generally emphasize long range techniques, quick advances and retreats, wide stances, kicking and leaping techniques, whirling circular blocks, quickness, agility, and aggressive attacks.

The system teaches empty-hand techniques and weaponry through predetermined combinations, routines, or movement of sets. The students learn the basics by practicing the routines until the movements in the routines can be executed naturally based on instinct. Then, two or multiple man sets are practiced to train responses and applications of techniques learned from the sets. The practice sets/routines are not only practical in applications but are also graceful and artistic in nature. The fluidness of the movements combined with acrobatic techniques are trademarks of the Northern Shaolin Kung-Fu sets.

The Northern Shaolin style of Kung-Fu was made famous by the late Grand Master Ku Yu Cheung. There are many legends about the master. According to some related by his close students, Master Ku's father was an accomplished exponent of the Tan Tui (Snapping Kicks) Kung-Fu style. When he was young, Master Ku traveled throughout Northern China to learn all the northern kung-fu systems. He was renowned for his Iron Palm techniques and the application of the long spear weapon. He organized all his learnings into what is the Northern Shaolin Kung Fu today.

The Northern Shaolin martial arts are characterized by quick transitions between extended postures like the horse, bow, drop, and dragon stances, as well as jumps, high kicks, and acrobatics that are largely absent from the Southern Shaolin martial arts, which are characterized by relentless hand techniques delivered from less mobile but more firmly rooted stances. It is believed that the distinction between Northern and Southern is due in part to geography and genetics. The Northern terrain was considered flat and easier to do jumps and kicks and Chinese of the North were considered taller with longer legs. Southern Chinese were considered shorter and lived on rocky terrain. Their style developed with more hand techniques and less leg work.

[edit] History

The monastery in Henan is the original—and possibly the only—Shaolin Monastery; references to other Shaolin temples are largely if not entirely absent from the records of the original Henan temple. As the reputation of the Shaolin martial arts grew during the Tang Dynasty (618–907), its name became synonymous with external martial arts, regardless of whether an individual art traced its origins to the Shaolin Monastery in Henan or not. As a result, the "Shaolin" moniker was applied to other Buddhist temples with strong reputations for martial arts. The most noteworthy and influential of these is a temple—possibly two—located in Fujian Province. The characteristics of the martial arts taught at each temple were so different from each other that they became identified with their place of origin.

The Northern Shaolin style associated with Gu Ruzhang was first taught to a lay disciple, the celebrated 18th century master Gan Fengchi of Jiangsu Province, by a Shaolin monk named Zhao Yuan, born Zhu Fu, a member of the Ming royal family who joined the sangha after the Ming was overthrown by the Qing in 1644. (Gan is also remembered for founding the martial art Huāquán 花拳, literally "flower fist", about which he wrote the book Introduction to Huāquán.) Gan in turn taught Wan Bengcai, who taught Yan Degong, who taught Yan Sansen, who taught Yan Jiwen, who taught his nephew Gu Ruzhang (1894–1952).

Yan Jiwen also taught Gu the skills of Iron Body and Iron Palm. On a famous occasion in 1931, Gu is said to have demonstrated the latter on a horse.

Among the martial artists who gathered at the Central National Martial Arts Institute in Nanjing in 1928, Gu placed in the top fifteen and was included—alongside Fu Zhensong, Li Xianwu, Wan Laimin, Wan Laisheng, and Wong Shao Chou—in the Five Southbound Tigers (五虎下江南; pinyin: wǔ hǔ xià jiāng nán; literally "five tigers heading south of Jiangnan"), five masters of the Northern Chinese martial arts sent to Guangzhou to organize another National Martial Arts Institute.

In Guangzhou, the name "Shaolin" was already associated with Hung Gar and other styles, so Gu's style came to be known by the name Northern Shaolin.

Gu taught Northern Shaolin to Yim Shang Wu, Lung Chi-Cheung, Lam Kam Tong, Chin Men Chen, Poon Chu, Sang Tse Chung, Wu Siu-Po, Lai Gan Jing, and Others. Their students include So Bin Yuen (Johnny So), Lung Kai-Ming, Chan Kowk-Wai, Lai Hung, Wing Lam, Wong Jack-Man, and Others. So Bin Yuen taught Ken Hui (Hui Ho Kwong) who in turn taught James Wong, Thomas Wong, Timmy Endo, Troy Augborne, Cesar, Kisu, Angie Wong, Harold Hazeldine, Mike Lewis, Bobby Tang, Jerry Tang, Frankie Tang, Warren Tsang, Ben Chan, Adam Mendoza, Patty Woods, Irene Yeung Ng and others.

[edit] The Northern Shaolin curriculum of Gu Ruzhang

	Chinese	Mandarin Pinyin	Cantonese
Open the Door	開門	Kāi Mén	Hoy Moon	Essential Entry/Basic Skills To Shaolin
Lead the Way	領路	Lǐng Lù	Leng Lo	Leading the Attack
The Sitting Horse	坐馬	Zuò Mǎ	Jo Ma	Counter Attacks
Pierce the Heart	穿心	Chuān Xīn	ChunSam	Heart Piercing Strikes
Martial Skill	武藝	Wǔ Yì	Mong I	Combat Techniques
Short Strike	短打	Duǎn Dǎ	Tun Da	Close-Encounter Combinations
Plum Flower	梅花	Méi Huā	Moi fa	Breaking the Ambush
Uprooting Step	拔步	Bá Bù	Bat Bo	Open-Space Fighting Combinations
Chained Fist	連環拳	Liánhuánquán	Lein Wan	Chained Multiple Strikes
Pattern Method	式法	Shì Fǎ	Sik Fot	Essential Techniques from Other Styles