Northern Shaolin kung fu

For the Shaolin Temple, see Shaolin.

For a general overview of Shaolin martial arts, both Northern and Southern, see Shaolin (martial arts).

In its broadest sense, "Northern Shaolin" (Chinese: 北少林; pinyin: běishàolín) refers to the external (as opposed to internal) martial arts of Northern China in general—becoming synonymous with Changquan—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.

Characteristics

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. Thier style developed with more hand techniques and less leg work.

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, and Wan Laisheng—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 Lung Chi-Cheung, Poon Chu, Tse Chung-Sang, Yan Shangwu, and Wu Siu-Po. Their students include Lung Kai-Ming, Chan Kowk-Wai, Lai Hung, Wing Lam, and Wong Jack-Man.

The Northern Shaolin curriculum of Gu Ruzhang

• Kāi Mén (開門; Open the Door)
• Lǐng Lù (領路; Lead the Way)
• Zuò Mǎ (坐馬; The Sitting Horse)
• Chuān Xīn (穿心; Pierce the Heart)
• Wǔ Yì (武藝; Martial Skill)
• Duǎn Dǎ (短打; Short Strike)
• Méi Huā (梅花; Plum Flower)
• Bá Bù (拔步; Uprooting Step)
• Liánhuánquán (連環拳; Chained Fist)
• Shì Fǎ (式法; Pattern Method)

See also

• Changquan
• Shaolin (martial arts)