Di Laoshi, when did you began learning Shaolin Kung Fu from Master Zhao Zhong (趙忠, 1916-1982) in 1962? I did not graduate from elementary school in 1962, but in 1963. My grades were excellent, and I was admitted to the high school affiliated with Peking University. While studying there, our class’s extracurricular tutor, Wang Jinshi…
The Yang Style 24 Movement Form is practiced widely throughout the world. I originally taught myself the form from a Chinese manuscript with line drawings in the early 1970s. The routine was surprisingly easy to learn by following the line patterns of the form. Since I could not read Chinese, I could derive nothing more…
Traditional weapon practice with partners is known as Chuan Tong Bing QI Dui Lian. In this post I focus on the “traditional,” since what is presented in Contemporary Wushu as Weapon Fighting Sets borders on the ridiculous. Such forms use weapons that are extremely light, purposely shortened (such as in sets that incorporate the spear),…
When we look at the movements of Mizong Luohan (迷蹤羅漢), Cha Quan (查拳), Ying Zhao Fan Zi (鷹爪翻子) and other Northern Gong Fu styles, we see certain outward commonalities but fail to interpret the intrinsic qualities that foster a higher level of skill. Due to their explosive nature, these styles are wrongly categorized as External….
I often asked Grandmaster Shum Leung (full name Shum Yee Leung – Cen Yu Liang, 岑譽亮 – 1937-2025), about the lineage of our Wu Shi Taiji Quan (吳氏太极拳) – Wu Style Taiji Quan. I was never able to get anything more than “I leaned from my Sifu.” During my years of publishing the Wu Gong…
During an interview with Master Di Guoyong, he mentioned four Major Masters of the late Qing Dynasty. I tried to pursue this subject with Master Di but did not get much information beyond confirming the names of these Four Masters. They are listed here based on the year of birth: Dong Haichuan (董海川, 1797-1882), Yang…
The Shuang Gou (雙鉤) – Double Hooks, or Twin Hooks, also known as Hu Tou Shuang Gou (虎頭雙鉤) – Tiger Head Double Hooks, is one of the exotic traditional weapons of Chinese martial arts The hook sword is said to have originated from the ancient Ge (戈) or Dagger-Axe Halberd, which was a large-scale military weapon…
Many Long Fist styles use Tan Tui, commonly translated as Springing Leg, as the gateway, or Men Hu (門戶), in the Northern Long Fist Styles of Gong Fu, to building a foundation for more advanced training. The subject of this post is the Shi Er Lu Tan Tui (十二路潭腿) – 12 Rows Springing Leg, and…
Wang Wu (王五,1844-1900), whose given name was Wang Zhengyi (王正誼), was born in Cangzhou, the famous martial arts town in what was at the time Zhili (直隸), and what is present-day Hebei (河北) province. Note: Zhili means“ directly ruled.” This was the administrative region ruled by the imperial court during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing…
In the early 1980s, during a visit to New York City, I went to lunch with Master William C.C. Chen at a restaurant in Chinatown. When I poured tea for Master Chen, he tapped his index and middle fingers on the table. Since I had never seen the gesture before, I wondered about its meaning….
Why this Blog? The posts on this Blog are largely meant as continuing education for my students outside of the classroom, where time is limited. The posts reflect the knowledge I have received from my teachers, and the volumes of information I have accumulated while doing research and conducting interviews with many masters, during the years of publishing the Wu Gong Journal and the Journal of Chinese Martial Arts. All the material published on this Blog is copyrighted. — Nick Scrima
