Muslim Chinese martial arts

Muslim Chinese martial arts have a long history in China, and many Muslims have participated at the highest level of Chinese martial arts. However, the Qing Dynasty persecutions greatly stimulated the practise of martial arts among Chinese Muslims. The Hui started and adapted many of the styles of wushu such as "Bajiquan", "Piguaquan", "Liu He Quan", and other styles. There were specific areas known to be centers of Muslim martial arts, such as Cang County in Hebei Province. These traditional Chinese martial arts were very distinct from the Turkic styles practised in Xinjiang. [ [http://club.ntu.edu.tw/~ntubachi/Bajiquan/en_about.htm NTU Bajiquan Kungfu Club] ]

Bajiquan

"Bajiquan" ("eight extreme fists") was first recorded as being practiced by Wu Zhong, a Hui Muslim from Meng Village in Cang County in Hebei Province during the early Qing Dynasty. According to tradition, Wu was taught the style by a Taoist priest Lai, and his disciple Pi.Fact|date=February 2007

It is believed that at this time, "Bajiquan" and "Piguaquan" (chop-hanging palm) were taught together, or may even have been one style. However, after Wu Zhong's death, his eldest daughter Wu Rong married a man in Luotong village, Cang county. For some reason she only taught Pigua, and in the Meng village they only taught Baji.Fact|date=February 2007

A few generations later the teaching of the arts was recombined by Li Shuwen (1864 AD-1934 AD). Nicknamed "God of Spear" for his outstanding ability with the spear, Li Shuwen learned "Bajiquan" from Jin Diansheng in Meng village, and "piguazhang" from Huang Sihai in Luotong village. Li had many famous students, including Huo Diange, his first disciple, who was bodyguard to Pu Yi, the last Qing Emperor.Fact|date=February 2007 Huo Diange (and most of Li Shuwen's other disciples) were not Hui, however.

Li's last closed-door disciple was Liu Yunqiao (1909-1992) (also not Hui), who he taught for ten years before his death. Liu was already proficient in long fist and "Mizongquan" (lost track fist).Fact|date=February 2007

Bodyguards of Sun Yat-Sen, Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong were students of grandmaster Liu. One famous disciple of Liu in the west is Adam Hsu.Fact|date=February 2007

"Bajiquan" is sometimes considered an internal system, in that sense more closely related to "taijiquan" than Shaolin. It is a compact and devastating system, featuring much stamping and weight changing , as well as its own special method of generating power. [ [http://www.wushu.org/eng/1203.phpBAJIQUAN. TRADITIONAL CHINESE INTERNAL MARTIAL ARTS (By Alan W. Ellerton and Master Ji Jian Cheng)] ]

Although bajiquan is no longer practiced exclusively by Hui, there are still many famous Hui practitioners of the style today, including Wu Lianzhi (the lineage holder of the style from Meng Village), Ma Xianda, Ma Lingda, Ma Mingda, and others.Fact|date=August 2008

Zhaquan

"Zhaquan" or Chaquan is an Islamic longfist (Northern Shaolin) style said to be created by a Muslim named Zhamir (Zh-c|查密尔) who came from Xinjiang in the Ming Dynasty. Fact|date=August 2008 Widely practiced throughout China, but particularly in Shandong and Henan, Zhaquan features graceful, extended movements, as well as various acrobatic maneuvers and many weapons. The Shandong styles are sometimes divided up into three families: Zhang, Yang, and Li. Zhaquan training includes 10 lines of Tantui (Zh-c|十路彈腿) (see below), 10 forms of Zhaquan (Zh-c|十路查拳), and many other forms in its curriculum (which vary by style).Fact|date=August 2008

Famous Hui exponents of this style include those from ancient times, such as Zheng He, an admiral of the Ming Dynasty,Fact|date=February 2007 as well as famous practitioners in modern times, like Wang Ziping, Ma Jinbiao, and Zhang Wenguang (who was instrumental in created the modern wushu version of Changquan).Fact|date=August 2008 Still widely practiced by Chinese Muslims, the style nevertheless is now popular with non-Muslim Chinese as well.Fact|date=February 2007

Qishiquan

Also know as "Qishiquan" (Zh-c|七士拳 - "the seven warriors"). Originally the name memorialized the seven saints of Islam, but was altered to the seven forms. Starting among Muslims in Henan it eventually reached Shanxi. The style, as the name implies is based on seven essential postures from which sets are constructed. Unfortunately, however, the style is becoming increasingly rare, and very few people practice it. [ [http://www.plumpub.com/info/knotebook/boxcha.htm CHA CHUAN and Muslim Systems] ]

Huihui Shiba Zhou

"Huihui Shiba Zhou" (Zh-c|回回十八肘 - "Hui elbow eight style") was so secret that it was considered completely lost. That was until 1970 when researches found a teacher Ju Kui who knew the style. Ju Kui born 1886 was from a Hui family in Hebei. At age six he started learning from Sun Dekui of Dezhou, Shandong. He trained for 17 years learning 19 types of martial arts. At the age of 33 he also tried to improve himself by studying with Yang Wanlu an imam from the Tong Shou Mosque.Fact|date=February 2007

Xinyiliuhequan

:"See also: Xingyi"

"Xinyiliuhequan" (Zh-c|心意六合拳 - "Mind, Intention and Six Harmonies Fist") is a martial art that developed in Henan Province among the Hui people. It is considered one of the most powerful and fighting-oriented styles of Chinese Martial Arts,Fact|date=July 2007 and for a long time it has been known for its effectiveness in fighting, while very few actually knew the practice methods of the style. "Xinyiliuhequan", along with "Zhaquan" and "Qishiquan" (Boxing of Seven Postures), have been considered "Jiaomenquan" (Zh-c|教門拳, "religious - i.e. Muslim - boxing") meant to protect followers of Islam in China.

Xinyiliuhequan's practice methods are not numerous compared to other styles, and include ten big shapes (Zh-c|十大形), four seizes (Zh-c|四把), single seize (Zh-c|單把), and so on. The style favors close-range tactics, such as shoulder strikes.

For more than two centuries the style had been kept secret and transmitted only to very few Muslim practitioners. Only at the beginning of this century Han Chinese began to learn the style, but even today, many of the most skillful experts of "Xinyiliuhequan" can be found within Hui communities in China, especially in Henan Province. In modern times, however, the style has been transmitted to Han Chinese as well, especially in Shanghai through Lu Songgao. The style is considered to have two main branches, the Lushan style and the Luoyang style; the latter style is still comparatively rare outside of Hui communities. [ [http://www.chinafrominside.com/ma/xyxy/xylhhistory.html Xinyi Liuhe Quan - the secret art of Chinese Muslims: Brief History by Jarek Szymanski] ]

Piguaquan

"Piguaquan" ("chopping and hanging fist"). It is generally believed to have been founded by Wu Zhong, a Chinese Muslim from Meng Village, Cang County, Hebei Province. Wu initially learned the two styles from two Daoist monks Lai and Pi in 1727. Wu then taught his style to his daughter Wu Rong. She is considered to be the second-generation master of this style. She married and taught her martial art to her husband. Her husband and she taught their style as two separate systems: "baji" and "pigua". They only taught "piguaquan" to her students in the Luo Tong village and the "Bajiquan" style was taught only at Meng village. Piguaquan is now widely practiced all over China, and features long-arm swinging and chopping techniques, some of which have been adapted and included in modern wushu forms (for example, wulongpanda (Zh-c|烏龍盤打)).Fact|date=February 2007

Famous Hui practitioners of Piguaquan today include Ma Xianda, Ma Lingda, and Ma Mingda.

Tantui

"Tantui" ("flicking or spring leg") is a style originally from Turfan usually used as basic training for Zhaquan (see above). Originally, there were 28 lines of tantui, one for each letter of the Arabic alphabet; however, later on, the last 18, which were comparatively complex, were merged into two forms called Tuiquanshi (Zh-c|腿拳勢), still practiced in Zhaquan.

Tantui has been adapted and modified by many other styles of martial arts for basic training, including other styles of changquan, the Song style of xingyiquan, and others. Tantui also exists as its own style in Shandong province (where it is written as Zh-c|潭腿, not 彈腿, however).

References