Ok, it has been brushed upon before, but I have some questions about Dr. Yang’s stuff.
First, how does it associate with Shaolin?
Is it just me, or does it have a large muslim influence?
Where (who) did his forms come from (I’m trying to go further then just his sifus)?
Any info would be appreciated.
Reasons… Well, some of the forms I know and practice are pretty much the same, we do several different “long fist” styles, this being one of them.
i had his book but i lost it , of what ive read of his book i think the guy studied tai chi for 20 years and i dont know how much long fist , i did the streches but found the book difficult to understand and i also found the forms and techniques well most street unifective, i rather train with a sifu than from a book that is difficult to understand by me.
Yang’s Longfist is the hybrid longfist gongfu created at the Nanjing Guoshu institute around the 1920’s. By hybrid I mean it’s a compilation of several traditional influences into a “new” longfist style. Among these influences, Cha and Mantis seem predominant. Indeed Wang Ziping was the head of the Shaolin division, and being a master of Cha he surely had a big influence. That’s why in Yang’s longfist you can find sequences such as the 12 tan tui, “si lu ben zha”, and “cha quan”.
You also have quite a good deal of mantis sequences like “shi zi tang”, “beng bu” and “xiao hu yuan”, due to the influence of mantis master Fu Jar Bin (dunno the pinyin for him..Fu Zhao Ping I guess?). These sequences were not always kept as is, but rather served as a basis to elaborate sequences possessing both the trad. mantis flavor and the “new” flavor of Nanjing longfist. For example, Beng Bu in YMAA is said to be somewhat different from the pure mantis beng bu (but if you want my take on it: even in mantis there are several different versions of beng bu). I have seen the “xiao hu yuan” in YMAA and the one performed by Kao Tao Shan in Taiwan, and even if there are noticeable differences, you can really tell they are sister sequences: some parts are just the same, crucial moves are present in both etc…
Jing Wu also had a major influence due to the exchange between this school and Nanjing. The “lien bu quan” and “gong li quan” are thus very close to those of Jing Wu, if not identical.
Then you have the sequences like “san lu pao” (dunno where it comes from…hua maybe?), “taizu changquan” (coming from…you guess where hehheheheh) and finally, “yi lu mai fu” and “er lu mai fu”. These two last sequences elude me. According to Yang, they are sequences arranged by Han Ching Tang: he knew yi lu mai fu, and “recreated” er lu mai fu based on parcellar knowledge because the whole sequence was known to exist, but mostly lost. I never managed to know where does Yi Lu Mai Fu comes from…it doesn’t have mantis hooks in it, and I personally find it very “eagle-like” (but that’s a personnal take, although I have seen some video of Zhong FuSheng performing Shandong eagle claw with moves that are furiously look alike). Er lu mai fu seems to contain some MiZongquan influences in the postures (two moves especially), in which you might see once again JingWu’s influence.
In summary, Nanjing Longfist was meant to be a compilation of various styles of reknowned longfist styles in order to elaborate a modern, yet purely traditional, style of longfist.
I hope it helped
Wow, thanks Crimson Phoenix, I’ll have to digest some of that. My Shirfu learned this section of his longfist curricullum in Taiwan at one of the martial “colleges” over there. This seems to be similar to what I figured, just didn’t know the details. Again thanks, and if anyone has anything to add please do.
Nanjing LongFist…
Wow, Crimsome Pheonix, that’s very interesting. Thanks
BTW, there are few of points, I would like to address.
Yang’s Gongliquan (the one in his book) doesn’t seem to be very Jing Wu like although you can tell they share pretty much the same structure. Gongliquan being derived from an old system has been modified into many versions.
Yang’s mantis would be more of the Longfist Mantis style which is still practiced in Taiwan. I am not sure if the Longfist Mantis has Beng Bu at all.
I haven’t seen his Beng Bu, so it’s hard to gauge. As you have said his Beng Bu would most likely different in flavour. I also believe that the form was formerly known as Yantai Beng Bu or Xiao Beng Bu (small Crash and fill) and was popularized by the 7 stars Mantis which in turn translated the title into “crushing steps”.
Finally, I think the Nanjing Longfist has done a way better job than the morden Wushu Longfist compilation. The latter is just pure garbage.
Regards
Mantis108
Mantis, thanks for the clarifications…I take it from Yang himself that Nanjing’s GongLi was inherited from JingWu. However I have seen so many different versions of it that I’m not surprised anymore All do share the same core and patterns though, even if the outside technique somewhat diverges at some points.
As for the Beng Bu, I have no idea of its history…it would be best of somone had info on Fu Jar Bin (Fu Zhao Ping? Hu Zhao Ping? I really have no idea what the pinyin is, only have these funky translitterations LOL) and his style. The only thing I know is that I also seen many different versions of Beng Bu, so once again now I stopped trying to analyze each and every detail
Finally, regarding your last comment, I agree wholeheartedly and totally. However I’m not surprised by that. The guys who gathered in Nanjing were all traditionnal masters, some of them very reknowned, and when coming with this idea of a compilation of various trad. longfist styles, they would never imagine doing something without combat value, something just for looks or sport performance. That’s why it is important to stress that this longfist is really traditionnal, even if it is contemporary.
Unlike the modern wushu which is now proved to have been designed only for performance, in a vicious optics of emptying it from all combative value, and transvestizing the traditionnal arts all along…
Anyone has additionnal infos??