Does anyone know?
All I know about it is it’s relatively modern, adn both Songshan Shaolin, and many modern Wu Shu schools use it. I have also heard it’s been adopted into the curriculem of traditional masters as well (although I can’t say who).
I’m looking for a specific date if possible, and the name of the creator, or at least the institution that designed the set.
Is it possible that this is a really ancient set that has never been recorded by anyone due to it’s utter simplicity?
it was created by sevenstar and he brought back into the past around the year 1500 i believe.
seriously? IDK i think it has been around for many many years.
It’s a modern wushu set.
not to put too fine a point on it, lol.
Actually, I am indeed the one credited with the revival of it. 
I learned two modern wushu sets in my cma days - 5 step and 16 step. I know that they are both fairly new forms, but I’m not sure who created them.
good question
I’ve been trying to find the root of wubu for years. My suspicion is that it is modern, but I have been unable to validate that. It is so prevalent in PRC, even more so than Tan Tui. And just like Tan tui, there are many variations now ranging from traditional kung fu to modern wushu basics.
I am fairly certian it is a modern set, so being so, shouldn’t it be relatively easy to find it’s creator?
The fact that that info seems “unabtainable” makes me wonder if it really is a very old set that has just reacently become very popular.
Good question
Do you consider Tan Tui a modern set? It’s as prevalent as Wu bu, even in PRC wushu circles. But that’s a bit more traceable - you can see the influence of some of the leading Cha masters on early Wushu, like GM Wang Ziping. Zhang Lingmei, a leading wushu pioneer, traces her roots to Tan Tui - that was her foundation traing since when she started, wushu hadn’t really been invented yet. Wu Bu is more of a riddle. I’ve seen it in modern wushu, in Shaolin, in Wudang, in O-mei. I remember it was in one of the first wushu books in English - Chinese Martial Arts -Teach Yourself.
Tan Tui is well known to be pretty old (Sung Dynasty). Wu Bu Chuan is “Said” to be Modern, but if it’s THAT wide spread, across so many styles, lines and families, it may be the oldest thing we all do.
According to Li Tianji and Du Xilian in their book, “A Guide to Chinese Martial Arts” 1991; ISBN 0-8351-2451-7 and ISBN 7-119-01393-9, they state that Wu Bu Chuan was created as an excerise by the Physical Culture and Sports Commission after the founding of New China. (after 1949?) and was part of the new Chang Quan. Their task, as a Commission, was to promote Chang Quan.
Ok, we are getting closer. Now, does it specifically say WHO was incharge of that mission?
Unfortunately, even if you found a name attached to it, the name may NOT be the one who created it.
There were a number of people that worked on the early routines back then. Wubuquan is probably one of those. There are at least two versions of it. They are the same except for how they handle the Ma bu punch (third move) - with the older version being a simpler move.
To make it all more confusing, there were a number of people that took credit for group work…
Then there were also people that figured they had enough of a reputation and essentially did the work but gave the credit either to a group or an individual that needed a leg up…
But…Wubuquan is Modern with very deep roots to traditional…It is simply a good basic stance training method.
Tan tui…traditional and several versions (even within the 10 line or 12 line).
wu bu variations
Wu bu does have a lot of variations. The version that I’ve seen at Beijing wushu is more like a line drill. The Shaolin and O-Mei versions have different beginning and endings. The core five stances are always the same, but they are framed by different moves and only the wushu people seem to practice both sides.
As for the founding of new China, that’s always a research stopper. Obviously, modern wushu developed much later than the birth of the PRC in '49. You know when you hit that old “founding of new China” statement, someone is just toeing the party line. It was more of a progression - not like all of a sudden they said “wushu” and it appeared magically. Most of the development of modern wushu seems to have happened on either side of the Cultural Revolution. Of course, “after the founding” is a lovely bit of doublespeak, since that could mean anytime between '49 and today. The root of wubu and the spread of wubu is very interesting to me since it can show the effect of modern wushu on traditional. Despite being a modern set, if it is indeed modern, I think most people will agree that it’s a great fundamental for traditional style too. It makes me wonder if the creators based it upon something, or if it was completely novel.
Probably a bit of both…
In the version that I do, you have Block punch to Gong Bu, then Tan Tui (kick and punch at the same time), then the kicking leg steps and pivots to Ma Bu as you do a block and punch (here is where one of the differences comes in)…
From a previous northern style teacher with lineage that goes to Taiwan and eventually back to Nanjing Central Guoshu…These first three moves are the same as one of the basics we did leading up to learning Tan Tui.
then you have the Thread palm in Duli, down to Pubu, and then up to Gong Bu and then stepping up to Xubu (empty stance)…
Traditional Chaquan makes heavy use of the thread palm duli to Pubu and then to Gong bu…the step into empty stance is not that much of a stretch from there…
Doing it on both sides is not unlike doing each Tan Tui line over and over instead of doing one of each…
So…exactly how Modern is Modern…or how Traditional is Traditional…
GLW
Hold the phone… are you saying you can trace your wubu lineage back to Nanjing Guoshu? If so, then it precedes the “founding of new China”.
For me, the terms modern and traditional are relative, depending upon how you’re speaking about it. Most people interchange modern with modern wushu, which I beleive to be a mistake. My personal barometer is that modern styles were founded within the last century which would make wushu, JKD, TKD, BJJ, aikido, etc. all modern. So I’m not so interested in wheter wubu is ‘modern’ or not. I’m more intersted in it’s roots. I’ve always felt that it had a Cha feel, as does much of modern wushu, so I’d be very interested if you can map it on to a traditional Cha set.
Now don’t put FULL sentences in my mouth…
In learning from one Taiwanese instructor who was in the Han Chingtan lineage, there were several basic line drills.
One was simple block Gong bu punch…
The third was the Chaquan Wulu Tan Tui (#5 Tan Tui).
The second, however, was starting from feet together and fists at the waist, step to the left into Gong bu, block left hand punch right fist. This was then followed by kick right foot punch left hand. Then stepping down with the right foot, turn 90 degrees while blocking with the left hand and punching right hand while sitting in Ma bu.
This basic was then repeated turning to the right and doing it alternating sides. (we used to simply call it Block Punch, Kick Punch, Ma Bu Punch…and I learned that before I even heard of Tan Tui).
Since the Taiwanese teacher had only the lineage for northern that goes back to Han Chingtan…and Han Chingtan was, according to the information I was given, trained at Nanjing, that is the connection…
BUT…those moves are the exact first half of Wubuquan…so I am not surprised if there is a very solid background to traditional.
It strikes me more like someone took a piece of a training basic that was widely used in many places and schools…and then another piece from say Chaquan…and then worked out how to glue them together.
Originally posted by GLW
[B]The second, however, was starting from feet together and fists at the waist, step to the left into Gong bu, block left hand punch right fist. This was then followed by kick right foot punch left hand. Then stepping down with the right foot, turn 90 degrees while blocking with the left hand and punching right hand while sitting in Ma bu.
This basic was then repeated turning to the right and doing it alternating sides. (we used to simply call it Block Punch, Kick Punch, Ma Bu Punch…and I learned that before I even heard of Tan Tui).[/B]
We do this sequence, but punch forward instead of to the side (like wubu chuan) We call it “bow stance variations.”
Putting stuff in GLW’s mouth…
Fair enough - I was just hoping you had a piece of the puzzle. Given that Wubu is really only a few stances, at least the universal core is only the five, half probably doesn’t count. There’s bouind to be parallels in any long fist style for so few movements. I’d be more intersted if someone had almost all of it embedded in a traditional form.
Well, from what I have seen, the part I described is one unit.
From the thread palm up to Duli, down to Pu bu and then up to Gong bu and finally to empty stance is a combination I have seen in several northern styles…
About the only part that was new was the cover and step into cross stance sitting and then the puch upward…
That is the part that seems to me like some said “Hey, you know if we connect this basic with this Thread palm basic and use this cross legged sitting stance it will flow and train the major stances…”
Oh…to have been a fly on the wall…
The interesting thing about Wu Bu Chuan, is it’s pretty much a universal set that can be used by all styles of Kung Fu to train the core stances. It’s not nessasarily part of a specific system now. It has a life all it’s own.