I was told (a long time ago) that our Hakka family Style of Longfist may well have a 'Chaquan' component within it. Certainly, the movements contained in the clip below are similar - or identical in application - but I think our Longfist is older than the arrival of Arabs in China and it is more likely that these Merchants 'borrowed' from our Style rather than the other way around. It is a matter of working-out the logical 'chain of evidence': This is a Norhern Style historically associated with the 'Hui' Muslims living in China - the descendants of Arab (Turkic) Merchants who stayed in China and married Chinese women around a thousand years ago. I suspect these men (and their descendants) constructed this Style using common Longfist techniques. This variant is termed 'Yanzhou' - which I assume is a geographical location in Shandong. The name may mean 'Investigate' or 'Learned Fist' (perhaps in the context of 'Knowledgeable Boxing') - depending upon how '查' (cha2) is pronounced. When written as '楂' (cha2) - it refers to a 'wooden raft' - perhaps used in 'travelling' and 'trading'! Finally, although I have no evidence of this myself, I was told that 'Cha' might be a Chinese language transliteration of the (Turkic-Mongolian) term 'Khan'.
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Dear Tony Thank you for your interesting email regarding the relatively 'open' stance as found throughout the various lineages of Fujian White Crane Fist when practicing the 'San Zhan' (三戦) or 'Three Battles' Form - as compared with the 'closed' stance work (and obvious groin protection) found within the 'Sanchin' Kata of the Goju Ryu Karate-Do Style! Yes - I have noticed this. I was talking to a student about this. It reminded me of the stance used for skiing. As if 'gripping' or 'stabilising' on a slippery surface. Sometimes, the old Masters (such as Master Chan) would talk about stepping in, through or onto congealed blood - which is slippery. He fought, wounded and killed invading Japanese soldiers during WWII (1941-1945) as part of the Hakka Resistance operating throughout the New Territories (a People's Militia had developed - supplied from the Mainland). His father (Chan Yun-Fat) was killed fighting in 1944 leading an attack on an Imperial Japanese Army position - armed only with traditional gongfu weapons. This was a diversionary attack whilst those armed with the limited number of rifles and ammunition attacked the main target. His wife's mother was gang-raped by Japanese soldiers, skinned, hung-up by her hair and set fire to. Por Por (Mrs Chan) used to tell us stories for years about those terrible times - until her passing in 2011 (years later, a Detective contacted Mrs Chan and said one of her brothers had survived a Japanese village massacre and had been taken to Australia by foreigners - she got to meet him again one more time in his now native Australia a year before he passed away. I spoke to him on the telephone. He was around five years old at the time of him going 'missing' - with his small body being hidden under the bodies of the adults killed around him). We practice falling to the ground forward, backwards and to the sides in our Hakka Longfist Family lineage - and using Ground Fighting (with a groin guard and a head guard). I suspect that other aspects of the Fujian Style in question also teach a groin guard in an accumulative sense - as is usual in traditional gongfu. Goju Ryu is highly rationalised and modernised (a process of sheer genius) - which is a good thing - but traditional gongfu is often sprawling, illogical and difficult to fathom! Thanks PS: Wong Tai Sin is our 'Daoist' family God - as Master Chan Tin Sang (1924-1923) was a TCM Doctor (taught in the old way). It is virtually impossible to acquire statues of this 'healing' God as it is very carefully guarded by the Temple Authorities in the New Territories! We have a photograph on our family shrine - but my ex-wife currently looks after the family Wong Tai Sin statue (which was passed into my keeping by Mrs Chan upon her passing). Indeed, my ex-wife can be seen on the above-linked BBC programme - 'Escape to the Country' with our family statue of Wong Tai Sin (黃初平) shown at 5:39:
In the Chinese language, the weapon of South China and Okinawa known as the ‘Nunchaku’ is referred to as the ‘Shuang Jie Gun’:
雙 (shuang1) = Two (Pair) 截 (jie2) = Joint Between Two Sections (Connecting Two Ends Together) 棍 (gun4) = Stick (Short Cudgel) How ‘Shuang Jie Gun’ relates to ‘Nun Cha Ku’ is not entirely clear. It could be that the term ‘Nunchaku’ is an indigenous Okinawan set of words that do not possess any associative Chinese or Japanese ideograms that directly represent their meaning. A comparison of Chinese and Japanese ideograms might be interesting: 1) Chinese ‘雙’ (shuang1) = Japanese ‘ふたつ’ (futatsu) - sounds like ‘Nunchaku’ 2) Chinese ‘截’ (jie2) = Japanese ‘たつ’ (tatsu) - sounds like ‘Chaku’ 3) Chinese ‘棍’ (gun4) = Japanese ‘つえ’ (tsue) - sounds like ‘Ku’ Perhaps, when these terms are integrated together, the Japanese ideogram ‘つ’ (tsu) is rationalised and reduced in appearance so that the following approximation is arrived at: a) Chinese ‘雙’ (shuang1) = Japanese ‘ふ’ (fu) b) Chinese ‘截’ (jie2) = Japanese ‘た’ ta c) Chinese ‘棍’ (gun4) = Japanese ‘つえ’ (tsue) This would suggest that the Chinese (双截棍) ‘Shuang Jie Gun’ equates with the Japanese (ふたつえ) ‘Fu Ta Tsue’. When pronounced in the Okinawan dialect - ‘Fu Ta Tsue’ becomes ‘Nun Cha Ku’. I was told by Master Chan Tin Sang (1924-1993) that a similar device was used on the Hakka farms throughout Southern China to harvest rice and clear land of unwanted vegetation. Later, these devices (which sometimes possessed a ‘hinge’ instead of a chain or cord) evolved into the modern versions now common all over the world! We possess very simple figure of eight sets or patterns in our Hakka family style of gongfu - when making use of this device. Our Hakka family gongfu style is primarily 'Northern' in structure and was brought into the New Territories of Hong Kong by Chinese people migrating from around the Henan area (during the 1600s as the Ming Dynasty collapsed) - but sometimes much further North (my partner's family migrated to the Shenzhen area from Shandong). Our 'Northern Snake Fist' (北蛇拳 - Bei Shi Quan) is comprised of sixty-four movements - which mirror the sixty-four hexagrams (卦 - Gua) of the 'Yijing' (易經) - known as the 'Change Classic' or 'Book of Change' (I Ching) in the West. This text must be studied over many years supplemented by hours of seated meditation and the perfection of 'movement' and 'stillness' when this 'Form' (形 - Xing) is deployed. This is an integrated Form requiring the mastering of the 'external' (外 - Wai) and the 'internal' (内 - Nei) - or 'Zagong' (雜功). All traditional 'Forms' begin with the practitioner facing 'South' - the area of warmth, good farming land, trade, plenty and controllable borders within ancient China. By comparison, the 'North' can be cold, overly 'hot', suffer from a scarcity of food and peopled by barbarian hordes all seeking to attack, destroy and steal! The 'Snake Form' unfolds on overlapping 'cross' formations - starting toward the 'East', West', 'North' and then 'South' repeating the same techniques - which then adjust into a new set of techniques. The 'cross' alters into 'Southwest', 'Northeast', 'Southeast' and 'Northwest', etc. There are a number of unique movements (such as 'Gorilla Punches the Ground') - but generally speaking the 'cross' (both 'cardinal' and 'ordinal') formation holds true. This section appears to the 'Southwest' and is the first repetition of 'three' performed in this direction. The structure builds-up just as a hexagram does in the 'Yijing': 1) Foundation (first two lines of a hexagram - representing the Broad Earth) - Free Stance - Bodyweight is primarily channelled down through the back leg 'bent' at the knee and into the ground 'rooting' the structure. A 'rebounding' force emanates from the ground and up the supporting leg - spreading through the torso, upper limbs, and non-supporting front leg. This arrangement generates a 'floating' orientation in the front-leg whereby the foot feels as if it wants to 'raise' automatically - and the practitioner must exert 'intention' to keep the toes of the free-foot gently 'touching' the ground. This is in preparation for the 'groin kick' which has its origination in this 'Form'. the foot swiftly travels upwards with the toes turned 'down' and the groin of the enemy is impacted with considerable force. Due to the expert position of the back-leg and pelvic girdle - the front-leg can continuously 'pivot' around the created leverage with very little effort and in a continuous manner - generating huge amounts of force with very little effort. The groin area of the enemy may be struck repeatedly without stopping. Although all this is present and taught as an application to the 'Snake Fist' Form - within the Form itself - the front-foot never leaves the ground. Stance work is generally quite 'high' in orientation - with foot-work premised on 'light', 'short' but 'precise' heel-to-toe steps (involving bodyweight being expertly 'shift' from side to side). 2) Torso (lines three and four of a hexagram - representing Humanity). The torso 'slides' and 'shifts' from side-to-side and 'forward' into newly acquired or 'opened' space. The torso retains a forty-five degree angle as its continuously 'shifts' one side forward and then the other (sixty-one movements in this 'Form' continuously move 'forward' with only three movements taking a step backward). The torso also 'tilts' left and right from the centre-line as movements are executed - creating a moving target that is difficult to hit as it advances. Gaps are created through the intimidation of asserted movement - space which the Snake Form practitioner then occupies by 'stepping' into - thus depriving the opponent of options. This works because the 'Snake' is limited to the lethal 'eye-strike' which must be defended against at all costs! The torso 'slithers' and 'slides' into the space generated through the intimidation of the opponent! Despite moving forward the onus is upon preventing the opponent from generating or landing any powerful or significant blows! The torso shifts left and right - and forward into front-left and front-right! The expert use of footwork establishes and maintains this momentum. 3) Upper Limbs (lines five and six of the hexagram - representing the Divine Sky). In this section the reverse hand is deflecting the opponent's attacking limb down and to the side of the torso. This involves an open-hand with slightly spread finger aligned with an empowered fore-arm and 'pointed' elbow. The alignment and rebounding bodyweight renders this arm as strong and as heavy as a block of concrete and yet as light and manoeuvrable as silk blowing in the wind! The footwork and torso can 'move' around this 'blocking' arm so that direct conflict is avoided and the opponent's natural strength is bypassed by a superior (and deadly) technique. Simultaneously, the lead-hand strikes with the middle (longest) finger to one of the enemy's eyes. The severity of this attack can be varied from 'gouging' to a light 'tap' and every level of vision-disruption inbetween. The Four-fingers can be separated to create a 'double' strike which hits both the enemy's eyes simultaneously with one-hand. The fingers then collapse palm 'inward' (toward the chest) so that a powerful 'back-hand' strike is delivered to the eye and nose area of the opponent. This is followed by the hand suddenly 'closing' and delivering a power short-range punch to to side of the nose or eye structures of the opponent. During training, these blows must be practiced both 'slowly' and very 'fast'!
Person Featured: Adrian Chan-Wyles Age: 20-years-old Location: Back Garden - 29 Siddalls Gardens, Tiverton, Devon EX16 6DG Time of Year: Late Summer - August-September Year: c. 1987 Photographer: Cousin visiting from Oxford - with her family. I would often practice Shukokai Karate-Do (and our Chinese gongfu family style) in the back garden of my parental home during the Summer Holidays of the academic year (when I was studying at college in Hereford). Master Chan Tin Sang (1924-1993) had given me the task of surreptitiously practicing various lineages of Japanese Karate-Do and studying the Chinese cultural origins of these martial arts! My cousin caught me performing the various 'Katas' - the 'middle' photograph is 'Yoi' in Japanese Karate-Do - or the 'Ready' and 'Alert' posture and attitude assumed prior to (and after completing) the performance of the various 'Pinan' Katas - and then carried-on watching whilst I performed the Chinese gongfu 'Basic Form One' [小形一 - Xiao Xing Yi] (the 'lower-block' performed in 'Horse Stance' in the third photograph on the right) - and the 'flying front-kick' found in the '3rd Advanced Form' (離拳- Li Quan) from our Longfist style (first photograph on the left)! From 1983-1984 I practiced one-year of Wado Kai (Southern Karate-Do) in Reigate and Redhill, I then trained in the Shukokai Karate-Do Federation (SKF) between 1984-1987, and then Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate-Do (1987-1989) - both in Hereford. I also occasionally trained in the odd Dojo here and there around Devon (usually 'Shotokan') and I trained in Goju Ryu in Finchley (North London) a few times. However, as I matured and my mind and body developed into the inner and outer structures required by our family (Hakka) gongfu style - my experiment with other martial arts ended around 1993 as I started moving out of my youthful days. Eventually, once a style is properly practiced - then the inner (chemical) and outer (physical) body transforms into the 'shape' the style requires so that the correct 'functions' (or 'techniques') are developed. This means that eventually the techniques of other styles cannot be practiced in a deep or fundamental manner as the building blocks are completely different. Of course, this does not mean that nothing can be learned from other styles - but the profound knowledge must be transformed (or 'translated') into the dialectical language of the style that has been regularly practiced. In other words, when traditional martial arts are practiced over long periods of time - the inner and outer mind and body 'change' due to the continuous effort being exerted in a particular direction. When young, however, the energy channels in the body are still malleable and flexible - but this changes with age and experience.
Dear Tony
I was discussing the idea of 'double-punching' with a student a few days ago - and how often double-punching appears in our Longfist Forms (nearly every other movement) and how many different gongfu Forms retain double-punching! Yang Style Taijiquan retains the double-punch to each temple - although I believe it is termed 'Two Winds Pierce Ears' (双风贯耳 - Shuang Feng Guan Er) to hide the true meaning and intention (there was a lot of this type of colourful or deliberately misleading terminology to befuddle anyone attempting to steal the art). When I was young, this move was taught to me as 'Fist Ear' (拳耳 - Quan Er) or 'Box the Ears' - even though it has absolutely NOTHING to do with striking the ears! In the local Hakka culture (where water buffaloes abound) - this movement was termed striking with the 'Water Buffalo Horns' (水牛角 - Shui Niu Jiao) or 'Sui Nyiu Gok' in the Hakka language. The two large knuckles of each closed hand 'insert' into the anatomical gaps either side of the forehead which denote the 'temples' (the place where the hair greys on a man and the passing of time is recorded). Hence 'temporal' (or the Latin 'tempus') referring to the 'passing of time', etc. Interestingly, the Chinese language term for 'temple' (as an anatomical designation) is '颞' (nie4) which can be analysed as follows: a) Left-hand particle = 聶 (nie4) - comprised of '耳' (er3) or 'ear' repeated three times - with one ear stacked upon two ears! The simplified form is '聂' and appears to mean 'whisper into the ear'. b) Right-hand particle = 頁 (ye4) or the anatomical human 'head' - and is comprised of: Top element: '丆' (han3) a variant of '厂' - meaning 'cliff-top'. Middle element: '自' (zi4) pertaining to the 'self' or 'individual' - a picture of the 'nose'. Bottom element: ' 儿' (er2) a contraction of '兒' - an infant with an as yet still unformed fontanelle. This may refer to a 'part' or 'area' of the human head that is 'weak' (like an infant) but refers to an anatomical weakness that is retained even within an adult's mature head! I suspect the ancient doctors (or court scholars) described the 'temple' area either side of the forehead as being like a 'third-ear', but an area which was inherently 'weak' to the touch - and which retained this 'weakness' into adulthood. The Taijiquan teachers then talk of the disembodied power (rebounding bodyweight directed by intention - fed through an aligned posture) leaving the fist and 'passing through' the thin temple area (like a strong 'breeze') into the location of the 'third ear'! Perhaps the 'awareness' generated in these parts of the brain-mind nexus (just inside the temple areas) was considered a 'type of hearing' by the ancient anatomists in China. Certainly, the capacity to 'hear' within Chinese martial arts practice involves more than just 'hearing' with the ears! Thanks Adrian Dear Tony
Thank you for your emails - I am glad you have made very good connections and breakthroughs! Our cultural aspect is Hakka Chinese - and I wouldn't wish that on any one! Our gongfu is passed on within the Chan (陳) family lineage but young people today have no interest because the world has changed! I have a daughter who lives in Beijing - she mastered one element of our family style - and my two younger daughters are learning another element - but this is the internal aspect passed on between father and child. As regards my partner - Gee - her family name is 'Yau' (邱 - Qiu) named after Confucius. Her family were servants of Confucius who possessed no surname (most ordinary Chinese people did not have surnames at that time and were not allowed to venerate their ancestors at family graves) - but so grateful was the Kong (孔) family for their loyalty and good behaviour that Confucius gave her family one of his first names - '丘' (Qiu) - to be used as their surname and they rose up in society as a consequence! The Yongzheng Emperor (1677-1735 CE) during the Qing Dynasty, however, took exception to this and ordered that an 'ear' shape be added to the right-side of the surname - '邱' - to further distinguish her family from the Confucian name! Some people resisted whilst others conformed. My partner's family migrated into the Guangdong area (as Hakkas) and in Cantonese her name 'Qiu' is pronounced 'Yau'. When I spoke to her older relatives - they said that to obey the emperor without question is the essence of Confucian teaching - and not to obey is nothing but a betrayal of the trust Confucius placed in her family in the first place - so the right ear shape was added and has been retained (I believe it is two burial mounds placed on their side). Such is the history that shapes our present! Thanks Adrian Dear Tony
The differences between the Northern and Southern Shaolin Temple styles is a vast and contentious subject of debate both within and outside of China! One school of thought suggests that the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) - although relatively short-lived - set the blueprint for everything we now associate with 'Qin-na' (or 'Sina' as the Romans referred to it)! It is said that every village was turned into a military barracks and that the Qin government issued an 'official' martial arts manual (premised upon 'Longfist') that was to be replicated throughout the empire! Although not yet discovered, if such a manual existed it would have been a cross-reference of all the known martial arts styles of the day. The best and most effective movements were chosen which are still practiced today. The thinking is that this single 'synthetic' style provided everyone with a single style which then 'evolved' into the hundreds of styles we know today after the Qin Dynasty collapsed and there was no longer any official pressure to keep the style exactly the same in all places! (The Qin introduced the idea that the same 'law' should be applied in all places and at all times for all people - Confucius had disagreed with this 'legalist' concept - stating that the upper-classes should do as they please whilst the peasants must be kept in order with severity). A modern equivalent of this type of manual is that of General Qi Ji Guang [1594~1644] (戚繼光). In fact, Chinese records state that he was a very well respected armed and unarmed martial artist who had trained with many renowned martial arts Masters and had applied these techniques on the battlefield! He wrote around forty volumes of books regarding martial and military matters. One that you might find interesting is his '拳经捷要篇' (Quan Jing Jie Yao Pian) or 'Fist Classic Victory Assured Record'. It is said that General Qi Ji Guang took 32 of the best unarmed movements that he knew and combined them into a single 'Form' (Kata) that could be easily taught to soldiers and Officers! Therefore, this manual is a historical snapshot of many of the martial arts styles that existed during the 16th century CE. This is an interesting Chinese language page entitled 'Qi Jiguang's Experiment: In Order to Adapt to Military Needs - Innovating Traditional Martial Arts!' (戚继光的试验:为适应军事需要,革新传统武术拳种) - which contains a number of pictures from the above-mentioned manual: https://www.163.com/dy/article/DIM2T1J10518EOV7.html This manual serves as 'evidence' - as opposed to 'hearsay' - or perhaps adds weight or takes weight away from legends and stories. As for the Hakka people - when they lived in Northern and Central China they practiced Northern martial styles - but when they migrated Southward - there was far less living room and so many Masters 'shortened' their styles - our Masters (in our family style) refused to do this and so we still have the old 'Northern' versions. Villages to the left and right of use, however, all practice the shortened (Southern) versions of Praying Mantis Fist (螳螂拳 - Tang Lang Quan) or developed shorter and more compact styles such as 'Iron Ox' (铁牛 - Tie Niu). Wing Chun (詠春) is a Cantonese art and so was not practiced in Hakka villages in the old days. Interestingly, in Fujian province, the Hakka people built 'Round House' fortifications so that all their life happened within the safety of a fort enclosure. This lack of space led to shorter martial styles. The Hakka-Punti Clans Wars (1854-1867) was fought between the Hakka and the local (Cantonese) people and killed about one million or more! (See: https://files.geistlib.xyz/sharing/rec/被遗忘的战争%2C咸丰同治年间广东土客大械斗研究%20-%20刘平.pdf). The Hakka were defeated and for a time their culture was suppressed - including their martial arts (which had to be hidden away or altered to look like indigenous martial arts)! Our ‘Chan’ (陳) martial lineage had settled in the Sai Kung area of the New Territories around 1600 CE and escaped from any direct Qing Dynasty pressure during the 19th century. Although Master Chan Tin Sang knew many of the ‘shortened’ Southern styles - (the family village next door was the ‘Lim’ - 林) - as he was the Clan Leader (Chief) the inner circle practiced the older and more prestigious ‘Northern’ styles of ‘Longfist’ (長拳 - Chang Quan) - which is what we preserve in South London. Gee is next in line (and our two daughters). Thanks Adrian The 'Horse Stance' (馬步 - Ma Bu) Developed from the Need to Sit Upon the Back of a Horse (or Pony) and Control that Animal by the 'Gripping' of the Legs as They Envelop (and Control) the Belly of the Horse! The Pelvic-Girdle Shifts Left, Right or Centre as it 'Directs ' Force! The Horse Moves in the Direction of the Line of Greatest Force! This Technique, When Applied to Standing on the Ground, Generates health, Longevity and tremendous Martial Power! This is Channelled Through the Torso, Head, arms, Legs, Hands and Feet! This is Seen in All Chinese Forms and Japanese Katas! Dear Tony
It is interesting what you say about the idea the of Seiunchin and Seipai Katas once forming a single unit of practice (that is a 'single' Kata). This is exactly the same situation with the three Longfist Forms in our family Hakka style - which contain 32 movements each - but once was practiced as a single Form containing 96 movements! To assist the investigation we can have a look at the etymology of the names of these two Goju Ryu Kata and see if any evidence presents itself: Kata - Seiunchin = 制引戦 制 (Chinese) = Zhi - 制 (Japanese) = Sei - Control, Plan, Regulate, Law, Limit 引 (Chinese) = Yin - 引 (Japanese) = In - Draw (a bow), Pull, Lead, Stretch, Admit, Evade (Leave) 戦 (Chinese) = Zhan - 戦 (Japanese) = Sen - Battle, Fight, War and Conflict Seiunchin Kata = Careful Bow-Drawing in Battle Chinese Name = Zhi Yin Zhan (制引戦) Japanese Name = Sei In Sen (制引戦) Okinawa Name = Sei Un Chin (制引戦) Kata - Seipai = 十八手 十 (Chinese) = Shi - 十 (Japanese) = Ju - Ten, 10, X, Perfection and Utmost 八 (Chinese) = Ba - 八 (Japanese) = Hachi - 8, eight, VIII, Divide and Differentiate 手 (Chinese) = Shou - 手 (Japanese) = te - hand, open (hand), grip and handle Seipai Kata = Eighteen Open Hand Chinese Name: Shi Ba Shou (十八手) Japanese Name: Ju Hachi Te (十八手) Okinawa Name: Seipai (十八手) It looks to me that the last word of the written name '十八手' (Shi Ba Shou) is missing in the way the Kata is named in the West. It seems that the Okinawan 'Seipai' equates to the Chinese 'Shi Ba' (Eighteen - as in '10' + '8') - but that the ideogram '手' (Shou) is missing from the name. The Okinawan name should probably read 'Seipaisou' or something similar. We are probably seeing the Fujian dialect preserved through the Okinawan language - with a descriptive word missing when the Kata is vocally discussed! I do not know why this is. What might be of significance is Pan Yu Ba's 'Arahant Fist' (羅漢拳 - Luo Han Quan) - which is also known as 'Arahant Eighteen Hands' (罗汉十八手 - Luo Han Shi Ba Shou). Does the Seipai Kata represent the 'Arahant Fist'? Even so, there is the closed 'fist' (拳 - Quan) and then there is the 'Open Hand' (手 - Shou). As you know, Sensei, both types of hand are always used - together with the 'palm' (掌 - Zhang). When I was in various Buddhist temples in China, most had statues of the Eighteen Arahants (all enlightened visitors from India thousands of years ago) spread around the periphery of the grounds facing outward with each statue holding different positions with their hands and feet (this sometimes reminds me of Tensho Kata). I spoke and practiced with Warrior-Monks and Nuns who all talked about rebirth, karma and 'meeting' one another again in different lifetimes. There was no violence at all with the flowing hand and foot movements 'evading' every violent movement. However, these people 'sensed' exactly when greed, hatred and delusion was present in the mind of the opponent - and they immediately took action to dissolve it with loving kindness, compassion and understanding! Most of these 'Arahant' Forms involve 'evasion' and simply 'not being there' rather than any forceful application. When power was needed, however, it was generated a) from the ground, and b) from the body-mass of the opponent - as their bodyweight was momentarily 'borrowed' before being 'given back'! What we might be looking at is a combined Goju Ryu Kata entitled 'Arahant Eighteen Hands Regulate and Drawing the Battle Bow'! It could be named like this '羅漢十八手制引戦' (Luo Han Ba Shou Zhi Yin Zhan). Thanks Adrian When the British Authorities 'Surrendered' on Christmas Day, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Army began their reign of terror and endless massacres of th local Chinese population of the New Territories and Hong Kong Island - sparing no one in their path! The Japanese Imperialists were joined by the Sikh contingent of the British Police and British Army - who changed sides and aligned themselves with Japanese fascism! The Sikh leader at the time mistakenly believed that India would be 'freed' by the Japanese fascists! I suspect the Sikh's were surprised when the Imperial Japanese began massacring the Indian population as well - seeing the Indians, Europeans and Chinese as being racially inferior! The Hakka Chinese population of the New Territories and Hong Kong Island elected (through their Clan Associations) to continue to fight the invading Imperial Japanese using traditional weaponry and unarmed martial arts skills. This was necessary as the British imperialists had withheld all modern weaponry from the hands of the indigenous Chinese population as it was believed the ethnic (local) Chinese would form a 'Communist' insurgency and attempt to other throw British rule! The Hakka Chinese put up a very good fight and inflicted thousands of casualties upon the Japanese. The Hong Kong Navy consisted of one motorboat captained by an 'Admiral Chan' who had a wooden-leg. When the Japanese began the final push onto Hong Kong Island - his boat was quickly sank and he was marooned on a small island in Hong Kong harbour. The Japanese recall that this old man took-off his wooden-leg and used it to batter senseless any Japanese soldier who tried to take his little island! Remarkably, Admiral Chan was rescued from his predicament and went on to live well beyond the end of WWII! Our Chinese Grandmother - Cheung Yiet-Tai - used to tell us the horrific stories of the Japanese atrocities carried-out in the New Territories by the Imperial Japanese Army! Master Chan Tin Sang was 17-years-old in 1941 when the anti-Japanese fighting started in the Hong Kong region - whilst Cheung Yiet-Tai was also 17-years-old. The Imperial Japanese had started a campaign of the mass rape of young girls and women. Cheung Yiet-Tai had to hide whilst her mother was gang-raped, hung-up by her hair, 'skinned' and then finally burned to death! This was a terrible fate that befell many thousands of young Chinese women and girls! Whilst the female Chinese population hide with their children in the many cave systems throughout the coastal areas, the the Chinese men formed a guerrilla army and took to covert military action. This fighting was absolutely brutal and each day saw hundreds of Chinese men NOT returning to their awaiting families! When the returning British retook control of Hong Kong in 1945 - they were astonished to hear that the local Chinese Hakka population had continued to fight between 1941-1945 without the aid of modern weaponry - and suffered around 10,000 casualties! The British then erected a monument in the New Territories recognising the bravery of t Hakka Chinese people (or a least this was the story I was told - but it seems the local villagers raised this monument themselves - with the British only taking credit later when they realised they could do nothing about it - see below). In 1956, Master Chan Tin Sang came to the UK and worked hard for ten-years before saving enough money to bring his wife and two daughter to Britain in 1966. The Hakka Chinese people are known for migrating to find a better life! A Chinese-language history documents describes one area of the Hong Kong resistance to Japanese terror when it states: 'Wujiaoteng Village is a Hakka village with a patriotic tradition. It was the base of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Independent Brigade of the Dongjiang Column in the era of Japanese occupation. After the outbreak of the Pacific War on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked and quickly occupied Hong Kong. In more than three years of anti-Japanese guerrilla war, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade attacked the Japanese army many times, and eliminated the notorious Japanese spy Toaki, as well as many other traitors and secret agents. The maritime squadron frequently attacked the Japanese shipping lanes in the waters near Hong Kong. It experienced more than ten major naval battles. It captured 13 enemy ships, sank 10 ships, and intercepted hundreds of tons of cargo and delivered them to the Dongjiang Column Headquarters. The Hong Kong and Kowloon Brigade also rescued allied pilots on many occasions and assisted the Allied forces in obtaining military intelligence. In early 1942, an anti-Japanese guerrilla squad came to Wujiaoteng Village and began a counterattack against the Japanese army. They attacked Kai Tak Airport, bombed the Japanese Railway No. 4 in Kowloon and the arsenal, etc., and made immortal military exploits. The Japanese army hated this Hakka Chinese Unit and encircled and wiped out Wujiaoteng Village many times, but the guerrillas repeatedly escaped danger under the protection of the villagers. During the Japanese occupation, the invaders launched more than ten raids on Wujiaoteng and surrounding (Hakka) villages. On September 25, 1942, the second day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Japanese army surrounded Wujiaoteng Village in the early morning, forcing the masses to surrender their traditional self-defence weapons and give the guerrillas. The village chief Li Shifan and others were not afraid of pouring water, burning fire, or being stepped on horses. They were tight-lipped and were sacrificed heroically. In February 1943, half a year after the incident, on the hillside near Wujiaoteng Village, the Guangdong Provincial Interim Committee and the Dongjiang Military and Political Committee held a joint meeting to implement the instructions of the Southern Bureau of the Communist Party of China and summarize the experience of the anti-Japanese guerrilla war in the Dongjiang and Zhujiang areas. The lessons and plans for future work are known as the "Wu Jiao Teng Conference" in history. The meeting is of great significance to the work of the Dongjiang Column, the Guangdong area, and the anti-Japanese work of the Dongjiang Military and Political Committee. Subsequently, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China instructed to change the designation of the Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Corps to the Dongjiang Column of the Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Corps, which has seven groups under its jurisdiction. Zeng Sheng was the commander and Yin Linping was the political commissar. On December 2, 1943, the Dongjiang Column was formally established. The Hong Kong and Kowloon (Hakka) Brigade was one of the first seven teams of the Dongjiang Column. What is less known is that the radio station of the Dongjiang Column was also hidden for eight months in Shishuijian near Wujiaoteng Village, continuously transmitting signals, allowing Guangdong to keep in touch with Yan'an. Without this radio station, the anti-Japanese war in Hong Kong and even Guangdong would be very critical. During this period of time, the hidden management of the radio station was kept extremely secret The logistical work of the radio station depended on the villagers Lin Mao, Lin Chuan's uncle and nephew (they took fishing boats to join the troops dealing with maritime traffic) and their family of 4 people climbing mountains and ridges for secret acquisitions. In April 1943, the Japanese army "mopped up" Shishuijian, but our radio station had already been safely transferred. The Japanese army arrested villager Lin San, tied him to a tree and beat him severely, forcing him to confess the whereabouts of the radio. In the end, the Japanese army killed him and set fire to five houses... During the Anti-Japanese War, 40 youths from Wujiaoteng Village said goodbye to their hometowns and joined the guerrillas without hesitation. 9 Anti-Japanese journalists successively sacrificed for the country and the welfare of Hong Kong. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, in order to commemorate the villagers and guerrillas who sacrificed their lives for the War of Resistance Against Japan, in October 1951, the villagers spontaneously built a monument for the martyrs, which was rebuilt in 1985. As the original site was located in a remote, steep and sloping mountain slope, until December 2009, the monument was relocated to the current site with funding from the SAR government.' 1941年12月7日太平洋战争爆发后,日军大举进攻并快速占领香港。在三年多的抗日游击战争中,港九大队四处出击,多次袭击日军,先后消灭罪恶昭彰的日本特务东亚芝及多名汉奸密探。海上中队在香港附近海域频繁袭击日军的海上交通线路,先后经历较大海战十多次,缴获敌船13艘,击沉10艘,并截获数百吨货物上交东江纵队总部。港九大队还多次营救盟军飞行员,并协助盟军获取军事情报。
1942年初,我抗日游击小分队来到乌蛟腾村,开始了对日军的反击。偷袭启德机场、炸毁日军九龙第四号铁路及军火库等,立下不朽战功。日军对其恨之入骨,围剿、扫荡乌蛟腾村多次,但游击队得村民保护屡屡脱险。日占时期,日本侵略者对乌蛟腾及周围的村庄发动了大小十余次扫荡。1942年9月25日,即中秋节第二天,日军清晨包围乌蛟腾村,强迫群众交出自卫武器、供出游击队员。村长李世藩等不惧灌水、火烧、马踏,守口如瓶,壮烈牺牲。 事件后半年的1943年2月,在乌蛟腾村附近的山坡上,广东省临委和东江军政委员会召开联席会议,贯彻执行中共南方局的指示,总结东江和珠江地区敌后抗日游击战争的经验教训和部署今后的工作,史称“乌蛟腾会议”。会议对于东江纵队、广东地区的工作,对于东江军政委员会的抗日工作都有重要的意义。 随后,中共中央指示把广东人民抗日游击总队的番号,改为广东人民抗日游击队东江纵队,下辖7个大队。曾生任司令员,尹林平任政委。1943年12月2日,东江纵队正式宣告成立。港九大队是东江纵队首批7个大队之一。 而鲜为人知的是,当年东江纵队的电台也在乌蛟腾村附近的石水涧隐藏了八个月,持续不断的发射信号,使得广东与延安保持联系。如果没有这个电台,香港、甚至广东的抗日将会非常危急。在这段时间里,电台密室封闭式管理,保密极为严格。而电台的后勤工作,全靠该村的林茂、林传叔侄(他们带渔船一起参加部队为海上交通)及其家4人爬山越岭秘密采购所需。1943年4月,日军对石水涧“扫荡”,但我电台早已安全转移。日军抓了村民林三,绑在树上毒打,逼其供出电台下落,最终日军活生生把其打死,并纵火烧毁其五间房子…… 抗战时期,乌蛟腾村先后有40位青少年挥别故里,义无反顾地参加游击队,先后有9位抗日志士为国为香港壮烈牺牲。 抗日战争胜利后,为了纪念为抗战付出生命的村民和游击队员,1951年10月,村民自发为烈士筹建了一座纪念碑,并于1985年重修。由于原址位于山坡下陡滑偏远处,至2009年12月,由特区政府出资,纪念碑迁于现址重建。 |
AuthorShifu Adrian Chan-Wyles (b. 1967) - Lineage (Generational) Inheritor of the Ch'an Dao Hakka Gongfu System. |