Longfist Youth Boxing (青年季)!
By Adrian Chan-Wyles PhD
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When visiting the Chan ancestral village in the New Territories, Hong Kong, during early 1999, I trawled through all the wonderful bookshops that are contained in small rooms, garages, private houses, and actual shops, in search of weird and wonderful gongfu manuals. Despite the advance in technology, I still love these pre-modern devices. On the island of Hong Kong, one of my Chinese relatives took me to a garage with a bookshop in it ran by an old man. At first he was dismissive - until he asked me who my ethnic Chinese "Master" was - and how was it that a "foreigner" had found his way to his shop? Well, once I produced the relevant Chinese-language papers, and my relatives vouched for my connection to China, his attitude soon changed. He automatically knew our Hakka gongfu style and immediately found a humble little booklet that contains one of our forms. This book is entitled "青年季" (Qing Nian Quan) - or Youth Closed-Fist" - and it happens to be what we term our 1st Advanced Form.
Therefore, "Youth (lit: “Early Year”) Boxing" - can be described as "shoots sprouting forth" - or (green-blue) young plants "emerging from the ground" that have yet to ripen. In our Hakka gongfu family style, a variant of this form is considered the "1st Advanced Form" (one of three) - but we refer to all these Northern Longfist Forms by names associated with the Yijing or "Change Classic" (Book of Change - I Ching).
Ch'an Dao Martial Arts Style (Hakka Longfist):
1st Advanced Form = Jian Quan (漸拳) - "Gradual Closed-Fist" – Hexagram 53 (Lower Canon)
2nd Advanced Form = Jin Quan (晉拳) - "Progress Closed-Fist" – Hexagram 35 (Lower Canon)
3rd Advanced Form = Li Quan (離拳) - "Enlightened Closed-Fist" – Hexagram 30 (Upper Canon)
I believe that Northern Longfist evolved out of a National Style of gongfu (a form of sanctioned violence) created by the scholars of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) which saw every village throughout a united China transformed into a functioning barracks. Every man, woman, and child became a soldier of the Qin State. This style was developed from previously existing systems comprising of armed and unarmed combat methods – that were unified and rationalised. I suspect an official Qin Dynasty gongfu manual will one day be discovered in a tomb to confirm this. After the collapse of the Qin – this Longfist style diversified into many hundreds of family lineages outside of State control – all passed-on in particular ways – emphasising this or that speciality. Our version was transmitted from North to South China through the numerous Hakka migrations.
What I find interesting is that the manual mentioned above presents the Youth Boxing form as a specific self-contained style. Although this form has a different name in our family gongfu style, it is interesting how “youthful” and “gradually developing” fit quite nicely side by side without any profound contradiction. The 53rd hexagram “漸” (Jian), refers to a strong and well-rooted tree that is growing to maturity upon the mountainside. This type of growth cannot be quick, and by definition must take a long period of time to achieve. Is this not like a “youth” (青年 – Qing Nian) slowly growing to adulthood? Hexagram 53 also discussed how a young woman matures and becomes ready for marriage – and how she must patiently “wait” for the man to act before a marriage can be planned and decided upon. From a Confucian position, social order (and the victory of decorum over chaos) is premised upon correct timing and assuming the appropriate position. An inner stillness, coupled with an outer pattern of correct action, is not only inexhaustible, but it is also unbeatable. Inner humanity is set in order – whilst outer society functions perfectly because everything is in its proper place. As regards the concept of “youth” – young people may practice this Longfist form to make the inner organs, bones, muscles, and ligaments both strong and flexible. Older people may practice this Longfist form to regenerate and rejuvenate their inner organs, bones, muscles, and ligaments. The former progresses youth – whilst the latter rejuvenates maturity.
Therefore, "Youth (lit: “Early Year”) Boxing" - can be described as "shoots sprouting forth" - or (green-blue) young plants "emerging from the ground" that have yet to ripen. In our Hakka gongfu family style, a variant of this form is considered the "1st Advanced Form" (one of three) - but we refer to all these Northern Longfist Forms by names associated with the Yijing or "Change Classic" (Book of Change - I Ching).
Ch'an Dao Martial Arts Style (Hakka Longfist):
1st Advanced Form = Jian Quan (漸拳) - "Gradual Closed-Fist" – Hexagram 53 (Lower Canon)
2nd Advanced Form = Jin Quan (晉拳) - "Progress Closed-Fist" – Hexagram 35 (Lower Canon)
3rd Advanced Form = Li Quan (離拳) - "Enlightened Closed-Fist" – Hexagram 30 (Upper Canon)
I believe that Northern Longfist evolved out of a National Style of gongfu (a form of sanctioned violence) created by the scholars of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) which saw every village throughout a united China transformed into a functioning barracks. Every man, woman, and child became a soldier of the Qin State. This style was developed from previously existing systems comprising of armed and unarmed combat methods – that were unified and rationalised. I suspect an official Qin Dynasty gongfu manual will one day be discovered in a tomb to confirm this. After the collapse of the Qin – this Longfist style diversified into many hundreds of family lineages outside of State control – all passed-on in particular ways – emphasising this or that speciality. Our version was transmitted from North to South China through the numerous Hakka migrations.
What I find interesting is that the manual mentioned above presents the Youth Boxing form as a specific self-contained style. Although this form has a different name in our family gongfu style, it is interesting how “youthful” and “gradually developing” fit quite nicely side by side without any profound contradiction. The 53rd hexagram “漸” (Jian), refers to a strong and well-rooted tree that is growing to maturity upon the mountainside. This type of growth cannot be quick, and by definition must take a long period of time to achieve. Is this not like a “youth” (青年 – Qing Nian) slowly growing to adulthood? Hexagram 53 also discussed how a young woman matures and becomes ready for marriage – and how she must patiently “wait” for the man to act before a marriage can be planned and decided upon. From a Confucian position, social order (and the victory of decorum over chaos) is premised upon correct timing and assuming the appropriate position. An inner stillness, coupled with an outer pattern of correct action, is not only inexhaustible, but it is also unbeatable. Inner humanity is set in order – whilst outer society functions perfectly because everything is in its proper place. As regards the concept of “youth” – young people may practice this Longfist form to make the inner organs, bones, muscles, and ligaments both strong and flexible. Older people may practice this Longfist form to regenerate and rejuvenate their inner organs, bones, muscles, and ligaments. The former progresses youth – whilst the latter rejuvenates maturity.