Question and Answer Series

18 Lohan Fist
by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit
Table of Contents
Question 1 Could you please tell us about the philosophy, force training, tactics and
benefits of the 18 Lohan Fist?................................................................................................3
Question ! What is so special about the 18 Lohan Fist? How can it enrich y !ai"i#uan
practice? What would the strengths and wea$nesses of the 18 Lohan Fist be? .................%
Question " Can you tell us the story of the e&olution of the 18 Lohan Fist?
What are its ad&antages copared to other artial arts?.....................................................'
Question # What is it about Lohan#uan that ade it so popular and useful for other
systes to (build( upon? For what types of fighting was Lohan#uan de&eloped to handle?
)s Lohan#uan particularly well $nown for certain weapons?................................................11
Question $ Can you please tell us about any great past asters who fought using 18
Lohan Fist and any special techni#ues and strategies they ay ha&e used?....................1*
Question % What type of +ung Fu do we practise?...........................................................1,
Question & What are the typical differences between -orthern .haolin +ungfu styles?
Who did the /enerable Chee .een, 0a$ 1ei and -g 1ui learn fro? Why was 0raying
1antis +ungfu no longer officially taught at the .haolin !eple after soe tie and
replaced by Lohan +ungfu?.................................................................................................2%
Question 8 Could you please elaborate on the relation between the 18 Lohan Fist and
!an !ui? What are the siilarities and differences between these in ters of philosophy,
for, force training, tactics and strategies?.........................................................................2'
Question ' (!iger beats 1on$ey, 1on$ey beats Lohan and Lohan beats !iger.(Could you
coent on this?.................................................................................................................33
Question 1( Lohan +ung Fu is ore siple and straight3forward. Could this also be an
ad&antage at a aster4s le&el?............................................................................................3,
2
Question 1
Could you please tell us about the philosophy, force training, tactics and benefits of the 18
Lohan Fist?
.ifu 5nton
Answer
!he 6ighteen3Lohan Fist was de&eloped fro the 6ighteen Lohan Hands. When
7odhidhara taught editation at the .haolin !eple, he found the on$s wea$ and
unhealthy. .o he taught the the 6ighteen Lohan Hands to strengthen the in all aspects
8 physically, eotionally, entally and spiritually.
9radually the 6ighteen Lohan Hands e&ol&ed into the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist. !he 6ighteen
Lohan Hands were a set of chi $ung e:ercises, whereas the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist was a
set of $ungfu techni#ues. !he 6ighteen3Lohan Fist becae the prototype of .haolin
+ungfu. )n other wor$s, &arious styles of .haolin +ungfu branched our or de&eloped fro
the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist.
)t should be noted that both the 6ighteen Lohan Hands and the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist were
practiced at the sae tie, though not necessarily by the sae people. Later artial
on$s also e&ol&ed the 6ighteen Lohan Hands into the 6ighteen3Lohan 5rt, which was
also practiced siultaneously alongside the other two Lohan arts. 7ecause of the long
history of the northern .haolin !eple in Henan, and later the two southern .haolin
!eples at ;uan<hou and on the -ine3Lotus 1ountain, there were any &ersions of the
6ighteen Lohan Hands, the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist and the 6ighteen3Lohan 5rt.
!here is soe characteristic difference between the 6ighteen Lohan Fist of -orthern
.haolin and the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist of .outhern .haolin. =n the other hand, there are
also coon features between these two northern and southern &ersions, and other
styles of $ungfu. 7oth northern and southern Lohan Fist is characteri<ed by long and wide
stances with long reaching stri$es usually with the fist, and soeties with the pal. )t is
#uite easy for the initiated to differentiate between Lohan Fist fro styles li$e !ai"i#uan,
>ingyi#uan, 7agua<hang, 6agle Calw, 0raying 1antis, Wing Choon, Choy3Li3Fatt and
Hoong +a +ungfu.
7etween -orthern and .outhern Lohan Fist, the northern &ersion is characteri<ed by agile
3
footwor$ with fre#uent $ic$s, whereas the southern &ersion by solid stances and ore
hand stri$es. ?elati&ely, -orthern Lohan Fist focuses ore on straight punches with the
fist, whereas .outhern Lohan Fist on sweeping stro$es with the ar.
)f all other factors were e#ual, Lohan Fist fa&oures those who are big and strong. )t
bulldo<es into saller and wea$er opponents, or softer and ore gentle styles. 5s Lohan
Fist, especially the northern &ersion, was relati&ely early in its historical de&elopent, its
cobat philosophy is relati&ely siple and straight3forward, issing the sophisticated
techni#ues and tactic of later styles, li$e the circular o&eents of !ai"i#uan, the e&asi&e
footwor$ of 7agua<hang, the ser&ing otion of the dragon style, and the decisi&e grip of
the tiger claw. -e&ertheless, with the ad&antage of breadth and depth in .haolin Wahna,
we are able to enrich Lohan Fist with these features.
!he ain force training approach of northern Lohan Fist is the 6ighteen3Lohan 5rt,
whereas that of southern Lohan Fist is stance training. Howe&er, as ost people today
practice only the e:ternal for of these arts without their essence, ost Lohan Fist
practitioners do not ha&e internal force. .oe of the retort to lifting weight for uscular
strength to perfor Lohan Fist.
!he principal tactic of Lohan Fist is pressing attac$. 6&en without internal force but with
uscular strength and ad&antage of si<e, pressing attac$ can be &ery foridable to ost
people. Howe&er, a s$illful e:ponent, e&en when he is sall in si<e, can intercept the
pressing attac$ and counter stri$e. .oe of these interception techni#ues are found in our
basic cobat se#uences. @o you $now the?
6&en at a physical le&el, i.e. without internal force and ind training, Lohan Fist training
brings benefits of good health, &itality, agility and fle:ibility. )n $ungfu training, it pro&ides a
suitable bac$ground for the de&elopent of any $ungfu styles, and a good understanding
of $ungfu philosophy and principles.
!he internal training of energy and ind raises the benefits to any higher le&els. !he chi
flow as a result of practicing Lohan Fist ay o&ercoe pain and illness, or pre&ent the.
)ts training enhances &itality and prootes longe&ity, and contributes to pea$ perforance
and spiritual "oys.
*
Question !
1ay you share with us what is so special about the 18 Lohan Fist?
How can the 18 Lohan Fist enrich y !ai"i#uan practice?
What would the strengths and wea$nesses of the 18 Lohan Fist be?
.antiago
Answer
!he two facts that the Lohan Fist is the prototype of .haolin +ungfu, and that techni#ues
of all other artial arts can be found in .haolin +ungfu, a$e the Lohan Fist &ery special.
)t is worth noting two coon isconceptions, that 7odhidhara, despite being honoured
as the First 0atriarch of .haolin +ungfu, did not in&ent .haolin +ungfu, and that $ungfu, or
Chinese artial arts, did not start at the .haolin !eple. +ungfu was already practiced at
a high le&el e&en before the .haolin !eple was built. 9enerals li$e !hi$ Cheng Awho
e:panded the Han 6pire to the WestB, Lu 0u Aconsidered the ost foridable in the
!hree +ingdo 0eriodB and Chao Dun Awho was undefeated in all his battles, also of the
!hree +ingdo 0eriodB were before the .haolin era.
7odhidhara taught the 18 Lohan Hands at the .haolin !eple, and retired generals at
the teple e&ol&ed these chi $ung e:ercises into the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist. /arious .haolin
styles de&eloped fro the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist, li$e !ai<u#uan, !ai"i#uan, Wu<u#uan,
>ingyi#uan, 6agle Claw and 0raying 1antis fro the northern .haolin !eple, and Hoong
+a, Wing Choon, Choy3Li3Fatt, White Crane and @ragon .tyle fro the two southern
.haolin !eples. 5ongst other benefits, $nowing the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist pro&ide insight
to the source and de&elopent of &arious $ungfu styles.
)t is understandable that any other artial artists ay be angry at the stateent that
techni#ues of all other artial arts can be found in .haolin +ungfu, often at a less than
perfect for. ) canEt reeber whether this fact was entioned before, but ) disco&ered
Aor redisco&eredB and confired it again and again in y research and study of other
artial artists before sparring with the ore than 3F years ago.
While their techni#ues could be found in .haolin +ungfu, ) was shoc$ed at their lac$ of
perfect for, which e:posed the to easy counter attac$s and which ) e:ploited. For
e:aple, +arate$as often punched high lea&ing their ribs e:posed, !ae$wondo$as had
poor balance after $ic$ing, Gudo$as did not attept to co&er their opponents when they
%
e:ecuted their throws, and 7o:ers threw their body forward in their stri$es. 5 well3trained
$ungfu practitioner would ne&er coit all these wea$nesses, which ga&e free offers to
their opponents.
Wrestling, was regarded as a sport, and it was well $nown aongst $ungfu circles that
without safety rules, wrestlers would be dangerously e:posed. Wrestlers would be $illed or
serous in"ured in a real fight with a genuine $ungfu aster. +ic$37o:ing and 1i:ed 1artial
5rts were un$nown then, but loo$ing at these arts today we can readily see that their
e:ponents would be dangerously e:posed if not for their safety rules.
When +ai taught counters against pin3downs any years ago at a special course in
.ungai 0etnai, ) was pleasantly surprised to see that all the attac$s and counters were
found in .haolin +ungfu, though ost .haolin practitioners ight be unaware of the
application e&en when they had learnt the techni#ues. We all ha&e to than$ +ai for
opening up this whole area of attac$s and counters.
.urprisingly, 1uay !hai fighters were the ones ) found ost guarded aongst the other
artial arts, or sports. 7ut ) had the great ad&antage of y sifu, .ifu Ho Fatt -a, who
hiself was a professional 1uay !hai chapion, teaching e any secrets in fighting
against 1uay !ahi. Howe&er, when a 1uay !hai fighter clinch onto you to deli&er his
deadly $nee "abs, feared by any artial artists, he is e:posed.
5ongst any other benefits, practicing 6ighteen3Lohan Fist with its picture3perfect for,
will enable us to a&oid these wea$nesses, and e:ploit the if our opponents e:pose
thesel&es. !his philosophy is also applicable in our daily life.
) would strongly recoend those who practice !ai"i#uan to learn 6ighteen3Lohan Fist,
and &ice &ersa, because representing the two e:trees of H$ongI and HyauI AH$angI and
HrouI in 1andarinB, or literally HhardI and HsoftI, and figurati&ely HforceI and HflowingI, the
two arts copleent each other.
!he forte of 6ighteen3Lohan Fist is to use force to press into an opponent, but not using
brutal strength or forgetting safety first. !he forte of !ai"i#uan is to yield to an opponentEs
coing force, deflect it away and turn it bac$ to the opponent. )t is ob&ious that $nowing
and being able to apply these two opposite s$ills will offset the wea$ness of $nowing "ust
any one 8 in cobat as well as in daily life.
5n e:aple in daily life occurred recently in Hawaii. .iu A.ipoB and ) had a eorable
lunch with the Gapanese group led by 6i$o. When we arri&ed at a restaurant, a waitress
directed us to a bigger round table and another saller s#uare table, which was not only
uncofortable but also we had to be separated into two groups., ) re"ected this
J
arrangeent told her to arrange a few s#uare tables in a row so that we could sit ore
cofortably together in one group. !he waitress was unwilling.
With the HforceI fro y 6ighteen3Lohan Fist training, ) as$ed her what was wrong with y
suggestion as it could be done. ) started arranging the s#uare tables yself, and soe
Gapanese girls were #uic$ to help e 8 than$s to their e:cellent training under 6i$o.
7efore the waitress could reali<e what had happened, the tables were arranged and we all
were cofortably seated. )f ) had only trained !ai"i#uan, and used to yielding, we would be
confined to sitting uncofortably in two groups.
=f course ) had to be considerate that y suggestion would not unfa&orably affect the
restaurant business, which was not using brutal strength, and that we would not go hungry
without lunch, which was safety first. )ndeed, we brought good business for the restaurant.
When we first entered, the restaurant was #uite epty, but by the tie we finished our
lunch, it was #uite full. )t was always li$e this as our good chi attracted business. !he food
was good too, and ) ade a point to coplient the restaurant wor$ers. ) also ga&e a big
tip, which ade the &ery happy. 5ll these benefits are fro y !ai"i#uan training, which
enables e to ha&e yin3yang harony.
!he strength of the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist is its HhardnessI. )t is a powerful set e:cellent for
pressing opponents, gi&ing the little chance to escape. Howe&er, if the opponents are
s$illful, especially those trained in !ai"i#uan, they can use Hsoftness to subdue hardnessI,
or Hye yau chai $ongI in Chinese ACantoneseB. !his lac$ of HsoftnessI is therefore its
wea$ness.
!he ter Hye yau chai $ongI is often entioned by !ai"i#uan practitioners. 7ut ost of
the, who are ore aptly called !ai"i dancers, not only do not ha&e the s$ills to ipleent
this principle, but also do not e&en $now in theory how this principle is applied. 5s a rough
guide, if you can apply this principle of Hye yau chai $ongI, you are rightly #ualified to be a
!ai"i#uan practitioner. =ur application of H)ortal Wa&es .lee&esI to deflect a powerful
punch, using rotation of our waist, is a classic e:aple of Husing softness to subdue
hardnessI.
)f Husing softness to subdue hardnessI is true, does it ean that softness will always beat
hardness? -o, there is a corresponding principle, HDe $ong ha$ yauI, which eans Husing
hardness to o&erwhel softnessI, and which is the ain principle of the 6ighteen3Lohan
Fist. HDe $ong ha$ yauI is alos a guiding principle of all .haolin styles as well as all forceful
artial arts. )t is not as widely entioned as Hye yau chai $ongI, but is ore easily
understood.
,
When a die3hard artial artist rushes in to wildly hit a .haolin Wahna student and
o&erwhel the latter, despite the latter ha&ing better techni#ues but lac$ing in the eleent
of threat, the forer is e:hibiting the principle of Husing hardness to o&erwhel softnessI.
Whether Husing hardness to o&erwhel softnessI or Husing softness to subdue hardnessI
will triuph, depends on the s$ill of the e:ponents as well as their fighting e:perience. 5ll
other things being e#ual, if the HhardI e:ponent is ore s$illful than the HsoftI e:ponent,
Husing hardness to o&erwhel softnessI will triuph, and &ice &ersa. .iilarly, all other
things being e#ual, is the HsoftI e:ponent has ore fighting e:perience than the HhardI
e:ponent,. Husing softness to subdue hardnessI will triuph, and &ice &ersa.
!here are any &ersions of 6ighteen3Lohan Fist. !he early &ersions, being at the start of
$ungfu de&elopent, were siple and straight3forward. !he techni#ues were ostly
punches, with a few $ic$s, not unli$e +arate $atas today. When ) bought a copy of an early
&ersion of 6ighteen3Lohan Fist about *% years ago at a tie when y understanding of
$ungfu history and philosophy were rudientary, ) was surprised at its siple techni#ues.
.ophisticated techni#ues, li$e chin3na of the tiger3claw and eagle3claw, di ar$ of =ne3
finger Cen, dragon3hand and phoeni:3eye, tric$iness of the on$ey3paw, profundity of
>ingyi#uan and Wu<uuan, flowing nature of !ai"i#uan, obility of 7agua<hang, leg
techni#ues of 0raying 1antis +ungfu, and felling techni#ues of @run$en .tyle, were
de&eloped later. 5lthough later &ersions of the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist incorporated soe of
these sophisticated techni#ues, on a whole the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist has aintained its
typical features of forceful, pressing techni#ues, which constituted its strength, but can
also be its wea$ness if applied rigidly or against a s$illful and $nowledgeable opponent.
!hese wea$nesses, howe&er, are not found in our .haolin Wahna &ersion of the
6ighteen3Lohan Fist which we shall learn in Fran$furt. Without eaning to be
presuptuous, any asters of 6ighteen3Lohan Fist ay not appreciate what has been
discussed abo&e, and therefore iss its significance and benefit. !hey ay "ust teach the
set as it has been passed down their lineage. 1any of the ay not e&en teach the
cobat application of basic patterns, and hardly any ay relate how to apply 6ighteen3
Lohan Fist to enrich their daily life.
Course participants to the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist course in Fran$furt will benefit fro y
breadth and depth in y understanding and practice of $ungfu. =ur &ersion of the
6ighteen3Lohan Fist will include the benefits of other styles while aintain its own nature
and fla&or. We shall also lessons learnt at the course to enrich our daily life.
8
Question "
Can you tell us the story of the e&olution of the 18 Lohan Fist?
What are its ad&antages copared to other artial arts?
.ifu 5ndy Cusic$
Answer
!he 6ighteen3Lohan Fist was e&ol&ed fro the 6ighteen Lohan Hands.
When 7odhidhara taught Cen editation at the .haolin !eple in the Jth century, he
found the on$s wea$. .o he taught the 6ighteen Lohan Hands to strengthen the
physically, eotionally, entally and spiritually so as to better attain 6nlightenent.
.haolin !eple was an iperial teple. !here were also any retired generals as on$s
at the .haolin !eple. !hese retired generals, who were different fro the other wea$
on$s , odified the e:ercises in the eighteen KLohan Hands for their personal needs.
!his odification was not a concerted effort by the artial on$s collecti&ely. !he
odification was carried out on a personal, spontaneous basis. =&er tie these odified
patterns were #uite different fro the original patterns of the 6ighteen Lohan Hands, and
were practiced not "ust as chi $ung e:ercises for health, but as $ung3fu techni#ues for
cobat.
!hese $ung3fu techni#ues were collecti&ely called 6ighteen3Lohan Fist, or .hi 7a Luo Han
;uan in Chinese, in contrast to 6ighteen Lohan Hands, or .hi 7a Luo Han .hou. )nitially
there were 18 patterns in the 6ighteen Lohan Fist, with each pattern of the chi $ung set
odified into a pattern in the $ungfu set. Howe&er, because of the different periods these
odifications were ade, there were different &ersions of the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist, each
different patterns foring the set.
1ore patterns and ore odifications were added to the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist. 7y the tie
of the !ang @ynasty in the 1'th century, there were sets with 1F8 patterns. 6ighteen3
Lohan Fist becae the prototype of .haolin +ungfu. =&er its long history, any $ung3fu
styles de&eloped fro .haolin +ung3fu, li$e !ai<u#uan, Wu<u#uan, !ai"i#uan, >ingyi#uan,
6agle Claw and 0raying 1antis fro the -orthern .haolin !eple, and Hoong $a, Wing
Choon, Choy3Li3Fatt, White Crane and @ragon .tyle fro the two southern .haolin
!eples.
Lohan +ungfu also de&eloped into a style of its own. !his Lohan +ungfu style had any
'
unared and weapon sets. !here were ten unared sets, and they were con&eniently
naed First Lohan .et, .econd Lohan .et, etc. !he weapon sets were "ust naed after its
type of weapons, li$e .taff .et, .abre .et, .pear .et and 7ig +nife .et.
5lthough Lohan +ungfu, especially its earlier &ersions, is relati&ely siple copared to
later $ung3fu styles that de&eloped fro it, li$e Cha#uan, 6agle Claw, 0raying 1antis,
Hoong +a and Choy3Li3Fatt, it is ore sophisticated than non3$ung3fu artial arts, li$e
+arate, !ae$wondo and 1uay !hai. )t is also coprehensi&e, i.e. it has all the four
categories of attac$ and defence, whereas the cobat techni#ues of non3$ung3fu artial
arts are rather restricti&e. For e:aple, +arate is ainly restricted to stri$es, !ae$wondo to
$ic$s, and there are no felling and gripping attac$s in 1uay !hai.
Herein lie its ad&antages. )ts siplicity yet coprehensi&eness copared to ore
sophisticated styles li$e 6agle Claw and Hoong +a,a$es it easier to learn and be applied
for cobat. )f all other factors were e#ual, students would be better trained in both solo
perforance and fighting in Lohan +ungfu than in 6agle Claw or Hoong +a. !ypical Lohan
patterns are easier to perfor, and their cobat application is ob&ious, but the elaborated
patterns of 6agle Claw and Hoong +a ay not.
=n the other hand, the siplicity yet coprehensi&eness of Lohan +ungfu is a great
ad&antage o&er non3$ungfu artial arts, li$e +arate, !ae$wondo, 7o:ing, +ic$37o:ing and
1uay !hai. 5lthough Lohan +ungfu is siple, there is still ore &ariety in Lohan +ungfu
than the other artial arts. !he stri$es in +arate, for e:aple, are ainly forward punches,
but there are any different ways of stri$ing in Lohan +ungfu. !he $ic$s in !ae$wondo
lea&e its e:ponents e:posed, but $ic$s in Lohan +ungfu are well co&ered.
Lohan +ungfu is sufficient to handle any for of attac$, but the other artial arts are
inade#uate if opponents use techni#ues outside the repertoire of these arts. )f you grip a
+arate$a, fell a !ae$wondo e:ponent, or $ic$ at a 7o:er, for e:aple, they would ha&e no
techni#ues in their repertoire to counter.
!he early &ersions of 6ighteen3Lohan Fist were siple. )n fact, about 3F years ago in the
1'8Fs when ) first bought a boo$ on the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist, which ) later learned was of
an early &ersion, ) was surprised to find that its patterns were ainly straight3forward
punches and $ic$sL Lohan +ungfu de&eloped too, and in its long history it has incorporated
sophisticated techni#ues fro other styles. While aintaining its original fla&or, our .haolin
Wahna &ersion of 6ighteen3Lohan Fist contains any sophisticated techni#ues. 1any
other artial artists as well as $ung3fu practitioners of other schools ay thin$ soe of
these pattern erely decorati&e, when in fact they are &ery effecti&e for cobat.
1F
Question #
Lohan#uan is considered the (base( for any $ung fu systes, li$e 6agle Claw, 0raying
1antis, and 7agua<hang. What is it about Lohan#uan that ade it so popular and useful
for other systes to (build( upon?
For what types of fighting was Lohan#uan de&eloped to handle, eg ass fighting, one
&ersus any, one &ersus one, protecting soeone as a bodyguard, etc.?
)s Lohan#uan particularly well $nown for certain weapons? )f so, how do Lohan#uan and
those weapons enhance and copleent one another?
Fred Chu, M.5
Answer
Lohan#uan or Lohan +ungfu is not only the base of any $ungfu systes, it can also be
said to be the base of all artial arts. Lohan +ungfu is the base of .haolin +ungfu, i.e.
.haolin +ungfu e&ol&ed fro Lohan +ungfu, and the techni#ues of all other artail arts or
sports, including wrestling and pin3downs, can be found in .haolin +ungfu.
!he feature that a$es Lohan +ungfu so popular and useful for other systes to build
upon is footwor$ or HabuI, i.e. its stances and o&eent. We are so used to stances that
it ay be easy to forget that using appropriate stances was a great leap forward in cobat
efficiency fro rando untrained leg o&eents.
) can spea$ fro direct e:perience. Loo$ing bac$ at y younger days when ) sparred
fre#uently and soeties actually fought, if ) ha&e to pin3point the factor that enabled e
to beat y opponents, it was not y techni#ues, not y force and not y strategies, but
y footwor$L Had ) not spent uch tie in y stance training ) would not ha&e the
ad&antages ) had to beat y opponents.
What ad&antages y footwor$ ga&e e o&er y opponents? ) had the ad&antages of
spacing and tiing. )n other words, by using y stances well ) could place yself in
fa&orable positions faster than y opponents escaped fro their unfa&orable positions so
that e&en when y techni#ues were ediocre, y force ordinary, and without the use of
any strategies, ) could defeat y opponents.
For e:aple, when a +arate e:ponent e:ecuted soe powerful punches, because ) had a
good 7ow35rrow .tance and could use it well, ) did not ha&e to o&e y feet away. ) "ust
san$ bac$ y body, without o&ing y feet, to a&oid his powerful punches, co&ered the
11
with one hand and siultaneously attac$ed hi with y other hand in a tiger3claw using
the pattern HHungry !iger Catches 9oatI.
)f a !ae$wondo e:ponent ga&e e a side3$ic$, ) would, without o&ing y feet, sin$ bac$
in y 7ow35rrow .tance to let the $ic$ pass, then shift y body forward to stri$e hi while
he tried to reco&er his balance after his $ic$. 7ecause of y s$illful use of y stances,
e&en if y actual speed was slower than their, ) could still hit the before they could
reco&er their initial attac$ to defend thesel&es against y counters.
)f y opponents tried to o&e away fro y counters, they would ha&e to use two or three
steps, but ) could co&er the sae space in "ust one step. )n ordinary circustances they
could defend against y counters, but y footwor$ ga&e e such ad&antages of spacing
and tiing that put the in disad&antages positions. 6&en when they $new the defence
against y attac$s, they could not effecti&ely defend thesel&es due to their unfa&orable
positions.
)t is worthy of note that y techni#ues then were ediocre, y internal force was nothing
copared to what it is now, and ) $new little or no strategies. Det, with the ad&antages of
spacing and tiing brought about by y s$illful use of stances, ) could reain undefeated
e&en in y early years of sparring and actual fighting.
) ust add that there was another factor contributing to why ) always won. ) fought sart. )
studied y opponents and $new their strengths and wea$nesses before sparring with
the. 7ut still it was y footwor$ that ga&e e practical &ictory. Without y s$illful
footwor$, e&en when ) theoretical $new y opponentsE strengths and wea$nesses, ) would
not ha&e the ad&antages of spacing and tiing to beat the. !his de&elopent cae later
when ) started teaching $ungfu.
=ne ay argue that fighting sart was a use of strategy. 7ut ) was not consciously aware
of the strategy then, unli$e now ) can use strategies or tactics li$e Hleading opponents to
futility, and stri$ing the when they are une:pectedI, Hwhen there is for stri$e the for,
when there is no for stri$e the stri$e the shadowI and Hwhen there is a bridge go along
the bridge, when there is no bridge, flow with the waterI.
)n any ways, y use of footwor$ to defeat opponents resebles in principles the
superiority of Lohan +ungfu o&er other artial styles. When opponents are ediocre,
using Lohan +ungfu gi&es a big ad&antage o&er using other styles. 7ut if the opponents
are s$illful or sophisticated, Lohan +ungfu in its early &ersion ay be inade#uate. !his
setbac$, howe&er, is not applicable in our school because of our ad&antage of spread and
depth. 7esides, the situation today is that ost fighters are ediocre, otherwise they
12
would not ta$e being punched and $ic$ed in sparring for granted.
5ll the three basic stances 8 naely Horse3?iding, 7ow35rrow and False Leg 8 were
Lohan +ungfu stances. !hey had been found to be so useful that they had been adopted
in all other $ungfu styles and any other artial systes. =ther stances, li$e the 9oat
.tance, the !riangle .tance and the !3.tep, were later de&elopents. +ungfu styles li$e
Wu<u#uan, >ingyi#uan, 0raying 1antis and 1on$ey .tyle, de&eloped after Lohan +ungfu
had been established. Hence, you find that any of the stances in these styles do not use
Horse3?iding, 7ow35rrow and False Leg as fre#uently.
While the stances pro&ide ad&antages in spacing and tiing in cobat for the initiated,
they becoe a hindrance to those untrained in the or who do not use the in sparring
e&en when trained in the in solo practice. !his is a ain reason why any $ungfu
practitioners are beaten by 7o:ers and +ic$37o:ers bouncing about.
5s an analogy, a car pro&ides ad&antage in spacing and tiing in transportation o&er a
bicycle. Dou are both ore cofortable and faster in a car going fro place to place. 7ut if
you do not $now how to dri&e or do not want to dri&e, riding a bicycle can enable you to
reach your destination but the car would not.
Lohan +ungfu was de&eloped for all types of fighting, including, of course, ass fighting,
one &ersus any, one &ersus one, and protecting soeone as a bodyguard, though Lohan
+ungfu practitioners, being .haolin disciples, ight not want to be bodyguards because
this profession was not considered noble in .haolin tradition.
!he long range of Lohan +ungfu techni#ues are effecti&e for ass fighting and one &ersus
any. !he powerful pressing o&eents of Lohan +ungfu are effecti&e for one &ersus
one, especially when the opponent is ediocre.
)f all other things were e#ual, a s$illful e:ponent any e:ploit the long3range techni#ues of
Lohan +ungfu. 7ut not any e:ponents ha&e such $nowledge and s$ills. 1ost e:ponents
would be o&erwheled by the powerful, pressing attac$s. 1oreo&er, in .haolin Wahna
other things are not e#ual. We ha&e the great ad&antage of breadth and depth to
o&ercoe this setbac$ of Lohan +ungfu.
!he staff, especially when it is used as a staff and not as a spear, is particularly well $nown
in Lohan +ungfu. !he staff should be hea&y, and is ainly used for hitting, not piercing.
.taff techni#ues and Lohan +ungfu techni#ues are siilar, thus they enhance and
copleent each other. !he often entioned but seldo seen faous classical staff set
of -orthern .haolin, naely Little -ight 9uard or >iao Dia Char in Chinese, is e:cellent for
this purpose. )ts odern &ersion, called HFi&e !igers in a Herd of .heepI, is widely
13
practiced today in &arious branches of the Chin Woo 5thletic 5ssociation, founded by the
great .haolin aster, Hou Duan Gia.
Question $
Can you please tell us about any great past asters who fought using 18 Lohan Fist and
any special techni#ues and strategies they ay ha&e used?
@oinic, )reland
Answer
=ne of the earliest asters using 6ighteen3Lohan Fist was the /enerable !an Cong, who
led twel&e other .haolin on$s to help Li .hi 1ing established the !ang @ynasty. His
e:ploits were iortali<ed in the faous o&ie, !he .haolin !eple, which shot both the
.haolin !epe and Get Li to world fae.
!an CongEs fighting, howe&er, was ainly on horsebac$ using the .haolin staff. When Li
.hi 1ing becae the first eperor of the !ang @ynasty, he rewarded the .haolin on$s
handsoely and bestowed the title H9reat 9eneralI on !an Cong. 7ut !an Cong prefereed
to return to onastic life. )n a grand celebration officiated by the eperor hiself, !an
Cong ga&e a deonstration of 7ao#uan, or Cannon Fist, which was a faous set fro
Lohan +ungfu.
5nother great practitioner of Lohan +ungfu was Chao +uang Din, who founded the .ong
@ynasty. He too fought ainly on horsebac$, and his weapon was also the .haolin staff.
)n one of his battles, the upper part of his staff was bro$en. He "oined the bro$en part bac$
to the ain staff with an iron chain, and the weapon was latter $nown as a sweeper,
presuably to sweep away all his opponents.
!he sweeper is also $nown as a two3sectional staff, i.e. a long staff e:tended to a short
staff by a chain. Later the longer staff was shortened to a length the sae as that of the
shorter staff. !o differentiate the two types of weapons, the forer was called a big
sweeper or big two3sectional3staff, and the latter a sall sweeper or sall two3sectional3
staff. !he nuncha$u, which eans Htwo3sectional3staffI in Gapanese, is deri&ed fro the
sall sweeper and is popularly practiced in +arate.
1*
!he 6ighteen3Lohan Fist e&ol&ed into !ai<u#uan, or First 6peror +ungfu, in honour of
Chao +uang Din, the first eperor of the .ong @ynasty.
)n the succeeding Duan @ynasty, the $ungfu genius, 7ai Du Feng, was also a practitioner
of Lohan +ungfu. 7y that tie, .haolin +ungfu had e&ol&ed into &arious distinct styles, li$e
>ingyi#uan, !ai"i#uan, Chuo Giao, !ongbei#uan, Cha#uan and Hua#uan. Concerned that
.haolin +ungfu ight lose its original fla&or, 7ai Du Feng with the help of the abbot in&ited
faous .haolin asters to the .haolin !eple to deonstrate their arts. Fro the
nuerous deonstrations 7ai Du Feng chose four other styles to cobine with his original
style, Lohan +ungfu, to found Wu<u#uan, or Fi&e35ncestor +ungfu.
)nterestingly, the ain stances of Wu<u#uan are #uite different fro those of Lohan
+ungfu. Wu<u#uan use the @ragon3?iding .tance Ater suggested by ?olandB and the
!riangle .tance, whereas Lohan +ungfu uses the 7ow35rrow .tance and the False Leg
.tance.
!he /enerable Gue Duan, who also learned fro 7ai Du Feng, was another practitioner of
Lohan +ungfu. .haolin records entioned that he was dissatisfied with the relati&ely hard
and e:ternal features of .haolin +ungfu then, and introduced internal training of the fi&e
.haolin anials into his basic Lohan#uan.
7ai Du Feng was a $ungfu genius. His $ungfu, therefore, ust be &ery &ersatile. 1oreo&er,
by this tie 6ighteen3Lohan Fist had de&eloped with ore sophisticated techni#ues., not
"ust pressing forward with forceful attac$. While it is tepting to e:trapolate how he fought
fro Wu<u#uan which he in&ented, we need to reeber that his application of
Lohan#uan for cobat was before his in&ention of Wu<u#uan.
5s 7ai Du Feng in&ented Wu<u#uan which was faous for internal force, and was the
teacher of Gue Duan who introduced the .haolin fi&e anials for internal training, ) belie&e
7ai Du Feng fre#uently used internal force in his Lohan +ungfu, and not "ust e:ternal
physical prowess. He would use the pal, which was ore conduci&e for internal force,
ore fre#uently than the fist, which was a characteristic of 6ighteen3Lohan Fist.
) belie&e 7ai Du Feng would use techni#ues li$e a single pal stri$e li$e HFierce !iger
5cross .treaI, or a double pal stri$e li$e @ouble @ragons Carry 1oon. ) also belie&e
that in cobat strategies, 7ai Du Feng would not press in in a linear fashion but often
o&ed to a side of an opponent. He would also use the ?iding3@ragon .tance and
!riangle .tance besides the 7ow35rrow .tance and False Leg .tance of Lohan +ungfu.
!he &ersion of 6ighteen3Lohan fist by the tie of the /enerable Gue Duan in the Duan
@ynasty would be #uite different fro the &ersion at the tie of the /enerable !an Cong
1%
before the !an @ynasty ore than % centuries earlier. 5s the /enerable Gue Duan was the
in&entor of Fi&e35nial Fist of .haolin +ungfu, it is reasonable to guess that his
Lohan#uan cobat would also include these anial fors. Hence, his techni#ues and
strategies would not be as direct and pressing as earlier &ersions of 6ighteen3Lohan Fist
but ore flowing and swer&ing.
)n -orthern .haolin, the Lohan +ungfu techni#ues and strategies of Huo Duan Gia and
Wang Ci 0ing as e:pressed in their !antui were ore flowing and fle:ible. ) would iagine
that techni#ue li$e .econd 7rother =ffers Wine, ?ising @ragon 9alloping !iger and !hree
?ings 6brace 1oon would be their fa&orites. !hey would also use strategies li$e Htric$ing
opponents to ad&ance to futilityI and Hstri$ing for where there is for, stri$ing shadow
when there is no forI.
)n .outhern .haolin, the Lohan +ungfu techni#ues and strategies of Wong Fei Hoong,
La .ai Weng and Chan Harng as anifested in Hoong +a and Choy3Li3Fatt would be
#uite different.
Wong Fei Hoong was faous for his no3shadow $ic$. !he no3shadow $ic$ could ha&e
e&ol&ed fro the punch3cu3$ic$ of Lohan +ungfu, later anifested as ?ising @ragon and
9alloping !iger in !antui, but the strategy of punch3cu3$ic$ in Lohan +ungfu was #uite
different fro that of no3shadow $ic$. )n Lohan +ungfu the strategy was to punch and $ic$
an opponent at the sae tie, whereas in no3shadow $ic$ the strategy was to decei&e an
opponent so as to $ic$ hi une:pectedly.
La .ai Weng was faous for his tiger claws. !here were no tiger claws in Lohan +ungfu.
!he tiger claw techni#ue in our .haolin Wahna &ersion of the 6ighteen Lohan Fist in the
pattern HHungry !iger .natches LabI is y inno&ation. 7ut when La .ai Weng used
Lohan +ungfu techni#ues in cobat, they would be H!hrow 7all in Wa&esI, H7lac$ !iger
.teals HeartI, and H.un Character 5rrow 0unchI. His strategy, typical of Lohan +ungfu,
was to press into an opponent relentless while ta$ing care of his own safety.
5lthough Choy3Li3Fatt has the ost fla&or of Lohan +ungfu in .outhern .haolin, it is #uite
different fro the Lohan +ungfu of -orthern .haolin. While both -orthern .haolin
Lohan#uan and Choy3Li3Fat use forceful, pressing attac$s, the forer attac$s are ore
linear and forward, whereas the latter attac$s are ore circular and downward or upward.
) belie&e Chan HarngEs special techni#ues and strategies would be to press in an
opponent, siultaneously deflecting his counters if applicable, with patterns li$e H!hrow
7alls in Wa&esI, HWhirlwind .ashes Wa&esI and H7lac$ 0anther 6nters ?oc$I.
)t is interesting to note that while the leopard fist, li$e in H7lac$ 0anther 6nters ?oc$I, is
1J
widely used in Choy3Li3Fatt, it is no found in 6ighteen3Lohan Fist. !his is because the
leopard fist was a latter de&elopent.
!his answer shows not only the special techni#ues and strategies of past 6ighteen3Lohan
Fist asters, but also the de&elopent of 6ighteen3Lohan Fist o&er any centuries and
how we can benefit fro it.
Question %
) find that when ) tell people ) practise .haolin +ungfu they say (What type?(
7ecause the closest $ungfu to ours that ) saw outside of our school was Hung 9ar N Hoong
+a, ) used to tell the that, rather than get into a coplicated discussion or try to persuade
the that .haolin itself was a style. A) later disco&ered that this is what Mncle
?ighteousness $ungfu was referred to by soe?B
) then wondered if Hoong +a was the base for ost .tyles, li$e the original .haolin. Would
it be ore accurate to say that Lohan $ungfu was the original .haolin?
=r are both of these incorrect and the original .haolin $ungfu is siply called shaolin
$ungfu, with both Lohan and Hoong +a being deri&ations, Lohan coing before Hoong
+a?
@run$en 7o:er
Answer
Dours is a #uestion as$ed by any people, and the answer here will help to clear away
uch confusion.
) too e:perienced the sae confusion before. )n one of y eetings with y sifu, .ifu Ho
Fatt -a, before ) started learning fro hi, ) as$ed hi a siilar #uestion.
-oticing that what he taught was called .haolin +ungfu, ) as$ed hi what type of .haolin
+ungfu he taught. Was it Hoong +a, Choy3Li3Fatt, Lohan +ungfu, 0raying 1antis, or
soething li$e that?
1y sifuEs answer was straight to the point. H)tEs .haolin +ungfu,I he said. H)tEs parental
.haolin. )t was the type of $ungfu practiced at the .haolin !eple. =ther types of .haolin
+ungfu, li$e Hoong +a and Choy3Li3Fatt, deri&ed fro it.I
1,
) did not understand y sifuEs answer fully at the tie. )t was later that the full eaning
dawned on e. ) also disco&ered later that by the .haolin !eple, he referred to the
southern .haolin !eple at ;uan<hou in Fu"ian 0ro&ince of China.
) also clearly reeber that any years earlier, y first sifu, Mncle ?ighteousness, told
us, i.e. all his students, as follows.
H1any people ha&e as$ed e what type of $ungfu we practice. )t is .haolin.I
5t that tie ) was "ust a sall boy. ) did not understand enough to $now the significance of
Mncle ?ighteousnessE stateent then, but ) reeber the occasion &ery clearly. ) can
e&en see in y ind now the scene then. Mncle ?ighteousness had "ust coe into our
training hall. He "ust too$ off his usual white Hawaiian shirt and hung it on a rag on a wall,
and was wearing a white !3shirt when he ade this stateent with any students
standing around hi.
Dears later after Mncle righteousness had returned to hea&en, any of y classates
found a $ungfu school in his honour and naed it Chin Wah Hoong +a +ungfu
9ynasiu. ) was not around then. Had ) been around, ) would ha&e strongly proposed
H.haolinI instead of HHoong +aI as that was what Mncle ?ighteousness called his $ungfu.
!he .haolin !eple on .ong 1ountain in Henan was built about the year 3,, by 6peror
>iao Wen for the )ndian on$, 7atuo, to translate 7uddhist sutras fro .ans$rit to
Chinese. )n the year %2, 7odhidhara arri&ed to teach the .haolin on$s Cen. Finding
the sic$ly, 7odhidhara taught the 6ighteen Lohan Hands and .inew 1etaorphosis.
1artial on$s at the teple, any of who were retired generals, e&ol&ed the 6ighteen
Lohan Hans into 6ighteen3Lohan Fist or Lohan +ungfu. 5s it was being practiced at the
.haolin !eple, it was also called .haolin +ungfu.
)t is significant to note that .haolin +ungfu or Lohan +ungfu &aried according to place and
tie. !he .haolin +ungfu practiced at the .haolin !eple would not e:actly be the sae
as the .haolin +ungfu practiced outside it e&en when the latter originated fro the forer.
!he .haolin +ungfu practiced at the .haolin !eple or anywhere at one tie, li$e in the
,th century, would be different fro the .haolin +ungfu practiced at the sae place at
another tie, li$e in the 8th century.
.haolin +ungfu spread to any other places. =ther styles of $ungfu also de&eloped in
other places. )n the Western regions of China aongst 1usli populations, Cha#uan or
Cha +ungfu was popular. Cha#uan was naed after Cha 1i 6r, which was the Chinese
nae for Gail.
)n the northern regions Hua#uan, or 7eautiful +ungfu, was popular. !here was no records,
18
as far as ) $now, who the first patriarch of Hua#uan was. ) belie&e it was called Hua#uan
because its perforance, besides being cobat effecti&e, was beautiful to watch, li$e ost
styles of $ungfu are.
)n any regions of China, Hou#uan, or 1on$ey +ungfu, was popular. !here were a few
different styles of 1on$ey +ungfu, each different fro another. )n regions of !ibet, for
e:aple, techni#ues of 1on$ey +ungfu resebled those of apes, whereas in regions in
the south, techni#ues of 1on$ey +ungfu resebled those of the apesE saller3si<ed
cousins.
) donEt $now whether these styles, li$e Cha#uan, Hua#uan and 1on$ey +ungfu, were
directly de&eloped fro .haolin +ungfu, which was ainly Lohan +ungfu, or they
de&eloped independently of their own but uch influenced by .haolin +ungfu. 7ut they
were generally regarded as .haolin styles because both their philosophy and practice
were siilar to the philosophy and practice of .haolin +ungfu.
For e:aple, li$e .haolin +ungfu they were practiced for cobat, and they used Horse3
?iding, 7ow35rrow and False Leg stances. !hey were different fro, say, !ai"i#uan,
although !ai"i#uan was also deri&ed fro .haolin +ungfu, as !ai"i#uan was relati&ely HsoftI
and HcircularI whereas they were HharderI and ore linear. !hey were &ery different fro
Gudo, +arate, !ae$wondo, 7o:ing and Wrestling, which were sports whereas these
.haolin styles were cobat arts.
1eanwhile, there were $ungfu styles that were directly de&eloped fro .haolin +ungfu,
li$e >ingyi#uan, 6agle Claw, !ai<u#uan, !ai"i#uan, Wu<u#uan and 0raying 1antis.. 6&en
now the ter H.haolinI is soeties prefi:ed to >ingyi#uan, and often to 6agle Claw,
!ai<u#uan, Wu<u#uan and 0raying 1antis, calling these arts .haolin >ingyi#uan, .haolin
6agle Claw, .haolin !ai<u#uan, .haolin Wu<u#uan and .haolin 0raying 1antis.
)nterestingly, the ter H.haolinI is ne&er prefi:ed to !ai"i#uan, although originally it was
called Wudang .haolin +ungfu, to differentiate fro Henan .haolin +ungfu practicesdat
the .haolin !eple in Henan.
5ll these .haolin styles were related to the northern .haolin !eple in Henan where
.haolin +ungfu, which was basically Lohan +ungfu, was practiced. 5ll these .haolin styles
were #uite different fro Lohan +ungfu. 5n infored obser&er could, for e:aple, easily
differentiate 6agle Claw or Wu<u#uan fro Lohan +ungfu. We ust also reeber that
the Lohan +ungfu at the tie when !ai<u#uan de&eloped fro it during the .ong @ynasty
A'JF312,'B was #uite different fro the Lohan +ungfu at the tie when Wu<u#uan
de&eloped fro it during the Duan @ynasty A12,1313J8B.
1'
@uring the 1ing @ynasty A13J831J**B an eperor built a southern .haolin !eple in the
city of ;uan<hou in Fu"ian 0ro&ince. 5 faous style deri&ed fro the .haolin +ungfu
practiced at this southern .haolin !eple, which was also ainly Lohan +ungfu, albeit its
southern &ersion, was White Crane +ungfu. )t is interesting to note that this White Crane
+ungfu is siilar to Wu<u#uan. 5 ain set of White Crane +ungfu is also .an Chan, but
this .an Chan is slightly different fro the .an Chan of Wu<u#uan, which significantly has
not changed uch o&er space and tie.
)t is also significant to note that there are different styles of White Crane +ungfu with
different history and philosophy. 5nother faous style that drew inspiration fro the White
Crane is Laa +ungfu in !ibet, which is soeties called !ibetan White Crane, whereas
the other is called Fu"ian White Crane as it was Aand still isB popularly practiced in Fu"ian
0ro&ince of China. 5n infored obser&er can easily tell the difference between Fu"ian
White Crane and !ibetan White Crane. Fu"ian White Crane is short3range, whereas
!ibetan White Crane or Laa +ungfu, by which ter it is ore popularly $nown, is long3
range.
!he southern .haolin !eple at ;uan<hou was burnt to the ground by the ary of the
;ing @ynasty A1J** 1'11B. 0a$ 1ei escaped to 6r 1ei 1ountain, and the $ungfu issued
fro here was called .haolin 6r 1ei +ungfu. !he style of $ungfu fro 6r 1ei 1ountain
first taught by 0a$ +ei was also called .haolin 0a$ 1ei +ungfu, in honour of 0a$ 1ei, and
.haolin @ragon .tyle +ungfu, because its ain feature was the @ragon.
)t is worthy of note that 6r 1ei +ungfu, 0a$ 1ei +ungfu and @ragon .tyle reseble ore
of ;u<u#uan or Fu"ian White Crane than of Lohan +ungfu. =&er tie and space, there are
also fine differences aongst these three $ungfu styles for 0a$ 1ei, but generally they
loo$ the sae e&en to infored obser&ers.
5nother !aoist priest, Fong !ou !uc$, escaped to the Wudang 1ountain, and the $ungfu
issued fro here was $nown as .haolin Wudang +ungfu, later shortened to Wudang
+ungfu. 0lease ta$e note that this Wudang +ungfu of Fong !ou !uc$ was different for
the Wudang +ungfu of Chang .an Feng about J centuries earlier.
5 .haolin on$, the /enerable Chee .een, escaped to the -ine3Lotus 1ountain also in
Fu"ian 0ro&ince and built another southern .haolin !eple there. !his southern .haolin
!eple was secreti&e, in contrast to the publicly $nown southern .haolin !eple at
;uan<hou. !his southern .haolin !eple on -ine3Lotus 1ountain was also burnt to the
ground by the ;ing ary, led by 0a$ 1ei who later sided with the ;ing. 1any southern
.haolin styles issued fro this historical e&ent which will be described later.
2F
5nother .haolin on$ whose nae in the southern .haolin !eple we do not $now but
changed his nae to Giang -an to escape the notice of the pursuing ;ing ary, ran out of
China and taught .haolin +ungfu to y sigung, Dang Fatt +huen, who in turn taught to y
sifu, Ho Fatt -a. With this historical bac$ground, it a$es perfect sense when y sifu
told e that the $ungfu he taught was .haolin +ungfu, i.e. the type of $ungfu practiced at
the .haolin !eple at ;uan<hou.
Mnli$e Wang Lang earlier who de&eloped 0raying 1antis +ungfu fro the .haolin +ungfu
he learned fro his teacher, or Di Wing Choon later who de&eloped Wing Choon +ungfu
fro the .haolin +ungfu she learned fro her teacher, y sifu and sigung did not change
the .haolin +ungfu they learned fro their teachers. -e&ertheless, it is worthwhile to
reeber that the .haolin +ungfu Wang Lang, Di Wing Choon and y sifu and y
sigung learned fro their teachers was different. !he difference was due to different place
and tie.
Giang -an, Chee .een and 0a$ 1ei were classates. !hey learned .haolin +ungfu at the
sae tie and place. Why were the styles of .haolin +ungfu passed down by the
different? !heir representati&e $ungfu sets, Four 9ates, !riple .tretch and -ine3.tep
Chase, were noticeably different. !his was because there was a wide range of choice for
speciali<ation at the .haolin !eple at ;uan<hou. )n the sae way in future e&en when
their lineage is fro .haolin Wahna, their $ungfu ay be characteristically different if the
practitioners learn fro asters who speciali<e fro, for e:aple, 6ighteen3Lohan Fist,
!ai"i#uan, >ingyi#uan or 7agua<hang.
?eturning to the burning of the second .haolin !eple on -ine3Lotus 1ountain, asters
who escaped, ostly to 9uangdong 0ro&ince, spread .haolin +ungfu to any places, and
later o&erseas. !o a&oid the notice of the ;ing ary, the $ungfu taught and practiced was
not called .haolin +ungfu but by the faily nae of the asters. )n 9uangdong 0ro&ince,
which becae the hub of $ungfu training as well as anti3;ing acti&ities, there were fi&e
faous faily styles of $ungfu, naely Hoong, Lau, Choy, Li and 1o$, i.e. Hoong +a
+ungfu, Lau +a +ungfu, Choy +a +ungfu, Li +a +ungfu and 1o$ +a +ungfu, H$aI being
the Cantonese word for HfailyI. +ungfu initially taught by on$s was called Fatt +a, HfattI
eaning the 7uddha.
!he asters teaching these faily styles to their students generally did not change what
they learned fro their teachers. )n other words, the faily styles of $ungfu of Hoong, Lau,
Choy, Li and 1o$ as well as Fatt were directly fro the $ungfu practiced at the southern
.haolin !eple on the -ine3Lotus 1ountain, though there ight be fine differences due to
21
different needs and speciali<ation.
!here is an iportant point not norally $nown by any people. !he $ungfu of one
particular faily style ay ha&e different first patriarchs and histories. 1any practitioners
of Li +a +ungfu, for e:aple, attributed their first patriarch to Li 0a$ !at, whereas any
others attributed their first patriarch to Li 0a .an. !heir styles of Li +a +ungfu were also
different, as Li 0a$ !atEs lineage was fro Chee .een, whereas Li 0a$ .an was a disciple
of 0a$ 1ei.
1ost Hoong +a practitioners, ) belie&e, ha&e not sol&ed the #uestion of their lineage.
When as$ed why their $ungfu was called Hoong +a, any would answer because their
lineage traced bac$ to Hoong Hei +oon. 7ut the first patriarch of any Hoong +a
practitioners today was actually Lo$ 5h Choy. )f you as$ students of Chin Wah Hoong +a
+ungfu 5cadey, the $ungfu school founded in honour of y first sifu, Mncle
?ighteousness, ost of the, ) guess, would gi&e the sae answer, i.e. the first patriarch
of the Hoong +a +ungfu they practiced was Hoong Hei +oon. 1ost of the would not
$now that their first patriarch, following this line of reasoning, was the /enerable Harng
Dein, the ost senior disciple of Chee .een.
We in .haolin Wahna would not ha&e this proble. )f as$ed who our first patriarch of
Mncle ?ighteousness lineage was, our answer would be Chee .een. )t was to Chee .een
that all students of Mncle ?ighteousness paid hoage to at the start of our $ungfu training.
When as$ed who our first patriarch of .ifu Ho Fatt -a lineage was, our answer would be
Giang -an. )t was the /enerable Giang -an who brought the .haolin arts out of the .haolin
!eple to pass down to us.
?eturning to the &arious .outhern .haolin styles fro the .haolin !eple on the -ine3
Lotus 1ountain, there were two where the first patriarchs ade soe changes to what
they first learned fro their own teachers. =ne was Wing Choon +ungfu and the other was
Choy3Li3Fatt.
Di Wing Choon, the First 0atriarch of Wing Choon +ungfu, odified what she had
learned fro her teacher, -g 1ui. )n other words, what she practiced and taught to her
only student, her husband Leong 0o$ +hou who later passed on Wing Choon +ungfu to
posterity, ight not be the sae as what she learned fro -g 1ui. Di Wing Choon,
ainly for her personal needs, focused on the HsoftI aspects and discarded the HhardI
aspects of .haolin +ungfu.
!he difference is ost noticeable in the popular style of Wing Choon +ungfu fro Hong
+ong, where the 9oat .tance and the !riangle .tance are ainly used. )t is not so ob&ious
22
but still discernable in the Choe Faily Wing Choon we practice in our school, where the
fundaental stances of .haolin +ungfu, i.e. the Horse3?iding, 7ow35rrow and False Leg,
are still fre#uently used.
Chan Harng, the First 0atriarch of Choy3Li3Fatt +ungfu, cobined Choy +a +ungfu, Li +a
+ungfu and Fatt +a +ungfu Awhich is southern Lohan +ungfuB into one style. He did not
change what he learned fro his three teachers, but the resultant cobination was
significantly different fro each of the three styles he separately learned fro his teachers.
5ll these styles, regardless of whether their first patriarchs consciously ade changes to
what they learned fro their teachers, or "ust taught what they originally learned thought
there ight be differences aongst the styles due to different needs, speciali<ation and
other factors, had the ter H.haolinI prefi:ed to the. Hence, we had .haolin Hoong +a,
.haolin Lau +a, .haolin Wing Choon and .haolin Choy3Li3Fatt, etc. 7ut e&entually any
people shortened the ters and "ust called the Hoong +a, Lau +a, Wing Choon, Choy3
Li3Fatt, etc.
With this historical bac$ground, we can now answer the #uestions, directly as$ed or
iplied, with understanding and $nowledge.
=b&iously those who as$ you what type of .haolin +ungfu you practice, do not $now this
historical de&elopent of .haolin +ungfu. !hey also do no $now that the .haolin +ungfu
we practice is different fro the .haolin +ungfu practiced in other .haolin schools, as well
as the .haolin +ungfu, usually called .haolin Wushu, practiced at the .haolin !eple in
China today.
!o tell the that you practice Hoong +a +ungfu is incorrect because what you personally
practice is #uite different fro Hoong +a +ungfu.
5lso what a typical $ungfu student in .haolin Wahna practices is different fro what a
typical student in a typical Hoong +a school practices. !he difference is not "ust in the
approach of the training which is actually ore iportant, li$e our approach is on force
training and cobat application whereas in ost other Hoong +a schools the approach is
on learning $ungfu sets, but on the aterial taught, by which ost other people use to
copare different styles.
)n any Hoong +a schools students start with H!aing !igerI. )n the Chin Wah Hoong +a
+ungfu 5cadey students start with the H3J30attern !iger3Crane .et. H )n other Hoong +a
schools students start with sets li$e HFierce !iger @escends 1ountainI or H!iger ClawsI.
)n our school students in the .haolin section start with HLohan 5s$ the WayI, and in the
23
!ai"i#uan section they start with HWhite Crane Flaps WingsI. HLohan 5s$s the WayI and
HWhite Crane Flaps WingsI are far sipler than and #uite different fro all the other sets in
the other Hoong +a schools.
)ndeed, it was because ) found ost Hoong +a and !ai"i#uan $ungfu sets, e&en beginning
ones, too coplicated for our beginning students that ) coposed HLohan 5s$s the WayI
and HWhite Crane Flaps WingsI.
)t would be ore appropriate to answer that you practice .outhern Lohan +ungfu than to
say Hoong +a +ungfu.
7ut it is better to answer that you practice .haolin +ungfu as taught in .haolin Wahna,
and that it is different fro .haolin +ungfu taught elsewhere.
)f they want ore inforation, as$ the to refer to the answer here. )f they want to argue
"ust for arguing, donEt waste your tie on the.
!here is no need to get into a coplicated discussion or to persuade the that .haolin
itself is a style. )f you want to elaborate, you can say that .haolin +ungfu has a &ery long
history and has spread to any places. !herefore, there are different &ersions of .haolin
+ungfu. !he &ersion practiced in our school is the one passed down to us fro the two
southern .haolin !eples at ;uan<hou and -ine3Lotus 1ountain.
)f others as$ whether our style of $ungfu is 6agle Claw, 0raying 1antis, Hoong +a, Wing
Choon or Choy3Li3Fatt, our answer is no, it is .haolin +ungfu. 7ut those who wish to
speciali<e in these and other $ungfu styles, ha&e an e:cellent opportunity to do so in our
school.
Hoong +a +ungfu is not the base for ost styles. )t is, for e:aple, characteristically
different fro !antui, 0raying 1antis, Wing Choon, 0a$ 1ei or 1on$ey .tyle.
!he original .haolin was Lohan +ungfu. .haolin +ungfu originated fro the 6ighteen
Lohan Hands into the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist.
=&er tie and space, there were any different &ersions of 6ighteen3Lohan Fist. .hort
sets were called Little Lohan Fist, or >iao Luohan#uan, and long ones were called 7ig
Lohan Fist, or @a Louhan#uan. !hose originating fro the northern .haolin !eple were
called -orthern Lohan Fist, or 7ei Luohan#uan, and those fro the south .outhern Lohan
Fist, or -an Luohan#uan.
!hus, it is not only ore accurate, but factually accurate to say that Lohan +ungfu was the
original .haolin +ungfu.
!he original .haolin +ungfu was siply called .haolin +ungfu. Later ore de&eloped
&ersions of .haolin +ungfu with sophisticated techni#ues and s$ills, li$e what we practice
2*
in .haolin Wahna, were also siply called .haolin +ungfu. 5s entioned earlier, there
are different &ersions of .haolin +ungfu o&er space and tie.
@epending on how we use language, we can say that Hoong +a +ungfu was a deri&ation
of .haolin +ungfu. Hoong +a +ungfu deri&ed fro earlier and sipler &ersions of .haolin
+ungfu.
=n the other hand, we can also say that Hoong +a +ungfu was not a deri&ation of .haolin
+ungfu but a logical continuation of it. Faous Hoong +a asters, li$e Hoong Hei +oon
and Loh 5h Choy, did not add anything e:tra to the .haolin +ungfu they learned fro their
teachers. )n fact they did not call it Hoong +a +ungfu, they call it .haolin +ungfu. 5s recent
as %F years ago, or less than 3 generations before ost Hoong +a practitioners today, the
great Hoong $a aster, La .ai Weng, called his $ungfu .haolin.
5lso depending on how we use language, we can say Lohan +ungfu deri&ed fro .haolin
+ungfu, and we can also say .haolin +ungfu deri&ed fro Lohan +ungfu.
!he abo&e description of the historical de&elopent of .haolin +ungfu shows that the
original .haolin +ungfu was deri&ed fro 6ighteen Lohan Hands, and was called
6ighteen3Lohan Fist, which is another nae for Lohan +ungfu.
1any later &ersions of Lohan +ungfu, li$e our .haolin Wahna 6ighteen3Lohan Fist, were
deri&ed fro .haolin +ungfu, i.e. the type of $ungfu practiced at or originated fro one or
ore of the .haolin !eples.
How language is used is iportant. )ts isuse, purposely or innocently, can lead to serious
isunderstanding and #uarrels.
Question &
What are the typical differences between -orthern .haolin +ungfu styles, where Lohan
+ungfu was doinant and .outhern .haolin styles?
Could you please elaborate who the /enerable Chee .een, 0a$ 1ei and -g 1ui learnt
fro? @id they learn at the -orthern .haolin !eple?
Why was it that 0raying 1antis +ungfu, although &ery popular and also &ery effecti&e was
no longer officially taught at the .haolin !eple after soe tie and replaced by Lohan
+ungfu?
.ifu ?oland
2%
Answer
!he saying Hnan #uan bei tuiI, or H.outhern Fists -orthern +ic$sI, typically sus up the
ain difference between .outhern .haolin +ungfu and -orthern .haolin +ungfu. .outhern
.haolin styles are well $nown for fists, whereas -orthern .haolin styles are well $now for
$ic$s.
!his does not ean that fists are not iportant in -orthern .haolin styles, or $ic$s are not
iportant in .outhern .haolin styles. )n fact, the hands of -orthern .haolin styliests are
often help in fists or open pals. =ther hand fors li$e the tiger claw, the dragon the hand,
phoeni:3eye fist, and the leopard fist which are often found in .outhern .haolin styles, are
rarely found in -orthern .haolin styles.
5s Chinese is a &ery concise language, the saying H.outhern Fist -orthern +ic$sI does not
liit only to fists and $ic$s, but has a wider connotation. )t iplies that .outhern .haolin
styles are characteri<ed by stable stances which are conduci&e to powerful punches,
whereas -orthern .haolin styles are characteri<ed by running and "uping which open the
way for $ic$s.
.o another typical difference, besides the use of fists and $ic$s, is the -orthern .haolin
styles are agile and in&ol&e a lot of wide o&eent and open space, whereas .outhern
.haolin styles are solid with narrower o&eent and less space. 1any coentators
ention that this typical difference is due to the a&ailability of wide, open ground in north
China, and crowded narrow lanes in the south.
!he stances and stri$es of -orthern .haolin styles are wider and longer3reach, whereas
those of .outhern .haolin styles are narrorer and shorter. )n !antui, for e:aple, both the
stance and the ar are stretched far out when e:ecuting a punch, whereas in Wing Choon
the stance is narrow and the stri$e is e:ecuted in close3#uarters.
5nother typical difference, though not any people ay reali<e it, is that -orthern .haolin
styles ainly use footwor$ when o&ing forward to attac$ or retreating to defend, whereas
.outhern .haolin styles tend to use body3o&eent, often without o&ing the legs.
When a&oiding a powerful punch, for e:aple, a Hoong +a e:ponent would sin$ bac$ his
7ow35rrow .tance, without o&ing his legs, brush off the punch with one tiger3claw, and
iediately shift the body forward, again without o&ing the legs, and attac$ the
opponent with the other tiger3claw in the pattern HHungry !iger Catches 9oatI. )n a&oiding
the sae powerful punch, a -orthern Lohan e:ponent would o&e bac$ the front leg of his
7ow35rrow .tance into a !3.tep, float the punch with an open pal, and stri$e the
opponent with the other fist in the pattern H.un 6nter LotusI.
2J
5nother typical difference which any people ay not reali<e is that -orthern .haolin
styles are relati&ely sipler, whereas .outhern .haolin styles are ore sophisticated.
=bser&ers &iewing a perforance of -orthern .haolin styles can often tell the cobat
applications of the patterns shown, which are ainly straight3forward punches and $ic$s.
=bser&ers &iewing a perforance of .outhern .haolin styles ay thin$ the patterns
erely decorati&e e&en when they are effecti&e for cobat. -ot any people, for e:aple,
ay $now the cobat application of HFierce !iger Crouching on 9roundI of .outhern
.haolin.
!he /enerable Chee .een, 0a$ 1ei and -g 1ui learned fro the /enerable Chang 1ei at
the southern .haolin !eple at ;uan<hou before it was burnt down by the ;ing ary. 5s
-g 1ui was a woan, she ight ha&e learned .haolin +ungfu outside the teple.
)t is belie&ed that -g 1ui could be Lui .ai Leong, a great lady $ungfu aster who single3
handedly fought her way into the palace and $illed 6peror Dong Cheng to a&enge for the
burning of the .haolin !eple. 5fter this, she becae a nun, adopted the nae -g 1ui,
retired fro the public and dedicated herself to $ungfu and spiritual culti&ation.
Li$e any people, at first ) thought that the /enerable Chee .een, 0a$ 1ei and -g 1ui
learned at the northern .haolin !eple in Henan in the north. !his was because it was
well $nown in $ungfu circles that after the burning of this .haolin !eple, Chee .een built
another .haolin !eple in Fu"ian in the south, which was also later burnt down by the ;ing
ary.
) was uch pu<<led because the $ungfu practiced and taught by these three .haolin
grandasters was .outhern .haolin. Had they learned in the northern .haolin !eple,
they would ha&e practiced and taught -orthern .haolin.
!his pu<<le was sol&ed in y research when ) disco&ered that there were two southern
.haolin !eples, a fact not any people $now. =ne of the two southern .haolin !eples
was in ;uan<hou and the other on -ine3Lotus 1ountain. 7oth teples were in Fu"ian
0ro&ince, and both were burnt down by the ;ing ary. !he first burning was ordered by
6peror Dong Cheng with help fro Laa $ungfu e:perts with their infaous flying
guillotines, and the second burning was led by 0a$ 1ei who later sided with the ;ing.
!he .haolin !eple in the north reained throughout the ;ing @ynasty. )t was burnt by
ri&al warlords using guns and cannons 1, years after the o&erthrow of the ;ing @ynasty.
)ts burning had nothing to do with $ungfu. 1odern .haolin on$s who claied lineage to
this northern .haolin !eple probably did not $now about this historical fact. !hey also do
not $now that this northern .haolin !eple was long deserted e&en before its burning. 5
2,
warlord later used it as a ilitary cap. 5 ri&al warlord attac$ed the cap with guns and
cannons.
5lthough Chee .een, 0a$ 1ei and -g 1ui learned fro the sae teacher in the sae
southern .haolin !eple in ;uan<hou, their $ungfu styles were characteristically different.
5nother .haolin on$ who learned there and escaped fro the burning was the
/enerable Giang -an. His $ungfu style was also different.
!his was because there was a great &ariety of $ungfu a&ailable at the .haolin !eple, and
these grandasters speciali<ed in different arts. )n the sae way, 2FF years fro now, the
style of $ungfu taught by asters fro our .haolin Wahna lineage could be
characteristically different.
0raying 1antis +ungfu, de&eloped by Wang Lang at the northern .haolin !eple in
Henan, was &ery effecti&e for cobat, and for a tie was popularly practiced at the
teple. 7ut later it was replaced by Lohan +ungfu, which had been the ain style of
$ungfu at the .haolin !eple all the while.
!his was due to an interesting happening. 5 !aoist priest, .heng .hao, was a great
Wudang aster, but he was a good friend of the abbot of the .haolin !eple and often
&isited hi.
=ne day while staying at the .haolin !eple as a guest he was surprised to see the
.haolin on$s practicing an odd style of $ungfu &ery different fro Lohan +ungfu, which
was norally practiced at the .haolin !eple. !his was 0raying 1antis +ungfu de&eloped
by Wang Lang at the !eple.
.heng >iao was ore surprised when he was beaten by these on$s using 0raying
1antis +ungfu. .o during tea tie he brought out this topic of the new $ungfu in a
con&ersation with his friend, the abbot.
!he abbot told .heng >iao that he Athe abbotB was troubled by this &ery topic. 0raying
1antis +ungfu, he continued, was e:cellent, but all the while the ain style of $ungfu
taught in the .haolin !eple was Lohan +ungfu. He did not want to change this age3old
tradition, but he also did not want to see 0raying 1antis +ungfu discontinued.
!he .haolin on$s would re&ert bac$ to Lohan +ungfu, but the abbot would teach .heng
>iao all he $new about 0raying 1antis +ungfu, and .heng >iao would spread it outside
the teple. .heng >iao learned well and fast, and $ept his proise.
!he founder of 0raying 1antis was Wang Lang. !he second generation was the unnaed
.haolin on$s. .heng >iao was the third patriarch. !here is an interesting H"o$eI aongst
0raying 1antis practitioners. 0raying 1antis +ungfu was in&ented by a secular aster,
28
de&eloped in a 7uddhist teple, and spread by a !aoist priest. =f course, as in all $ungfu,
0raying 1antis +ungfu is non3religious.
Question 8
Could you please elaborate on the relation between the 18 Lohan Fist and !an !ui?
What are the siilarities and differences between these in ters of philosophy, for, force
training, tactics and strategies?
.teffen
Answer
!antui was a logical de&elopent of the 6ighteen3Lohan Fist. !he 6ighteen3Lohan Fist
de&eloped fro the 6ighteen Lohan Hands o&er a period of tie, and becae the
prototype of .haolin +ungfu, often called .haolin Lohan +ungfu.
)nterestingly, H.haolin Lohan +ungfuI was called Hshao lin luo han #uanI in Chinese. 5s the
6ighteen3Lohan Fist was practiced at the .haolin !eple, it was called H.haolin Lohan
FistI, which was also Hshao lin luo han #uanI in Chinese.
!here were a few ters in Chinese eaning artial art or $ungfu, one of which was
H#uanI, which literally eant HfistI. =ther popular ters were HwuyiI and HwushuI, which
eant Hartial artI and Hartial s$illI respecti&ely.
!o denote that it was a artial art, the ters HfaI and HshuI, which eant Htechni#ueI and
Hs$illI, were often suffi:ed to H#uanI. Hence .haolin +ungfu could be called H.haolin
;uanfaI, .haolin ;uanshuI, .haolin WuyiI or H.haolin WushuI.
)t is significant to note that in odern Western societies, the word HwushuI has now ta$en
the concept of H$ungfu fors for deonstrationI. 7ut in Chinese, the word HwushuI eans
Hartial artI, although wushu practitioners today do not practice the art for cobat. Hence,
we soeties ha&e the debate whether wushu can be used for fighting.
!he Chinese generally do not ha&e difficulty debating whether .haolin +ungfu should be
called .haolin#uan or .haolin Wushu, because they usually use words for con&enience,
and not as rigid definition. 5s far as ) $now there is no record of how the ter e&ol&ed, but
) belie&e that gradually and without their conscious awareness on$s with artial art
2'
bac$ground called what they practiced Hluo han #uanI, or Lohan Fist, instead of Hluo han
shouI, or Lohan Hands, as they changed their open hands into close fists for artial
purposes.
!his e&olution continued o&er tie, a little at a tie without significant difference at the
oent, but o&er a long period the resultant practice was #uite different fro when it
initially started. !hat, ) belie&e, was how the Lohan Fist or Lohan +ungfu de&eloped. )t also
e:plained why there are now any different &ersions of the Lohan Fist set. !he Lohan Fist
practiced during the .ong @ynasty, for e:aple, would be &ery different fro the Lohan
Fist practiced in the preceding !ang @ynasty. .haolin +ungfu has a &ery long history.
5s Lohan Fist was practiced at the .haolin !eple, it was also called .haolin Fist, or
.haolin +ungfu. )t reained as the ain style of $ungfu practiced in the .haolin !eple.
.haolin +ungfu also spread far and wide outside the teple, and de&eloped special
characteristics by different asters and in different regions, li$e >ingyi#uan, Wu<u#uan
and White Crane.
!hese styles that e&ol&ed fro .haolin +ungfu, which was ainly Lohan Fist, initially were
prefi:ed by the ter H.haolinI, li$e .haolin >ingyi#uan, .haolin Wu<u#uan and .haolin
White Crane. !o differentiate fro these styles, the $ungfu practiced in the .haolin !eple
was called .haolin Lohan +ungfu, but soeties siply called .haolin +ungfu or Lohan
+ungfu.
We ust reeber that these ters were used for con&enience, and they do not refer to
"ust one definiti&e style of $ungfu and no others, unli$e in scientific definition where Hcarbon
dio:ideI refers "ust to carbon dio:ide, and not to anything else. !he .haolin +ungfu or
Lohan +ungfu practiced in the .haolin !eple in the 1ing @ynasty, for e:aple, could be
&ery different fro the .haolin +ungfu or Lohan +ungfu practice in the sae teple in the
preceding .ong @ynasty.
)n the 1ing @ynasty .haolin +ungfu, which was Lohan +ungfu, spread to and practiced in
the Long !an .i, or @ragon 0ond !eple, in .handong in north3east China. Here
practitioners speciali<ed in snap $ic$s, or spring $ic$s, i.e. the $ic$ snapped or sprung out
fro their bent $nees. )n Chinese such $ic$s were called Htan tuiI.
6&entually the style of .haolin +ungfu originated fro the Long !an !eple where a
proinent aspect was a spring3$ic$, was called .haolin !antui. )t is not conclusi&e whether
the ter H!antuiI cae fro the Long !an !eple or fro the spring3$ic$ which in Chinese
is called HtantuiI. 0ersonally ) thin$ both could be true. !he Chinese were, and still are,
pragatic rather than intellectual. !hey were ore interested in the practical benefits of
3F
!antui, li$e how its practice contributed to cobat efficiency as well as good health, &itality
and longe&ity, than in arguing the e:act source if the ter.
)n 1andarin, HpondI in @ragon 0ond !eple, and HspringI in Hspring3$ic$I, are both
pronounced as HtanI, though the written words are different. 7ut in Cantonese, HpondI is
pronounced as HthaI, and HspringI as HthanI.
When ) first learned the 12 se#uences of !antui, ) called it Htha thuiI, which in written
characters eans Hpond3$ic$I. Later when ) researched into the art, ) found that it was
popularly practiced by the 1usli population in north3west China and was called Hthan
thuiI in Cantonese or HtantuiI in 1andarin which eans Hspring3$ic$I, with 1F se#uences.
)nterestingly, !antui is "ust called H!antuiI, without the suffi: H#uanE added to it. Mnli$e
Lohan +ungfu which is called HLuohan#uanI in Chinese, or !ai"i +ungfu which is called
H!ai"i#uanI, !antui has ne&er been called H!antui#uanI. )nfre#uently, it ay be called
H!antui WushuI, which eans the artial art of spring3$ic$s, or the artial art that
originated fro the @ragon 0ond !eple.
!he siilarities between Lohan Fist and !antui are #uite ob&ious for the initiated. !here
are, of course, also differences.
!he philosophy of Lohan Fist and !antui is the sae. For con&enience, we ay di&ide
their philosophy into three le&els, for cobat, for health, and for spiritual culti&ation.
7oth Lohan Fist and !antui are &ery effecti&e for cobat 8 for those who $now and ha&e
the necessary s$ills. )n fact, cobat efficiency was the first reason why Lohan Fist and
!antui were created and practiced.
Howe&er, today ost Lohan Fist and !antui practitioners do not $now how to apply their art
for cobat. 1any people e:plicitly practice !antui for health. .oe Chinese schools teach
!antui, without its artial aspect, during lesson periods for physical education.
)t is &ery rare nowadays that people practice Lohan Fist or !antui for spiritual culti&ation,
although their training, without the awareness of the practitioners, actually nourishes the
spirit. We in .haolin Wahna are different. 6&ery practice is a training of the physical,
energy and ind or spirit. )ndeed, we start and coplete e&ery training session with
spiritual culti&ation in siling fro the heart and standing editation.
!he philosophical difference is that, due to ignorance and con&ention rather than genuine
reasons, Lohan Fist is generally considered to be ad&anced, whereas !antui is considered
eleentary. When a student says that he is learning Lohan Fist, those who $nows
soething about $ungfu ay thin$ he is ad&anced. When a student says he is learning
!antui, they ay thin$ he is a beginner.
31
!his is probably due to con&ention. Lohan Fist is norally taught at ad&anced le&els,
whereas !antui at the beginning. Historically, it is the re&erse. !antui, being a de&elopent
fro Lohan Fist, has ore sophisticated techni#ues.
!he for is siilar. 7oth use long stances and e:tended ars, e:cept in .outhern Lohan
Fist, which was a later de&elopent fro -orthern Lohan Fist, and generally later than
!antui. While the stances and ar o&eents of .outhern Lohan Fist are longer than
those in Wing Choon and 1on$ey .tyle, they are shorter than those in -orthern Lohan
Fist and !antui.
7oth Lohan Fist and !antui use the fist and open pal. .ophisticated hand fors li$e
dragon hand3fro, leopard punch and phoeni:3eye fist are not present.
!he difference between !antui and Lohan Fist, howe&er, is that !antui $ic$s, as e:pected
of an art that speciali<es on the leg, are ore sophisticated. !oe3$ic$, sweeping $ic$ and
hoo$3spring are found in !antui, but not in Lohan Fist.
Mnli$e in .outhern .haolin styles li$e Hoong +a and Wing Choon where force training is
incorporated into the sets, though soe practitioners ay not reali<e it, $ungfu sets in
Lohan Fist and !antui deal ainly with techni#ues. 0ractitioners ha&e to practice force
training ethods outside their sets.
)n other words, by only practicing their $ungfu sets, li$e !riple .tretch and .iu Lin !ou,
Hoong +a and Wing Choon practitioners can de&elop internal force, but not practitioners of
Lohan Fist and !antui. !hey ha&e to practice force training ethods separately. !he
6ighteen3Lohan 5rt was a coon choice in the past, but is now seldo $nown to any
practitioners. 5gain, we in .haolin Wahna are different. 7ecause of our spread and
depth, e&ery of our practice is a training of the physical, energy and ind.
!he tactics and strategies of Lohan Fist and !antui are siilar. 7oth eploy the principle of
Husing hard to o&erwhel softI, pressing into opponents with sheer force and speed.
7oth use strategies li$e H)f there is for, stri$e the for.O if there is no for, chase the
shadowI and Htiger entering a herd of sheepI. .trategies li$e Htept an opponent to
ad&ance to futilityI or Hsound east stri$e westI are seldo used.
5lthough Lohan Fist and !antui use siilar tactics and strategies, the difference is that
Lohan Fist is ore frontal, whereas !antui is ore swing3li$e. Lohan Fist attac$s are li$e
cannon balls shooting at opponents, whereas !antui attac$s are li$e iron rods stri$ing
helpless sheep. !he description is relati&e and in general. !here are also frontal attac$s in
!antui, and swing3li$e attac$s in Lohan Fist.
5 philosophical understanding of the relationship between Lohan Fist and !antui, as well
32
as their siilarities and differences not only enable us to benefit ore in our training, not
only in Lohan Fist and !antui but also in other $ungfu styles, but ore significantly enrich
our daily life.
+nowing the de&elopent of !antui fro Lohan Fist, we can also $now in principle though
not in specific situations, the de&elopent of other styles li$e !ai"i#uan and Wing Choon
+ungfu. +nowing the siilarities and differences between Lohan Fist and !antui will also
enable us to appreciate the siilarities and differences between Wu<u#uan and 6agle
Claw, or any $ungfu styles.
1ore significantly, we can better understand and ipro&e our daily life. We ay, for
e:aple, see how a anager de&eloped fro being a cler$, or how your girlfriend ay
becoe your wife. We can also better appreciate the siilarities and differences between
a anager and a cler$, between a girlfriend and a wife, or between any e&ents or
relationship in daily life.
Question '
When ) started learning .haolin +ung Fu, soeone in our school once told eP (!iger
beats 1on$ey, 1on$ey beats Lohan and Lohan beats !iger.(Could you coent on this?
.ifu ?oeland @i"$ea
Answer
(!iger beats 1on$ey, 1on$ey beats Lohan and Lohan beats !iger.(
!his is an illuinating coent. )t sounds li$e @arryl spea$ing.
)t also reinds us of a childrenEs gae called cup, water and stone, where two children at
a gi&en signal bring out their hand fro their bac$ in one of three forations. !hey can
close all the finger3tips a$ing a crane3bea$. !his represents a cup. !hey can open their
pal which represents water. =r they can close their fist which represents a stone.
5 cup beats water as it can scoop up the water. Water beats a stone as the stone will sin$
in water. 5 stone beats a cup as the stone can sash up a cup.
)n a ore philosophical &ein, the childrenEs gae reinds us of the inter3destructi&ity of
the fi&e eleental processes. !here are countless processes in the world, but all these
33
countless processes can be classified into fi&e archetypes, represented as etal, water,
wood, fire and earth, coonly but wrongly described as the fi&e eleents.
!hey are not eleents. 0ast asters did not say that all things in the world were ade up
of fi&e eleents called etal, water, wood, fire and earth. !hey said that all processes in
the world can be generali<ed into fi&e archetypes represented by etal, water, wood, fire
and earth.
1etal processes can o&ercoe wood processes, li$e the broadcasting of $nowledge can
replace the physical o&eent of teachers to any places.
Wood processes can o&ercoe earth processes, li$e the physical o&eent of teachers
to any places can off3set the concentration of inforation at only one centre.
6arth processes can o&ercoe water processes, li$e the concentration of $nowledge at
one place can arrest the loss of $nowledge when people are diffused o&er any areas.
Water processes can o&ercoe fire processes, li$e when people are diffused o&er any
areas can pre&ent the fro #uarreling aongst thesel&es.
Fire processes can o&ercoe etal processes, li$e when people #uarrel aongst
thesel&es, they will ha&e no tie to broadcast their $nowledge.
!his inter3destructi&ity, li$e the inter3creati&ity where one process nourishes another,
enables life to carry on norally in all its &ariety, otherwise there is only one direction of
destructi&ity or creati&ity throughout, li$e fire will always destroy wood but not destroyed by
another eleental process.
)n the sae way, the inter3destructi&ity in $ungfu, li$e its inter3creati&ity, a$es $ungfu
interesting, besides enriching our understanding and practice by $nowing the neesis and
benefactor of &arious arts.
Why is the !iger the neesis of the 1on$ey. )t is because the hallar$s of the 1on$ey are
agility and tric$iness, whereas the hallar$s of the !iger are force and ferocity.
)f you eet an opponent who is &ery agile and tric$y, you will ha&e a difficult tie fighting
with hi. When you thin$ you ha&e hi in control, he turns his body and grips your throat
fro your bac$. When you defend against his on$ey paw at your face, suddenly you find
hi stealing your HpeachI below.
7ut when you are a !iger, you becoe his neesis. Dou are so forceful when you hold hi
under control that he canEt turn his body and get to your bac$ e&en when he $nows the
techni#ues. 5s you defend his feint attac$ to your face, you are so ferocious and continue
instantaneously with a counter3attac$ regardless of whether his initial attac$ is fa$e or real,
the 1on$ey will be pre3occupied with a&oiding your forceful and ferocious counter3attac$
3*
that he has no tie to steal your peach.
7ut when a !iger eets a Lohan, the !iger eets his neesis. !he hallar$s of a Lohan
are his solidness and pressing attac$. He is so solid that it is difficult, e&en for a !iger, to
hold hi under control. 6&en when a !iger succeeds in initiating a hold, the Lohan will
rotate his waist, ward off the hold with a swinging ar, and sash down the other ar at
the !iger li$e sashing wa&es. When a Lohan attac$s the face of a !iger, it is usually a
real attac$, and regardless of whether the !iger succeeds in warding it off, the Lohan will
press in with ore continuous attac$s.
We in .haolin Wahna can benefit uch fro an understanding of this inter3destructi&ity.
-ot only we $now the philosophy, we also ha&e the eans to put the philosophy into
practice.
.tudents in other schools would not ha&e this ad&antage. )f they practice a 1on$ey style,
for e:aple, they will be beaten by others who practice a !iger style, and they ay not
$now why. !he !iger stylists will be defeated by those who practice the Lohan, and also
they ay not $now why.
!hose who practice siplistic artial arts, li$e 7o:ing, +ic$37o:ing, Gudo, +arate and
!ae$wondo will be defeated by the Lohan, the !iger, the 1on$ey or any $ungfu practitioner
because of the liitation of techni#ues of these siplistic artial arts. !his is in theory. )n
practice, the Lohan, the !iger, the 1on$ey and ost other $ungfu practitioners will be
defeated by these siplistic artial artists.
Why is this so? Why is it that in theory $ungfu practitioners of any style should beat
practitioners of siplistic artial arts, but in practice it is the other way round? )t is
because ost $ungfu practitioners perfor their $ungfu techni#ues for show, and do not
$now how to use their $ungfu techni#ues for cobat. !he few who $now, li$e soe of our
instructors and students, throw away their $ungfu cobat application and fight li$e
practitioners of siplistic artial arts.
!hrowing away their $ungfu application which they $now and fight li$e siplistic artial
artists is worse than the great a"ority of $ungfu practitioners who do not $now how to use
their $ungfu for cobat. !hey ha&e a rare opportunity to practice $ungfu cobat, but
consciously or unconsciously they do not use it, or are afraid to use it, at a tie when it is
necessary to put their dedicated practice into use.
5ll these will happen in noral situations. 7ut in e:tra3ordinary situations the re&erse ay
occur. -orally a !iger beats a 1on$ey. 7ut if the 1on$ey is &ery s$illful he can beat the
!iger.
3%
)n the inter3creati&ity and inter3destructi&ity of the fi&e eleental processes, water norally
e:tinguishes fire. 7ut in an e:tra3ordinary situation when the fire is &ery strong, it can dry
up the water.
.o, if you put your $iungfu cobat application into actual use, not erely practice it in your
$ungfu lessons, you can defeat students of other artial arts. 7ut a aster 7o:er can
defeat you.
7esides $nowing the neesis of the 1on$ey, the !iger and the Lohan, it is also useful to
$now their benefactors. !here are any benefactors for each style, especially in our
school where we ha&e the ad&antage of breadth and depth. .o the e:aple gi&en below is
only one of a few possibilities.
0racticing the Crane style is a benefactor for the !iger. !he elegance and flow of the
Crane pro&ide good harony for the force and ferocity of the !iger.
For the 1on$ey who is agile and tric$y, practicing >ingyi#uan is beneficial. !he hallar$s
of >ingyi#uan are siplicity and internal force, which haroni<e well with the #ualities of
the 1on$ey.
5 benefactor of the Lohan is !ai"i#uan. While the hallar$s of the Lohan are solidness and
direct pressing attac$s, those of !ai"i#uan are flowing force and circular o&eent. !hese
different #ualities haroni<e one another.
Mnderstanding the neesis and benefactor of these &arious arts not only ipro&es our
$ungfu perforance, but ore eaningfully enhances our daily life. )f your girlfriend is a
1on$ey, for e:aple, often changing her decisions and chee$y in her beha&ior, you can
o&ercoe these probles by bring out ore of your !iger #ualities.
What should you do if the situation is re&ersed, where your boyfriend is a !iger and you
are a 1on$ey? Dou ay be a Lohan, solid and pressing in your attac$. Dou can, but you
ay not want to, as becoing a Lohan in this case ay coproise your feinine
#ualities. Dou can be a aster 1on$ey while your boyfriend is only a student !iger.
=n the other hand, especially in relationships between boyfriends and girlfriends,
husbands and wi&es, or e&en "ust aongst colleagues, you ust not be too drastic in
being their neesis. Dou should win the instead of defeat the. .o if you are a !iger,
once a while you ay let your girlfriend en"oy being a ischie&ous 1on$ey.
)f you wish to ipro&e yourself, $nowing the benefactor of your type will be helpful. )f you
are a !iger, for e:aple, you would attain yin3yang harony by ta$ing part in acti&ities
represented by the Crane, which is elegant and flowing, li$e "oining a dancing school or
ta$ing up a course on short3story writing. )f you are a 1on$ey, acti&ities represented by
3J
>ingyi#uan, li$e siple and forceful, li$e practicing Cen and stance training, will contribute
to your o&erall de&elopent. )f you are a Lohan, engaging acti&ities represented by
!ai"i#uan, which is flowing and circular, li$e listening to usic and going to picnics will gi&e
you balance.
!raining in .haolin Wahna not only a$e you successful in your wor$ and play, but also
add uch fun to your daily life.
Question 1(
Dou described in the first answer that Lohan +ung Fu lac$ed certain features that were
de&eloped later and is ore siple and straight3forward. Could this also be an ad&antage
at a aster4s le&el, "ust as it is an ad&antage in, for instance, >ing Di +ung Fu and
Wu<u#uan?
.ifu ?oeland @i"$ea
Answer
For a short, direct answer, it is yes, at a asterEs le&el the siplicity of Lohan +ungfu is an
ad&antage.
5s a suppleent, we ay say that for those not at a asterEs le&el, it is not an ad&antage.
)t can be a wea$ness. )f an opponent applies a chin3na techni#ue on a student practicing
siple Lohan +ungfu, for e:aple, he ay not $now how to o&ercoe it.
We ay further add, if the listener is willing to hear further, that for ost people today, and
this includes those who say they practice a artial art, its siplicity is an ad&antage
because ost people are unable to apply sophisticated techni#ues, li$e a chin3na attac$,
and are concerned with freely e:changing blows. .iple Lohan techni#ues a$e it easier
to e:change blows. )f the techni#ues are ore sophisticated, they will "ust recei&e blows,
li$e any $ungfu practitioners today endure.
6lite people, li$e us in .haolin Wahna, prefer a longer answer, with insight that ay
enable us to enrich our daily life.
Dour #uestion highlights a fact not any people ay reali<e. Lohan +ungfu has a long
history of about 1%FF years and has been practiced by countless people. !hroughout its
3,
long history, it has continued to e&ol&e and de&elop. Hence, Lohan +unfu practiced during
the ;ing @ynasty would be &ery different fro Lohan +ungfu practiced during the !ang
@ynasty ore than 1FFF years ago.
Let us loo$ at a artial art with a history of about 1FF years, li$e +arate, first introduced by
.ensei 9ichin Funa$oshi to Gapan, in 1'1J. !he techni#ues are siple, ainly consisting
of straight3forward punches and $ic$s. !here are no what could be thought of as fanciful
patterns li$e .piritual Lion =pens 1outh and )ortal Lies @own to -ap, or e&en less
fanciful but still unthin$able patterns li$e Lohan .ubdues @ragon and 7uterfly @ancing in
Front of Flowers. Lohan +ungfu in its first 1FF years of de&elopent could be li$e +arate
today.
5n iportant #uestion often o&erloo$ed is which &ersion of Lohan +ungfu should we use
when we wish to copare it with other styles? For con&enience we ay generali<e the
&arious &ersions of Lohan +ungfu into three categories, representing its early, iddle and
later de&elopent. 5ll these three &ersions are found in our school. !hey are HCross3
?oads at Four 9atesI, our &ersion of H6ighteen Lohan FistI and H1F830attern !iger3CraneI.
0lease note that our &ersion of 6ighteen Lohan Fist is ore sophisticated than that
represented at the iddle period of Lohan +ungfu de&elopent because ) ha&e added
any sophisticated patterns to it. !here were original Lohan patterns li$e Lohan !a$es
5fternoon -ap and Lohan !hin$s .ilently, but ) ha&e added patterns li$e )ortals Lies
@own to -ap, La<y 1an .o$e 0ipes, )ortal .tretches Waist, and )ortal Lifts 0ot
fro the @run$en 6ighteen )ortals.
5lthough Four 9ates and !iger3Crane are not labeled as Lohan +ungfu, they are actually
early and later de&elopent of Lohan +ungfu respecti&ely.
Four 9ates gi&es a good picture of what the early &ersion of Lohan +ungfu could ha&e
been. )ts patterns are siple, and straight3forward, consisting of right le&el fists and left
&ertical pal thrust. )t loo$s li$e +arate, e:cept that it does not gi&e out free offers li$e
e:posed ribs and e:posed groin. .uch sophisticated protection for safety was probably
due to the later de&elopent of .haolin +ungfu.
)ndeed, Four 9ates has the double feature of aintaining the siplicity of the early &ersion
of Lohan Fist, as Four 9ates was the first $ungfu set taught at the southern .haolin !ple,
as well as en"oying the benefit of the long history of .haolin +ungfu de&elopent, as it was
taught in the later part of the ;ing @ynasty, ore than 1FFF years after the Lohan Fist was
first taught at the northern .haolin !eple.
!he progress fro Four 9ates to 6ighteen Lohan Fist is rear$able. While ost artial
38
artists will be able to recogni<e the cobat application of the patterns in Four 9ates, any
ay not $now what cobat functions any patterns in 6ighteen Lohan Fist would ser&e.
)t is easy to tell the cobat application of patterns li$e H7lac$ !iger .teals HeartI and
H0oisonous .na$e 6erges fro HoleI in Four 9ates. 6&en in patterns li$e Lohan .tri$es
7ell and .harp +nife !ris 7aboo their cobat application can be deducted after soe
thought.
!here had been a lot of de&elopent fro the tie of Lohan +ungfu represented by Four
9ates to the tie represented by 6ighteen Lohan Fist. )t is not easy to $now soe of the
patterns in 6ighteen Lohan Fist, li$e 9old Coin on 9round, and Lohan !hin$s .ilently.
.uch sophisticated patterns were e&ol&ed fro actual fighting, not taught out by soe
creati&e thin$ers. When ) first saw the pattern, Lohan !a$es 5fternoon -ap, any years
ago ) wondered what this pattern was for. )t was only when ) saw +ai A.ifu +ai MweB
teaching ground fighting that it dawned on e how useful cobat these seeingly
decorati&e Lohan patterns were.
5lthough the 1F830attern set is called !iger3Crane, ore than two3thirds are Lohan
+ungfu. )ndeed, .outhern .haolin +ungfu, including the tiger and crane fors, was a
de&elopent of Lohan +ungfu represented by 6ighteen Lohan Fist in the iddle period,
"ust as this period of Lohan +ungfu was a de&elopent fro its early period as
represented by Four 9ates. Mnli$e in cases li$e 6agle Claw and 0raying 1antis, there was
no conscious effort to change the style of $ungfu practiced at the .haolin !eple, but the
style de&eloped or was odified o&er tie according to the needs and aspirations of its
practitioners. What Hoong Hei +oon and Lo$ 5h Choy taught, which later led to the
de&elopent of !iger3Crane, was what they learned fro their teacher, Chee .een, who in
turn taught what he learned fro the lineage all the way to the prototype Lohan +ungfu
when it e&ol&ed fro the 6ighteen Lohan Hands.
Lohan +ungfu represents by !iger3Crane ar$s a new le&el of sophistication. -ot only
tiger and crane patterns li$e 7lac$ !iger 7ars @oor and Well3Fed ?eincarnated Crane, but
e&en Lohan patterns li$e @ouble Lifting of .un and 1oon, False Leg Lift Fists and
!housand !ons to 9round defy easy recognition of their cobat function.
7esides the de&elopent of sophisticated techni#ues to eet ad&anced cobat situations.
=ne was the de&elopent of new hand fors for ore speciali<ed ways of stri$ing, and
the other was the de&elopent of internal force training within the set itself.
7efore the third stage of de&elopent, the hands were ainly held in a close fist or an
open pal. 9radually asters found that using the fist or pal to stri$e certain specific
3'
areas li$e the spine at the bac$, &ital points, the eyes, the groin, or to apply chin3na
techni#ues would not be as effecti&e as stri$ing ordinary areas. .o special hand fors, li$e
the leopard fist, the phoeni:3eye fist, the dragon3hand for, the crane bea$ and the tiger3
claw were in&ented.
0re&iously, practitioners had to eploy internal force ethods outside the set. 9radually
asters incorporated these force training ethods into the set itself. Hence, in sets li$e
1F830attern !iger3Crane and !riple .tretch, the first part of the set was used for force
training, and the reaining part for cobat application. )n sets li$e )ron Wire and .iu Lin
!ou, the whole set was used for force training.
7y &irtue of the fact that it was the latest in the long de&elopental history of .haolin
+ungfu, .outhern .haolin was ost proinent with these de&elopents.
Des, despite its long, continuous de&elopent with the result that one &ersion of Lohan
+ungfu at one tie ay be different fro another &ersion of Lohan +ungfu at another tie,
there are general features coon to all &ersions of Lohan +ungfu that a$e it
characteristically different fro other $iungfu styles, especially those styles where their
in&entors or first patriarchs consciously ade changes to the $ungfu they had learned fro
their teachers. Lohan +ungfu is characteristically different fro, for e:aple, >ingyi#uan,
6agle Claw, Wu<u#uan, !ai"i#uan, 0raying 1antis, 7agua<hang and Wing Choon +ungfu.
5fter a long e:planation of the de&elopent of Lohan +ungfu, which is not only interesting
but also beneficial, we are now able to answer the #uestion with soe insight.
5s Lohan +ungfu in general lac$s de&elopents, li$e tiger claw and force training within
the set, that cae later, would it be an ad&antage to a aster. !he answer can be yes or
no depending on &arious factors.
5s a short answer, it is yes, its siplicity is an ad&antage. Msually it is force, or s$ill, and
not techni#ue, that enables a aster to defeat his opponent. !he siplicity of Lohan
+ungfu would enable the aster to focus on de&eloping internal force.
!he aster is so forceful or s$illful that he can use any techni#ue on his opponent.
)agine a fi&e3year old boy fighting with you. )rrespecti&e of his techni#ues, you can easily
beat hi with your sheer strength. )n ters of internal force, an opponent is li$e a fi&e3year
old copared to a aster, e&en when their biological age ay be siilar.
Howe&er, if the opponent is e#ually forceful or s$illful, appropriate techni#ues are
iportant. )f a fi&e3year old boy grips an adult, the adult can easily fling the boy away. 7ut
if another strong adult grips hi, he needs appropriate techni#ues to release the grip.
Hence, if a Lohan aster eets another aster, the lac$ of sophisticated techni#ues in
*F
Lohan +ungfu would be a setbac$.
!his siplicity of Lohan +ungfu is relati&e. Lohan +ungfu is siple copared to other
$ungfu styles li$e 0raying 1antis, 7agua<hang, Hoong +a and Wing Choon. 7ut when
copared to non3$ungfu artial arts, e&en the early &ersion of Lohan +ungfu as
represented by Four 9ates, is sophisticated. !his situation is particularly rele&ant today as
any people practice other artial arts. .o the siplicity of Lohan +ungfu relati&e to other
$ungfu styles, is a double ad&antage to a Lohan aster.
)t is significant to note that the siplicity of Lohan +ungfu is different fro the siplicity of
>ingyi#uan and Wu<u#uan. Lohan +ungfu is siple because we refer to the &ersion of
Lohan +ungfu before the de&elopent of sophisticated techni#ues. =n the other hand,
>ingyi#uan and Wu<u#uan are siple because they were siplified by asters after the
asters had $nown sophisticated techni#ues.
.uppose we grade the de&elopent of $ungfu fro 1 to 1FF, 1 being the lowest and 1FF
being the highest in its de&elopent. Lohan +ungfu was de&eloped by asters who were
at the 3Fth ar$ of de&elopent. >ingyi#uan and Wu<u#uan were siplified fro cople:
techni#ues by asters who had gone beyond the 1FFth ar$. 1asters who de&eloped
Lohan +ungfu used siple techni#ues because they did not $now sophisticated
techni#ues. 1asters who de&eloped >ingyi#uan and Wu<u#uan $new sophisticated
techn#ies but they preferred siple ones because these were ore effecti&e. 7oth Due Fei
and 7ai Du Feng who in&ented >ingyi#uan and Wu<u#uan $new a lot of sophisticated
techni#ues.
5lthough >ingyi#uan and Wu<u#uan students today do not ha&e the rich e:perience of the
in&entors of these arts, these arts were de&eloped in such a way that their siplicity was
different fro the siplicity of Lohan +ungfu. For e:aple, the siple techni#ue, Hpi3#uanI
or Hthrust palI of >ingyi#uan, and the siple techni#ue, HtuE or HshootI of Wu<u#uan,
could be used against any attac$ 8 yes, any attac$L 7ut this could not be said for Lohan
+ungfu.
=f course, only asters can ha&e such understanding and ability of >ingyi#uan and
Wu<u#uan. 1ost >ingyi#uan and Wu<u#uan practitioners ay not e&en $now ost of the
patterns they perfor. @aian A@r @aian +isseyB deonstrated this rare ability at a
.pecial .haolin3!ai"i#uan Course in .abah in 2F11. /arious people attac$ed @aian in
different ways, including felling attac$s, and @aian countered e&ery attac$ with a
Wu<u#uan shoot. 5 Lohan +ungfu aster would ha&e to use different counters for different
attac$s.
*1
How would the insight fro this long answer help us in our daily life?
We ay, for e:aple, benefit fro its general principles.
!he sae #uestion ay ha&e different right answers due to different conditions. !he
siplicity of Lohan +ungfu is an ad&antage to a aster, but not to ordinary students. Det, if
the aster eets another aster, the siplicity ay be a setbac$.
!he sae principle can be applied to other things besides Lohan +ungfu, and appreciating
this principle can sa&e us a lot of isunderstanding and #uarrels. With our e:perience, we
$now that practicing chi $ung can o&ercoe so3called incurable diseases, but ost other
people who ha&e no e:posure of genuine chi $ung, or those who practice gentle physical
e:ercise using chi $ung fors, would not belie&e this fact. =thers ay &eheently accuse
us for being isinfored.
We ay also benefit fro the practical de&elopent of techni#ues. We traced the
de&elopent of Lohan +ungfu fro siple punches and $ic$s to sophisticated techni#ues
that the uninitiated ay not reali<e their cobat application. !he sae de&elopent can
also be applied to other things, li$e relationship at your wor$ place, or the relationship
between husband and wife.
Gust li$e a later &ersion of Lohan +ungfu is &ery different fro its early &ersion, your
relationship with your colleagues, or with your husband or wife would be &ery different now
than when you first et. 5s past asters gradually ipro&ed Lohan +ungfu, often without
their conscious inter&ention, you could also ipro&e your relationship, without being
obtrusi&e. )f you let the relationship continue without subtle guidance, it ay turn into what
you ay not li$e.
Learning in our school will help you to enhance e&ery aspect of your life.
*2