Emei Kung Fu
Emei Wushu follows the principle of “One tree with five flowers, and the five flowers supported by eight leaves”. The “one tree” refers to Emei Wushu itself. The “five flowers” represent five regions: Qingniu in Fengdu, Tiefu in Tongjiang, Huangling in Kaixian, Dianyi in Fuling, and Qingcheng in Guanxian. The “eight leaves” correspond to eight major sects: Seng (Monk), Yue, Du, Zhao, Hong, Hui, Zi (Character), and Hua (Transformation). Among them, the Seng Sect is the most prominent, standing as the leader of the eight Emei sects. Its movements seem fast yet slow, alternating between speed; appear soft yet hard, combining hardness and softness.Emei Wushu (Martial Arts) is one of the major schools of traditional Chinese martial arts. Originating from Mount Emei in Sichuan Province, it is also a national-level intangible cultural heritage. It is a general term for the martial arts that originated in the Mount Emei area of Sichuan and spread widely throughout Sichuan and even the southwest region of China. With its birthplace in Mount Emei, Emei Wushu boasts over 80 sects and hundreds of boxing styles and routines, ranking among the three major schools of Chinese martial arts. By integrating with the Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian cultures of Mount Emei, Emei Wushu has promoted its own development. It emphasizes the combination of hardness and softness, as well as the cultivation of both internal (spiritual, qi) and external (physical) aspects.
Emei Wushu, along with Shaolin Wushu and Wudang Wushu, forms the three most famous schools in Chinese martial arts circles. The techniques of the Emei School lie between the masculine hardness of Shaolin and the feminine softness of Wudang. It embodies both softness and hardness, values both internal and external cultivation, and utilizes both long and short-range attacks. It integrates offense and defense, as stated in the boxing classics: “In boxing, do not meet the opponent’s hands directly; in spearplay, do not move in circles; in swordplay, do not expose the hilt. This is the true Emei style.” and “Transform ten thousand methods into one, and use one method to defeat ten thousand.” In short, it focuses on defeating the strong with the weak, using both truth and falsehood, and integrates the strengths of Wudang, Shaolin, and other schools from a perspective that emphasizes flexibility (often associated with feminine characteristics).
After experiencing numerous ups and downs, the Emei School has evolved into many branches. However, its core technique training system has always been secretly passed down only among a very small number of Emei disciples. Its origin can be traced to the senior masters of the Emei School, who integrated the five major forms (dragon, tiger, leopard, snake, crane) of the Northern Shaolin Boxing with the essence of Yin-Yang and Tai Chi. They then incorporated esoteric Buddhist mental methods to create unique Emei moves and techniques, thus establishing an independent school. Emei Wushu integrates the essence of Chinese martial arts, emphasizing the cultivation of both internal and external aspects, as well as the simultaneous training of the mind and martial skills.
Nurtured in Ancient Times, Originated in the Spring and Autumn Period
Regarding the origin of Emei Wushu, its formative period is generally defined as the Warring States period (within the Spring and Autumn era). However, Emei Wushu originated from the ancient Ba and Shu regions, and its nurturing period can be traced back to ancient times. The people of ancient Ba and Shu believed in the mysterious witchcraft culture and advocated health-preserving techniques. In many local historical records, “Peng Zu”, a revered ancestor in the Ba and Shu regions, is regarded as the pioneer of Ba-Shu martial arts.
As recorded in Huayang Guozhi·Ba Zhi (Records of the Huayang Kingdom·Records of Ba), King Wu of Zhou once led the military forces of Ba and Shu to attack King Zhou of Shang. The book left a record stating, “The troops of Ba were brave and fierce, using singing and dancing to overwhelm the people of Yin (Shang Dynasty).” The “singing and dancing” here refers to a practical combat skill that integrated witchcraft and martial arts, which is also known as the “Bayu Dance” in historical documents. Most primitive peoples in the world practiced witchcraft, and almost all witchcraft rituals contained the rudiments of original singing and dancing or martial arts routines for exorcising ghosts and demons. During the primitive tribal period, there were many such “witch dances”, such as the “Nuo Dance” and “Ban Dun Dance” (Shield Dance). In the ancient Ba and Shu regions, besides these typical “witch dances”, there were also martial arts forms that combined “opera” and “dance”, such as “Sword Dance Opera”, “Bullfighting Opera”, “Sword Dance”, and “Jiaodi Opera” (Wrestling Opera). These “operas” and “dances” marked with witchcraft culture originated from primitive life, possessed strong vitality, and enriched the connotation of the origin of Emei Wushu.
Took Shape in the Warring States Period, Flourished in the Southern Song Dynasty
Influenced by witchcraft culture, many scholars and alchemists in history lived in seclusion in Mount Emei to practice Taoism and seek immortality. “According to local records: ‘In the Warring States period, there was a white ape named Donglingzi, styled Yisan'”, who created a set of flexible offensive and defensive boxing techniques – “Emei Tongbi Boxing” (Emei Through-the-Arm Boxing). “Donglingzi” in historical materials refers to the Patriarch White Ape, Situ Xuankong. Situ Xuankong not only created Tongbi Boxing but also developed the “Yuangong Swordsmanship”, which is the prototype of the modern “Emei Swordsmanship”. Tang Shunzhi, an anti-Japanese pirate general in the Ming Dynasty, once mentioned in his Ode to the Emei Taoist’s Boxing: “The Taoist’s technique was taught by the white ape in the mountains; its methods are diverse and illusory, as fast as lightning.” The creation of “Emei Tongbi Boxing” not only holds an epoch-making significance for the development of Emei Wushu but also highlights the unique cultural characteristics of Ba-Shu martial arts.
During the Wei and Jin dynasties, with the widespread spread of Buddhist and Taoist ideas, Mount Emei became a gathering place for many practitioners in the Ba-Shu region to meditate and discuss doctrines. Taoist practitioners practiced techniques to dispel diseases and prolong life in pursuit of longevity. In addition to meditating and sitting in meditation, monks would also practice some boxing and weapon skills. They integrated Taoist health-preserving exercises with mountain hunting techniques, creating a unique Seng Sect martial arts. In the first year of Jianyan in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 AD), the eminent monk Baiyun Chan Master created the “Emei Linji Qigong”, which was later known as Emei Twelve Posture Qigong. It can be said that Emei Twelve Posture Qigong provided a relatively complete theoretical basis and practical effects for Emei Wushu in terms of internal cultivation and external practice, the combination of hardness and softness, the integration of postures and techniques, and the unity of form and spirit, both in theory and practice.
Flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Became a Pillar of Chinese Martial Arts
The late Ming and early Qing dynasties marked the peak of the development of Chinese martial arts, as well as the mature development period of Emei Wushu. Emei Wushu experienced the integration of northern and southern cultures and was influenced by the Tang Dynasty’s martial arts examination system, the Yuan Dynasty’s official selection system, the Ming and Qing dynasties’ martial arts examination systems, and numerous folk martial arts sects. Its inherited techniques are rich and diverse, with a profound and complex system. According to historical records: “In the late Qing Dynasty, there was a master Li Zhen who had profound internal skills and exquisite swordsmanship. He had thousands of disciples and was known as the ‘Emei Sword Immortal’.” Cheng Chongdou, a martial artist in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in Gengyu Shengji (Remaining Skills After Farming): “Emei Spear Technique is like a dream and illusion, with clever techniques that integrate offense and defense.” During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Wu Shu’s Shoubilu (Record of Arms) explained the Emei Spear Technique: “The spear technique consists of eighteen thrusts and twelve hand reversals, integrating offense and defense to defeat all kinds of martial arts.” “The Emei Spear Technique includes techniques such as mind cultivation, body cultivation, movement and stillness, offense and defense, situation assessment, caution, and hand reversals, which have enriched the martial arts theory of the Emei School.” From 1606 to 1646 AD, Zhang Xianzhong entered Sichuan and established the Daxi regime in Chengdu. A large amount of martial arts culture was brought to Sichuan and merged with Ba-Shu martial arts in history. This promoted the improvement of the Emei Wushu system, gradually developing Emei Wushu into a regional boxing style with wide spread and great influence, and one of the three major martial arts schools in China known to every household.
Main Boxing Systems
Emei Wushu encompasses various sects with distinct characteristics and styles:
– Zhao Sect Boxing: Features neat and stretched postures, fast and fierce movements, various leg techniques and jumps. It requires practicing boxing as if sparring with an opponent.
– Seng Sect Boxing: Adopts empty-step high stances and powerful movements. It focuses on grappling, seizing, squeezing, and leaning techniques, emphasizing close-range combat with legs not lifting above the knees.
– Du Sect Boxing: Centers on grappling techniques. It is practiced with “Caolong Pile” (Grass Dragon Pile) and “Sandbag”, and involves “Guntong” (Rolling Cylinder) to block and prevent the opponent’s attacks.
– Yue Sect Boxing: Employs soft entanglement and crisp strikes, combining hardness and softness. It follows the principle of “No boxing without drawing circles; no way to block the opponent’s hands”.
– Hong Sect Boxing: Has fierce and powerful movements with heavy footwork and strong hand strikes, accompanied by shouts to boost morale.
– Hua Sect Boxing: Mainly uses techniques such as hanging, seizing, probing, and pulling, with light hands and quick feet.
– Zi Sect Boxing: Draws inspiration from Chinese characters, with each move corresponding to a character. It focuses on single exercises and coordinates with exhalation through the nose to generate power with shouts.
– Hui Sect Boxing: Uses consciousness to control the body and employs the body for offense and defense.
– Huanglin Sect: Takes a side stance for offense, defense, advance, and retreat, maintaining a upright body posture. Its body techniques emphasize swallowing, spitting, sinking, and floating, while its footwork focuses on dodging, evading, and advancing sideways. In combat, it emphasizes defeating slowness with speed and using the opponent’s momentum to gain an advantage.
Inherited Contents of Emei Wushu
– Swordsmanship: Emei Swordsman, Bagua Dragon-Formed Sword, Emei Sword
– Boxing: Emei Boxing, Emei Arhat Boxing, Baji Boxing, Sanshou (Free Combat), Emei Fuhu Boxing (Emei Tiger-Subduing Boxing), Tongbi Boxing, Seven-Star Boxing, Da Hong Boxing (Great Hong Boxing), Xiao Hong Boxing (Small Hong Boxing), Emei Wei Si Boxing (Emei Temple-Guarding Boxing)
– Weapons: Emei Sifang Hammer (Emei Four-Directional Hammer), Seven-Star Saber, Emei Staff, Arhat Cudgel, Emei Wei Si Cudgel (Emei Temple-Guarding Cudgel)
– Internal and Hard Qigong: Emei Internal Skill, Emei Xingyi (Form-Intention), Emei Hard Qigong
Emei Twelve Postures
The Emei School’s martial arts include the so-called “Twelve Dynamic Postures” – Tian (Heaven), Di (Earth), Zhi (Inch), Xin (Heart), Long (Dragon), He (Crane), Feng (Wind), Yun (Cloud), Da (Big), Xiao (Small), You (Secluded), Ming (Dark); the so-called “Six Special Static Cultivation Skills” – Tiger-Step Skill, Heavy Hammer Skill, Land-Shrinking Skill, Suspended Bag Skill, Acupoint-Pointing Skill, Nirvana Skill; and the “Three Major Weapons” – Swordsmanship, Hairpin Technique (Emei Thorn), and Needle Technique (Hidden Weapons). The unique skills of the Emei School include not only the Thirty-Six Tiangang Acupoint-Pointing Methods but also the Emei Swordsmanship. Its sword song goes: “The fair maiden’s pure heart is wonderfully divine; one move of Canhong (Broken Rainbow) determines the universe. The body is as agile as a startled swan and an oriole weaving through willows; the sword is like a soul-chaser that never leaves the opponent. Only half a hand needs to be used in facing the enemy; even the famous swordswoman Yue Nü would lose her composure.” The swordsmanship and hairpin technique of the Emei School are not only graceful in posture but also powerful, making them unique skills of Emei.
Characteristics of Emei kungfu
“Hardness and Softness”
Practicing Emei Wushu requires strong and powerful movements, with hardness inherent in softness. The hardness should not be rigid, and the softness should not be flaccid. The hardness pursued in Emei Wushu refers to the external manifestation of the speed and strength of muscle contraction and relaxation, which is the external appearance of the boxing style and needs to possess the vigorous beauty of yang (masculine energy). The softness pursued refers to the stretching of the muscles and tendons of the limbs and body, as well as the large-range extension, rotation, or multi-axial movement of the articular surfaces of major joints. The relationship between hardness and softness has been discussed in the Emei School’s boxing manuals, which state: “There is yang within yin, and hardness nurtured within softness. Use intention to guide form, and let form match spirit. Take softness as the foundation and hardness as the application, achieving a balance between hardness and softness.”
“Speed and Slowness”
Speed and slowness depend on each other and are mutually rooted. Slowness exists for the sake of speed, and vice versa. Most Emei Wushu styles emphasize “Slowly practicing the stance, quickly performing the boxing.” When moving slowly, “Breathe silently through the nose to maintain the spirit”, moving as gently and slowly as a puppet. But when moving quickly, it is like a fairy maiden throwing a shuttle, “Every part of the body becomes a hand in an instant.” The Emei School’s boxing manual records: “Only when hands and feet move together is it genuine; use the opponent’s force to exert force with a trembling energy. Fists and feet must be brave and fast first; after the move is completed and the posture is set, remain calm in slowness.” This combat principle of defeating slowness with speed, countering speed with speed, waiting for an opportunity in slowness, and combining speed and slowness is precisely the manifestation of the movement style of the Emei School’s boxing. The correct handling of speed and slowness means being fast without chaos, slow without dispersion, prioritizing speed, and pursuing accuracy, stability, agility, and beauty in speed, with quick and powerful movements that combine speed and slowness.
“Movement and Stillness”
The contradictory relationship between “movement and stillness” is “Taking stillness as the foundation and movement as the odd (unexpected)”. “Remaining silent and still is also a form of movement.” Therefore, “When movement reaches its extreme, seek stillness; when stillness reaches its extreme, give rise to movement; there is stillness within movement, and movement within stillness” – this is one of the internal principles guiding the development of Emei Wushu. Movement is the basic dynamic of the Emei School’s boxing skills. This dynamic includes various striking methods such as kicking, hitting, throwing, seizing, chopping, stabbing, swinging, and smashing; body movements such as twisting, rotating, folding, swallowing, spitting, sinking, floating, bending, and stretching; and footwork such as moving, dodging, advancing, and retreating. The internal movement manifested includes the smooth flow of qi and blood, the concentration of spirit, the agility of thinking, the accuracy of judgment, and the timeliness of response.
“Emptiness and Substantiality”
This is one of the principles skillfully applied in Emei Wushu. People in Sichuan have a light and agile physique, and their natural strength is not as strong as that of northerners. In free combat, they often adopt the strategy of “avoiding the substantial and attacking the empty” to win by skill. The boxing classic says: “Opening and closing, emptiness and substantiality – this is the essence of the boxing classic.” This indicates that when attacking, one should open with emptiness to lure the opponent in and wait for an opportunity to counterattack. When defending, one should close with substantiality to leave the opponent with no gaps to attack. Emei Wushu emphasizes that there is substantiality within emptiness and emptiness within substantiality. The interweaving of emptiness and substantiality makes it unpredictable to the opponent. In boxing techniques, this is reflected in the shifting of the center of gravity to facilitate the change of stances, with the feet being either left empty and right substantial or right empty and left substantial. The hand techniques often combine offense and defense in a single move – offense within defense and defense within offense, thus integrating offense and defense. Therefore, offense is called “substantial”, and defense is called “empty”. Attacking the empty with the substantial ensures a hit; once contact is made, separate immediately. Using emptiness to neutralize substantiality means using emptiness to lure the opponent, causing their attacking force to lose its target. The boxing manual states: “Substantial attacking substantial relies on brute force; empty attacking empty achieves nothing; substantial attacking empty injures bones and tendons; empty neutralizing substantial saves energy.” Therefore, to practice boxing and spar, one must understand emptiness and substantiality to improve their boxing skills.
“Height and Lowliness”
This refers to the need for variations in the structure of movements, with both high and low postures. Therefore, in Emei Wushu, there are distinctions between high piles and low piles, as well as between full hands (long-range strikes) and short hands (close-range strikes). The boxing manual says: “When fighting a shorter opponent from a higher position, use long-range strikes; when fighting a taller opponent from a lower position, strike downward; use both fists and feet against opponents of similar height.” It also states: “If the opponent attacks high, use your hands to parry; if the opponent attacks low, use your hands to strike down; if the attack is neither high nor low, use your hands to block.” The practice style of Emei Wushu is characterized by many variations such as rising and falling, twisting and folding, bending and stretching. Hence, there is a saying: “Moving like a dragon and stepping like a tiger, body like a chicken and shape like a monkey, five palms and seven palms, soaring like a roc and flying like a phoenix.”
“Lightness and Heaviness”
This is reflected in Emei Wushu as a way of describing momentum through forms. The boxing manual states: “When strong, strike with lightness like a dragonfly touching the water; when weak, strike with heaviness and ferocity like a tiger pouncing on its prey.” It emphasizes lightness like a dragonfly touching the water and heaviness like a hammer striking stone. When punching, use qi to drive force, striking quickly and powerfully. Kicking is like a wild horse kicking its hooves; pointing acupoints with fingers and palms is like an arrow leaving the bowstring; moving quickly is like a swallow darting through clouds; maintaining a stable posture is like a giant tripod standing on a high mountain; leaping and jumping is like a monkey climbing a branch; remaining calm and settled is like a dragon coiling and a tiger crouching. Therefore, every move and posture of Emei Wushu is as heavy as iron, yet every method and form is as light as a leaf. Lightness serves to highlight heaviness, and heaviness is the root of lightness. The combination of lightness, heaviness, slowness, and quickness makes the practice of boxing skills more like a melodious melody of martial arts.