DavidE
02-02-2004, 06:20 PM
An interesting overview of Youngchun White Crane from
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Bleachers/6758/Hequan.htm
3. YONGCHUN QUAN
(Ode to Spring Boxing, Eternal Youth Boxing)
It is said to have been created by Yan Yongchun of Liancheng County in Fujian Province during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing (1796-1820) of the Qing Dynasty. Yan Si, the father of Yan Yongchun left the city of Quanzhou to escape oppression to take refuge with his family and stayed in seclusion at Liancheng. Yan Si was a Shaolin boxe master and Yan Yongchun followed her father to practise martial arts since childhood and later became a Quan Fa master herself.
It is said also that one day, when Yongchun was washing clothes at a riverside, she noticed a white crane fighting a green snake. She watched the fight carefully for a long time and came to understand their fighting rules. Thereafter she combined the tangling and hissing of the crane and snake with the movements of the White Crane boxing and Southern style Shaolin boxing, forming the original Yongchun boxing also known as Yongchun White Crane boxing.
After she married Ling Botao of Jiangxi Province, she taught her boxing to her husband. They set up a Quan Fa club at Liancheng to teach the art. After death of her father, Yan Yongchun and her husband travelled in Jiangxi before settling down in Guangdong Province, where they target the Yongchun boxing at Zhaoqing.
In 1815 martial arts actor Huang Baohua went to perform at Zhaofing and met Liang Botao. Liang taught Huang the Yongchun boxing while Huang taught Liang cudgel plays. They both mastered the arts. In this later years, Huang Baohua passed the martial arts of the Yongchun boxing and his cudgel plays to Liang Zan who, after mastering the arts, developed them into the present day Yongchun boxing. Meanwhile the Yongchun boxing become popularrized through the efforts of their boxers who combined to improve and develop the art.
These are the Yongchun features: steady stances, generation of force through Sanchin and Rokkishu ("ready stances, generation of forces, three tricks with six forces..."), fists playing close to the one's own body, usage of explosive power, stressing on real combat, focusing on completion of movements, combination of offense and defence by forcing up or crashing down the fists or feet from the opposing side. This style emphasizes speed of play, keeping fists and feet clse to one's own body for better protection, as well as to prepare for attacks and fighting the opponent at close range. When fighting, Yongchun boxers contain their chest, arch the back, close their elbows and knees, draw in their ribs, keep their thighs closed to protect the groin. When they use their feet for attack, they must also use their hands in cooperation. When they kick they do not expose their groin and when they deliver fist blows, their hands do not leave the front of their body (Wu et al., 1992).
Youngchun White Crane boxing was the basis on which the system described in the Okinawan Bubishi developed. It was a popular style of boxing in Fujien in the beginning of the 19th century, and it is very possible that Okinawans had been exposed to this boxing. On the other hand, the association between this boxing and actors of the Chinese Opera increase the possibility of some exposition inside Okinawa.
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Bleachers/6758/Hequan.htm
3. YONGCHUN QUAN
(Ode to Spring Boxing, Eternal Youth Boxing)
It is said to have been created by Yan Yongchun of Liancheng County in Fujian Province during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing (1796-1820) of the Qing Dynasty. Yan Si, the father of Yan Yongchun left the city of Quanzhou to escape oppression to take refuge with his family and stayed in seclusion at Liancheng. Yan Si was a Shaolin boxe master and Yan Yongchun followed her father to practise martial arts since childhood and later became a Quan Fa master herself.
It is said also that one day, when Yongchun was washing clothes at a riverside, she noticed a white crane fighting a green snake. She watched the fight carefully for a long time and came to understand their fighting rules. Thereafter she combined the tangling and hissing of the crane and snake with the movements of the White Crane boxing and Southern style Shaolin boxing, forming the original Yongchun boxing also known as Yongchun White Crane boxing.
After she married Ling Botao of Jiangxi Province, she taught her boxing to her husband. They set up a Quan Fa club at Liancheng to teach the art. After death of her father, Yan Yongchun and her husband travelled in Jiangxi before settling down in Guangdong Province, where they target the Yongchun boxing at Zhaoqing.
In 1815 martial arts actor Huang Baohua went to perform at Zhaofing and met Liang Botao. Liang taught Huang the Yongchun boxing while Huang taught Liang cudgel plays. They both mastered the arts. In this later years, Huang Baohua passed the martial arts of the Yongchun boxing and his cudgel plays to Liang Zan who, after mastering the arts, developed them into the present day Yongchun boxing. Meanwhile the Yongchun boxing become popularrized through the efforts of their boxers who combined to improve and develop the art.
These are the Yongchun features: steady stances, generation of force through Sanchin and Rokkishu ("ready stances, generation of forces, three tricks with six forces..."), fists playing close to the one's own body, usage of explosive power, stressing on real combat, focusing on completion of movements, combination of offense and defence by forcing up or crashing down the fists or feet from the opposing side. This style emphasizes speed of play, keeping fists and feet clse to one's own body for better protection, as well as to prepare for attacks and fighting the opponent at close range. When fighting, Yongchun boxers contain their chest, arch the back, close their elbows and knees, draw in their ribs, keep their thighs closed to protect the groin. When they use their feet for attack, they must also use their hands in cooperation. When they kick they do not expose their groin and when they deliver fist blows, their hands do not leave the front of their body (Wu et al., 1992).
Youngchun White Crane boxing was the basis on which the system described in the Okinawan Bubishi developed. It was a popular style of boxing in Fujien in the beginning of the 19th century, and it is very possible that Okinawans had been exposed to this boxing. On the other hand, the association between this boxing and actors of the Chinese Opera increase the possibility of some exposition inside Okinawa.