Beggars' Gang

The Gaibang (丐幫）is a fictional martial arts organisation featured prominently in works of ''wuxia'' fiction by writers such as Jin Yong, Gu Long and Wolong Sheng. The gang has also found its way into martial arts films such as ''King of Beggars'' and video games such as ''Age of Wushu''. The gang's members are mostly beggars as its name suggests, but some of them are from other walks of life. They are noticeable in public for their dress code and behaviour. The members adhere to a strict code of conduct and maintain the utmost respect for rank and hierarchy. They uphold justice and help those in need through acts of chivalry. The Beggars' Gang is also one of the supporting pillars in the defence of Han Chinese society from foreign invaders. Cha, Louis. ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'' (神雕俠侶). ''Ming Pao'', 1959. The gang has a wide network of communications and the members are reputed for their excellent information gathering skills. This is due to the gang's large size and the nature of its members, which allows them to easily blend into different segments of society.

History

The gang was founded during the Han dynastyCha, Louis. ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' (神雕俠侶). ''Hong Kong Commercial Daily'', 1957. and has survived for centuries. The gang plays significant roles in ''wuxia'' novels such as ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' (Northern Song dynasty) and the ''Condor Trilogy'' (Southern Song dynasty to Yuan dynasty).

The Beggars' Gang was one of the largest and most respected martial arts organisations in the ''jianghu'' (martial artists' community) until the Yuan dynasty.Cha, Louis. ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' (天龍八部). ''Ming Pao'', 1963. Its fame and popularity began to decline in the Yuan dynasty due to ill discipline among its members and incompetent leadership.

Organisation

The gang is divided into various factions, including the "dirty clothing" faction () and the "clean clothing" faction (). The former consists of typical beggars, while the latter comprises non-beggar members. It has many branches () spread throughout the land and each of them is headed by a ''duozhu'' ().

Each member carries at least one pouch-like bag () and the number of bags he/she carries indicates his/her rank in the gang. The highest rank a member can attain is that of an elder (), which is second only to the chief. Elders carry nine bags each.

The gang is headed by the chief (), who represents the highest authority in the gang. Each chief is selected from a pool of nominees based on his/her prowess in martial arts, contributions to the gang, personal conduct and popularity, among other factors. The chief carries the revered Dog Beating Staff () as a symbol of leadership. The gang has various practices and customs, such as the one which allows all members to spit once on a newly elected chief as a form of salute.

The Four Great Elders serve as the chief's deputies and reserve the right to strip the chief off his post if he/she fails in his/her duties. Besides, there are also elders with designated duties, such as the Discipline Elder (), who enforces law and order in the gang, and the Training Elder (), who oversees the martial arts training of members.

The gang holds monthly meetings in a different location each time.

Skills and martial arts

The most notable martial arts of the Beggars' Gang are the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and the Dog Beating Staff Technique. The chief is expected to have a profound mastery of both skills, especially the latter, which is only passed on from a chief to his/her successor. No other members know the Dog Beating Staff Technique. The gang has a battle formation known as the Dog Beating Formation ().

Since members are not limited to only beggars, people from all walks of life, including scholars and soldiers, join the gang. As such, the gang's martial arts are rather diverse, since some members have learnt other forms of martial arts prior to joining the gang. For example, Wu Changfeng in ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' uses a customised saber movement while Chen Guyan carries a sack filled with poisonous creatures for use against enemies.

Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms (), also translated as Eighteen Palms to Defeat the Dragon, is based on and named after ideas derived from the ancient divination text ''Yi Jing''. Chronologically, it is first mentioned in ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' as the best known skill of Qiao Feng, the chief of the Beggars' Gang. There were originally 28 stances, which Qiao Feng later simplified to 18 with the help of his sworn brother Xuzhu. After Qiao Feng's death at the end of the novel, Xuzhu passed the knowledge of the skill to the next chief of the Beggars' Gang. In ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'', the protagonist Guo Jing learns the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms from Hong Qigong, the chief of the Beggars' Gang, and uses it as his primary skill against opponents such as Ouyang Feng, Mei Chaofeng, Huang Yaoshi and Qiu Qianren. In the sequel ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'', Guo Jing, now a supporting character, uses the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms on multiple occasions in combat, while Hong Qigong uses it in his final battle against Ouyang Feng. In ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'', Shi Huolong, the chief of the Beggars' Gang, had mastered only 12 of the 18 stances and had used it to defend himself when he was ambushed by Cheng Kun, the main antagonist. Cha, Louis. ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' (倚天屠龍記). ''Ming Pao'', 1961.

The 18 stances are:

# The Proud Dragon Repents ()
# The Dragon Soars in the Sky ()
# The Dragon is Seen in the Fields ()
# The Swan Descends Gracefully ()
# Use Not the Submerged Dragon ()
# A Sudden Advent ()
# Crossing Great Rivers ()
# Tremors that Shook the Land ()
# Diving into the Abyss ()
# The Twin Dragons Fetch Water ()
# The Fish Frolics in the Depths ()
# Timely Riding the Six Dragons ()
# Dark Clouds but No Rain ()
# With a Loss comes Confidence ()
# The Dragon Fights in the Wilderness ()
# Treading on Ice ()
# The Ram Charges into the Fence ()
# The Divine Dragon Swishes its Tail ()

Dog Beating Staff Technique

The Dog Beating Staff Technique () has ten stances:

# A Fierce Dog Blocks the Path ()
# Whack Two Dogs with a Staff ()
# Oblique Hit on the Dog's Back ()
# Flip the Dog Upside-down ()
# Retrieve the Staff from the Mastiff's Jaws ()
# Whack the Dog's Head with a Staff ()
# Reverse Jab the Dog's Bottom ()
# Lift the Mad Dog with the Staff ()
# Squash the Dog's Back ()
# No Dogs Under Heaven ()

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beggars' Gang
Organizations in Wuxia fiction