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Five Elders
In Southern Chinese folklore, the Five Elders of Shaolin ( zh, c=少林五祖 , p=Shàolín wǔ zǔ, j=Siu3 lam4 ng5 zou2), also known as the Five Generals are the survivors of one of the destructions of the Shaolin temple by the Qing Dynasty, variously said to have taken place in 1647 or in 1732. The original Shaolin Monastery was built on the north side of Shaoshi Mountain, the central peak of Mount Song, one of the sacred mountains of China, located in the Henan Province, by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty in 477. At various times throughout history, the monastery has been destroyed (burned down) for political reasons, and rebuilt many times. A number of traditions also make reference to a Southern Shaolin Monastery located in Fujian province. Associated with stories of the supposed burning of Shaolin by the Qing government and with the tales of the Five Elders, this temple, sometimes known by the name Changlin, is often claimed to have been either the target of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hung Gar
Hung Ga Kuen (Cantonese) or Hongjiaquan (Mandarin) ( zh, 洪家拳, link=no, meaning "fist of the Hung family") - alternatively shortened as either Hung Ga () or Hung Kuen () - is an ancient southern Chinese martial art, which roots lie in the Southern Shaolin kung fu. During the turn of the 3rd millennium, Hung Ga was one of the most widely practiced styles of kung fu from southern China in the world. It is best known for its low and stable positions, its powerful attacks mainly developed with the upper limbs, many blocks and also the work of internal energy. Its techniques are influenced by Bak Fu Pai (White Tiger Kung Fu) as well as Fujian White Crane. In addition, the style takes up postures that imitate the other five classic animals of Shaolin quan: the tiger, the crane, the leopard, the snake and the bear, as well as hand forms of the dragon style qi-gong and it's simultaneous double strikes. Hung Gar Kuen is represented in the world in mainly four family branches; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bak Mei
Bak Mei () is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders—survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Monastery by the Qing dynasty (1644–1912)—who, according to some accounts, betrayed Shaolin to the imperial government. He shares his name with the South Chinese martial art attributed to him. Bak Mei has been fictionalized in Hong Kong martial arts films such as '' Executioners from Shaolin'' (1977), '' Abbot of Shaolin'' (1979), and '' Clan of the White Lotus'' (1980). Bak Mei as a fictional character is better known in the West as Pai Mei, played by Gordon Liu in the Hollywood action film '' Kill Bill, Vol. 2'' (2004). Background Accounts of the Five Elders are many and varied, with some versions identifying the traitor as Bak Mei and others as Ma Ning-Yee. In other versions, both elders betray Shaolin, sometimes along with Fung Do-Duk. Still others say that “Bak Mei” was actually a nickname for either Ma Ning-Yee or Fung Do-Duk. The degree to wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tiandihui/Hongmen
The Tiandihui, the Heaven and Earth Society, also called Hongmen (the Vast Family), is a Chinese fraternal organization and historically a secretive folk religious sect in the vein of the Ming loyalist White Lotus Sect, the Tiandihui's ancestral organization. As the Tiandihui spread through different counties and provinces, it branched off into many groups and became known by many names, including the ''Sanhehui''. The ''Hongmen'' grouping is today more or less synonymous with the whole ''Tiandihui'' concept, although the title "Hongmen" is also claimed by some criminal groups. Branches of the Hongmen were also formed by Chinese communities overseas, some of which became known as Chinese Freemasons. Its current iteration is purely secular. Under British rule in Hong Kong, all Chinese secret societies were collectively seen as criminal threats and were bundled together and defined as "Triads", although the Hongmen might be said to have differed in its nature from other ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shaolin Kung Fu
Shaolin kung fu (), also called Shaolin Wushu (), or Shaolin quan (), is the largest and most famous style of Chinese martial arts, kung fu. It combines Chan Buddhism, Chan philosophy and martial arts. It was developed in the Shaolin Temple in Henan, China during its 1500-year history. In Chinese folklore there is a saying, "Shaolin kung fu is the best under heaven", which indicates its superiority among martial arts, and "All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin", which indicates its influence on other martial arts. The name ''Shaolin'' is also used as a brand for the external styles of kung fu. Many styles in southern and northern China use the name Shaolin. History Chinese martial arts before Shaolin Chinese historical records, like ''Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue'', the ''Bibliographies in the Book of the Han Dynasty,'' the ''Records of the Grand Historian,'' and other sources document the existence of martial arts in China for thousands of years. For ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fong Sai-Yuk
Fong Sai-yuk (or Fang Shiyu) is a semi-fictional Chinese martial artist and folk hero from Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province of the Qing dynasty. Fong was also associated with Hung Hei-gun and the Five Elders of the Southern Shaolin Monastery. He was a disciple of Shaolin and his martial arts techniques were considered to have contributed to the development of Hung Ga Kuen. He was first mentioned in ''wuxia'' stories dating from the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), such as ''Shaolin Xiao Yingxiong'' (少林小英雄; ''Young Hero of Shaolin''), ''Wan Nian Qing'' () and ''Qianlong You Jiangnan'' (乾隆游江南; ''The Qianlong Emperor Visits Jiangnan''). Although Fong Sai-yuk is a fictional character, the stories about him treat him as if he really existed. He has been the subject of various novels, movies and dramas. Stories about Fong have been adapted into films and television series since 1949. The most notable ones are the 1993 Hong Kong film '' Fong Sai-yuk'' and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mok Gar
Mok Gar () is one of the five major family styles of Southern Chinese martial arts. It was developed by a Shaolin monk named Monk Mok Ta Shi () as an inheritance of the Southern Shaolin Fist in Guangdong province in China. It gained fame three generations later, in the Qing Dynasty, with Mok Gin Kiu/Mo Qing Chiu/Mo Ching Chiao (莫清矯; also known as Mok Sau Cheung/ Mo Ta Chang) who learned the art from a monk named Wai Jen, and also had supposedly learned from a famous kicker, Choy Kao Yee. Mok's reputation was so high after defeating many other boxers that the style, formerly known as Southern Shaolin Quan, was renamed for the Mok family (Mok Gar). Mok Ching Kiu then taught the art to his son, Mok Ding Yue and three other students in which all four of them became their own distinct style of the art. Different generations through Guangdong boasted masters such as Mo Lin Ying, Mo Fifth Brother and Mo Ta Fen. The Hung Gar lineage from Wong Fei Hung has influences of Mok Gar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Choy Li Fut
Choy Lee Fut is a Chinese martial art and Chinese martial arts, wushu style, founded in 1836 by Chan Heung (陳享). Choy Li Fut was named to honor the Buddhist monk Choy Fook (蔡褔, Cai Fu) who taught him Choi ga, Choy Gar, and Li Yau-san (李友山) who taught him Li family kung fu, Li Gar, plus his uncle Chan Yuen-wu (陳遠護), who taught him Hung Kuen, and developed to honor the Buddha and the Shaolin roots of the system. The system combines the martial arts techniques from various Northern Shaolin (martial art), Northern and Southern Chinese kung-fu systems; the powerful arm and hand techniques from the Shaolin Kung Fu, Shaolin animal forms from the South, combined with the extended, circular movements, twisting body, and agile footwork that characterizes Northern China's martial arts. It is considered an external style, combining soft and hard techniques, as well as incorporating a wide range of weapons as part of its curriculum. It contains a wide variety of techni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Li Family Kung Fu
The Li family of kung fu ( zh, c=李家功夫, p=Lǐ jiā gōngfū) is one of the five family styles of Southern Chinese martial arts. Li Sou The Li family is originally from Lanzhou in the Gansu province of China. Legend has it that prior to Li Sou's development of Wuxingquan (5 shape fist), he had learned various palm techniques that had been passed on to him by another member of the Li family. These techniques were called the ''Divine Immortal Palms'', and consisted of Iron Bone Shattering Palm, Vibrating Palm, Cotton Palm, Burning Palm, Spiralling Palm, and Internal Iron Palm, which were taught to the Li family by a Taoist immortal and other traveling hermits from the Wudang and Emei Mountains. Shaolin Wuxingquan/Ng Ying Kuen (5 Shape Fist) Originating from the 18 Luohan hands, Jueyuan in the 13th century expanded its 18 techniques to 72. Still, he felt the need to seek knowledge from outside the confines of the temple. In Gansu Province in the west of China, in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hung Hei-Gun
Hong Xiguan (1745–1825) was a Chinese martial artist who lived in the Qing dynasty. He was also an influential figure in the Southern school of Chinese martial arts. His name is also alternatively romanised as Hung Hei-gun, Hung Hei-koon, Hung Hei-kwun, Hung Hsi-kuan, and similar renditions. He was believed to be the creator and founder of Hung Ga Kuen. Life Hong was originally a tea merchant. He escaped to the Southern Shaolin Monastery in Fujian province after having an argument with Manchus elites. The abbot, Jee-sin, accepted him into the monastery and soon found out how talented and hardworking he was in Southern Shaolin martial arts. Jee-sin was impressed by these qualities and soon began to teach Hong the ''Bak Fu Pai'' (White Tiger Fist) that he specialised in. After six years, Hong became the best among the " lay" members of Southern Shaolin Monastery. These "lay" members refer to people who learnt Southern Shaolin martial arts but were not ordained as monks in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common English
English is the concept of using the English language as a global means of communication similar to an international auxiliary language, and often refers to the movement towards an international standard for the language. Related and sometimes synonymous terms include: Global English, World English, Continental English, General English and Common English. These terms may describe the fact that English is spoken and used in numerous dialects around the world or refer to a desired standardisation (i.e. Standard English). There have been many proposals for making International English more accessible to people from different nationalities but there is no consensus; Basic English is an example, but it failed to make progress. More recently, there have been proposals for English as a lingua franca (ELF) in which non-native speakers take a highly active role in the development of the language. Historical context Origins The modern concept of "International English" does n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
