Nanquan, or zh, c=南派, p=Nán pài, l=southern school) refers to a classification of

Chinese martial arts Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

that originated in Southern China. The southern styles of Chinese martial arts are characterized by emphasis on "short hitting" and specific arm movements, predominantly in southern styles such as Hung Kuen, Choi Lei Fut, Hak Fu Mun, Wuzuquan,

Wing Chun Wing Chun (Cantonese) or Yong Chun (Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin) (, lit. "singing spring") is a concept-based martial art, a form of Nanquan (martial art), Southern Chinese kung fu, and a close-quarters system of self-defense. It is a martial ...

, and so on.

History and development

During the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

of the 16th century, there were

Wokou ''Wokou'' ( zh, c=, p=Wōkòu; ; Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ; ; literal Chinese translation: "dwarf bandits"), which translates to "Japanese pirates", were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century to the 17 ...

(Japanese pirates) active on the coast of China. At one point, Generals Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou were stationed in Fuqing and Putian in the Central Fujian. The local monks in those areas defended themselves using iron rods to repel the pirates. Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang taught martial arts to the local armies and civilians to fight against the pirates, with General Qi teaching the use of

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...

s, knives and other weaponry.Guangxi Wang (2012). Chinese Kung Fu. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-05-2118-664-3. The fourteenth chapter of General Qi's Jixiao Xinshu includes a modified version of the 32nd posture of the Taizu Changquan. After Qi Jiguang left, the development of unarmed fighting methods was left to the soldiers.

Southern Shaolin Monastery

The Southern Shaolin Monastery is considered a significant development in the history of Shaolin Wushu in Southern China. The

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

branched from the Shaolin Temple of Mount Song to Fujian. General Qi Jiguang of the Ming dynasty would later import Taizu Changquan and other martial arts to the region.

The Concept of Burning (South) Shaolin Temple

The legend about the burning of the southern Shaolin Temple was recorded in a conference catalogue of the Guangzhou Hongmen Society meeting that took place in the late Qing dynasty. It is believed that it was written based on the history of the time and the information acquired by the Hongmen at the end of the Ming dynasty.

Contemporary Wushu Nanquan

The contemporary Wushu event Nanquan is a modern style created in the 1960s, and was derived from martial arts from the Chinese provinces south of the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

, predominantly those styles popular in

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

, and

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

. The basis of contemporary Nánquán hails primarily from traditional Cantonese family styles of 洪 (Hung), 李 (Lei), 劉 (Lau), 莫 (Mok) and 蔡 (Choi), along with their more contemporary Kung Fu variants of Choi Lei Fut, Hung Ga, and

. Contemporary Nanquan features vigorous, athletic movements with very stable, low stances, extensive hand techniques, and a vocal articulation called ''fasheng'' ("release shout"), which is the predecessor of the Japanese and Korean martial arts ''

kiai In Japanese martial arts a is a short shout uttered when performing an assault. Traditional Japanese dojo generally uses single syllables beginning with a vowel. The practice has become a part of Asian martial arts in popular culture, esp ...

''. Power is driven from sharp waist movements with special emphasis on fast stance transition to generate power and speed in the arms. Signature hand techniques of Nanquan are the consecutive downward strikes of the left and right fist called Gua Gai Quan (''Gwa Kup Kuen''; 挂盖拳), and consecutive upper cuts while driving forward called Paoquan (''Pow Kuen''; 抛拳). There are relatively few kicks in Nanquan although the Tengkong Pantui Cepu (腾空盘腿度侧扑; "flying cross legs kick and land on the side") and Li Yu Da Ting (鲤鱼打挺直立; carp skip-up) are very common in advanced Nanquan routines. Nanquan also has its own contemporary weapons the Southern Broadsword ( Nandao; 南刀) and Southern Staff ( Nangun; 南棍), which were included in the International Wushu competition in 1999. In 2003, the International Wushu Federation (IWUF) established rules of contemporary Nanquan to make jumping techniques (难度) mandatory in its Nanquan routines. Jump kicks spinning in mid-air between 360 and 720 degrees before touching the ground are now used in all IWUF Nanquan forms along with the Stationary Back Flip (原地后空翻) and the Single Step Back Tuck (单跳后空翻) for advanced IWUF competitors.

Schools of Nanquan

Styles classified as Nanquan are mainly located in the provinces of

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

and

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

Guangdong Nanquan

Main five schools

Nanquan is characterized by schools of the Five Family Elders, which are: * Hung Ga (洪家拳) * (刘家拳) * Choy Gar (蔡家拳) * Li family kung fu (李家拳) * Mok Gar (莫家拳)

Others

* Choy Li Fut (蔡李佛) *

(詠春拳) * Weng Chun (永春拳) * Bak Fu Pai (白虎派) * (侠家拳) * Bak Mei (白眉拳) * (南极拳)Carmona José, ''De Shaolin à Wudang, les arts martiaux chinois'', Gui Trenadiel editeur. * (儒拳) * Fut Gar (佛家拳) * (刁家拳) * (朱家拳) * Yuejiaquan (岳家拳) * (钟家拳) * Kunlunquan (昆仑拳) *

Fujian Nanquan

* Wuxingquan (五形拳) * Wuzuquan (五祖拳) * Luohanquan (罗汉拳) * Meihuazhuang (梅花桩) * Lianchengquan (连城家拳) * Dishuquanfa (地术拳法) * Yongjiafa (泳家法) * Wumeiquan (五枚拳) * Yuanquan (猿拳) * Shiquan (狮拳) * Huquan (虎拳) * Xiangdianquan (香店拳)

Hubei Nanquan

Hubei Nanquan contains five major schools (Hubei wu da pai, 湖北五大派): * (洪门拳) * (孔门拳) * (岳门拳) * (鱼门拳) * Sunmenquan (孙门拳)

Other Nanquan

* Jow-Ga kung fu (周家拳) (from Guangxi) * Baoquan (Leopard Kung Fu) * Fu Jow Pai * Nan Pai Tanglang (Southern Praying Mantis) * Hung Fut