The History Behind Several Styles
Shaolin "Fan Tsi Eagle Claw" is a set of traditional Chinese kung fu fighting techniques. This type of Northern Kung Fu was developed and widely used in China. The traditional style of kung fu was used by the famous military General, Ngok Fei, to train his soldiers. This set of fighting techniques is mostly composed of the following: "Jau" (grab), "Da" (strike) , "Kum" (catch), "Na" (hold), "Fan Gun" (separate the tendons), "Cho Gwat" (dislocating the joints), "Dim Yuet" (strike precisely the pressure points), "Baai Hei" (stop the breathing) , "Sim Gin" (fast changing stances), and "Tun Noh" (Jump and take away). Traditional Eagle Claw is based on three (3) fundamental forms: Hahng Kuen Sahp Lo (walking fist 10 sections), Lin Kuen Ng Sahp Lo(combination fist 50 sections), and 108 Chin Na (joint locking techniques). All the techniques are very practical.
Eagle claw kung fu was invented during the "Sung" Dynasty. Its popularity however, did not come until the" Ming" Dynasty. The historical development of Eagle Claw Kung Fu is as follows: a monk named Lai Chun, who was a famous practitioner of the Fan Tsi style developed an interest in the Eagle Claw techniques. He invested a great deal of time training and improving the techniques which he incorporated into a new set of Fan Tsi Eagle Claw Kung Fu fighting techniques. These techniques were then passed down to a monk named Tao Chaig who passed them on to a monk named Fat Sing. Up until this time, this set of techniques was only taught to Buddhist "monks" and so, these techniques were not known by many people. At the end of the "Ching" Dynasty, a man named Lau Si Chun, from Huibei inherited these fighting techniques from Fat Sing. Lau Si Chun spent thirty years practicing diligently. He became famous in Beijing because of his knowledge and ability in the "Shaolin Fan Tsi Eagle Claw" traditional fighting techniques. Lau Si Chun also specialized in fighting techniques using a "dai gong gee" (long staff). He became known as "Da Gong Gee Lau", because of his outstanding performances in the "old days" fighting competitions. In his later years, he passed all of his techniques to his nephew Lau Sing Yau; Lau Sing Yau then passed this knowledge to his third son Lau Kai Man and his nephew Chan Tsi Cheng. Lau Kai Man passed the Eagle Claw Kung Fu to his nephew LAU FAT MANG (The 7th Generation Eagle Claw Late Grandmaster).
Chan Tsi Cheng succeeded in learning all of the techniques. Because he admired the Chin Woo Association, started by Huo Yuen Ja, Chan Tsi Cheng went to Shanghai with Lau Fat Mang to join the Chin Woo Association, and spread the knowledge of Eagle Claw Kung Fu there. Lau Fat Mang was Lau Kai Man's blood nephew, so he learned from his uncle at a very early age. When Lau arrived in Shanghai, the first thing he did was to go to the head office of the "Chin Woo Association" to teach. In this Association, everyone was required to know the ten (10) basic forms of Chin Woo. The ten basic forms are: Tam Teui, Gung Lik Kuen, Da Gin Kqen, Sahp Gee Gin Kqen, Tuet Jien, Ng Fu Chon, Quan Yeung Quan, Toa Kuen (2 man form), Bat Kua Do, Jeet Kune. After that, they could learn one (1) of the five (5) Kung Fu Styles taught at that Association. In time, Lau become Chan's Assistant Eagle Claw Instructor. In 1924, the Chin Woo Association was started in Hong Kong. The Association wanted to send a teacher from the headquarters in Shanghai to go to Hong Kong to teach, and Chan Tsi Cheng was selected. Hence, Lau Fat Mang remained in Shanghai and became the head teacher in the Chin Woo Association where he trained many successful students. Two (2) years passed and the Chin Woo Association opened a school in Fut Shan, which is located in the south. Lau Fat Mang was sent to this school.
In 1929, Chan Tsi Cheng left Hong Kong and returned to Northern China. The Chin Woo Association in Hong Kong was left without an Eagle Claw teacher, this situation allowed Lau Fat Mang to go to Hong Kong and take over the teaching position. Lau Fat Mang arrived in Hong Kong and attracted many students. Among them were Ng Wai Nung (Master Shum Leung's Sifu), Lee Zhau Mang and Lee Waig Hong. Lau Fat Mang was serious about his job and patiently worked individually with his students. At this time, three (3) famous teachers from the north who teached in Hong Kong were: Kan Tak Hoi (Tai Shing Pek Kwar Moon, Monkey King), Yip Yue Ting (Mai Jung Law Hong) and Lau Fat Mang (Eagle Claw Fan Tsi Moon). Because these three masters were from the same village of Huibei and were very skilled in their Kung Fu, the Wushu community named these Masters the "Huibei Three Heroes". They were very good friends, and were always together. In 1931, Lau Fat Mang was invited to head the Jung Nam Martial Arts Association (), where Lau taught for a few more years.
In 1933, Lau Fat Mang received an invitation to be chief instructor for the Guang Dung Army. He accepted the invitation. Not long after, Lau Fat Mang quit teaching for the military and returned to Hong Kong. He opened the Lau Fat Mang Eagle Claw School. Soon after Lau Fat Mang opened his school, the Japanese invaded China. Although Lau Fat Mang had many students, and he being a faithful citizen, he decided to close his school and fight for his country.
He fought at the front line and was the creator of the 19th Regiment Army "Dai Do (Big Sword)" . Lau Fat Mang continued to fight on the front line until Japan surrendered. After the war, Lau Fat Mang moved to Guang Chou.
In 1949, Lau Fat Mang moved his family to Hong Kong. He continued to teach and spread Eagle Claw Kung Fu. At this time the Hong Kong Kowloong Restaurant Union invited him to represent the Northern Style Kung Fu.
In 1954, Lau Fat Mang, Lee Jen Chen, and Dong Ying Kit, were invited to judge the first Lei Tai match in Hong Kong, Macau. A White Crane Sifu, Chan Hut Fu, challenged Ng Tai Chi Master, Ng Goong Yee. This was a very exciting event. Many famous movie stars, and rich people, went to watch. During this event, Lau Fat Mang and Dong Ying Kit were asked to do a sparring demonstration. This was more exciting than the Lei Tai match, because these were two (2) very famous Masters. The money from this event was donated to charity.
When Lau Fat Mang returned, he became ill with pneumonia. He went to Chen Chao, an island off of Hong Kong. For more than 2 months he remained in bed until he recovered. His doctor recommended that he avoid heavy work and stress, so he decided to stay at home and teach his children the Eagle Claw Techniques. Also during this time he wrote the book Shaolin Eagle Claw Fan Tsi Kung Fu and 108 Chin Na Techniques. Lau Fat Mang finished half of the 108 Chin Na Techniques. His eldest daughter Lily Lau and her brother Francis finished the book by showing the techniques in the pictures. The young woman that is shown in the book is Grandmaster Lily Lau.
When Lau Fat Mang felt he was totally recovered after resting for a few years, he finally returned to Hong Kong. Lau Fat Mang still was determined to spread the knowledge of Eagle Claw Kung Fu. So he reestablished his Eagle Claw School in Kowloon Mong Kok, and was joined by more students.
On March 17, 1964, Master Lau, passed away at the age of 62. He begun his journey from Shanghai and traveled to the south when he was 22. He spread the techniques of "Eagle Claw" for almost his entire life. Although Lau Fat Mang was the kung fu nephew of Chan Tsi Cheng, because of the time and effort he put into the development and teaching of Eagle Claw Kung Fu, he had the greatest impact. There is no doubt that he was the Grandmaster of the South, for he spread the Eagle Claw Kung Fu System throughout the area. No one ever mastered his favorite form "Joit Lok Tong" (Eagle Claw Drunken Form), as well as he did.
After the death of Grandmaster Lau, his eldest daughter, Lily, rose to his position and became the 8th generation Eagle Claw Kung Fu Grandmaster. Therefore, determined to continue her father's dream, she has continued teaching throughout the years for thirty-seven years, spreading Eagle Claw Kung Fu. Grandmaster Lily Lau currently has schools worldwide; United States, Puerto Rico, Brazil, England, Hong Kong, Egypt, Greece, and China. Master Lau travels frequently to these schools where she presents seminars and workshops yearly.
Grandmaster Lau's personality is such that she never complains. She gives her all and is never concerned about what she will receive in return for her efforts. Master Lau is diligent in her work and is focused on her ultimate goal; to spread as much kung fu in the world as she can. She would like to one day see all Martial Arts united.

-Wing chun-

Wing chun kuen (yongchunquan), often referred to as wing chun kung fu (yong chun gong fu), comes from Foshan and surrounding areas of Guangdong, China, and is thus classified as a branch of nam kuen (nan quan, south (of the Yangtze River) boxing), blending aspects of the ngoi ga (waijia, external) and noi ga (neijia, internal). From legends of the Shaolin Temple (Siu Lam, Young Forest) and accounts of the Red Junk Opera, it gained international fame as the foundation art of the late movie and television star Bruce Lee (Lee Siulung), and has become one of the best known and most widely practiced forms of wushu (mo sut, martial arts) in the world.
WingChunKuen exists (non-profit, with no ties to any organizations or political agenda, and with no interest in regulation, certification, or proselytizing) to preserve the legends, histories, and methodologies, and provide for the sharing of ideas, opinions, and experiences between the many individuals and branches



- Luohan Quan ( Arhat Boxing ) -

Luohan Quan or the Arhat boxing originated from the Shaolin-style boxing. It has been called the 18-hand tricks of Arhat, which consisted of 18 combating skills and techniques. Along with its 24 movements in advancing and retreating, the Arhat boxing uses six routines of fist plays, two routines of palm plays, one routine of elbow play, four routines of holding and strangleholding, each of which has its own practical value and health-building effect.
The original Luohan Quan was called the 18-form Arhat boxing which was improved and developed through years of practice. It later became the 27-form small Arhat boxing, the 54-form big Arhat boxing and the 108-form Arhat boxing. While practising, Arhat boxers can be as soft as willow twigs, as agile as a smart monkey jumping over a mountain gully, as mighty as a lion, and as powerful as a dragon stirring the sea. According to the practice proverbs of the Arhat boxing, the head of the Arhat boxer is like a wave; hands are like meteorites; the body like a willow twig; footwork is like that of a drunkard; blows are triggered by the mind and power is generated throughout the body. It should be difficult to tell whether the hits are substantial or empty. Free application of the Arhat boxing skills can be achieved through years of practice and exercise.
Luohan Quan was created by monks in the Shaolin Temple from watching and imitating the different forms and expression of the different Arhat statues in the temple, and through meditation. They added to these movements the skills of combat. There are quite a few Arhat boxing maestroes among the generations of Shaolin monks. The best in the contemporary period was Maestro Miao Xing. Maestro Miao Xing had been called "Gold Arhat". He was a native of Dengfeng in Henan Province and knew the combat skills as well as being fond of literal arts, especially Buddhism. He used to work on his farmland, and chanted Buddhist scriptures and practised martial arts after work. Later he traveled throughout the country and met with many Wushu masters. In this way he mastered the martial arts of different styles of boxing. Several years later, Miao Xing shaved his head to become a monk of the Shaolin Temple but he continued to practise his martial art in his spare-time delving into the skills of combat.
Once he was seen practising his martial art by the abbot of the temple who praised him and taught him the Shaolin style of boxing and cudgel plays. The abbot also taught Miao Xing the Arhat boxin, acupoint touching, joint dislocating, holding and strangleholding, breathing exercises and other Shaolin-style martial arts.
Whenever challengers of the Shaolin martial arts came, the abbot would appoint Miao Xing to meet them and Miao was always the winner, thus earning the respect from among other monks. Eventually Miao was promoted to be the supervisor of the temple and was asked to teach the martial arts to other monks. After the death of the abbot, Miao Xing succeeded him and also served as the chief of the Shaolin martial arts masters. He had some 5.000 monk disciples and 200 laymen disciples. In 1939, Maestro Miao Xing passed away at he age of 58.
The characteristics of the Arhat boxing are plain and simple. It combines simplicity with the beauty of the expressions of the Arhats. It hides its combative skills and blows in the Arhat-like actions. Movements are smoothly comfortable and fully spread out with clearcut rhythms and the cooperation and coordination of attack and defence are rational. After practising for a long time, the Arhat boxing can strengthen the physique, tone up the body, give one self-defence skills and cure diseases.


- Xingyi Quan (Form and Meaning Boxing)-

Xingyi Quan or the form and meaning boxing is also called Xinyi Quan (free-mind boxing), Xinyi Liuhe Quan (free-mind six-combination boxing) or Liuhe quan (six-combination boxing). There are two propositions about the name of this school of boxing. One holds that the body actions and movements should be guided by mind and that this school of boxing is an identity of mind and body; the other proposition states that this school of exercises are mere imitations of animal actions and movements and adopted the form and meaning of animal movements.
According to historical records,the creator of Xingyi Quan was Ji Jike (1602-1683) from Village Zuncun in Yongji County in Shanxi Province. A resident of the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, Ji Jike was also known as Ji Longfeng. On his trip south to the Shaolin Temple and Luoyang in Henan Province and Qiupu in Anhui Province, Ji Jike passed his art on to Zeng Jiwu. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, Xingyi Quan was spread in Henan, Hebei and Shanxi provinces. Ma Xueli, a Luoyang resident in Henan, Dai Longbang, a resident of Qixian in Shanxi, and Li Luoneng, Dai's disciple from Hebei, all contributed to the dissemination and development of the boxing.
Over centuries, this school of boxing is now practised in different styles. The Shanxi style is compact, delicate and yet forceful while the Henan style is powerful, vigorous and substantial. The Hebei style stresses steadiness, sturdiness and comfort. As regards routines of fist fight, a similarity is seen between the Shanxi style and the Hebei style, both using three postures of the body, five major movements of axing, bursting, penetrating, hurling and traversing and imitations of 12 animal forms (dragon, tiger, monkey, horse, turtle, chicken, hawk, swallow, snake, owl, eagle and bear). The Henan style mainly imitates 10 animal forms (dragon, tiger, chicken, eagle, snake, horse, cat, monkey, hawk and swallow).


- Tanglang Quan ( Mantis Boxing ) -

Tanglang Quan or the mantis boxing is also an animal-imitating style of fist play. It copies the form and actions of a mantis adding the attack and defence skills of the martial arts. This unique style of boxing boasts an assortment of routines which generally fall into the northern and southern styles.
The northern-style mantis boxing is said to have been created by Wang Lang of Jimo County in Shandong Province at the turn of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Legend has it that Wang was fond of martial arts and went to study Wushu at the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province. After the temple was burnt down by the imperial army, Wang Lang returned to Jimo where, because of his shorter stature, he was beaten again and again by his senior fellow apprentice.
Wang resolved to practise hard for three years but, much to his dismay he lost the duel again. One day in the forest, he saw a mantis wielding its forelegs while fighting a big cicada in a tree. Before long, the mantis killed the cicada. Wang found that the mantis had a good rhythm in attack and defence and controlled its catch and release well. It fought both from distance and close-up with hard and soft blows characteristic of martial combats. He captured a number of mantis and took them home. Watching them closely while they fought, Wang Lang compiled a mantis boxing by adding the essentials of the Shaolin boxing to the actions of the mantis, even including the expression of the mantis. There are two other propositions about the origin of the mantis boxing. One holds that Wang Lang created it while fighting the long-style boxers of the school created by the first emperor of the Song dynasty; the other believes that between his fights with back-through boxer Han Tong, Wang saw a mantis capture a cicada and fight a snake and so created the mantis boxing.

The mantis boxing has many routines and branches.
The major five schools are as follows:

1. Seven-star mantis boxing, which is also called Arhat mantis, features seven-star steps, hard-hitting, and vigorous movements. It tends more towards hardness than suppleness and its stances are comfortably spread and extended. The basics of this school include waist technique, leg technique, shoulder technique as well as standing skills and hitting skills.

2. Plum blossom mantis boxing, also called taiji plum blossom mantis boxing, uses small steps and its movements are continuous deft and smart, like blossoming plums. It is almost an exact copy of the mantis. This style of boxing demands clear-cut rhythms in unleashing the tricks and emphasizes a smooth, deft and supple generation of power. It uses more sideway than straightforward force.

3. Six-combination mantis boxing, also known as monkey mantis boxing, stresses the inner and outer, three combinations which make six combinations. It uses mind to guide the movements of the body and pays equal attention to both the mental and physical. It uses hidden, rather than obvious hardness and resorts more to inner forces.

4. Hand-wringing mantis boxing is also called plum blossom hand-wringing matis boxing. It comes from the plum blossom mantis boxing but because it uses hand wringing tricks in its routines, it came to be called hand-wringing mantis boxing. When delivering blows, the hands are in the shape of palm; when retreating, they are in the form of hooks.

5. Twin mantis boxing. This style of boxing also comes from the plum blossom mantis boxing. Its movements have a delicate symmetry and thus it is called twin mantis boxing.


The mantis boxing features force, power, dexterity, speed, a combination of hardness and suppleness, of substantial and insubstantial tricks end blows and of attack and defence. It necessitates a good command of catch and release and a variation of action. Mantis boxers will attack if provoked; they will not attack if untouched by opponents; they deliver fist blows in quick succession when offended. These characteristics of the mantis boxing are well known among Chinese martial artists.
A common featured of various styles of the mantis boxing is that their actions are accurate and performed in earnest. Mantis boxers move lightly, yet powerfully and their attacks are very strong with tricks that are delicately connected. The mantis boxing stresses ayesight, hand play, footwork and body movements as well as speed, agility, steadiness and careful choice of moves. Its power generation is strong but not stiff, supple but not soft, quick but not unconnected nor out of rhythm. The mantis boxing boasts of many skills and techniques and can beat its opponent with unpredictable changes of tricks and combinations of hardness and suppleness.


- Zui Quan ( Drunkard boxing ) -

In Zui Quan or the drunkard boxing, boxers falter, waddle, fall and sway just like drunkards.
Zui Quan can be used for both fighting and maintaining health. However, the drunkard boxers go out of their way to stress the combative side of their style. They blend a series of movements, actions and skills of the martial arts and try to confuse their opponents with special skills which often lead them to surprise triumphs.
Execution of the drunkard boxing demands extreme flexibility of the joints as well as suppleness, dexterity, power and coordination all of which can be developed in the course of practice.
The main feature of the drunkard boxing is to hide combative hits in drunkard-like, unsteady movements and actions so s to confuse the opponent. The secret of this style of boxing is maintaining a clear mind while giving a drunken appearance.
Drunkard boxers are required to be responsive with good eyesight and fist plays. They move in unconnected steps but with a flexible body combining hardness and suppleness. They have to be fast to get the better of their opponents but their main tactic is to feign defence while trying to attack and aiming in one direction but attacking in another. Various degrees of drunkenness are demonstrated by different ranges of movements and expressions in the eye

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