The History of Emei Martial Arts
详情：
Situated in the southwest of China’s Sichuan Province, Mt. Emei is linked with the Kunlun Mountain. The “Huang Ren”, “Zhong Huang” and “Xi Huang” in the Classic of Mountains and Seas refer to today’s Mt. Da’e, Mt. Er’e and Mt. San’e, and Mt. Si’e was added in the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912). Mt. Da’e, the “No.1 Mountain in Ancient China”, is called Mt. Emei today.
The origination and development of Emei School martial arts is different from that of Shaolin School and Wudang School. It is said that Shaolin School was initiated by an ancient Indian eminent monk, Bodhidharma, the ancestor of China’s Chan Buddhism who came to China during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589); while Wudang School was created by a Taoist master Zhang Sanfeng in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The origination of Emei School was much longer before the aforementioned two schools. After studying the existing historical data, it is concluded that the origination of Emei Martial Arts could date back to periods before the Xia Dynasty (21st century BC-16th century BC). It took shape in the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC), which could be demonstrated by White Ape Master (Situ Xuankong)’s “Emei Arm and Fist Boxing”. With regards to the regional definition of Emei Martial Arts, there are controversies among historians: from a broad perspective, Emei Martial Arts were originated from Mt. Emei and thus got its name. As various martial arts sects prevalent in Ba and Shu area (most part of the Southwest) share similar geographical, natural and cultural environment with Emei Martial Arts, their styles and features resemble those of Emei Martial Arts; therefore, they are all called Emei Martial Arts and thus forming a regional martial arts school—Emei School.
As for the theoretical division of Emei Martial Arts, we should take an
objective and fair approach, and take lessons from history. Theoretically, Emei
Martial Arts formed on the basis of martial arts, which was originated from
martial skills etc., and is affected by political, economical and cultural
factors during its development. Hence, Emei Martial Arts, the wisdom and fruit
of the people in Ba and Shu area, were inevitably influenced by the
Supernatural Witchcraft Culture in Ba and Shu during its origination, benefited
from Taoist and Buddhist concepts when it took shape, and edified by Chu and
Yue (two ancient states in southern China) Culture, Central Plain Culture as
well as Ba and Shu Culture.
Origination
I. Origination in the Ancient Era
The origination of Emei Martial Arts has long been a
concern for the martial arts circle. The idea that it took shape in the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC)
is very objective and fair, and has been accepted by many martial arts
enthusiasts and scholars. Due to that Emei Martial Arts were originated in
ancient Ba and Shu area in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period (770
BC-221 BC), it could be deduced that the origination of Emei Martial Arts
should be traced back to the ancient era when there were no unified characters
and the name of martial arts.
It is widely known that during the ancient era, ancestors of Ba and Shu people believed in the supernatural and health preservation methods; therefore, the Supernatural Witchcraft Culture was essential for the existence of Ba and Shu people, who hoped to enjoy eternal life, become the immortals and go up to the heaven. In Constrained in Will of Zhuangzi, it goes that: To pant, to puff, to hail, to sip, to spit out the old breath and draw in the new, practicing bear-hangings and bird-stretchings, longevity his only concern—such is the life favored by the scholar who practices Tao Yin (Taoist yoga), the man who nourishes his body, who hopes to live to be as old as Peng Zu. Peng Zu, whose former name was Jian Keng, is a legendary long-lived figure living 880 years in the Yalong River area of western Sichuan. He was the great-great-grandson of Emperor Gaoyang, Zhuan Xu, grandson of Zhu Rong (God of Fire) and Wuhui, the third son of Lu Zhong, and also an expert and practitioner in health preservation. The legend goes that Pengzu was born in the era of Emperor Yao, and lived through Xia Dynasty (21st century BC-16th century BC), Shang Dynasty (17th century BC-11st century BC) and Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC), and later, he was regarded as the immortal of Taoism. Tao Yin Method (a kind of qigong), nutrition treatments, and sex therapy initiated by him are priceless treasure of China’s health preservation, benefiting generations of generations.
The Preface of Records of Huayang Kindom records that
Peng Zu, born in Shu state, was a court historian of Yin Dynasty (1600 BC-1046
BC). Shu refers to today’s Sichuan and Chongqing. In order to live long, the
King of Yin invited Peng Zu to the imperial court to be an official. As Peng Zu
found that the King was very tyrannical, he refused to teach the King his
longevity methods, which irritated the King. When the King of Yin was
frustrated by the fact that he could not find any fault about Peng Zu, the Pi
state (in today’s Xuzhou, Jiangsu) rose in revolt. He sent Peng Zu, who knew
nothing about martial arts, to put down the rebellion, with an aim to make Peng
Zu die in the war. Faced with such a critical situation, Peng Zu thought of a
story--Consultations of Da Yu in Shangshu (Book of Documents): During the
reign of Emperor Shun, three Miao ethnic groups rose in revolt. Emperor Shun commanded
Yu to put down the rebellion. After several rounds, neither side had the better
of the other. Then Yu stopped attacking to practice martial arts. Seventy days
later，he
finally beat the three Miao ethnic groups. Peng Zu sent out people to look for descendants
of the officers and soldiers who participated in the war against the three Miao
ethnic groups, in order to learn martial skills from them. Peng Zu integrated
the fight skills and witchcraft in eastern Sichuan area with the approach of
nourishing the internal and strengthening the external. After that, the combat
effectiveness of Yin soldiers was greatly enhanced and they finally defeated
the enemy who were able to kill wild oxen bare-handedly, leaving the well told
story of “Peng Zu Defeated Pi”.
The integration of Yu’s fight skills and Peng Zu’s inner cultivation methods, which cultivates internally and externally, and couples hardness with softness, reveals the early form of martial arts, and thus providing rich theoretical basis for the breeding of martial arts.
Breeding
II. Breeding in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC)
In 2006, the Department of Archaeology of Shandong
University discovered a rare and large complex of graves of the Warring States
Period (475 BC-221 BC) during archaeological excavations in Yujiaba,
Qukou Town, Kaixian County, Three Gorges Reservoir Region.
Seven to eight dagger-axes, spears, swords and hatchets were unearthed from
each grave. The delicate patterns and symbols on the bronze weapons were rich
in totems presenting martial arts skills. There are a lot of discoveries that
can demonstrate that ancestors of Ba and Shu people were good at martial skills
and used to war and fighting: the Picture
of Swordplaying and Picture of Battle
between Swords and Halberds unearthed from Mt. Yangzi, Chengdu, the colored
swordplaying patterns on the Bo people’s hanging graves in Gongxian County in
southern Sichuan, the bronze swords, spears, hatchets, dagger-axes, knives and
arrows found in the hanging graves of Kui people on Fengxiang Cliffs, and the
bronze weapons unearthed from pit tombs discovered in Fuxi Town, Emeishan City.
Records of Ba State in Records of Huayang Kindom records that King Wu of Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771 BC)’s victory over King
Zhou of Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC) was mainly due to the bravery of Ba and
Shu soldiers whose dances defeated the Yin people. The dances here refer to
Bayu Dance, which are the predecessor of martial arts.
Ancestors of Ba and Shu people were used to playing with each other when happy and fighting when angry. They adopted the form of “dance” to demonstrate the fight skills they used when battling with animals or enemies. Besides this typical Bayu Dance, in ancient Ba and Shu area, there were many rudiments of martial arts in the forms of “dances” and “games”, such as Sword Dance, Bullfight Game, Wrestling Game, Shield Dance and Exorcise Dance, etc. These “games” and “dances” that were branded with the Supernatural Witchcraft Culture were from daily life. Suitable for performance, easy to spread, and with long-lasting vitality, they played an active role in the breeding of martial arts.
Taking Shape
III. Taking Shape in the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC)
Mt. Emei once was the Taoism “Abodes ofImmortals” as
recorded in History of Buddhism
and Taoism of the Book
of Wei, that Taoism originated from Laozi…… Xuanyuan and Diku
were taught in Mt. Emei and Mude respectively.
Influenced by the Supernatural Witchcraft Culture, in the
Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (770 BC-221 BC), many scholars and
alchemists, in order to practice to be immortals, came to Mt. Emei from afar to
be hermits. Situ Xuankong, titled Donglingzi, lived in Mt. Emei with monkeys. By
imitating the behaviors of the monkeys, he created a flexible boxing style
called Emei Arm and Fist Boxing. According to Volume 12 of the In Search of the Supernatural compiled
in the East Jin Dynasty (317-420): In a mountain in southwestern Sichuan there
were animals similar to monkeys. They were 7 chi (about 2.33 meters) high and
could walk like human beings; therefore, this place was called the “Kingdom of
Monkeys”, or “Ma Hua” and “Jue Yuan (Apes)”. As Situ Xuankong was often dressed
in white, his followers respectfully called him “White Ape Master”.
The History of China’s Martial Arts records that the White Ape in the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC) was Bai Shikou, whose courtesy name was Yisan and Taoist title was Donglingzi. A Complete Collection of Martial Arts in Sichuan claims that Arm and Fist Boxing was created by Mr. White Ape (whose family name is Bai, given name is Shikou, courtesy name is Yisan, with a Taoist title of Donglingzi, referred to Situ Xuankong in Sichuan, who was called White Ape Taoist when he was old and had a lot of followers in Mt. Emei) in the Warring States Period. Records of Mt. Emei records that in the Warring States Period, White Ape Master, Situ Xuankong (whose family name is Bai, given name is Shikou, courtesy name is Yisan, with a Taoist title of Donglingzi) created Emei Arm and Fist Boxing and White Ape Sword Skills. The creation of Emei Arm and Fist Boxing has an epoch-marking significance for the theoretical proof of the forming of Emei Martial Arts.
Zhao Ye’s Volume 9, External story of Goujian's schemes, Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue in East Han Dynaty (25-221) wrote: A heroine, who was called in by King Goujian of Yue, fought with her sword with an old man who called himself Yuan Gong with bamboo as the weapon on her way to the imperial court. Yuan Gong jumped into the tree and turned into a white ape. This record provides a further proof for the origination of Emei Martial Arts. “White Ape” is widely referred to in historical documents, which is rare in the history of martial arts. Apatriotic general Tang Shunzhi (1507-1560, the No.1 in an imperial examination) once observed an Emei Taoist practicing boxing and wrote an poem For the Emei Taoist Practicing Boxing (refer to Volume 2 of Literary Works of Mr. Jingchuan): The boxing style of the Taoist is really novel! He was taught by the white apes in the mountain. The descriptions in the verses resembled the description of “White Ape Master”. Therefore, Situ Xuankong (White Ape Master) fully deserved the honor of the founder of Emei Martial Arts.This view is widely accepted in the martial arts field.
Treatise on the Nanman, Southwestern Barbarians, Book of
the Later Han documents: There was a Yu River in
Langzhong, and people there generally lived near the river. The people were so
brave that they were vanguard of the Han army. They favored music and dance. Once
Gaozu Emperor watched and said: This is the song of King Wu Overthrowing King
Zhou. Later he asked the imperial musicians to learn the music. That is the
Bayu Dance. Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty (141 BC- 87 BC), who defeated Xiongnu in
the north, battled against Ou Yue in the south, and held sway over the desert,
often showed off his military force by displaying Bayu Dance in front of envoys
of many countries, so as to subordinate the unruly nomadic people to pay
tribute. The Xi Wu (Game and Dance) popular in ancient Ba and Shu area made
contribution to the Development of Emei Martial Arts.
In the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589), Zhennan General Lin Danran of Xiaojing Emperor of East Wei Dynasty, who lived in seclusion in Mt. Emei’s Zhongfeng Temple and had a Buddhist name of Taikong, integrated fighting techniques into martial arts. At that time, many warriors with great martial talents came to Mt. Emei to learn and practice martial arts. According to Fang Ruhao’s History of Chanzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), during the reign of Xiaojing Emperor of East Wei Dynasty (534-549), a General named Lin Shimao (491-618) came to Zhongfeng Peak of Mt. Emei to practice martial arts. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), two Taoist priests surnamed Tian and Peng in Mt. Emei created Yuan He (Crane) Dance and Xuan He (Crane) Dance on the basis of Ba and Shu people’s dances and games, which further proves that Emei Martial Arts was going to be mature.
Maturity
IV. Maturity in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127－1279)
The Avatamsaka
Sutra and Surangama Sutra called
Mt. Emei the “Bright Mountain” and the “Way-place of Smantabhadra”
respectively. Buddhism in Mt. Emei flourished in the Northern and Southern Song
Dynasties (960-1279), when Mt. Emei’s position of the Way-place of
Samantabhadra was established and Emei Martial Arts were correspondingly
developed.
Another key figure
for the development of Emei Martial Arts isa Master named Monk Baiyun (White
Cloud) on the Golden Summit in 1127, whose Twelve
Emei Neigong (Internal Strength) relatively completely demonstrated the
integration of stakes and skills and the functions of both actual combat and
body building of Emei Martial Arts. Twelve
Emei Neigong provides relatively
complete theoretical proof and practical effects of internal and
externalpractice, combination of hardness and softness, and unity of body and
soul in Emei Martial Arts, and became the milestone of Emei Martial Arts’ maturity.
Master Baiyun was
initially a Taoist priest and later turned to Buddhism in Mt. Emei. By learning
from Taoist methods of internal cultivation and alchemy as well as expiration
and inspiration method, he created Emei Linji Qigong which integrates Neigong
with skills and couples body with mind. The knacks such as grabbing and closing, immobilization of
one’s back and twisting, hook, bounce and
quick kick, inhaling and exhaling, rise and fall, etc. depicted in Twelve Emei Neigong are still secret of
Emei Fist branches which are handed down from ancient times. For example, Knacks of Nayun Neigong and Xuanfeng Neigong, Twelve Emei Neigong recorded the 8 attack
and defence knacks as“Cling and grapple should be connected with
hookup and droop; Knot and stretch should be followed by squeeze and bounce..” Cling and grapple
are the foundation of dividing bodily functions according to opponents’ strengths; Hookup
and droop are the application of dividing muscles and bones to grap the
opponent; Knot and stretch are the precondition for advancing when getting
strengths; and squeeze and bounce are used to leverage the opponents’ strength to attack. The knack is important
guiding principle of Emei Martial Arts.
Moreover, the
integration of southern and northern culture in Ba and Shu area also brought
influence to Emei Martial Arts. In 329 BC, Huiwen King of Qin State sent
General Sima Cuo to overthrow Ba and Shu states and eliminate slavery system. After
that, Ba and Shu states were changed into Ba Prefecture and Shu Prefecture
respectively. After several trends of immigration from Qin to Ba and Shu, Chu
and Yue Culture and the Central Plain Culture were brought to Ba and Shu area,
leading to the first cultural melting with Ba and Shu culture. In 221, Liu Bei,
together with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, founded Shu Kingdom in Chengdu, which
inevitably brought the cultural influence of the Central Plain Culture to Ba
and Shu area. The two cultural collisions enhanced the cultural diversity in Ba
and Shu area, and generated significant influence.
All in all, the emergence of Twelve Emei Neigong theoretically consolidated the historical position of Emei Martial Arts, marking that Emei Martial Arts was becoming mature.
Boom
V． Boom in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
(1368-1912)
The periods of late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and early
Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) marked the maturity and development of Emei Martial
Arts, which during its development witnessed the integration of southern and
northern culture, military official selection system during the reign of
Empress Wu Zetian, official selection system in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368),
military official selection system in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1912),
influence of martial contests and martial arts schools; Emei Martial Arts also
absorbed Peng Zu’s “Health Preservation and Longevity Methods”, Bayu Dance and
essence of Treatments of Su Shi and Shen
Kuo, a book specializing in Qigong by Su Shi, a great scholar in the
Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127); it also experienced the Da Shu regime
(January 994-May 994) established by tea farmers Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun in Mt.
Qingcheng in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the war caused by Ming
Yuzhen who struggled to establish Xia Regime in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368),
Zhang Xianzhong’s Xi Regime from 1606 to 1646 and White Lotus Society in
Sichuan etc.
The founding emperor of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zhu
Yuanzhang believed in Buddhism and worshiped Samantabhadra. He actively
supported the development of Buddhism in Mt. Emei, and had once written poems
to Master Monk Bao Tan in Mt. Emei. Zhu Chun, King Xian of Shu State, also the
11th son of Zhu Yuanzhang, followed his father and wrote a poem to
Monk Guangji in Mt. Emei. These grants by emperors had greatly improved Mt.
Emei’s position and reputation in Buddhism, thus many temples were built and
the mountain flourished. The prosperity of Buddhism generated new opportunities
for the development of Emei Martial Arts, making it one of the three most
widely spread and most influential regional Fist style and one of the three
martial arts schools in China.
During this period, Emei Martial Arts concentrated on the integration of Neigong (internal skill) and (external) skills, as well as combination of the internal and external, which can be demonstrated by old sayings like “One will achieve nothing in his old age if he only practices Fist skills” or “It will be much harder to get sophisticated if one does not practice Neigong” etc. Apatriotic general Tang Shunzhi once observed an Emei Taoist practice boxing and wrote an poem For the Emei Taoist Practicing Boxing (refer to Volume 2 of Literary Works of Mr. Jingchuan), which vividly depicted the Taoist priest’s excellent boxing skills: By stamping his feet, he could “make the stones break and the sands fly”; his martial skills are “so mysterious that no one can understand”; he is so soft and flexible that “he can fold his body like he does not have bones”; he is so agile that “once he moves, it seems that his hands are everywhere”; and his Neigong is so profound that “the moves stop before I realize and no sounds could be heard”. From the beginning till the end, his moves changed unpredictably. This poem thoroughly presented Emei Martial Arts’ characteristics of concentration on both Neigong and techniques, internal cultivation with external practice, and late start but early arrival etc. There are only 30 verses in For the Emei Taoist Practicing Boxing, but it is the only complete poem that praises Emei Martial Arts.
Spring and Autumn
Annals of Yuehai Martial Arts Circle recorded: In late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), there was a
Buddhist Master Jin Gou (Golden Hook), Li Huzi (mustache), who was very
forthright and bold. He was good at boxing, and had created Bid and Small
Luohan Fist (Arhat Boxing), Tiger and Crane Boxing and Single Single-edged
swords with Left Staff. He travelled to a lot of places to teach his skills and
finally made his trip to Guangdong and taught it to a disciple named Wang
Yinlin, who taught it to the public. As Wang Yinlin’s boxing style was bold and
vigorous, with long arm-reaching spaces, smooth striking styles and some other
forthright features, this boxing style was called Xia Fist (Hero Boxing).
Records of Armaments and Military Provisions, a major military book compiled in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) records: Cheng Zhenru, courtesy named Chongdou, was from Xindu County Sichuan. He once learned Emei Spear Skills from Master Monk Pu’en in Mt. Emei. Qing People Tell the Strange writes: Lu Futing, an adherent of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), was good at martial arts. Meihua Spear Skill (Plum Blossom Skill) which he was good at, was learned from a Master Monk in Mt. Emei. Wu Shu, a master of martial skills in early Qing Dynasty, wrote in his Records of Arms: Master Monk Pu’en in Mt. Emei in western Sichuan obtained his skills from Master Baimei . He imparted his spear skills to others, including inner cultivation, defense skills, considering situations etc.
In brief, Emei Fist and Emei Qigong realized great
development during the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and early Qing Dynasty
(1644-1912). Besides, the 18 arms of martial arts including single-edged
swords, swords, halberds and martial skills of Emei Martial Arts reached high
perfection, and attracted a lot of martial arts practitioners to come to Mt.
Emei to learn from the masters. Among the many martial arts practitioners, a
lot of them established their own martial arts sects. Master Zhan Ran in late
Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) wrote in his Quan
Cheng (fragment copy): Five flowers bloom in one tree, and the five flowers
are supported by eight leaves. The moon in Mt. Emei is very clear, and the
spirit and brotherhood of the brothers therespread over all corners of the
country. One tree refers to Mt. Emei; Five flowers refer to the five gathering
places of reactionary gangs: Qingcheng in Guanxian County, Qingniu in Fengdu
County, Tiefo (Iron Buddha) in Tongjiang County, Huangling in Kaixian County
and Dianyi in Fuling County; Eight leaves refer to the most influential eight
martial arts classes which had the most followers, namely, Seng, Yue, Zhao, Du,
Hong, Hui, Zi, and Hua. At that time, besides these eight classes, there were
many other classes and their own persons in charge of the classes, with some
classes spreading overseas. All of these classes pose themselves to be the
followers of Emei Martial Arts. Dong Haichuan, who came from Wen’an County,
Hebei to Sichuan in late Qing Dynasty, exercised the Eight Diagrams Palm passed
down from Master Bi Yun and Master Jing Yun in the Jiajing Period of Ming
Dynasty (1522-1566). By combining the Eight Diagrams Palm with other Fist
skills he learned during his travels to regions south of the Yangtze River,
after eight years’ practice he created a new form of Eight Diagrams Palm, which
has already been popular at home and abroad. A tale goes that a Taoist priest
in Wannian Temple, after years’ observation of fighting actions of monkeys,
snakes and beasts, mixed the agility of monkeys and softness as well as
hardness of snakes into Fist skills and created Fist techniques named
Huolonggun (Fire Dragon Roll) and Siping Fist (Four Flats Fist). As there were two
Chinese characters-- Huang and Lin in a couplet in Wannian Temple, he named his
sect Huanglin. In late Qing Dynasty, Master Taikong and the Elder Shendeng in Xianfeng
Temple with Jiulao Cave Priest Qingxu jointly created a Fist skill that
absorbed the strengths of other internal and external skills. As Master Taikong
always practiced Chan in Zi Period (11 p.m. to 1 a.m.) and Wu Period (11 a.m.
to 1p.m.), their sect was called Zi Wu Class. Xiajia Fist which was created by
Li Huzi who learned Fist in Mt. Emei and Baimei Fist (White Eyebrows) which was
created by Taoist priest Baimei in Mt. Emei, are prevalent in Guangdong, Hong
Kong and Macau now. In addition, some Fist classes that were originally from
other parts of China and later flew into Sichuan, were assimilated after years’
martial exchanges, gradually became a member of Emei Fist, thereby greatly
enriching Emei Martial Arts.
Currently, some martial scholars put forward a view that Emei Martial Arts were originated from Huanglin Sect in southern Sichuan, local Fist skills in Mt. Emei and Panpo Class in Zizhong County, Neijiang. These statements reflect that people are paying attention to Emei Martial Arts.
Carrying Forward
VI. Carrying
Forward Now
Historical materials about Emei Martial Arts are
dispersed and hard to collect. As the development of the three martial arts
schools are all closely connected with Buddhism, new connotations have been
added to Emei Martial Arts. After the appearance of guns and cannons in late
Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the defense function of martial arts became less
effective, and the three martial arts schools gradually declined. But many
martial arts practitioners including certain monks in Mt. Emei kept practicing
to keep healthy. Some Fist skills and series of tricks and movements created in
the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) were named after
martial arts masters in the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty or even earlier, so
it was difficult to find the proof of their origination. Nonetheless, from the
above-mentioned materials, we can already feel that the well-established
position of Emei Martial Arts is promotion by generations of martial arts
practitioners, Buddhists and Taoists.
In 1983, in order to save, excavate and promote Emei
Martial Arts, the Physical Culture and
Sports Commission of Sichuan Province collected a lot of historical materials
about martial arts, interviewed over several thousand over 60-year-old fist
mastersin Sichuan and Chongqing, and video-recorded their skills and
techniques. At last, they have collected materials of 68 classes and 1368 kinds
of unarmed, with arms, pair combat and practice skills and techniques of Emei
Martial Arts, which is more abundant
than the 250 kinds in Shaolin School collected in the same period. Modern
martial arts monks Master Haideng (1902-1989) and Master Tongyong in Wannian
Temple have once recruited disciples and cultivated many martial arts followers.
On 26 April 2010, the establishment meeting of the General Association of Emei Martial Arts was held in Mt. Emei Great Buddha Temple in Sichuan. Relying on Mt. Emei, the Association regards the Great Buddha Temple as its base to inherit, promote and develop Emei Martial Arts. It built Emei Martial Arts shrines and established martial arts schools so as to generate a platform for Emei Martial Arts lovers to study and practice, and to seek the sense of belonging.
Summary
Emei Martial Arts stresses the integration of internal cultivation and external practice, hardness and softness, Neigong and skills, and body and mind. It has many outstanding features: attack with fingers and palms in at first; the body shall be soft and feet shall be flexible; the elbows should also be flexible. As for the skills and techniques, it features grabbing and closing, immobilization of one’s back and twisting, hook, bounce and quick kick, inhaling and exhaling, rise and fall, take action later but control your opponent prior to him, etc. Actions including Cling, Grapple, Hookup, Droop, Knot, Stretch, Squeeze and Bounce are required in actual combat. Currently, on the basis of fighting skills, Emei Martial Arts put emphasis on absorbing the health-preservation approaches of Buddhism, hoping to promote these approaches.
From the aforementioned brief history of Emei Martial Arts, it is clearly that Emei Martial Arts is a regional martial arts school with a complete system and rich culture. It embodies the wisdom of all ethnic groups in Ba and Shu area for thousands of years, and combines the martial arts essence of Buddhism and Taoism. Wish all the martial arts lovers keep in good health and enjoy happy and healthy life while practicing Emei Martial Arts.
