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 Liu Feng Chun (1855-1922) -
Liu De Kuan (1826 - 1911) - Song Chang Rong |
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Liu
Feng Chun
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Liu
De Kuan
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Song
Chang Rong
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Liu Feng Chun (1855-1922)
Liu Feng Chu was also known as "Zhuozhou Liu" ("Liu from Zhuozhou")
and cuihua Liu" ("turquoise Liu"). He was born in Zhuozhou,
Hebei
province. When he was 9 years, he started to study mizongquan and
luohan shiba shou. In 1872, he moved to Beijing and began to study
baguazhang from Cheng Tinghua. He was later introduced and study with
Dong Haichuan. He taught baguazhang at the Beijing Sport institute.
Students:
Fu Huaqiu, Li Jianhua, Liu Wenhua, Tiao Chunxiu, Wang Zhongxian, Xu
Yusheng, Zhou
Yuxiang
Liu
De Kuan (1826 - 1911)
Liu De Kuan was originally from Cangzhou, Hebei province. He
was
interested in the martial arts for most of his life and learned from
many famous martial artists of the time. Liu Dekuan's original style
was Yueh Style San Shou (also called Yueh Style Eagle Hand or Yueh
Style Connected Fists). His teacher in this style was Liu Shijun, Xiong
County, Hebei. De Kuan first studied with Shijun's student "Metal
spear" Xu Liu and then later he studied with Shijun. Both Xu Liu and
Shijun's excel in spear play anf they taught him "big spear of six
co-ordinations". Using this big spear, he earned a reputation and the
nickname "Daqiang Liu" ("Big spear Liu").
"All
the elder teachers got along with Mister Liu Dekuan. In the course of
time, all was made clear to him, and he ultimately was enriched. ... He
toiled to get pointers from the older generations"
Guo Gumin student of Liang Zhenpo
Liu De Kuan travelled throught out China seeking out new challenges and
studied from different masters. In Hubei province he studied six sets
of fangtian huaji (drawed pole-axe of square heaven). From the famous
bandit, Lu Lin, he studied "18 devil's methods of using hands" and
using the secret weapon "half-moon dart". In Beijing, he meet and
studied with Chang Ting Hua before being introduced to Dong Haichuan.
In addition, his friends such as Li Cunyi and Zhang Zhaodong taught him
the fundamentals of Xingyi. He also learn and practice Yang style
taijiquan from Xia Guoxun, Yang Luchan's son-in-law .
"Guo Gumin followed Liu Dekuan around,
thus searched to get secrets of the Bagua martial arts."
Li Ziming
Liu De Kuan provided many orginal contributions to the martial arts. De
Kuan helped Cheng Tinghua to increase the popularity of the Bagua
System. Liu De Kuan also contributed to the practice of Bagua. Cheng
Style Bagua students train in "the Six Lines of the Halberd" -
techniques that are directly attributed to Liu De Kuan. He also share
the credit as one of the originator of Bagua Taijiquan - a style that
is being practise in Jinan (capital of Shandong Province). [3]
There are many stories describing the skills of Liu DeKuan. In one
story, Cheng Tinghua's eldest son,Cheng Haiting, was teaching the art
in a field outside the Suiwen Gate on Ximo Street. Famous practitioners
from both Yin Style and Cheng Style Bagua often came in their free time
to sit and linger. Big Spear Liu, in his old age, suffered form an eye
disease. Both of his eyes were not bright. However numerous students
still wanted to compare skills with him. They only needed to bring the
shaft of their weapon in contact with Liu's spear shaft to try to lift
it up. Liu would stick to their spear shaft and advance. The opponent
would lose his weapon and be thrown by his strike.
“Flying
legs” Song Chang Rong
From
a noble family, Song Chang Rong was born one of these healthy mansions
of Beijing, so it was quite natural that his destiny would be related
with Dong Hai Chuan, himself living in the Prince Su Mansion, as these
both noble families were keeping a very close relationship.
During
Qing dynasty, martial arts were very popular since emperors used to
travelled incognito (for example emperor Qianlong was an experts in
martial arts) in order to have first-hand knowledge about his subjects
and the country that he rules. Song family was an important allied of
Prince Su Family and both families were successfully collaborating in
business. And naturally Dong Hai Chuan who was holding an important
function in Prince Wu Mansion, was always welcomed in Song family being
particularly admired for his martial skills. Later Dong will be
especially invited to be the Song’s family official martial arts
instructor: from this very auspicious environment the young Song Chang
Rong will benefit from the direct teachings of Dong, later Song will
bring his art to such a summit that he will create his own style: the
Song Style Baguazhang.
The Baguazhang prodigy child
At the
very young age of 6 or 7, Dong Hai Chuan started to play a kind of game
with the little Song. In Song Mansion there was a large garden where
Dong asked the Song family to place several large jars and asked the
young Song to walk on the edges of these jars. In the beginning he need
some help being supported by others when walking, but progressively,
Song will be able to walk by himself and even to jump for one jar to
another, just walking on the edge and without touching ground. This was
the unique exercise suggested by Dong until Song reached the age of 12
to 13 years old. It is only at that time that Dong accepted to teach
Song the real techniques of Baguazhang, excelling particularly in the
“Lower Basin Palm”: he mastered this martial art of “lightness” taught
by Dong called the “Eight steps Catching Cicada”.
Seven Stars Pole catching White Snake
After
studying nearly 5 to6 years with DHC, his martial skills improved
considerably, but there was still Song Chang Rong could not resolve:
each time he finished his training in the garden, there was a little
white snake which was appearing from a cavity, separated from Song for
about ten to twenty meters, dancing around with a natural fluidity
which gave Song a kind of competitor in gaining more suppleness. Song
tried to use his martial skills to catch this snake, but each time that
Song was approaching a few meters from the snake, it will easily run
away from his reach. Finally when Song will be close to be catch it
then snake will swiftly regain his hole. This was a real good
motivating objective to catch is up but even after two months of hard
training Song was still not able to catch it.
Then one day, when DHC
came in the garden to give as usual his lesson of martial arts, Song
reported him this matter. Dong stood immediately and looked for a
wooden pole and taught him a combination of techniques from Seven Stars
pole. After one month of hard training he became full
proficient.
This day when Dong came again in the mansion’s garden to supervise
Song’s training, this white snake appeared again. But this time Song
was holding his Seven Stars Pole in his hands and each time the snake
wanted to gain back his hole, Song was blocking it with his pole. He
hope that he could say to this snake: “Who is now the fastest one, you
or me?” As a result the snake being defeated and unable to gain back
its hole, became even less vigorous in his to escape: Song was able to
catch it easily and bring it down on the ground. From that time, this
little white snake the snake will never show again but the techniques
of Seven Stars pole were definitively integrated in Baguazhang system.
The outstanding circling demonstration on a rope
The
main skill in Baguazhang is coming from the “walking in circle”
exercise. Although round and straight lines are opposed in theory but
they are excellent guiding tools to develop their skills: once they
reach a sufficient advanced level, at any circumstances, they will be
able to generate a silk reeling strength, opposing wrapping power as
well as a huge explosive power. After a successful training the body
becomes as light as a swallow, mastering what some experts would call
the “Skill of Lightness”. These skills are very uncommon due to the
very hard training requested but Song Chang Rong was among those who
could demonstrate them during his lifetime.
One day ZCR was
drinking tea with Master Zhong (a younger boxing bother of Dong Hai
Chuan), then as everyone was having a nice time altogether, Song was
asked to perform Baguazhang in front of them. In this occasion as it
was an in-door demonstration, Song did not need to refuse and find any
excuse to reject it; he took a rope in his hands and gave its two
extremities to people of this meeting, asking them to stretch it. Song
started to twist swiftly his body, performing all the sixty four
movements on this rope, everyone was amazed by this demonstration and
could just applaud very loudly. There were a few people who tried to
perform as well, but none could demonstrate such stability and
lightness. This was the moment where his reputation grew as an
outstanding disciple of Dong, with his special skills and the beginning
of a new style: the Song style Baguazhang.
As his immediate
environment was limiting his contacts with external people, Song could
hardly accept students. As a result many techniques has probably been
lost, following the lack of surviving inheritors of Song style
Baguazhang.
1.
Yin Fu
2. Cheng
Ting Hua
3. Zhang
Chan Kuei
4. Ma Gui
5. Ma Wei Qi
6. Liu Feng Chun
7. Liu De Kuan
8. Song Chang Rong
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