Jingwu Martial Arts Association

[Brian L. Kennedy]

[Peterminator]

I enjoyed these movies a lot, Bruce Lee's "fists of fury" and Jet Li's "fearless" both about Huo Juan Jia. I read in the internet a little about him and he seems to be truely inspirational character but that's a pity there is not too much informations about him and his Mizong Quan. I heard his friend Lu Zijan is still alive and well

[Brian L. Kennedy]

Yes, it is too bad. The lives and thoughts of Chinese martial arts teachers were never well recorded. They often were not the kind of guys who left behind diaries or autobiographies. There is also cultural reasons why little accurate information is known about them. About the only Republican Era Chinese martial arts teachers we know much about were Sun Lu Tang and Jiang Rong Qiao.

 

And before that, with maybe one or two exceptions, we know nothing about the actual lives or personal thoughts of any Chinese martial arts teachers.

 

That is one of the reasons I did the book, I wanted to get what information we have out for people to enjoy. One of the things I really liked about the early history of the Jingwu is that there are lots of great photos that have not been seen in the west before.

 

take care,

Brian

[Peterminator]

Hmm Jiang Rong Qiao - i read his "Xiezhen Mizong Quan" but left unsatisfied, probably because of the lack of my knowledge in the field of internal arts. The idea sounds pretty interesting, gotta check the book some day

[Mal]

[Maddie]

I loved Fearless, just had to say it :-), one of my favorite movies

[zen-bear]

Greetings Brian and Elizabeth,

Congratulations on the release of your new book on the Jingwu Association. I look forward to getting a copy and reading it. One of my most important teachers, Grandmaster Doo Wai of the White Tiger system (Bak Fu Pai)-- whose arts are discussed a bit on the "Flying Phoenix Chi Kung" thread started here back in Dec.-- told me his version of the Huo Juan Jia story and how gifted he was in kung-fu when he came out of the southern Sil Lum School. He told us that Huo Juan Jia invented his own system that he called the Mizong Lohan Mun, or "Deceptive Lohan System". A very good Kung-Fu system. But unfortunately as a result of the Japanese and western colonial occupation/oppression of China starting in the late 1880's, and Huo Juan Jia's death by poisoning, all of his best students were eventually killed resisting the Japanese (primarily) and the "Fayshee" Lohan Mun art--or Back Lohan Mun secret art--was lost long ago. the Fayshee Lohan Mun art involved training the heng-gung (the "light" force) but that art died with his students and his last grand-student who died in Hong Kong a ways back, he said. Sad story of the demise of a great Kung-fu style.

Regards,

Sifu Terence Dunn

Edited October 26, 2010 by zen-bear

[Brian L. Kennedy]

Thanks much for the kind words on the Jingwu book. The Republican Era marked a very interesting time for both Chinese martial arts and for many of the related qigong type practices. In both instances Chinese teachers sought to mix western scientific ideas with Chinese martial arts and qigong. The Jingwu is an interesting example in that they sought to preserve traditional practices but also put them on a modern footing.

 

take care,

Brian

[Mal]

[Brian L. Kennedy]

Good Morning Mal,

Yeah I was surprised too. Before doing this book I really did not know that much about the cultural history of the Republican Era. But it turns out that alot of what we have for modern Chinese martial arts and in a broader sense what we have for Chinese exercise programs (including all the qigongs)were developed in the Republican Era. It is kind of an interesting irony, most of the time when people start talking about Chinese martial arts or Chinese qigong they start yacking about how it is a 1,000 years old or was developed in the Sung Dynasty or whatever---but most of the development, that we have any historical proof for, took place in far more recent times.

 

take care,

Brian

[Trunk]

[Brian L. Kennedy]

[Brian L. Kennedy]

Trunk,

Thanks much for posting the link. I appreciate that.

 

take care,

Brian