yen ching chuan kung fu ??
- Thread starter amishman
- Start date
CuongNhuka
Senior Master
The Kung Fu in the name tells me it's Chinese. Chuan tells me it's probably a soft style. Outside that, couldn't tell you anything.
Nebuchadnezzar
Blue Belt
- Joined
- May 15, 2006
- Messages
- 212
- Reaction score
- 11
Chuan means "Fist", what makes you think it was a "Soft" style?
Jin Gang
Green Belt
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2007
- Messages
- 123
- Reaction score
- 19
Well, yen ching is a common name for Chinese restaurants. maybe it's cooking fist? Like the God of Cookery? (anyone see that Stephen Chow movie? hilarious!)
Seriously, Yan Qing is the name of one of the outlaws of the marsh, who had mastered the Mizong style from shaolin.
from answers.com: (take it for what it's worth)
"Another legend takes place during the Northern Song Dynasty (9601127) when a famous and wealthy kung fu master named Loo Tsun Yzo learned Mizong from the Shaolin priests and then taught it to his student, Yan Qing. Yan Qing's mastery of Mizong earned him fame and he joined the Outlaws of the Marsh, a "Robin Hood"-style band which robbed the rich, helped the poor, and consisted of 108 legendary martial heroes who revolted against the emperor. Everyone knew of Yan Qing's prowess, but none could discover what style he practiced, so they called it Mizong meaning 'Lost Track'. A variation of the tale has him fleeing in a snow storm from the emperor's warriors. To cover his tracks, he moved backwards with his feet and spread the snow over his tracks with his hands, thus prompting the name lost track.
Even to this day, practitioners in Shandong Province call their art Yanqingquan to honor him.
Description
Mizong Luohan is an external style, with distinct internal influences. It draws on many aspects of the external Northern Shaolin Long Fist style, and the internal styles T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Pa Kua Chang, with which it is often taught in modern times. It is characterized by deceptive hand movements, intricate footwork, varied kicks, and high leaps. In execution, the style changes very quickly.
The emphasis on flexibility in Northern Shaolin styles is a guiding principle of Mizong, and this is evident in the versatility of its attacks and the extent to which it integrates the concepts of many internal styles. An increased emphasis on mobility often comes at the price of power, but Mizong compensates for this by providing a means for the dynamic generation of power. Mizong's unique fa jing (discharging of force) comes from the combination of the internal corkscrew power seen in Chen style Tai Chi Chuan and the external snapping power of Shaolin Long Fist. The result is the efficient generation of force through the dynamic motion of multiple elements of the body, the mastery of which gives a Mizong practitioner the capability of generating force quickly and flexibly from any distance.
This system was presided over by Grandmaster Yeh Yu Teng in the twentieth century until his death in 1962 at the age of 70. A number of his students, among them Master Chi-Hung Marr, emigrated to the United States in the 1960s and have continued to teach this system in locations around the U.S. and Canada."
that sounds promising, maybe it's a form of mizongquan.
Seriously, Yan Qing is the name of one of the outlaws of the marsh, who had mastered the Mizong style from shaolin.
from answers.com: (take it for what it's worth)
"Another legend takes place during the Northern Song Dynasty (9601127) when a famous and wealthy kung fu master named Loo Tsun Yzo learned Mizong from the Shaolin priests and then taught it to his student, Yan Qing. Yan Qing's mastery of Mizong earned him fame and he joined the Outlaws of the Marsh, a "Robin Hood"-style band which robbed the rich, helped the poor, and consisted of 108 legendary martial heroes who revolted against the emperor. Everyone knew of Yan Qing's prowess, but none could discover what style he practiced, so they called it Mizong meaning 'Lost Track'. A variation of the tale has him fleeing in a snow storm from the emperor's warriors. To cover his tracks, he moved backwards with his feet and spread the snow over his tracks with his hands, thus prompting the name lost track.
Even to this day, practitioners in Shandong Province call their art Yanqingquan to honor him.
Description
Mizong Luohan is an external style, with distinct internal influences. It draws on many aspects of the external Northern Shaolin Long Fist style, and the internal styles T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Pa Kua Chang, with which it is often taught in modern times. It is characterized by deceptive hand movements, intricate footwork, varied kicks, and high leaps. In execution, the style changes very quickly.
The emphasis on flexibility in Northern Shaolin styles is a guiding principle of Mizong, and this is evident in the versatility of its attacks and the extent to which it integrates the concepts of many internal styles. An increased emphasis on mobility often comes at the price of power, but Mizong compensates for this by providing a means for the dynamic generation of power. Mizong's unique fa jing (discharging of force) comes from the combination of the internal corkscrew power seen in Chen style Tai Chi Chuan and the external snapping power of Shaolin Long Fist. The result is the efficient generation of force through the dynamic motion of multiple elements of the body, the mastery of which gives a Mizong practitioner the capability of generating force quickly and flexibly from any distance.
This system was presided over by Grandmaster Yeh Yu Teng in the twentieth century until his death in 1962 at the age of 70. A number of his students, among them Master Chi-Hung Marr, emigrated to the United States in the 1960s and have continued to teach this system in locations around the U.S. and Canada."
that sounds promising, maybe it's a form of mizongquan.
CuongNhuka
Senior Master
I cann't think of a hard style with Chuan in the name. Tai Chi CHUAN comes to mind. So does Xing Yi QUAN (alternate spelling). I'm geussing based on those three things, thats all. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
qi-tah
Brown Belt
Chuan/Quan (Giles-Wade/Pinyin romanisation respectively... i think? Although GW might be "Ch'uan") simply means "fist" and is commonly used for both hard and soft CMA styles alike. To your internal examples one can also add Changquan or long fist, most definately a "hard" external style... also Fanziquan, Gouquan (dog boxing), Lohan Quan etc etc.
CuongNhuka
Senior Master
True, but I forgot the Mandarin for long fist. I don't think I have heard of Fanziquan, and I have never heard the Mandarin for Dog Boxing. I would also make the argument that Lohan Quan would be more of a soft style. My understnading of it is that it is a form of Chi Kung primarily.
But, I could always be wrong. I was simply trying to give Amishman a place to start, and I couldn't think of a hard style with Chuan/Quan in the name, so I gave him that.
But, I could always be wrong. I was simply trying to give Amishman a place to start, and I couldn't think of a hard style with Chuan/Quan in the name, so I gave him that.
Jin Gang
Green Belt
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2007
- Messages
- 123
- Reaction score
- 19
Please accept this post of education:
Chuan is the same as Quan (it is different ways to romanize the same mandarin word), it literally means Fist. It is sometimes translated as "boxing" when it is associated with a fighting style. Almost every Chinese martial arts style is called "Quan". In Cantonese they say it "kune" or "kuen".
Chang Quan, long fist. Hu Quan, tiger fist. He Quan, crane fist. Zue Quan, drunken fist. Tang Lang Quan, preying mantis fist. Hung Ga Kuen, Hung family fist.
This is the word "quan" -> 拳
功夫 - Gong Fu (kung fu) In the west, a lot of people think "kung fu" or "gong fu" is a style of martial arts, or refers to all Chinese martial arts. Some people use it to make others think they have Chinese martial arts. It really means something like "Skill achieved through hard work". If you practice hard to become an expert painter, or musician, or chef, then you have gong fu. Obviously, this also applies to working hard to become an expert of martial arts. Saying "You have good gong fu", is kind of like saying "Dude, you've got skills."
武术 or 武術 - Wushu, this means "martial methods" or martial arts. The Japanese way to say these characters is "bujutsu". The communist Chinese government uses this word to represent their acrobatic performance art based on martial art styles and so some people have come to think that "wushu" just represents that one particular style. Really it means any and all martial arts.
拳法 - Quan fa. This is the more traditional and accurate word to describe unarmed fighting methods, aka "boxing". It means "fist method".
Chuan is the same as Quan (it is different ways to romanize the same mandarin word), it literally means Fist. It is sometimes translated as "boxing" when it is associated with a fighting style. Almost every Chinese martial arts style is called "Quan". In Cantonese they say it "kune" or "kuen".
Chang Quan, long fist. Hu Quan, tiger fist. He Quan, crane fist. Zue Quan, drunken fist. Tang Lang Quan, preying mantis fist. Hung Ga Kuen, Hung family fist.
This is the word "quan" -> 拳
功夫 - Gong Fu (kung fu) In the west, a lot of people think "kung fu" or "gong fu" is a style of martial arts, or refers to all Chinese martial arts. Some people use it to make others think they have Chinese martial arts. It really means something like "Skill achieved through hard work". If you practice hard to become an expert painter, or musician, or chef, then you have gong fu. Obviously, this also applies to working hard to become an expert of martial arts. Saying "You have good gong fu", is kind of like saying "Dude, you've got skills."
武术 or 武術 - Wushu, this means "martial methods" or martial arts. The Japanese way to say these characters is "bujutsu". The communist Chinese government uses this word to represent their acrobatic performance art based on martial art styles and so some people have come to think that "wushu" just represents that one particular style. Really it means any and all martial arts.
拳法 - Quan fa. This is the more traditional and accurate word to describe unarmed fighting methods, aka "boxing". It means "fist method".
CuongNhuka
Senior Master
OK I get it! I'm an idiot!
CuongNhuka
Senior Master
OK. Cann't take a joke then? Anyways, I'll check out the vid when I get a chance.
Yen Ching Chuan School of Kung Fu was the name of the Kung Fu school I attended back in 1977. I never knew the significance of the name. It was in Santa Cruz, Ca. My sifu also taught me some Jeet Kune Do, which I had been studying on my own - along with a number of other styles of martial arts, before settling on Kung Fu.
Until this day I've never heard anyone mention it. Where did you find out or hear about it?
I loved that school. It was tough, and fun. Good memories.
The post you are responding to is 17 years old and the poster hasn't been on this forum since 2009 so you are not likely to get a reply.
According to one post on another forum from around the same time,"Yen Ching Chuan" was a name of a legendary (wuxia) figure in Chinese martial arts and a name sometimes applied to what is better known as Mizong quan, a longfist system which was taught in the US by Adam Hsu and his students. Here's a link to see if it's anything like what you trained:
Last edited:
Thanks for this. This is very similar to what I was taught. A lot of flowing arm and hand movements, combined with low stances and strikes... I loved it. I also dabbled in Wing Chun, practicing Chi Sao with my instructor, and later in life, with my two oldest boys. Those were great times!
Thanks so much for the video!
Roger
Roger- you are speaking in the past tense. Have you retired from the martial arts? I stopped for some 15 years and then in 2007, in my early fifties, I started up again. Now, in my late 60s, I'm doing less, and what I do is more "age appropriate" but I still dabble in it.
How about you?
I was fully engaged until I was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor when I was 23 (1985).
I grew up as a hippie kid in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains in California. It was near the end of 6th grade when I was told that the 8th graders pink-bellied 7th graders. And that's when I looked into self-defence.
I devoured every used book my mom would buy for me on any and every martial art in existence. I settled on Kung Fu because of fluid, natural movements, and animal forms.
My mom bought me a course in one of my comic books, "Kung Fu/Karate", for $1.98. It came with a instructional record and a booklet. It was suprisingly good, and I learned a lot.
Then I learned about some guy named Bruce Lee, who was supposed to be the best Kung Fu artist ... so I read and watched everything he did. One day in our town grocery store, I saw, "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" with the magazines. I begged my mom to buy it for me--and she did. I think I was 13.
I think it was another year before I decided I wanted to attend a Kung Fu school. There were other martial art schools, Tae Kwon Do and an Aikido school. But I wasn't too fond of the Japanese arts. So I attended "Yen Ching Chuan School of Kung Fu", and I loved it--plus it was fairly close to the comic book shop I frequented downtown Santa Cruz.
I went as often as I could, even weekends, when my sifu was there. It was a great time in my life. A few years later I injured my back, and couldn't attend. They sent me cards ... it was tough. I never returned ... as life got in the way. I moved to San Jose to raise my young family.
I moved to Arizona 18 years ago and found a Kung Fu school, but my balance and virtigo was so screwed up from the effects of the brain tumor I mentioned earlier that I gave up on that idea. Plus the guy running the place was kind of a jerk. I've always told people who asked me how to find a good Kung Fu studio ... "Find one where the Sifu is chinese and can barely speak English. Start there."
I'd better stop. If you're still with me, you get a gold star! I apologize for this long reply. It's late and I tend to ramble on.
I'd like to learn some forms just to help me with my balance. I'll be 62 this year. My health isn't so great. I think performing some forms will help.
Roger
I grew up as a hippie kid in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains in California. It was near the end of 6th grade when I was told that the 8th graders pink-bellied 7th graders. And that's when I looked into self-defence.
I devoured every used book my mom would buy for me on any and every martial art in existence. I settled on Kung Fu because of fluid, natural movements, and animal forms.
My mom bought me a course in one of my comic books, "Kung Fu/Karate", for $1.98. It came with a instructional record and a booklet. It was suprisingly good, and I learned a lot.
Then I learned about some guy named Bruce Lee, who was supposed to be the best Kung Fu artist ... so I read and watched everything he did. One day in our town grocery store, I saw, "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" with the magazines. I begged my mom to buy it for me--and she did. I think I was 13.
I think it was another year before I decided I wanted to attend a Kung Fu school. There were other martial art schools, Tae Kwon Do and an Aikido school. But I wasn't too fond of the Japanese arts. So I attended "Yen Ching Chuan School of Kung Fu", and I loved it--plus it was fairly close to the comic book shop I frequented downtown Santa Cruz.
I went as often as I could, even weekends, when my sifu was there. It was a great time in my life. A few years later I injured my back, and couldn't attend. They sent me cards ... it was tough. I never returned ... as life got in the way. I moved to San Jose to raise my young family.
I moved to Arizona 18 years ago and found a Kung Fu school, but my balance and virtigo was so screwed up from the effects of the brain tumor I mentioned earlier that I gave up on that idea. Plus the guy running the place was kind of a jerk. I've always told people who asked me how to find a good Kung Fu studio ... "Find one where the Sifu is chinese and can barely speak English. Start there."
I'd better stop. If you're still with me, you get a gold star! I apologize for this long reply. It's late and I tend to ramble on.
I'd like to learn some forms just to help me with my balance. I'll be 62 this year. My health isn't so great. I think performing some forms will help.
Roger
I started with a school in Connecticut that taught a showy and not-very-authentic five-animal system kung-fu and then had a bad leg injury and had trouble continuing. Due to a genetic defect in my ankles compounded by the injury, static balance is very difficult for me as well.
Anyway, I came back to Arizona and began Wing Chun. I still had some trouble with the balance thing, but I was still able to make progress. That was in 1979.
BTW, where are you located in Arizona?
