Lien Bu Quan

[Ren Blade]

Lien Bu Chuan's a great form. As much of the more advanced forms of Long Fist I train, I favor Lien Bu Chuan the most cause of it's simplicity and easier to use for fighting. I have seen a couple different versions of Lien Bu Chuan outside of my school and it's very interesting. But the basic pattern of the form, no matter what school trains it, remains similar. The Lien Bu Chuan I train is from the Long Fist of the Han Ching Tan lineage. But I train it under the supervision of Dr. Yang Jwing Ming.

[Ravenshaw]

I've seen Yang Jwing Ming's version of the form. Many of the moves (at least in the first half) are the same or similar to our Bak Sil Lum (Ku Yu Cheung lineage) Lian Bu Chuan.

But that does not surprise me. I remember reading something about Yang Jwing Ming's lineage going back to the Kuo Shu Institute, which is where Ku Yu Cheung taught and where Lian Bu was a standard basic form (or so I've heard).

[GeneChing]

It's an R.O.C. thing. Or a southern Chinese thing. Gotta understand history and it all makes sense.

[Ravenshaw]

This info was sent to me via e-mail by a man named Robert who was unsuccessful in posting it himself:

Hi,

I saw this forum about Lien Bu Chuan. I think I can share some information. I
have trouble to post online because it kept giving me permission deny. I won't
mind if you want to post it online. As for my background, my teacher is senior
student of my grand teacher Han, Chin Tan, who was the first year graduate of
Chinese Martial arts Institute.

> What is the history of Lian Bu Chuan (both in general and as it pertains to
Bak Sil Lum)?

Lian Bu Chuan was basically designed by the teachers in Zhong Yang Guo Shu Guan,
Central Chinese Martial Arts Institute, eatablished in 1928 Nan Jing. Whether
the form was brought in by someone originally, I don't know. It there was a Lian
Bu Chuan originally, it has been changed and reinvented by those teachers. As
today's Lian Bu Chuan, you can say it was designed by the teachers in the
Institute. The Institute was established to be the highest Chinese martial arts
Institute and Lian Bu Chuan was designed to be taught around the country. Since
most of the teachers, maybe all, hired by the Institute are from northern China.
The form was practiced as Northern Shaolin style. Since I'm from Long Fist
family, I practiced Lian Bu Chuan just like our Long Fist style. But, the form
itself wasn't designed with any style in mind because those teachers were from
all kinds of background. All the people has accessed or were related to the
Institute learned this form. They may came from!
different styles or systems. So, Lian Bu Chuan was practiced differently
depend on the people and their styles are. I think that is the best design
aspect of Lian Bu Chuan. Also, it covers most common applications of Chinese
martial arts, no matter it's northern or southern systems.
The reason the form went to southern China was because it was supposed to be
taught around the country.

> I saw that, but it was a bit unclear/brief. Does anyone have more complete
history of Lian Bu? For example, what style is it from and why was it selected
as the "standard" basic form?
The form was supported and promoted by Chinese government. That is why is was
selected as the "standard" basic form.

> But that does not surprise me. I remember reading something about Yang Jwing
Ming's lineage going back to the Kuo Shu Institute, which is where Ku Yu Cheung
taught and where Lian Bu was a standard basic form (or so I've heard).
Exactly, Ku Yu Cheung was sent by the government to establish martial art school
systems in southern China. They were supposed to use the Institute as guideline
and that was exactly what they did.

Best Regard!


Robert,

[GeneChing]

why couldn't he post it himself?

[Ravenshaw]

Everything he told me, I copied and pasted right into that post; I have no idea why he recieved the message: "permission denied."

[Robert Young]

I have just received activation of my account from this site. Now,
I can direct reply to this thread. It took several days to activate my account. I though there was something wrong with my computer.

Cheers,

[GeneChing]

We usually approve new members every working day, but both I and the other admin were away on vacation last week, so it took a little longer.

[kai men]

Hi Fellows.
I would like to know if anyone of your know which is the real origin of the form LIM PO KUEN, mandarin LIEN BU QUAN.
Some say that the form was originated at the Nanqing Central Kuoshu Institute, ¿can you confirm or correct this info? thanks a lot in advance.
Kindest regards
horacio

[kai men]

Well, before anyone else does, I kick my own ass on this subject, as I have found out that the topic has been very well discussed in this forum twice!
My apologizes!
horacio

[Crimson Phoenix]

Wow, my first post in months!!! I was kept away by my PhD, currently enjoying well deserved (I like to believe) vacations in Panama...I was also a little bored with the forum, and this little absence just put the flame burning again hehehe

OK, on to Lien Bu. I know it from YJM, and upon some surfing on emptyflower's forum I had the pleasure of starting a little conversation with John Wang, expert in Shuai Jiao (Chang Dong Sheng) who also practiced a lot of long fist as well with Li Mao Ching (YJM's longfist teacher). Having studied at YMAA Paris I asked him several questions about the history of some sets (I was more interested in Yi and Er Lu Mai Fu but asked for Lien Bu as well).

What he told me was a surprise to me, but it corroborates some infos in here: Lien Bu, he assured me, is a "northernization" of a set from southern dragon. I asked him to confirm and he did, telling me Lien Bu from the Nanjing KuoShu institute really has its roots in southern dragon. He told me there was a chinese book from the 1930's describing the set and tracing its roots to southern dragon (I am too lazy to dig up the thread in emptyflower right now). He also mentionned the absence of reverse punches (this punch being quite common in long fist) was a sign, and that the last punch of the form, the only reverse punch, was added a little bit later (ie, it was not Nanjing version originally).

I also have a friend who is very knowledgeable in vietnamese martial arts and the chinese influences on them. One time through forms, he showed me a move exactly like the one in Lien Bu in which you punch and the forearm corresponding to the back leg is simultaneously folded at an angle near the ear (simple move, crappy description). I told him I had that move twice in our beginner form and his comment was "in several sino-vietnamese school, this move is typical of dragon aspects", giving me a troubling and unexpected additionnal point in favour of the "Lien Bu comes from southern dragon".

I grew quite convinced of that theory now, and John Wang is adamant about it...

I hope this has been of any help for you...

[Oso]

cool and interesting.

thanks.

[Ravenshaw]

Very interesting, CP. I am not familiar with southern kung fu other than Hung Gar and Choy Lay Fut (I don't like to throw Wing Chun into the same box), and the only southern animal forms I have seen are Hung Gar and Ha Say Fu (incorporated by Sifu Wing Lam into his own HG cirriculum), though I can't remember much of them. The movement you refer to (Gene translated it as "Immortal Carries Firewood with a Yoke") does not seem quite distinct enough to be a uniquely Southern Dragon movement, but who knows... I don't .

[GeneChing]

...you got to give some credit to Lam Sifu there - he got it halfway from Cantonese to English, I got it the rest of the way.
I don't even speak Cantonese (but I'm a **** with a Chinese dictionary)

[Crimson Phoenix]

Raven, I thought I'd share that for my come-back post
Thanks for pointing the name of the move. Regarding that, I am far too incompetent to speak about southern dragon. But the point is, my sino-viet MA friend assured me this precise move was a kind of trademark signature of dragon sequences in several of the vietnamese styles he studied...pretty intriguing huh?