village / district styles

[David Jamieson]

Do you practice a style that has transformed from a temple version to a family version to a village or district version?

this transformation has occured with several styles over the years.

most notably the Shaolin root styles that spread far and wide.

Hung Gar, CLF, WC and the likes, not to mention other non-shaolin styles.

How far is your style from the temple?

peace

[Water Dragon]

How many of the hundreds of styles out there do you think are distinct in that they can't be traced to a common root? Kinda your question with a twist. As for my stuff, I honestly don't know. I couldn't even quote you the lineages without going into my notes.

[Black Jack]

The common root being not always a connection to a single source but to the essence of survival. Good things always tend to float to the top, similar techniques can be seen the world over without any crossbreeding, to me this is a sign of a common root.

Not the question Kung Lek but I thought it might fit.

[jon]

There is a LOT of village Hung Ga around.
My Hung Ga has been though village and back to mainstream in some ways.
My sigung Collin Chao was taught by his father, he then went to YC Wong for the authodox version of the system. My Hung Ga has still got elements of the village influence as well as the mainstream. We proberly have a some movements slightly differently and we tend to whip more in some of our strikes.
However we still have the four pillar forms and they still follow pretty closely to the structure of the Canton version.

[wangsizhong]

i studied qing cheng pai in china for a couple months. took me too long to find any schools...
anyway, i studied from a guy who looked like he might have been a taoist priest (hair long enough for a topknot though he didnt wear one around the school) and a long goatee. the style is taken from qing cheng mountain which was twenty minutes up the road. he also teaches classes at the mountain so its basically like learning "straight from the temple".

Wang Si Zhong

[Water Dragon]

Do you see a lot of similarities with other systems? Or is it more unique?

[GeneChing]

Inside China's ultimate 'kung fu village': The secluded mountain community where all residents practise martial arts and everyone has a secret weapon

Everyone in the rural village in Tianzhu, central China, practises martial arts each day without fail
Different kung fu styles are learnt and used and people fight each other to improve their skills
No one knows why they all know kung fu but their unusual tradition has made the village famous

By Qin Xie For Mailonline

Published: 09:41 EST, 28 August 2015 | Updated: 09:48 EST, 28 August 2015

A Chinese village recently came to fame when it emerged that everyone who lives there is a martial arts expert.

The self-sustaining village, deep in the mountains of Tianzhu, central China, seems to have shunned the outside world.

Ganxi Dong village is home to the Dong people, one of the 56 recognised ethnic minorities in China.

Incredibly, everyone in the secluded village knows a different style of kung fu, reported People's Daily Online.


A rural village recently came to fame when it emerged that everyone who lives there is a martial arts expert who practise as they farm


Self-sustaining village, deep in the lush-green mountains of Tianzhu, China, seems to have shunned the outside world with its tradition


Residents pursue different styles of the sport so several types of kung fu are practised in the village, almost unique to each individual


The residents compete against each other to improve their skills and their arena is not limited to land. Above, two people fight in stream


People of all ages practise kung fu in the village, which has historically done so. It's not clear how long it has been a martial art world

According to reports, a few different types of kung fu are practised in the village.

Everyone is well-practised in the art, which seems to be their only hobby aside from farming.

Their weapons range from just fists to sticks and pitchforks.

Incredible images of the village has recently emerged, which has been widely shared on Chinese media.

They show a few traditional-style buildings in a rural setting.

In the picturesque landscape, village folk of all ages brandish sticks and swords while mid-practise.

They train by fighting each other as well as on their own and there are no exceptions.

It's not clear why everyone practises martial arts or how long it's been the case.


Village folk train with and without weapons, which range from long wooden sticks and pitchforks to swords. Shoes are optional as well


They train each and every day by fighting each other as well as on their own; and there are no exceptions to this long and unique tradition


Boy, above, trains and practises with his dad. The moves are often inspired by wild animals such as dragons, snakes, tigers and leopards


As there are no exceptions to the kung fu practise, even girls are expected to become experts in whatever style of kung fu they choose


It's not clear how they decide what kung fu style to learn as there are so many different styles practised in the village since the beginning

continued next post

[GeneChing]

Locals have two theories about their unusual situation.

One claims that the area suffered regular heavy attacks from wild beasts that would kill their livestock and injure the villagers.

To try and combat the problem, six families had to pick a strong youth to create, develop and learn martial arts.

They modeled their actions on the moves of dragons, snakes, tigers and leopards.

As each family trained in a different type of movement, different strains of kung fu were invented.

To continue the tradition, each family had to continue training under their strain of martial arts.

Another saying goes that when the families first moved to the area to set up a village, they were frequently pillaged by their neighbours.

In order to protect themselves, the villagers invited a two martial arts experts to teach them the art of combat.

The skills they learnt was then passed on to the rest of the villagers.

However, since it has been a tradition for a long time, no one can be certain of the real reason.


Man above trains with a two-pronged pitchfork. It's a classical Chinese weapon. Other villagers also use wooden sticks and swords


Locals have two theories about their unusual tradition, both involved protecting themselves from attack from the outside world


However, since martial arts has been a local tradition for such a long time, no one can be certain of the real reason behind the practise

Great photos. If anyone wants to submit an article on village styles, I'm always open to them when they are shot on location like this.

[Kellen Bassette]

Way cool.....

[mawali]

My sense is that many style were/are village styles but due to the family inheritance(s) within the village, anyone who was alot 'smarter" and able to see beyond the 'secrecy', was able to learn basics then market that style to a greater audience then reap the rewards of his borrowed style, albeit in his name. It can alos help if the outsider left the village environment and find a larger city to parlay his new found vocation. Sound familiar

From reality, even when Chen style came to Beijing, many did not believe that was the original because, despite the alleged "lack of education of Yang Chengf, he got to Beijing before Chen