From:Ruan Dong Interview"Bubishi 武備志" Ryuhokan Publishing Copyright 2014 Preserved, Translated, and Commentary by: Scot Mertz. Lulu Publications ISBN 978-1-304-13507-0
– Sifu Dong thank you for sitting down with me. I would like to discuss your kung fu, and it’s history.
RD – My kung fu is called Ming He Quan, it was created by a woman named Fang Qiliang (born as Fang LiShui) about 350 years ago. She learned martial arts from her father, Fang Zheng Dong, he taught her the Shaolin style (Ahrat boxing) when she was young.
– Sifu I heard stories that Qiliang was a nun, and I have also heard that she was married. Which story is true?
RD – Both stories are true. Fang Zheng Dong had a close friend he used to demonstrate with named Zhen Xie. They were so close that they arranged their children to marry. One day Zhen Xie had been demonstrating his fighting skills and started feeling sick. He died shortly after. Zhen Xie’s son Zhen Shi looked down on the Fang family because they were poor. Zhen Shi eventually married Fang Qiliang but they were very unhappy. After a few months Fang Qiliang left Zhen Shi. She had traveled to Da Tian, Zhang Zhou and stayed at the temple as a nun. It was during her time as a nun that she created the white crane system.
– Sifu how many crane systems are there?
RD – There are four families of crane. Shaking Crane, Flying Crane, Calling Crane, and Eating Crane. They all came from Fang Qiliang’s White Crane. While they each have their own characteristics they all use the same core principles.
– Can you tell me about your lineage?
RD – I learned from my father, who had learned from ZhongCiang Xie. He was the founder of Calling Crane. Master Xie’s had two teachers Yi Hou Chen and Pan Yuba (also known as DaChong Lin). Pan Yuba studied at an early age from a monk named QingDing who lived in a temple near GaoGai Mountain near Fuzhou city.
Master QingDing was famous for making medicine, he would visit villages all over Fujian to bring medicine to the sick people.
It was rumored that QingDing learned his kung fu from a monk called the Iron Bead Monk, who was very famous in the north and the south. The Iron Bead Monk learned directly at the White Crane Temple.
– I have heard from several karate people that Okinawan Karate developed out of White Crane Kung Fu. What is your opinion on this?
RD – I too have heard these stories. In the 1960’s and 1970’s several Okinawan’s came to demonstrate their karate. At the time it was encouraged to teach Okinawan’s Kung Fu to increase tourism. From most of what I have seen I cannot see much of a link between Okinawan Karate and White Crane. The principles of movement are too different.
– I have also heard of Karate teachers bringing over Kung Fu masters to teach karate in Okinawa. Have you heard about this practice?
RD – Years ago I was approached by people wanting me to come to Japan to teach Kung Fu. I would demonstrate my Kung Fu for them, and most of them would leave after and I would never hear from them again. I think even the Okinawan masters could see that White Crane is very different from their art. This is not good or bad, but is just something very different.
Most people don’t know this, but in China there was a ban on Kung Fu for many years. It was illegal to practice until the formation of Wushu. I think this was for tourism. After this we had to change most things. It became about demonstrations. If karate was related to Kung Fu I feel that the style of Kung Fu may have disappeared while the ban was in place.
Many of the Wushu bodies encourage the karate practictioners to come to China. It helps tourism.
– Over the years do you think your Kung Fu has changed or stayed the same as what you learned from your father?
RD – It has changed. Now I practice the principles of White Crane, but many of the forms now have my own feeling in them, the movements may have not changed much, if I go left or right, sometimes I can’t remember. It is more about the feeling and the moment for me anymore.
– Do you feel that any of the older styles of Kung Fu were preserved during the ban on Kung Fu?
RD – Maybe some of the old styles exist, more research needs to be completed before I can answer that. I think during the ban everything changed.
– How do you feel about your interpretation of your Kung Fu?
RD – I think my principles are sound, but like everyone else here in China; there are no real masters anymore. Most of the people who teach to foreigners are frauds or only teach for money. Sometimes I feel like a fraud myself because I take on foreign groups from time to time.
– Do you think this feeling is across the Kung Fu systems or just in White Crane?
RD – I do not know. I think my generation knows the truth about this fact. Maybe the younger generation truly thinks of themselves as great masters. I do not know. There is too much pride in the younger generation. Many of them don’t know of the hardship to even bring Kung Fu back to China, even as Wushu.
– Thank you Sifu for your time for this interview.
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