Originally Posted by
SHemmati
the second progress is about the Xiyuan Luohan 18 Shi (techniques), at page 256 of Liu Zhenhai&Wang Xigan's book. it's recognized as the technical base of the 1st road of the above 18-road Luohan quan, so that the form is a combination of these 18 techniques joined with transitional movements, and added by beginning and ending postures. now, after checking out 10 roads of the 18, as i see, in compilation of (at least the first 10 of) the 18 roads, the forms show a high tendency toward the technical contents and bodywork (shenfa) of this 1st road. so, we now know why it's 'Luohan 18 Shi/Shou,' because it has the 18 techniques that make the 1st road of the 18 Luohan quans, and are also spread all over most the other roads as well! so far, thus, we are somehow sure that these 18 techniques (not exactly in the form of the taolu in Liu's book, but at least the techniques themselves) are at least an early-Ming era material, as previously said by Sal.
* just i've got a question. in it's description in Liu's book, it writes that this Luohan 18 Shou has been taught by 李侠 (根生): hero Li Gensheng, who is a famous modern times folk master, he was Shi Zhenxu's close friend; while Sal once said that his books mention this 18 shi to be from Li Sou. Sal, is it possible that, you have misread it and it's 李侠 (li xia), which means 'hero Li' and not Li Sou (李叟) in the books? anyway, it's still possible that these 18 shi come from Li Sou, Bai Yufeng, or Jue Yuan, they lived in the Yuan or early Ming eras, however.