Emei Shan
Mysterious
Mountain of Sichuan Province
International
© 1998 IAM Co....
Emei Shan,(mountain) is one of the most
renowned Buddhist and Daoist
sanctuaries in China. The mountain
is located in the basin of Sichuan
Province. The beautiful majesty
of this mountain has caused it to be named
Emei, "the most beautiful mountain
under heaven." Visitors of this mountain
are treated to several peaks, bubbling
springs, cascading waterfalls, tall
ancient trees and abundant flowers
along the many mountain paths leading to
the many scenic spots and temples
that dot the mountain side from the base to
the summit.
HERBALIST WONDERLAND
The vast difference in the temperature
on the summit and below at the base of
the mountain allows for a great
diversity in plant and animal life. While
spring flowers bloom at the foot
of Emei, the summit is still covered in snow.
Known to botanists as a botanical
wonderland Emei houses more than 3,000
identified species of plants.
Because of the various rare herbs
and medicinal plants that also flourish here
Mount Emei was a favorite dwelling
place for Daoist herbalists among them the
Jiulong Baguazhang founder and Daoist
master Li, Ching-yuen. Scientists have
recently identified over 100 rare
plant and herb species that exist only on
this mountain.
EMEI MARTIAL ARTS
Emei is famous in China for numerous
rare and mysterious martial arts that
developed there from the Gongfu
(Hard work over time) of Daoist, Buddhist and
also laymen. Daoist temples
were first erected on this mountain in the
eastern Han dynasty (200 B.C.).
Later Mount Emei became one of the holy
Buddhist Mountains when Buddhism
flourished in the Tang dynasty (800 A.D.).
At one time over one hundred temples
were operating simultaneously. Buddhist
and Daoist monks lived in harmony
practicing meditation, healing arts Daoyin
(Yoga) herbalism and the various
modalities of their spiritual practices. Even
today there is left behind in the
museums a great wealth of poetry,
literature, painting and medicinal
knowledge as well as martial arts that
developed on Mount Emei.
Martial art methods came collectively
to be called the Emei Wushu school.
Many of the arts blend the training
methods, sparring techniques, hand forms,
and weapon forms of both Buddhist
and Daoist styles into one. Traditional Emei
Wushu is both Buddhist and Daoist
in nature as well as a mixture of internal
and external martial arts. At the
same time, the Emei school has extracted the
essence of Shaolin, Wudang and other
schools of Northern China.
Many famous body guard families and
military men have also visited the
Mountain to learn martial arts and
later developed their own styles from the
eclectic methods that flourished
on Emei. In this way hundreds of "hidden"
styles many of which were taught
only to member of a family or clan were
created thrived and later disappeared.
Shrouded in Mystery
Being mysterious has always been the
perception of many people about Emei
Wushu. That is because the
Emei Wushu has never been readily passed on to
"outsiders." There is an old
Chinese saying, "Shandong province has
highwaymen, Hebei province has Wushu
experts, and Sichuan province has the men
of Emei chivalry." This means
that these three provinces produce top quality
Wushu talents. However, the
Emei chivalry man is mysterious and is similar to
the Chinese legendary Yuxia (Knight
Errant) who like Chinese robin hoods
performed only good deeds and keep
their methods hidden from the eyes of the
profane. A few of the rare "hidden"
styles are said to still exist in and
around this mysterious abode of
Daoists and Buddhists.
Like a huge river having many tributaries,
the Emei Wushu school has many
branches. Each branch has
its own distinctive styles in sparring, weaponry
and hand techniques. A few of these
methods include:
Emei Snake
- There are three sets of Snake forms in the Emei school. The
first one emphasizes Qinna (locking)
and the pressure points techniques, the
second one on the wrestling techniques,
and the third one on striking
techniques. All techniques are required
to be executed swiftly, accurately and
ferociously. Monk Xu Kun taught
the three snake forms to Mr. Liang, Zhi
Xiang. Master Liang, Shouyu of Canada
is a direct inheritor of this system.
Tibetan Cobra Boxing: Another
style of snake boxing, Tibetan Snake Boxing
(Coiling serpent) is part of the
Li family Daoqiquan style and was developed
by Lama Zurdwang near the area of
Emei Mountain. Dr. Painter is a direct
inheritor of this rare method of
ground fighting.
White Eyebrow - Founded by
Daoist monk named Bai Mei (White eyebrow), this
branch is characterized by hard
and explosive short movements. Bai Mei is also
famous for being capable of almost
supernatural feats of skill with Baguazhang
methods of mysterious origins.
Emei Dragon - There is the
Green Dragon form by Monk Dan Zhen of Chunyang cave at Mt. Qingcheng.
There is the Swirling Dragon form of the Green Coat Palace
in Chengdu, the Black Dragon form
by Priest Ji Shan of Fuhu Temple, the Plum
Blossom Dragon form by Nun Wu Mei,
the Fire Dragon form by Daoist monks Shen
Deng and Qing Xu, and the Golden
Dragon form.
Emei Tiger - The Emei school
has many different Tiger forms. Some of them are
the Hungry Tiger Snatching Food
form, the Five Tiger form, the Tiger Roar
form, the Black Tiger form, the
Tiger Claw form, the Fuhu form and the White
Tiger form.
WuJi Form - This form is
a blend of Daoist and Buddhist martial arts. Like
Taijiquan it is soft, yet dynamic.
It stresses the use of internal Jin and
applications. There are two
sets of Wuji form. One set develops power and
"explosive" jin . The other
set is mentioned in history books; no one has
claimed to know it yet. This
form is only known by a handful of masters and
it is taught to pupils who are carefully
selected by the masters.
Emei Sword Fairies - This
branch, founded by Hui Yun, is based on Daoist and
Buddhist Xiu Sheng Shu (the art
of life or essence enhancement). There are
numerous Qigong exercises, fist
forms and weapon forms.
Emei Baguazhang
A controversy still smolders over
the existence of a true Emei Baguazhang
system. Some historians claim there
is no Emei Baguazhang apart from the art
developed by Dong, Hai Chuan in
Beijing and imported to the Mountain. Others
claim that the Daoist monk who reputedly
taught Dong was a member of the
Dragon Door Daoists. This sect that
had many branches throughout China some of
them at Emei Mountain. They developed
a circle walking meditation based on the
Yijing over 2,000 years ago.
As we have said before, "History
is a pale shadow of the truth," no one knows
for sure and Dong would not admit
where he learned his art. Many of the
systems of Baguazhang on Mount Emei
and there are numerous forms of the art,
appear to have stemmed from Yin
Fu a famous disciple of Dong Hai Chuan.
FAMOUS EMEI BAGUAZHANG STYLES
Among the Baguazhang forms found in
the Emei Wushu portfolio of martial art
are:
Shengmen Baguazhang: (Generation
Door Bagua)
Based on the use of the Yi (mind
intent) and the Yijing theory.
Sengmen Baguazhang: (Monk
Family Bagua)
This branch is also known as the
Buddhist branch. It is characterized by high
stances. Imported by Shaolin monks
to Emei this was part of a larger system of
Shaolin Wushu.
You Shen Baguazhang (Swimming
Body Bagua)
Specializes in neutralizing energy,
withdrawing and dodging methods. One
famous Emei Baguazhang master on
Emei was Li, Zhangye, titled "the Longevity
Monk," of the Emei Meeting Fairies
Cave. Li was exceptionally good in You Shen
Baguazhang.
At the age of 108, he admitted
his last disciple, Lui, Zijian, to his school.
Lu was also the student of Yin Fu
the famous Baguazhang master a student of
Dong Hai Chuan of Beijing. Lu later
joined Shaolin and Wudang schools. At the
age of 91 years old and he was still
very quick in his movements.
That the above methods of Baguazhang
can be traced to Dong's students still
does not prove that other methods
of circle walking and Yijing based martial
systems did not live in family and
private styles practiced by Emei Daoist and
Buddhist monks. Even today reliable
sources report to have witnessed a group
of Daoists who nightly practice
the Nine Palace circle walking and Rotating in
Worship of Heaven Baguazhang exercises
on Emei Mountain at a secluded spot
near the White Cloud Temple.
Emei Jiulong Baguazhang
The Li family's Jiulong Baguazhang system
said to have been conceived by Li
Ching-yuen while living in the Emei
Mountain region is like many other martial
art and Qigong methods created by
laymen and secular Daoists. It was seldom
taught to anyone other than to the
Li male family members until after 1956.
This classifies it as a family system.
Like many other methods Jiulong
Baguazhang being a family style
it is not often included in the official lists
of the publicly taught Emei Wushu
Baguazhang methods as practiced by the Emei
Wushu Association.
This fact makes Jiulong Baguazhang
no less an Emei martial art as its
principles are thought to be derived
from the Yijing and the Daoist sect who
either taught Dong Hai Chuan or
from the very Daoists whom legend says taught
Li, Ching-yuen directly. It is historically
unclear if Jiulong Baguazhang is a
branch of Dong, Hai Chuan's method
imported to Emei Mountain by disciple of
Yin Fu or if it stems from the Dragon
Door Daoists that predate Dong Hai
Chuan.
In any case we can clearly say that
the principles and method as they came
into the Li family of Sichuan apparently
originated from the mysterious Emei
Mountain.
Portions of this article
by Dr. Painter were excerpted from a copyrighted
article in
IAM Magazine,
Winter 91 entitled:
Emei Wushu
by: Liang, Shouyu and
Troy Kuan
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