The Pa Kua Chang of Fu ChenSung
Speak to any native of Southern China about Pa Kua Chang and the name Fu Chen-Sung will quickly come up in the conversation. Fu was largely responsible for the introduction of the Northern internal martial arts systems to the Southern Chinese and his dragon like coiling movements, lightning quick footwork, hurricane like spinning maneuvers, and thunderous palm strikes are legendary. Fu Chen-Sung, whose pseudonym was Ch'ien-K'un, was born in 1872 in the County of Hai Ching, District of Me Yang,...
From left to right Mark Siu Yin Fu YungHui and Bow Sim Mark
spent the most time with were Wu Tang Sword instructor General Li Jing-Lin, and Pa Chi and Spear instructor Li Shu-Wen God Spear Li . Additionally, Fu was able to study T'ai Chi Ch'uan with Yang Ch'eng-Fu see photo on page 4 of this issue . Fu Yung-Hui was already teaching at Chung Shan University in 1934 at the age of 27. When his father died in 1953, he took on the responsibility of propagating Fu Style T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Pa Kua Chang. In addition to instructing many new students, Fu...
Bow Sim Mark practicing with her sister in 1981
Since arriving in the United States, Mark has continued to study with her teacher Fu Yung-Hui during periodic trips back to China. Her first return trip to China was in 1981 for an International Wushu Competition. After the competition, she spent four months studying at the Beijing Physical Culture Institute. During this trip she met the renowned martial artist Li Tian-Ji see Volume 2, Number 4, page 13 and spent time studying with him to improve her Combined T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Wu Tang sword...
Waist Bending
1. Stand with the feet together. Raise both arms overhead with the fingers interlocked and the palms facing upward see photo at left . 2. Bend forward and touch the palms to the floor see photo below . 3. Separate the hands, grasp the legs, and touch the face to the lower legs not shown . 4. Return to an upright position and repeat the exercise. 2. Keeping the lower body fixed, turn the upper body to the right not shown . 3. Bend down and touch the palms to the floor at the left side see photo...
A young Fu ChenSung holds a stone ball which was used in various training
Fu Chen-Sung's first T'ai Chi influence was the Chen style he had studied as a youth in Ma Po Village. Later he was influenced by his friends Sun Lu-Tang who had studied the Hao style T'ai Chi and then created the Sun style and Yang Ch'eng-Fu third generation Yang stylist . In creating his own style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Fu incorporated elements of the T'ai Chi he had previously studied, but also added some movements and movement sequences that he felt the other style were missing. One such...
Bow Sim Mark and her daughter Chi Ching Yen with Fu YungHui in China 1984
his own balance. Marks states, Superior position in Pa Kua boxing becomes possible because every movement is open to the utmost - most relaxed or tight, twisting and stretching to the maximum, reaching to the limit to focus and generate strength. Liang-I Ch'uan synthesizes the principles of T'ai Chi and Pa Kua in one combined form. Students of T'ai Chi who are interested in Pa Kua Chang would study Liang-I to begin to explore some of the Pa Kua Chang characteristic movements and thus Liang-I...
Pa Kua Chang Instructor Fu ChenSung 18721953
Feng-Ming to accept him as a formal disciple. Fu's desire was to become a professional martial artist. After studying with Chia for a number of years, Fu went to Beijing to continue his study of Pa Kua Chang. Fu was 17 years old at the time. Some say that in Beijing he studied with Ma Kuei, others say that he studied with Ch'eng T'ing-Hua. Ma Kuei was a student of Yin Fu who, after studying with Yin, had also spent a short time studying with Tung Hai-Ch'uan. Ch'eng was one of Tung Hai-Ch'uan's...
Single Palm Change
Johnny Kwong Ming Lee was a Pa Kua Chang student of Sun Pao-Kung. Mr. Lee's background was outlined in detail in Volume 1, Number 3 of the Pa Kua Chang Newsletter and thus will not be repeated here. Johnny Lee has just recently finished writing a book on Fu Chen-Sung's Dragon Style Pa Kua Chang. If it is not already available for sale, it will be shortly. Those readers interested in purchasing Lee's book can write to him at the address shown on the back page of the newsletter. The following...
The Combination of Pa Kua Stepping and Single Palm Change
We could practice three different kinds of combinations of Single Palm Change and Pa Kua stepping. 1 Enemy attacks from the front during Pa Kua stepping. 2 Enemy attacks from behind during Pa Kua stepping. 3 No contact with the enemy during Pa Kua stepping, but actively turning to the back of the enemy to seek an opportunity for attack. 1 - Enemy Attacks from the Front During Pa Kua Stepping. Begin with the original start and complete two to three circles, then pause with the Lion Pose. The...
Bow Sim Mark practicing with Li TianJi in 1981
Chinese Philosophy, T'ai Chi is a dynamic interplay of Yin and Yang represented by the well known T'ai Chi diagram. This interplay of Yin and Yang T'ai Chi springs forth from complete emptiness or the void Wu Chi . From the T'ai Chi, Yin and Yang divide and are represented symbolically as separate elements by the Liang-I two symbols . The Yang-I is represented by a continuous straight line and the Yin-I is represented by a broken line. The Ssu-Hsiang four figures are formed by combining the...
Johnny Kwong Ming Lee demonstrates an application
of the body and mind to produce an awesome, yet graceful, result. The following is Johnny Lee's description of a single change palm self-defense application As the attacker hits me with his right, I drill my right palm up on the outside of his arm photo 1 above . Immediately, I thrust my left palm upward under my right arm so the left palm will keep his right hand at bay photo 2 and free my right palm to strike my opponent. If he blocks my right palm with his left hand, I will catch his left...
by Johnny Kwong Ming Lee
Traditionally in China, Pa Kua has been explained in terms of Chinese philosophy. For instance, Sun Lu-T'ang used the I Ching to interpret his art in his book Pa Kua Ch'uan Hsueh However, this kind of presentation is hard to understand it takes years of training before the meaning becomes clear. It is especially difficult for the western reader because it sounds to mystical. To make Pa Kua more accessible, we can also explain it using mechanical laws and modern language. Before we proceed along...
by Gary Stier OMD
In this colum Oriental Medical Doctor Gary Stier lends advice on how to beat the summer heat through use of food and herbs. We plan to make this a continuing column which will cover food and herb useage through the changing seasons. Now that the Summer season is fully upon us, we are reminded once again of the need to prevent overheating and the excessive loss of body fluids. This is especially important for those who regularly practice Pa Kua Chang or other internal arts like T'ai Chi,...