Classification of Diverse Kung Fu Styles: Hung Gar on the Map
It is safe to say that there are probably a hundred different Kung Fu styles out there. Have you wondered where Hung Gar Kung Fu stands amongst them?
Needless to say, China is a big country. There are many provinces and districts that are as equally diverse in language as in culture. Out of them spring the many threads of Kung Fu evolution and the rise and fall of different combat styles each with their own system of techniques, components and levels of mastery. It all seems too complex and confusing.
I attempt here to classify and organise what I know of Chinese martial arts by identifying their characteristics and attempt to give a summary description. Let this be the start of a discussion if you will and do give me your thoughts on this too.
Needless to say, China is a big country. There are many provinces and districts that are as equally diverse in language as in culture. Out of them spring the many threads of Kung Fu evolution and the rise and fall of different combat styles each with their own system of techniques, components and levels of mastery. It all seems too complex and confusing.
I attempt here to classify and organise what I know of Chinese martial arts by identifying their characteristics and attempt to give a summary description. Let this be the start of a discussion if you will and do give me your thoughts on this too.
Currently the central government is located in Beijing, which is in the Hebei province. This means that when the central government wants to promote China’s martial culture, styles in Beijing and Hebei are the first in line to be shed light on. In history, the central government was in Beijing only from the Yuan dynasty onwards. Xian, Chang An, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Nanjing were capital cities of other periods and dynasties.
Besides the capital cities, we have to consider regions that are heavily populated and have a rich history in war and peacetime conflicts. The main regions of heavy population are the Jiang Nan area, the Ling Nan area and the area around Beijing. Henan has the Shaolin temple and today’s most practiced Chinese style, Tai Chi also originated from this province. Hubei has the Wudang mountain and is also the place where many battles took place during the Three Kingdoms.
Shandong has the Liangshan water margin and Shanxi and Gansu has also stood against the invasion of the Steppes nations throughout history. There is a lot of history in every province of China.
Hung Gar comes from the Guangdong province. The most notable events in Guangdong province has to be the rebellion against the Manchu overlords in the Qing Dynasty. Guangdong is also largely covered by forests and architecture is often packed closely in its thriving, heavily populated cities, so fighting is mainly up close, with little room for maneuvering. Hung Gar, like other Guangdong styles share many similarities with Fujian styles, such as short ranged striking, sticky interacting hands, and the preference for using arms instead of kicking with legs.
Kung Fu styles can also be classified according to their directions of movement. What I have presented is my interpretation and would like to hear any differing thoughts you might have. You are free to make your own classification based on your interpretation.
Besides the capital cities, we have to consider regions that are heavily populated and have a rich history in war and peacetime conflicts. The main regions of heavy population are the Jiang Nan area, the Ling Nan area and the area around Beijing. Henan has the Shaolin temple and today’s most practiced Chinese style, Tai Chi also originated from this province. Hubei has the Wudang mountain and is also the place where many battles took place during the Three Kingdoms.
Shandong has the Liangshan water margin and Shanxi and Gansu has also stood against the invasion of the Steppes nations throughout history. There is a lot of history in every province of China.
Hung Gar comes from the Guangdong province. The most notable events in Guangdong province has to be the rebellion against the Manchu overlords in the Qing Dynasty. Guangdong is also largely covered by forests and architecture is often packed closely in its thriving, heavily populated cities, so fighting is mainly up close, with little room for maneuvering. Hung Gar, like other Guangdong styles share many similarities with Fujian styles, such as short ranged striking, sticky interacting hands, and the preference for using arms instead of kicking with legs.
Kung Fu styles can also be classified according to their directions of movement. What I have presented is my interpretation and would like to hear any differing thoughts you might have. You are free to make your own classification based on your interpretation.
Technical identification has helped us a big deal in understanding the various categories. If we list them according to historical origins, we can get a clearer picture of the various provincial cultures that influence the styles as well as the purpose the style is developed for.
Here we do not put Hung Gar in the category as Shaolin because there is not enough concrete evidence on the existence of a Fujian Shaolin temple, and the style spent most of its time among civilians. It was most active when it became the syllabus for training militia to fight against the Manchu overlords. Hung Gar’s origins also trace back to the first Ming Dynasty Loyalists after its downfall, meaning that it is more likely to have been formulated from Ming Dynasty military hand to hand combat rather than from the Shaolin temple.
While many martial arts styles actually transcended provincial boundaries, originating from the central plains and migrating to the South or West in the recent dynasties, there are already many styles firmly rooted in the various provinces since antiquity; we can classify them by localities. There are also several martial art styles practiced within the steppes and minority tribes, and from time to time these has also influenced some Han Chinese Kung Fu styles.
Here comes the most interesting part: the content of the Kung Fu style, what a student will most likely be learning/focusing on when he or she chooses to pick up that style.
Until today most Kung Fu styles have already integrated several aspects of fighting into one system, so we can expect the same name in many categories. Once again I only know some of the styles roughly, so if your style also specializes in a certain aspect and I didn’t put it in, happy to hear from you.
While many martial arts styles actually transcended provincial boundaries, originating from the central plains and migrating to the South or West in the recent dynasties, there are already many styles firmly rooted in the various provinces since antiquity; we can classify them by localities. There are also several martial art styles practiced within the steppes and minority tribes, and from time to time these has also influenced some Han Chinese Kung Fu styles.
Here comes the most interesting part: the content of the Kung Fu style, what a student will most likely be learning/focusing on when he or she chooses to pick up that style.
Until today most Kung Fu styles have already integrated several aspects of fighting into one system, so we can expect the same name in many categories. Once again I only know some of the styles roughly, so if your style also specializes in a certain aspect and I didn’t put it in, happy to hear from you.
We can see that Hung Gar is pretty versatile, with many aspects in its syllabus. That comes with pros and cons, the drawback being longer time needed for full mastery. Some styles such as Songshan Shaolin are also as versatile, as it served as a collective institution for more than a millennium; with many monks each specializing in each aspect.
Do you notice that Southern styles emphasize certain aspects like bridge contact and small strikes, while Northern styles emphasize aspects such as big strikes, wrestling and extensive kicks? This can be attributed to the political and environmental factors in that region. The South is usually plagued by local crime lords and pirates operating under the cover of dense cities, thick forests and farms, so short range fighting techniques and capturing techniques are valuable in those places. Northern China has major battles on flat open land, thus kicks and big strikes are more valuable for fighting on the move.
Lastly, the military applications of styles. This means how the Kung Fu style is usually being used in warfare. While empty hand combat plays the biggest part in modern world self defense, from the 19th century and before, weapons is the training focus for Kung Fu styles. But not all weapons are integrated in the Kung Fu styles. Certain weapons are taught separately from empty hand fighting.
Do you notice that Southern styles emphasize certain aspects like bridge contact and small strikes, while Northern styles emphasize aspects such as big strikes, wrestling and extensive kicks? This can be attributed to the political and environmental factors in that region. The South is usually plagued by local crime lords and pirates operating under the cover of dense cities, thick forests and farms, so short range fighting techniques and capturing techniques are valuable in those places. Northern China has major battles on flat open land, thus kicks and big strikes are more valuable for fighting on the move.
Lastly, the military applications of styles. This means how the Kung Fu style is usually being used in warfare. While empty hand combat plays the biggest part in modern world self defense, from the 19th century and before, weapons is the training focus for Kung Fu styles. But not all weapons are integrated in the Kung Fu styles. Certain weapons are taught separately from empty hand fighting.
The variety of Hung Gar weapons spring from the rebellion against the Manchu conquerors. If Shaolin is the collective institution for Kung Fu styles during peacetime, Hung Gar is the collective family of styles that Ming Loyalists put together. For long weapons there are the Eight Trigram Staff and Tiger Fork, for short weapons there is the Saber and Shield combination, for small weapons the Mother and Son Twin Knives, soft weapons the 3 joint or 5 joint chain whip. If all the recognised Hung Gar lineages put everything together, there would be more than 30 weapons in the Hung Gar syllabus.
Southern Hung Gar does not specialize in horseriding and archery as these require openly training in large spaces, which could risk detection by the authorities.
We now know Hung Gar’s place in various areas of Kung Fu origins and technical preferences; so let us take a look at a summarized contents list of the Hung Gar style.
Southern Hung Gar does not specialize in horseriding and archery as these require openly training in large spaces, which could risk detection by the authorities.
We now know Hung Gar’s place in various areas of Kung Fu origins and technical preferences; so let us take a look at a summarized contents list of the Hung Gar style.
This is Hung Gar Kung Fu in brief - hard hitting, versatile with many techniques and weapons. After mastery of the above, it is still possible to pursue other military applications such as archery and projectile weapons, with Hung Gar as a core foundation.
Its wide repertoire means that an individual practitioner with a strong foundation in fundamentals has room to build up his own arsenal of techniques and weapons suited to his own physique and personality for advantage and unpredictability. Hung Gar has much to offer to the extent that it is not easy to find in its thousands of schools around the world one that has full mastery of its entire repertoire. Fortunately for us, the Hung Gar community is quite closely knitted, so we frequently have exchange sessions with different branches worldwide, exposing ourselves to groups who excel in other areas.
We welcome students from other Hung Gar schools to train with us when you have the chance to visit Singapore. For the Kung Fu beginner, don’t be intimidated by the extensive syllabus at hand. Focus on the core fundamentals first and you may find it easy to find your expression in the various empty hand techniques or weapons that you take to in future.
Article by Leroy Kwok
Its wide repertoire means that an individual practitioner with a strong foundation in fundamentals has room to build up his own arsenal of techniques and weapons suited to his own physique and personality for advantage and unpredictability. Hung Gar has much to offer to the extent that it is not easy to find in its thousands of schools around the world one that has full mastery of its entire repertoire. Fortunately for us, the Hung Gar community is quite closely knitted, so we frequently have exchange sessions with different branches worldwide, exposing ourselves to groups who excel in other areas.
We welcome students from other Hung Gar schools to train with us when you have the chance to visit Singapore. For the Kung Fu beginner, don’t be intimidated by the extensive syllabus at hand. Focus on the core fundamentals first and you may find it easy to find your expression in the various empty hand techniques or weapons that you take to in future.
Article by Leroy Kwok
