Located in the northwestern region of Hubei province, Wudangshan stretches over 400 kilometers, covering an area of more than 30 square kilometers. The main peak, the Heavenly Pillar Peak, rises 1612 meters above sea level. The natural scenery of Wudang Mountain is powerful and magnificent. It was the Taoist Holy Land in China and a sacred mountain to Taoists. The Taoists of Wudang Mountain began practicing fist-fighting a long time ago. The Qing scholar Huang Zongxi believed Wudangquan was created by Zhang Sanfeng, but there is no historical record proving this to be the case. According to historical records, Zhang Sanfeng was a Taoist of the Quanzhen sect, and lived during the period of late Yuan and early Qing Dynasties. He practiced Qigong in Wudang Mountain, but he knew nothing about fistfighting techniques.
The Wudang sect is secretive about its techniques and chooses its learners very strictly, so the Wudangquan was never widely martial masters such as Zhang Songxi, Ye Jinquan, Shan Sinan and Wang Zhengnan emerged. Huang Baijia (1634–?), the son of Huang Zongxi, was a student of Wang Zhengnan. It was believed Zhang Songxi taught Wudangquan in Sichuan province. At present, the widespread Songxi Neijiaquan, Wudang Neijiaquan and Zimu Nanquan in Chengdu and Nanchong, Sichuan province belongs to the Wudang boxing family. During the Guangxu period in the late Qing Dynasty (1875–1908), the Taoist successor, set up a school and taught students in Jiangning (now called Nanjing City), Jiangsu province. Therefore, Wudang Quan is still popular in Sichuan and Jiangsu provinces. To date, Wudang Taoists still maintain the tradition of practicing martial arts.
According to rough statistics, more than 60 kinds of Wudangquan forms have been widely spread today, including Taiyi Wuxing Quan (Taiyi Five Element Form), Changquan (Long List) and Liuye Miansi palm. There are also decades of weaponry forms in the Wudang sect. The Wudang boxing family also includes the well known Xuanwu Quan, Mianzhang Quan (soft palm), Huzhua (tiger claw) Quan, Dilong Quan, Hongyuan Quan and Taijiquan.
Taoism pays attention to the state of quietness and passivity, and the passage to good health. Therefore, the Wudangquan pays equal attention to its fighting and health preserving skills. It laid claim to gaining mastery by striking only after the enemy has struck, and restricting the active by quietness.
The Wudang boxing family was formed in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, around the same time period as the Shaolin boxing family.
Emeiquan Family
The Emeiquan family refers to the Sichuan boxing family with Mount Emei as the center. It is the second largest boxing family next to Nanquan (southern boxing) in south China.
Mount Emei stands upright in the middle of Sichuan province, tall and stretching in a never-ending line. Enriched with the spirit of the mountains and rivers in Sichuan, it is one of the most famous mountains of Chinese Buddhism. Legend says it is the ritual site of Samantabhadra.
It is said Taoists and monks on Mount Emei have a tradition of practicing martial arts, but there are only a few records in historical materials. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, Tang Shunzhi (1507–1560), a famous general who fought against Japanese invaders, wrote the Fist Song of the Emei Taoists, which gave a vivid description of the swiftness and flexibility of the Emei fist positions. When Tang Shun promoted the Emei fist positions, the Emeiquan equipment was in the process of a qualitative leap, representative with the reputation of Emei marksmanship. The marksmanship was handed down by Pu En, a Zen master on Mountain Emei, and it promoted the development of Shaolin martial arts.
Sichuan, the land of abundance, witnessed an early developed economy and culture, and frequent exchanges with the northern part of the country. Emei fist positions took shape on the basis of a mutual exchange with local Sichuan fist positions and Shaolin martial arts. The Sengmenquan, Minghaiquan, Hongmenquan, Zimenquan, Huimenquan, and Panpomen fist positions, widely spread in Sichuan, are said to have originated from the Song shan Shaolin Temple . Zhaomenquan, Shandongjiao and other fist positions also have origin relations with the Shaolin Temple. However, many of these fist styles focus mainly on Duanquan (short range boxing), and there are obvious differences between the Shaolin styles, which use more fists than legs and such styles have been localized with Sichuan characteristics.
Among the Emeiquan family, there are some local boxing generics, such as Yumen quan, Baimeiquan, and Huamenquan. There are still some rare pictographic style boxing methods such as Hamaquan (toad boxing), (butterfly boxing), Panhuaquan and Huangshanquan (eel boxing).
In addition, Wudang, Nanquan, Xingyiquan (shape-intensive fists), Taiji and Bagua families have spread fist techniques in Sichuan. Some of them have even evolved into the Emeiquan family.
According to recent statistics, there are altogether 67 boxing generics in Sichuan province with 1652 set patterns, and another 276 exercises. Among the 67 boxing generics, 28 are local generics in Sichuan, accounting for 41.79% of the total. There are 27 generics that are obviously related to the Shaolin boxing family, or 40.30% of the total. The remaining 12 generics belong to other boxing families.
Ba-Shu culture has always been open and assimilative, and it is a microcosm of the Ba-Shu culture.
Nanquan Family
This is a boxing family that boasts sub-tropical oceanic atmosphere and a hills-style. With Fujian and Guangdong as the center, it is widespread in the south of the Yangtze River area, so it is called Nanquan, or southern boxing. Legend says it was derived from Fujian Nanquan, or the South Shaolin Temple in Fujian, but no strong evidence supporting it has ever been found.
