Sha Zongchao

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Sha Zongchao, Male, Hui, from Guan, Shandong, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Cha Boxing (Ⅵ-32). The tradition is documented in Guan, Shandong. Within the regional tradition and school record of Cha Boxing in Guan, Shandong: After the deaths of Zha and Hua, the local people, in memory of them, called the Jiazi Boxing “Hua Boxing” after Hua, and the Shenfashi “Cha Boxing” after Zha. Chaaquan was taught only among Muslim believers and rarely passed beyond that community; at that time it was distributed mainly in Guan County's West Street and South Street, the suburban village of Zhangyinzhuang, and a dozen or so Hui-populated villages such as Shilipu, Shazhuang, and Ligu. It later spread gradually among Muslims throughout the country, and in martial arts circles it has long enjoyed the reputation of “southern boxing, northern legs, Cha of Shandong.” After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the barriers between ethnic communities were broken down and Chaaquan began to spread widely; it has now become one of the famous martial arts schools with significant national influence and a large number of practitioners. Chaaquan (Cha Boxing) originated in the Tang dynasty. During the An-Shi Rebellion, the Tang court borrowed troops from the Da Shi kingdom of the Western Regions to suppress the revolt. A young officer in the Da Shi army, Hua Zongqi, was wounded in battle and received careful nursing from the Muslim villagers of Zhangyinzhuang Village in Guan County, Shandong. Through long development and evolution, around the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty two distinct technical schools of Chaaquan took shape in Guan County, Shandong, namely the Zhang style and the Yang style.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Sha Zongchao is anchored in the documented technical standards of Cha Boxing in Guan, Shandong. Within the documented technical tradition of Cha Boxing in Guan, Shandong: After recovering, Hua Zongqi felt he had no way to repay their kindness, so he taught the villagers the boxing he excelled in, known as “Jiazi Boxing” (Frame Boxing). Because the number of those wishing to study became large, Hua also invited his senior fellow student Zha Yuanyi from Hami to teach the boxing method known as “Shenfashi” (Body-Method Postures). Since ancient times it has been said that “the Cha and the Hua are one family,” so later generations referred to the two together as Chahua Boxing, abbreviated as Chaaquan (Cha Boxing). Zhang-style Chaaquan is swift and agile with rigorous boxing methods, represented by Zhang Qiwei of Zhangyinzhuang outside the town of Guan County. Yang-style Chaaquan is open and generous, with upright postures and rounded techniques, represented by Yang Hongxiu of South Street in Guan County town. Both schools produced a number of great martial arts masters, including Zhang Yingzhen, Wang Ziping, Zhang Xitai, Zhang Yingjian, Chang Zhenfang, Zhang Wenguang, and Pang Lintai, who made important contributions to the development of Chinese martial arts. Chaaquan is based on Tantui (springing leg) training; it comprises the ten routes of Chaaquan and also weapons practice with spear, staff, saber, and sword. Its movements are open and its rhythm bright and brisk. Chaaquan has a broad popular base in southwestern Shandong, and since the modern period it has spread to Shanghai, Jiangsu, Henan, Shanxi, Beijing, Yunnan, and elsewhere. The newly compiled Changquan routines developed in modern times, together with contemporary competitive martial arts, have drawn extensively on Chaaquan movement material and absorbed its athletic style. It has contributed to the development of Chinese martial arts. Promoting Chaaquan is of great significance for developing national physical culture and strengthening the constitution of the whole people. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Flicking leg as the foundation": The kicking form is the foundation of Cha boxing, taken up before the ten routines, with broad movements and brisk rhythm. "The ten Cha routines": Ten graded routines, from the mother-and-child set through ambush, plum blossom and linked sets to the tenth strung boxing. "The Zhang and Yang styles": By the Qianlong reign two branches had formed: the quick, rigorous Zhang school and the broad, rounded Yang school. "Spear, staff, saber and sword": The weapon sets of the style, matching the broad, brisk character of the empty-hand routines.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Sha Zongchao was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Cha Boxing, with Guan, Shandong as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Cha Boxing in Guan, Shandong: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Guan, Shandong as its declared area, and Guan County Culture Library as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Shazongchao (Guan, Shandong) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Shazongchao · China ICH Official Archive