Yan Liangming
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Yan Liangming, Male, Han, from Xiangtan, Hunan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Wujia Boxing (Ⅵ-89). The tradition is documented in Xiangtan, Hunan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Wujia Boxing in Xiangtan, Hunan: In addition, it is distributed in Fujian, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, and other provinces and regions, and radiates to a number of overseas countries. Wujia Boxing is transmitted mainly in central, eastern, and northern Hunan, with its place of origin, Xiangtan, the most concentrated area, having the largest transmitting community and famous masters in every generation; the Xiangtan Wujia Boxing Association is currently the main body of transmission and conservation. It is also distributed in Fujian, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, and other provinces and regions, and radiates to a number of overseas countries. It is carried on orally and by demonstration, with the Wujia Boxing Manual as its vehicle; the project currently has nearly 50 inheritors and more than ten transmission backbones, and the association bears the principal responsibility for transmission and training practice. Wujia Boxing is a technical system integrating training, health preservation, and combat, created during the Qing dynasty by Wu Bida, who settled in Xiangtan, Hunan, and fused the local Hong Boxing with the health-preservation exercise "Sixteen Ingots of Gold" in a single crucible.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Yan Liangming is anchored in the documented technical standards of Wujia Boxing in Xiangtan, Hunan. Within the documented technical tradition of Wujia Boxing in Xiangtan, Hunan: The force method of Wujia Boxing is called "cradle force"; its footwork is mainly the cold-sparrow step and the trident step, with flexible changes and a small range of movement. Wujia Boxing contains three stylistic boxing routines — Trident Six Elbows, Pinch-and-Hang Six Elbows, and Swing-Gate Six Elbows — as well as weapons routines using the saber, truncheon, stool, rake, and staff, twenty-two in all. Its training equipment includes spears and staves, sand cylinders, rice-husk vats, cotton pads, sabers, and other types. Its force emission emphasizes "startling wind and springing temper" and "the heart startles at the meridian"; in combat it requires attending to left and right together and uniting attack and defense, every strike issued in combination, and a hand once sent out does not return. The combat of Wujia Boxing lays stress on the three spirits of "huan, qu, and wei", which are its essence. "Huan" (joy): the face wears a smile and all the muscles are relaxed. "Qu" (advance): with the cold-sparrow step one presses forward quickly and spiritedly; only with spirit can one close in swiftly and issue force. "Wei" (might): qi sinks to the dantian and drives force, instantaneously releasing powerful explosive strength, often accompanied by a shout that startles and overawes the opponent. Actual combat requires the three spirits of "huan, qu, and wei" to flow through one another, completed in a single breath. Wujia Boxing has a distinctive style and strong combat character, blending combat with health preservation and integrating training, nurturing, and fighting in one trinity; it cultivates both internal and external, draws widely on others' strengths, and embodies the essence of Chinese martial arts. It has completely preserved traditional martial arts ceremonies and rules such as "opening the hall", "inviting the master", "inviting the sage", "offering to the staff", and "consecrating the staff", providing an important sample for the study of martial arts culture. The training equipment of Wujia Boxing includes spears and staves, sand cylinders, rice-husk vats, cotton pads, sabers, and other types; the rice-husk vats and cotton pads are designed specifically to train the sustained force path of the "cradle force", while the sand cylinders are used to increase the endurance of the wrists, arms, waist, and hips. When opening a school to take on apprentices and when equipment is first put into use, traditional rules such as "opening the hall", "inviting the master", "inviting the sage", "offering to the staff", and "consecrating the staff" are still carried out in sequence — something not often seen among southern boxing styles. In combat it stresses the three spirits of "huan, qu, and wei" flowing through one another, completed in a single breath, attending to left and right together and uniting attack and defense, every strike issued in combination, and a hand once sent out does not return. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The three spirits: huan, qu, wei": The essence of the style: a smiling relaxed face, the brisk sparrow step advancing, and power issued from the dantian with a shout to unnerve the opponent. "Cradle power and the sparrow step": Its power method is called cradle power, with the sparrow step and three-fork step keeping movement compact and flexible. "The three six-elbow routines": Three stylistic boxing routines which, with sabre, mace, bench, rake and staff sets, make up the style's twenty-two routines. "Weapon routines": Bench, rake, mace and other daily implements and short weapons appear in the routines, typical of southern styles.
The three spirits: huan, qu, wei
The essence of the style: a smiling relaxed face, the brisk sparrow step advancing, and power issued from the dantian with a shout to unnerve the opponent.
Cradle power and the sparrow step
Its power method is called cradle power, with the sparrow step and three-fork step keeping movement compact and flexible.
The three six-elbow routines
Three stylistic boxing routines which, with sabre, mace, bench, rake and staff sets, make up the style's twenty-two routines.
Weapon routines
Bench, rake, mace and other daily implements and short weapons appear in the routines, typical of southern styles.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Yan Liangming was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Wujia Boxing, with Xiangtan, Hunan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Wujia Boxing in Xiangtan, Hunan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Xiangtan, Hunan as its declared area, and Xiangtan Wu JiaQuan Association 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
Historical origin
Wujia Boxing is a technical system integrating training, health preservation, and combat, created during the Qing dynasty by Wu Bida, who settled in Xiangtan, Hunan, and fused the local Hong Boxing with the health-preservation exercise "Sixteen Ingots of Gold" in a single crucible.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yan Liangming | Xiangtan, Hunan | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。