Cangzhou Martial Arts
01 · Historical Records
Liuhe quan (Six Harmonies boxing) originated in Botou, Cangzhou, and came down through Cao Zhenpeng of Hongxing Baliuzhuang, Botou. According to tradition, Cao Zhenpeng received the art from the knight-errant Zhang Ming in the final years of the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty (1620).
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Liuhe quan takes the Six Harmonies as both its theoretical foundation and its technical core. The Liuhe boxing manual states: the four directions, above and below, are called the universe (yu); the past and the present are called the span of time (zhou); east, west, south and north, above and below, make up the Six Harmonies. The basic theory of the art holds that yin, yang, rise, fall, movement and stillness must be coordinated and matched, that mind and intent are united, intent and qi are united, qi and strength are united, hands and feet are united, elbows and knees are united, shoulders and hips are united. If these Six Harmonies are deployed freely, the strength can issue from the feet, be supported by the legs, thrust from the hips, twist at the waist, be delivered through the shoulders and open from the hands; this is called Six Harmonies strength. In practice, mind and intent come first, the form transforms in response to the intent, movement and posture follow one another, and the hard and the soft complement each other. In sparring and real combat it stresses mastering by moving second: meeting a technique by neutralizing it, defeating a technique with a technique, using the opponent's strength against him, overcoming the hard with the soft, striking the slow with the fast, and adapting to circumstance. In this way neutralizing and striking are joined together, with defence contained in the attack and attack contained in the defence; its methods are flexible and constantly changing, with offence and defence coordinated.
The six-harmony power
The manual defines the six harmonies as space and time and the six directions; when heart, intent, energy, force, limbs and joints all combine, power rises from the foot through leg, hip, waist and shoulder to open at the hand.
Zhang Ming teaches Cao Zhenpeng
Originating in Botou, the style descends from Cao Zhenpeng of Bali village, who is said to have learned it from the knight Zhang Ming around 1620.
Striking after the opponent
In practice intent leads form and hardness tempers softness; in combat the art answers after the opponent, dissolving and breaking his attack and borrowing his force.
Eight generations of prize winners
Eight generations of inheritors have won prizes in martial arts competitions locally, nationally and overseas, contributing to the art and to Cangzhou wushu at large.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Liuhe quan is centred on Botou in Hebei and is practised chiefly in the Botou urban area and in Hongxing Baliuzhuang, Qiqiao, Jiaohe and Fuzhen, with scattered transmission in Cang County, Nanpi, Dongguang and Xian County as well as in neighbouring counties of Shandong such as Ningjin and Leling. According to tradition, in the final years of the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty (1620) the knight-errant Zhang Ming taught the art to Cao Zhenpeng of Baliuzhuang, Botou; from then on it was handed down through generation after generation of the Cao family, and in the middle and late Qing dynasty it split into several branches. Boxing societies were usually established in village and town temples, open yards and martial arts halls, where instruction was given in the form of evening lessons in the slack farming season and of master-and-disciple sparring. Botou stands where the Grand Canal meets the Jinpu railway, so trade and traffic were busy, and men who practised martial arts often earned a living as escort agents, porters and dock labourers; Liuhe quan took root among the people for that reason. After the Republic of China era began, Liuhe quan travelled with Cangzhou masters who left home to make a living, reaching Tianjin, Jinan, the region beyond the Shanhai Pass and Jiangnan, and some bearers of the art went overseas to teach. Besides bare-hand sets, its practice includes the sabre, spear, staff and sword, together with partner drills, governed throughout by the principle of the Six Harmonies, which unifies stance work, single techniques and free sparring. Botou formerly belonged to Jiaohe County of Hejian Prefecture, where canal transport, escort agencies and porters gathered; village boxing grounds often used temples and open yards for teaching, with practice suspended during the busy farming season and resumed in the slack season. Today, relying on the Botou Liuhe Quan Research Association, the tradition organises boxing manuscripts, runs schools and halls, and stages competitions; bearers of the eighth generation have won prizes in martial arts competitions at home and abroad, keeping this boxing style alive in both town and countryside across Botou.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Cangzhou Martial Arts · Cangzhou Martial Arts · Cangzhou Martial Arts · Cangzhou Martial Arts.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present, bearers of the eighth generation of Liuhe quan have won prizes in martial arts competitions at home and abroad and in national, provincial and municipal tournaments, making new contributions to the development of Liuhe quan itself and to the development of Cangzhou martial arts.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Shi Tongding 01-0040
- Chen Jingyu 03-1205
- Wu Lianzhi 03-1206
- Guo Guizeng 05-2536
- Qi Mingsong
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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