Wrestling
01 · Historical Records
Beishi wrestling in Shenyang originated in the Manchu buku, and rose to prominence in the Beishi market of Shenyang in the 1920s. Shenyang Beishi wrestling originated from Manchu buku and stands as a witness to cultural exchange between the Manchu and Han peoples.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
At that time, wrestling masters from all over the country came to Shenyang in succession to compare skills, so that the art of Beishi wrestling steadily improved and gradually formed its own distinctive techniques. Centered on the Beishi market of Shenyang, it spread throughout the country, and later, with the migration of overseas Chinese, to neighboring countries and the countries of Southeast Asia. Shenyang Beishi wrestling combined the traditional wrestling techniques of the Manchu and Mongolian peoples with the essence of Xin Jianhou's xingyi boxing, creating a new wrestling method that added martial arts to wrestling and made its movements more elegant and its spectacle greater. It is technically demanding, comprising thirty-six major throws, with techniques such as hooking, lifting, charging, stabbing, leaning, digging, raking, kicking and twisting; the attacking movement varies with the part of the wrestling jacket gripped, the opponent's body angle and the direction of force. Wrestling emphasizes that the hands are two doors while victory depends entirely on the legs; it stresses "using skill to overcome a thousand pounds", eschewing brute and clumsy force and making good use of clever leverage, borrowing the opponent's force against him. It requires "eyes like meteors, hands like arrows, the waist like a serpent, the feet like drills" — quick of eye and hand, adapting to circumstances, with myriad changes in the course of a clinch. Its competition rules are unarmed one-on-one contests, decided by the best of three rounds, with victory determined when three points touch the ground; the bout stops upon contact and is safe and civilized. Its signature techniques include the "Thousand-Handed Lift", "Flying from the Waist", "Black Dragon Wagging Its Tail", "Night Battle on All Sides", "Cold Crow Floating on Water" and "Su Qin Carrying a Sword on His Back". It is an all-round form of exercise combining speed, endurance, explosive power and flexibility; it stops upon contact and is safe and civilized, makes few demands on venue, equipment or clothing, is readily accepted by the public and easy to promote and popularize, and has good fitness and health-building benefits.
Founders Dong Yongshan, Luan Shusheng and Liu Changqing
The Beishi wrestling ground was founded jointly by Dong Yongshan, Luan Shusheng and Liu Changqing, and passed on master to disciple thereafter.
Thirty-six major throws
Its technical backbone is thirty-six major throws — hooking, hooking aside, carrying, tripping, pressing, scooping, raking, kicking and twisting — varied by grip, body angle and direction of force.
Signature throws
The style is famed for signature throws such as the thousand-hand hoist, the waist fly, the black dragon's swinging tail, night battle on eight sides, the hovering crow and Su Qin's back sword.
Hands are the two leaves, legs are the arbiter
Its maxims — eyes like shooting stars, waist like a snake, feet like gimlets — express an art that borrows the opponent's force rather than meeting it with brute strength.
Best of three, decided by touch-downs
Bouts are two-man, ungloved, best of three, decided by three controlled touches, stopping at the point of score and safe throughout.
Liu Yongfu and judo
The second-generation inheritor Liu Yongfu folded Beishi throws into judo, altering its clinch and throwing technique and producing several Olympic champions.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Shenyang Beishi wrestling originated in the Beishi (North Market) area of Heping District, Shenyang; when it rose to prominence in the 1920s, the "three wonders" of Beishi entertainment — acrobatics, storytelling and wrestling — were at their height, and wrestling grounds were mostly set in the courtyards of tea houses. Thereafter the wrestling grounds spread within and beyond Fengtian city, with exchanges with the Tianjin wrestling scene and the Shanghai wrestling grounds; Beishi wrestling also spread throughout the Northeast with the migration into Manchuria and the movement of immigrants, and to the Korean peninsula and Japan, becoming an important branch of wrestling in the Northeast region.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Tianqiao Wrestling · Wrestling · Wrestling · Wrestling.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Beishi wrestling grounds were founded jointly by Dong Yongshan, the "Wrestling King", Luan Shusheng, the "Wrestling Bully", and Liu Changqing, "Dunzi Liu", and were later transmitted from master to disciple, producing many outstanding students. Second-generation transmitter Liu Yongfu incorporated the techniques of Beishi wrestling into judo and trained several Olympic champions, creating a miracle in the history of world judo wrestling. It is an indelible folk memory of the people of Shenyang, embodying the wisdom and talent of the wrestlers, and possessing deep historical and cultural value.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Li Yong 05-2543
- Li Yougui 05-2544
- Miman Aimila 05-2545
- Guan Guilin
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript; it mirrors the bilingual dossier. 阅读中文版，或返回 英文名录。