幸会幸会, It is a great honour to have you join us on the journey to discover and explore the 5000 years old Chinese Culture, History, Literature and Martial Arts.

Our club 星洲国术 (Pinyin : Xing Zhou Guo Shu) is a Chinese Culture, Martial Arts and Kickboxing Appreciation Group in Singapore.

Chinese Martial Art Styles

There are hundreds of Chinese Martial Art Styles, each with their own Tao Lu 套路 or Set-Routines. Many westerner writers wrote the concept of Martial Art Styles appeared during the Ming Dynasty 明朝 (1368AD - 1644AD), this is certainly not true as Chinese historical records proved that Chinese Martial Art Styles appeared as early as the Tang Dynasty 唐朝 (618AD – 907AD).

The Shaolin Temple 少林寺, 200 years after its establishment was recognized as a martial art sect in the Tang Dynasty and it subsequently became the oldest Chinese Martial Art Sect. The 2nd oldest Chinese Martial Art Sect, Kongtong Sect 崆峒派 was formed in Kongtong Mountains of Gansu Province 甘肃省 by Fei Hong Zi 飞虹子 in the Tang Dynasty too. Age-old empty-hand Styles like Da Hong Quan 大鸿拳, Hua Quan 华拳 and Hong Quan 红拳 also took root in the Tang Dynasty.

Classification Chinese Martial Art Styles and Terminology

The rich variety of Chinese Martial Art Styles had led to the creation of numerous classification schemes in the olden days, like the categorization of the External Styles, Internal Styles and Religion Styles. But these olden days classification often caused confusion and might accidentally categorized foreign martial arts or combat sports as Chinese martial arts.

To clear the confusion, China Wushu Federation 中国武术协会, the world’s biggest Chinese Martial Arts Organization in the 1980s had passed a doctrine to clearly classify Chinese Martial Art Styles based on historical facts and technical application. China Wushu Federation had established the categorization of the Meng Pai 门派 (Major Sect), which all the Chinese Martial Art Styles would fall under.

Today, this doctrine of China Wushu Federation 中国武术协会 is widely accepted by the Chinese Martial Arts Community in China and Asia, in the decades to come the Chinese Martial Arts Community in the Western World would most properly adopt it too.

With this doctrine random frauds or unsanctioned creation of Martial Arts Styles will not be recognized. This system of classification brings the Chinese Martial Arts Community closer and solidifies our identity, as we the Chinese Martial Arts Practitioners all now know which is our top level Meng Pai 门派 (Major Sect). No hybrid martial arts could pose as Chinese martial arts, as it could not be linked to any of the Meng Pai 门派 (Major Sect).

To understand this modern classification of Chinese Martial Art Styles, one need to first memorize the below Chinese Martial Art terminology :

Meng Pai 门派 (Major Sect) > Zhi Pai 支派 (Branch Sect) > Quan Zhong 拳种 (Style) > Liu Pai 流派 (Style Branch)  > Tao Lu 套路 (Set-Routines) > Zhao Shi 招式 (Form)

Meng Pai 门派 (Major Sect) :

The top level of classification for Chinese Martial Arts is Meng Pai 门派 or the Major Sects. Currently, the 4 largest Major Sects are Shaolin 少林, Wudang 武当, Ermei 峨眉 and Nanquan 南拳. The other smaller Major Sects are Kongtong  崆峒,  Liangshan 梁山, Kunlun 昆仑, Qingcheng 青城 etc.

Zhi Pai 支派 (Branch Sect) :

Some Major Sects with a long history would establish Zhi Pai 支派 or Branch Sects. For example, Southern Shaolin 南少林 is a Branch Sect of Shaolin 少林.

Quan Zhong 拳种 (Style) :

The Martial Art Lineages that falls under the Major Sects are known as Quan Zhong 拳种 or Styles. Generally, these Martial Art Lineages either stem from the same Major Sect, share technical similarities or have geographical relationship. For example, Hong Quan 洪拳 (Hung Gar) and Yong Chun Quan 咏春拳 (Wing Chun) are Chinese Martial Art Styles that fall under the Major Sect of Nanquan 南拳. While Tai Ji Quan 太极拳, Xing Yi Quan 形意拳 and Bagua Zhang 八卦拳 Styles fall under the Major Sect of Wudang 武当.

Liu Pai 流派 (Style Branch) :

Each Chinese Martial Art Style practice a certain number of unique fixed Set-Routines. When a grandmaster of a Martial Art Style made alteration to the Set-Routines, the lineage under the grandmaster is known as a Liu Pai 流派 or Style Branch of the Martial Art Style. For example Chen Style Tai Ji 陈式太极, Yang Style Tai Ji 杨式太极, and Sun Style Tai Ji 孙式太极 are all Style Branch of the Tai Ji Quan 太极拳 Martial Art Style.

Tao Lu 套路 (Set-Routines) :

Tao Lu 套路 or Set-Routines are fixed Combination of moves or combat techniques. Each Chinese Martial Art Styles practice a certain number of unique fixed Set-Routines. For example, Hu He Shuang Xing 虎鹤双形 (Tiger Crane Paired Forms),  Wu Xing Quan 五形拳 (Five Element Fist) and San Zhan Shou 三展手 (Three Display Hands) are all Set-Routines of the Hong Quan 洪拳 (Hung Gar) Martial Art Style.

Zhao Shi 招式 (Form) :

Zhao Shi 招式 or Form is individual move or combat technique inclusive of strikes, blocks, parries, footworks, breathing exercises etc.

---

Importantance Of Set-Routines

 * All Chinese Martial Art Practitioners must know that it is the Set-Routines that define the Martial Art Styles and Lineages. As a Chinese Martial Arts Practitioners one must try his/her very best to memorize, perfect and document the Set-Routines to ensure the survival of his/her beloved Martial Art Style and Lineage.

* A Martial Art Style and Lineage will be considered extinct once its practitioners had forgotten its Set-Routines. Representatives of the Major Sect of Ermei 峨眉 in China’s Sichuan 四川 Province had estimated that Ermei 峨眉 have lost over 50% its Martial Art Styles due to the unsuccessful imparting and failure in documentation of Set-Routines.

Terms and Conditions