Shaolin Kung Fu Monkey Style: Its Principles and Practice!

This article considers the monkey’s place in Chinese history, martial arts, and Qigong. Western views on this were frequently based on outdated, ethnocentric, and inaccurate 19th-century perceptions of China that are still (wrongly) considered authoritative today.

Serious martial artists wishing to learn the skills of training, fighting, and preserving health from the agile anthropoid must discard such preconceived ideas. Inevitably, informed sources of Chinese martial lore, rather than 19th century Eurocentric ignorance, provide the key insights needed.

I am indebted to Si Gung Rex Jones and Grandmaster Yap Leong, my two Most Estimated Masters in over 40 years of Martial Arts study, for their inspiration, help and encouragement in this field. Grand Master Yap’s knowledge of Chinese martial arts, culture, history and their interrelationship is truly encyclopedic and both were taught by world famous contemporary Grand Masters from Malaysia (1).

Tang, Sung and Ming

The popular Western myth of a huge, powerful and unstoppable monkey (King Kong) has its roots in the early activities of the Shaolin Temple of the Tang dynasty. The Temple helped reshape China’s future and introduced China and the world to Shaolin Mahayana Buddhism and Kung Fu.

This included the incredible achievements of Monk (and Monkey King/Kung Fu expert) Xuanzhang (596-664 CE) described in Wu Cheng En’s 14th century Ming Dynasty novel ‘The Journey West’. This, the world’s most popular book, describes Xuanzhang’s adventures during his epic journeys to Nepal and beyond in a lively and humorous manner that contrasts with the dispassionate formality of official Tang Dynasty historical records of the same events.

During the Ming era (1368-1644 AD), Monkey Kung Fu (Huoquan) was extremely popular and Huoquan was also practiced by the Shaolin-trained general Zhao Kuang Yin (later Emperor Taizu) along with his formidable Changquan (‘Long Fist’) Kung Fu. Taizu is Tai Jo (Supreme Founder) of Changquan and 5 Ancestor Fist (Wu Tzu Quan). Both styles have origins in the Sung Dynasty and incorporate key elements of the older (Monkey) style, which originated from the time before the Han Dynasty.

5 key precepts

The power and high level skills of Monkey Style Kung Fu sometimes lead to the status of ‘Monkey King’ according to 5 key principles:

likeness; practitioners could look, adopt postures, use limbs, and adopt expressions like monkeys when performing techniques;

Spirit; Realizing that more than ‘look-alike’ status was required, they saw threats and advantages from the Monkeys’ perspective, allowing them to successfully apply techniques for offense and defense;

Concentration; like the Monkeys, they could attack continuously, using closely associated tactics in a series of 3-4 techniques, in concentrated bursts.

Footwork; light, fast, and silent, they could dodge, sidestep, and misstep opponents in many ways with coordinated body movements;

Agility; they possessed the speed, bodily dexterity, and agility of movement essential for the Monkey technique.

in general

In 1982, the Honorable Grandmaster Xiao Yingpeng was the Monkey King of the People’s Republic of China. At the age of 66 (and over) he continued to win Kung Fu competitions and accolades for his Houquan performances (1). This emphasizes how Monkey Kung Fu and Qigong, which arise from keen observation of the behavior of man’s most venerable ancestor, can also make valuable contributions to longevity and anti-aging practice.

Ratings

(1) ‘Martial Arts Ezine: Red Dragon No.74 November 2012’ contains more about them and their ‘Monkey business’.

(2) Xi Yuan-tai and Li Xiao-gong (1982) ‘Chinese Kung Fu Series 1: Monkey Style’ Hai Feng (Publishers), Hong Kong