In Wudang the Baxian Gun is one of the Wudang Mountain´s treasures, the Eight Immortal Staff was created by imitating the features of the Taoist Eight Immortals. Here the softness and flexibility are the most important features. Softness is often confused, especially by westerners, to mean weakness when it actually means power without a heavy exertion of force. Using your whole body to deliver a blow like in longfist, or using your center to throw the opponent like in taichi chuan, drunken embraces both aspects. Most in the western hemisphere do not understand this, kung fu is based on physics and practicality. To understand the power of these movements requires a noble heart, yet the practitioner who achieves these abilities reaches a level of understanding how to be effective in any combat scenario.
]]>The long staff can be called as the grandfather of all weapons. It is well known and practiced in many cultures, but has different names. In China it is called gun, in Japan – bo, in Korea – bong. Also, this will be one of the first weapons a student starts to practice in Shaolin Kung Fu, the same applies in Wudang Kung Fu.
In Wudang the Baxian Gun is one of the Wudang Mountain´s treasures, the Eight Immortal Staff was created by imitating the features of the Taoist Eight Immortals. Here the softness and flexibility are the most important features. Softness is often confused, especially by westerners, to mean weakness when it actually means power without a heavy exertion of force. Using your whole body to deliver a blow like in longfist, or using your center to throw the opponent like in taichi chuan, drunken embraces both aspects. Most in the western hemisphere do not understand this, kung fu is based on physics and practicality. To understand the power of these movements requires a noble heart, yet the practitioner who achieves these abilities reaches a level of understanding how to be effective in any combat scenario.
Shaolin staff method training drills are flexible enough to be practiced in a, so called, “external” or “internal” style, depending on the focus of the practitioner. This is why Shaolin staff method is the foundation of so much long weapon training.
Chinese gun is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the spear (qiang), sabre (dao), and the straight sword (jian).
In Vietnam (as a result of Chinese influence), the gun is known as côn and is a very widespread training weapon in Vietnamese martial arts.
It is probably not possible to find the history behind the long staff or it´s source, because of it´s simplicity and easy access. But there are still legends in Chinese history behind the so well known weapon - the long staff.
We know that the bo staff originated in Okinawa, where it was used as an alternative weapon. When Emperor Sho Shin took control of the island in 1477, he banned weapons in an aim to keep the peace, a long staff was a perfect solution then.
There is a classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West”, where the immortal monkey Sun Wukong is featuring his magical staff. Nowadays Gunshu refers to the competitive event in modern wushu and is a must have in Chinese martial arts schools. Before starting to learn quans with other long weapons it is important that one learns to control the long staff. We have presendted a high quality long staff in our Wudang Store here.
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The main characteristic of Taoist clothing is that it has to be loose and comfortable, the fabric is not spared and a lot of material is used generously to tailor a Taoist robe, exactly what you still can find in Wudang, there are master tailors who are making exactly that kind of traditional Taoist uniforms.
Taoists say that you should not wear tight clothing, especially when you are doing exercises or mental practices. That also applies to tight belts, underwear, shoes, socks, jewelry and all clothing that disturbs your blood and energy (Qi) circulation. These tight clothes put pressure on your stomach, arms, legs, etc. Probably everybody has once taken his socks off and there was a big indentation where it's been digging into the skin all day. In acupuncture they study energy meridians that go all the way from your core to your extremities. Tight clothing impacts the flow of energy through these systems. We have blood vessels and nerves, and if you wear a tight watch that was just clamping down on your wrist the whole day or night, your're not getting the kind of circulation you need to your hands. Similarly, this works with underwear, ties, tight t-shirts, jewelry and anything tight that can impede the flow of energy and fluids in your body.
And now, a little of history ... Taoist clothing, which refers to the costume worn by Taoists, belongs to the Han traditional dress system. It is also known as “Fa Fu” or “Taoist uniform”. Early Taoist clothing, which was not strictly regulated, began to form systems after Lu Xiujing (陸修靜) in the Southern Liu-Song Dynasty.
]]>The main characteristic of Taoist clothing is that it has to be loose and comfortable, the fabric is not spared and a lot of material is used generously to tailor a Taoist robe, exactly what you still can find in Wudang, there are master tailors who are making exactly that kind of traditional Taoist uniforms.
Taoists say that you should not wear tight clothing, especially when you are doing exercises or mental practices. That also applies to tight belts, underwear, shoes, socks, jewelry and all clothing that disturbs your blood and energy (Qi) circulation. These tight clothes put pressure on your stomach, arms, legs, etc. Probably everybody has once taken his socks off and there was a big indentation where it's been digging into the skin all day. In acupuncture they study energy meridians that go all the way from your core to your extremities. Tight clothing impacts the flow of energy through these systems. We have blood vessels and nerves, and if you wear a tight watch that was just clamping down on your wrist the whole day or night, your're not getting the kind of circulation you need to your hands. Similarly, this works with underwear, ties, tight t-shirts, jewelry and anything tight that can impede the flow of energy and fluids in your body.
And now, a little of history ... Taoist clothing, which refers to the costume worn by Taoists, belongs to the Han traditional dress system. It is also known as “Fa Fu” or “Taoist uniform”. Early Taoist clothing, which was not strictly regulated, began to form systems after Lu Xiujing (陸修靜) in the Southern Liu-Song Dynasty. Taoism is quite cautious about its dress, both in the Quanzhen and the Zhengyi Taoism. By the end of the North-South Dynasty, a complete dress system was basically formed. That is to say, according to the years of Taoist initiation and the depth of Taoism, the Taoist is divided into several levels, and specific provisions are made for each level of Taoist clothing, crown, and boots, the fabrics to be used, the colors to be taken, the style to be taken, etc. Each rank of Taoist must dress in this manner and must not be confused.
But here we talk first of all about the Taoist robe, the fundamental piece of the Taoist costume. Taoist robe is based on the traditional Han costume, combined with Taoist ideology and theory of innovation and transformation, the formation of a very Taoist cultural connotation of the religious costume, and this religious costume in the development of Taoism, although some changes, but overall is still basically inherited the ancient system.
The Taoist clothing is the traditional costume of the Chinese nation, and the social costume has changed with the development of the times, but within the Taoist religion is largely unchanged. Daoism attaches great importance to its own traditions and has always been steadfast in adhering to all the beliefs and systems that have been formed. Its dress is just that. A real Taoist robe is also a special piece of clothing, because it is consecrated, and it is not your own normal ordinary clothing. The robe is consecrated, meaning that it is connected to a source of a certain power. You do not put on the robe as your own clothing, it's a piece of clothing that you put on to connect and put on the power of the Tao of the lineage. Everything you do and everything you say while the robe is on, will record into the lineage’s power.
The Taoist costume not only imposed certain constraints on the Taoist priests themselves but also made a greater distinction between the sacred and the secular. The common people see Taoist clothing, which in a way can alert the world and educate the people.
"Da Gua" with a large lapel, length to the leg wrist, and very wide sleeves, it is the most common type of Taoist robe that Taoists wear daily. Nowadays, they are mostly narrow-sleeved for daily tasks. All blue. This style of clothing is taken to be wide fit and loose, in order to symbolize the separation with the mundane. The Taoist clothes are traditionally to be blue colored, this is the color which is daily worn by the Taoist priests except on special ceremonies, but in modern times there is much more freedom in choosing the Taoist uniform color. Many local Wudang schools choose black or white uniforms for their students. Also, a mix of blue robe and white pants has been often sighted. In the end the most important thing is. Once you put on the robe, you are not an ordinary person anymore. That’s because you are now in the robe and all your actions, your speech and your everything represents the Tao, the higher powers, who have given you the connection and the power through the robe. Your actions and everything represents the Tao.
More variations of Taoist uniforms you can discover here
]]>Qigong practice involves moving meditation, coordinating slow-flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and a calm meditative state of mind. People practice qigong for recreation, exercise, relaxation, preventive medicine, self-healing, meditation, self-cultivation, and supportive training for martial arts.
Neigong exercises that are part of the neijia tradition involve cultivating physical stillness and or conscious (deliberate) movement, designed to produce relaxation or releasing of muscular tension combined with special breathing techniques. The fundamental purpose of this process is to develop a high level of coordination, concentration and technical skill that is known in the martial arts world as neijin (內勁). The ultimate purpose of this practice is for the individual to become at one with heaven or the Dao.
Practices associated with the word Qigong often have more to do with the study of Qi and the external changes, The use of the word Neigong is often associated more with the inner alchemical changes. Both are intertwined, it just depends on how deep you want to travel or the requirements of the system you study. Shifu Neil Ripski once said "Qigong changes your body, neigong changes your character".
Essential differences between Qigong and Neigong are that Qigong works from the outside to the inside while Neigong works from the core and spreads outwards. Qigong is like acupuncture where specific qigong movements works to clear certain affected meridians.
Neigong works simultaneously from the core on all meridians. Neigong emphasizes more on body, qi and spirit and the three treasures of Jin, qi, shen 精气神 Commonly neigong is more difficult to practice and is considered as advanced and most practitioners start with the easier forms of qigong. Examples of neigong forms are Zhan Zhuang, Bagua Neigong and various Taoist alchemy meditation methods.
Apart from its unique architecture, Wudang is renown for its wealth of cultural relics. Throughout its history, but most especially during the Ming Dynasty, Wudang was the recipient of numerous religious gifts. Feudal rulers and Taoist devotees provided funds for the molding of thousands of statues of gods and the crafting of thousands of musical instruments made of gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, jade, pearl and stone.
The first temples on Mount Wudang were constructed during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). By that time Taoism had become a state religion, coexisting with both Buddhism and Confucianism as one of the three great religions of China. Taoism is essentially a reinterpretation of an ancient tradition of nature worship and divination. Taoists believe that the Dao (or Tao , meaning "way" or "path") is the origin of all creation and the force behind all the changes in the natural world. Simplicity, harmony, peace and retreat into nature are some of the basic principles of Taoism.
Taoist culture has existed on Mt. Wudang since the East Han Dynasty (AD 25-220).The movement began with a few early Taoists settling on the mountain in order to practise their worship of nature. As time passed, more Taoists converged on the mountain, making Mt. Wudang a Taoist holy place in central China. During the Zhenguan period (AD 627-647) in the Tang Dynasty Emperor Taizong constructed the Wulong (Five Dragons) Temple , the purpose of which was to spread Taoism on the mountain. The temple structure is one of the ways of expressing Taoist culture in physical form. A temple provides a container for the integration of the various elements of Taoism. Mt. Wudang remained a sacred Taoist site for several hundred years. The buildings were enlarged during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, but many of the buildings from this period were destroyed during warfare and battles at the end of the Yuan Dynasty when the Mongols invaded China.
The greatest period of development was during the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644). In AD 1413 Emperor Yongle (AD 1403-1424) sent more than 200,000 soldiers and labourers to transform Mt. Wudang into the largest Taoist complex in the world. It took thirteen years to complete construction, which included nine palaces, seventy-two temples and halls, thirty-six nunneries, thirty-nine bridges, twelve platforms and countless stone steps winding their way along the entire mountain. The floor space of all of these complexes came to over one million square meters, although now, with the destruction of many buildings the floor space totals 50,000 square meters.
In 1994 the ancient building complex in the Wudang mountains was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Wudangshan is located in a quite mild area of China. The Temperature in the summer usually dos not rise over 37degree, while in the winter it will not sink under -5 degree. It is a very green mountain with a vast flora and also fauna. Therefor it has since ancient times always attracted people, who want to practice Martial Arts, meditation or any other kind of self cultivation or arts.
Apart from its unique architecture, Wudang is renown for its wealth of cultural relics.Throughout its history, but most especially during the Ming Dynasty, Wudang was the recipient of numerous religious gifts. Feudal rulers and Taoist devotees provided funds for the molding of thousands of statues of gods and the crafting of thousands of musical instruments made of gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, jade, pearl and stone.
The first temples on Mount Wudang were constructed during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). By that time Taoism had become a state religion, coexisting with both Buddhism and Confucianism as one of the three great religions of China. Taoism is essentially a reinterpretation of an ancient tradition of nature worship and divination. Taoists believe that the Dao (or Tao , meaning "way" or "path") is the origin of all creation and the force behind all the changes in the natural world. Simplicity, harmony, peace and retreat into nature are some of the basic principles of Taoism.
Taoist culture has existed on Mt. Wudang since the East Han Dynasty (AD 25-220).The movement began with a few early Taoists settling on the mountain in order to practise their worship of nature. As time passed, more Taoists converged on the mountain, making Mt. Wudang a Taoist holy place in central China. During the Zhenguan period (AD 627-647) in the Tang Dynasty Emperor Taizong constructed the Wulong (Five Dragons) Temple , the purpose of which was to spread Taoism on the mountain. The temple structure is one of the ways of expressing Taoist culture in physical form. A temple provides a container for the integration of the various elements of Taoism. Mt. Wudang remained a sacred Taoist site for several hundred years. The buildings were enlarged during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, but many of the buildings from this period were destroyed during warfare and battles at the end of the Yuan Dynasty when the Mongols invaded China.
The greatest period of development was during the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644). In AD 1413 Emperor Yongle (AD 1403-1424) sent more than 200,000 soldiers and laborers to transform Mt. Wudang into the largest Taoist complex in the world. It took thirteen years to complete construction, which included nine palaces, seventy-two temples and halls, thirty-six nunneries, thirty-nine bridges, twelve platforms and countless stone steps winding their way along the entire mountain. The floor space of all of these complexes came to over one million square meters, although now, with the destruction of many buildings the floor space totals 50,000 square meters. In 1994 the ancient building complex in the Wudang mountains was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Wudangshan is located in a quite mild area of China. The Temperature in the summer usually dos not rise over 37 degree, while in the winter it will not sink under -5 degree. It is a very green mountain with a vast flora and also fauna. Therefor it has since ancient times always attracted people, who want to practice Martial Arts, meditation or any other kind of self cultivation or arts.
]]>Our bodies are no super machines and once we overdid it the process can hardly be reversed. Most people do not realize how serious this problem can be, toxins in your body will not show immediately but can be very problematic in years to come.
The first thought should be how to utilize your energy: eating, drinking, breathing. Being mindful of only one of these things and neglecting the others will not lead to becoming healthy. Eating, drinking and breathing are all equally important, and should all be equally prioritized. All of these involve a different section in your body and therefore has a different detoxification process. For example: smoking and eating junk food are still toxic for the balance of your energy, even though they both involve their akin bodily function (breathing and eating).
Changing your life style is important when you know the way you are living is not healthy. Your body will not compromise with your habits, thus will react accordingly to what you put in it or how you treat it.
The body is a very strong and has had to develop a lot to come to where it is now. Most of the damage can be undone if you're patient and give your training the time that it needs. The Taoist secret to detoxification is no magical formula and can be learned through natural understanding by allowing yourself to feel the impact of your actions on your own mind and body. The Taoist way is self experience through the changes on your body under the current circumstances.
Modern times are difficult and a lot of things will try to fool your body. Chemical substances, food/taste enhancers, stabilizers and genetically modified foods are often used today to make people eat food from big brands and companies. Some have additive properties, some are superior in some way to their natural competitor. Do you simply ignore the fact that this food is unhealthy because everyone is eating it?
Most food is making digesting harder for you than needed. The key is to eat "light food". Spices, salt, fat in excess can make the digestion process harder on your organs; the way you cook is important for your stomach. Don't overcook, but rather, keep your vegetables lightly cooked instead - especially in preparing steamed meal. This type of cooking is very popular in Wudang and also very effective in making digestion easier on your stomach.
Putting additional stress on your internal organs will reflect on the outside as well, and if totally ignored can even make you sick.
]]>The entire body of Wudang Kung Fu is comprised of Wuji, Tai Chi, and Liang Yi. Taijiquan, Liangyiquan, Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, Wudang Sword and other internal Wushu systems are representative of Wudang Wushu. Wudang Kung Fu maintains the traditions and unique styles of the different systems.It uses Daoist philosophy and theory to guide, and also combines the study of Daoist medicine, the Yi Jing, and nei dan health cultivation methodology as its overall guiding principles and disciplines.Alongside these it fuses wushu fighting skills and exercises to strengthen the body and places great emphasis on understanding the body’s energy channels and acupuncture points.Wudang Kung Fu greatly stresses the importance of establishing a strong foundation in internal practice.By practicing to synthesize and coordinate the internal qi and the external body there is born a unification of internal and external.Using the qi for explosive power, borrowing power, becoming adept in using the soft to overcome the hard, using stillness to regulate movement, possessing a great unification of soft and hard, nimbly turning, circling, and evading and many other techniques are all characteristic traits of “internal kungfu”.
Relaxed, natural movement, a soft external and strong internal, moving like clouds and flowing water, continuous and unimpeded action and many other techniques are Wudang’s great attributes that distinguish it from other wushu.
In keeping with improvements in modern living conditions, people all over the world are looking to improve their health. As a result there are many different systems of health improvement that are springing up all over. China possesses thousands of years of development in self-defense practices, different artistic forms of self-expression and various methods and systems of health cultivation.The reason that Wudang Wushu has been able to continuously prosper up to today without being drowned out by modern trends is because it maintains a truly unique cultural character; its primary focus is on its oldest and most practically applicable value – health cultivation.
Ancient Taoist practices apply the theories of combining movement and stillness, internal and external, refining and cultivating, and the physical with the mental/emotional/spiritual as the major focuses for cultivation.These practices are used to balance and fortify the body’s original qi, vitality and spirit.The cultivation of jing, qi and shen as well as the physical body are given significant importance.Specifically in the methods of refining and cultivating one follows the method of the meridians or energy channels of the body. Taoist Health Cultivation uses dao yin (Taoist stretching and breathing exercises), qigong, wushu/gongfu methods in order to harmonize and improve the circulation of the meridians, improve the circulation of qi and blood, and harmonize yin and yang within the body – thereby achieving great improvement in overall health.
At the present time there are several Taoist Health Cultivation practices that are suitable for all to learn and practice, including Taiji, standing meditation, Ba Duan Jin (the Eight Pieces of Brocade Qi Gong), Taiyi/Liangyi Quan, Five Animals Qi Gong, Taihe Quan, push hands, etc.These practices are soft and slow-moving, and are helpful in coordinating breathing and intention/thinking, regulating blood and circulation, and relaxing the spirit and mind.They can help in lowering the degree of blood viscosity, reducing cholesterol, and blood stasis; improving blood circulation, and can greatly improve the condition of blood clotting related problems of the internal organs that may be at risk or in poor health and cause for concern.For example – those at risk of heart attack, cerebral thrombosis (blood clotting), early stage cirrhosis of the liver, etc. can greatly benefit by adopting these practices into their daily lives.By opening the meridians and removing sickness and toxic substances from the body one can therein begin to improve the overall yin yang balance of the internal organs. Taoist Health Cultivation methods can greatly improve and strengthen practitioners’ immunity to sickness and disease as well as slow the aging and deterioration of the different organ system of the body.It can be seen that these practices are quite suitable and beneficial for everyone – especially young children, the elderly and infirm and those suffering from waist and neck problems.
]]>Experience is important when tailoring clothing for western people. Since there is a lot of difference in proportions and sizes when it comes to western people. The most common problems for beginner tailors with western people are: "long or too short pants or sleeves, wrong collar sizes or shirt lengths." With your measurements Wudang Store tailors real Taoist and Tai Chi clothing that truly fit you! We stand for affordable high quality and custom tailored Taoist and Tai Chi clothing. Every part of clothing has its problem parts. Some areas might last shorter than others. If considered correctly the clothing overall will last very long without breaking. It is important to understand this to get the best quality and the most function from every part of clothing. The traditional way of tailoring is not easy.
Wudang Store mostly uses natural Material with natural coloring. The fabrics are not heavy chemical colored, this maintains the durability of each fabric. But if you expose our natural fabric to a lot of sunlight the colors might weaken. To our natural fabrics we have: "Hemp, Bamboo, Linen, Cotton, Sheep Wool, Silk" Most of this materials are woven by hand. You can see the difference on each fabric line. The lines are not 100% the same like machine woven. Our natural materials are 100% non allergic, antibacterial and skin friendly. Doesn't smell and will not shrink when washed.
This Guide is focusing on easy understanding and helping you to decide which kind of sword is for you.
The balance of stiff blades is more on the head, while flexible blades tend to have the balance closer to the hilt. There are also semi flexible blades which still feel good in balance but wont bounce around as much as full flexible blades do. For Kung Fu performances you mostly want a flexible blade, since the power and stability of your movements can be measured and shown through your flexible blade. For Tai Chi you might want a semi flexible or stiff blade. With a stiff blade the fluid movements of Tai Chi feel very good and give you a stable sense of direction during your exercise.
If held in reverse grip at your side it should come to your ear. There is no must be when it comes to sword length. Usually if you like to leave a stronger impression in your performances, you might want a longer sword. But longer swords need more control and are usually slower in turning than shorter swords. Shorter swords are easier to balance. Longer swords need more attention in proper balancing. Wudang Store is making the job here for you, we check every sword before selling and the balance is always very good. Two handed swords have a proper length when they reach above your head. Single handed swords should not be longer than your head when held in reverse grip at your side.
If you have a chrome steel blade you dont have to worry much, only wipe once in a while after touching or training with a simple dry tissue or a piece of cloth.
These rules are important:
For carbon or manganese steel blades please use our sword oil. The purpose of the sword oil is to prevent the oxygen to touch your blade. For the first time make sure you apply plenty of oil. Use a tissue or piece of cloth to apply the sword oil. Make sure you do not leave free spots on your blade. The steel should be covered in oil to prevent the touch of oxygen on the blade.
If the blade was expensive and made of high carbon steel be sure to coat the sword with oil right after usage. If the blade is still coated in oil, there is no need to reapply the oil. For manganese steel it is fine to check and apply oil once in a week or once in a month. This is strongly depending on how often you put the sword out of the sheath.
If the blade is made of chrome steel, then yes you can easily fix it with sandpaper. But if you do not fix it properly the blade will be rusty very fast again. This is because the sandpaper will scratch the surface and if not carefully polished, you will make the surface bigger and rust has a bigger area to attack the blade. The result is faster rusting and more often the use of sandpaper. When you intend to fix your blade from the rust be sure to use sandpaper with different stages. We recommend to use between 600 - 1000 grits for weak till medium corrosion. Polishing should be done in multiple steps starting with a 1000 grit paper and finish with 5000 grits. We do not recommend to use sandpaper on expensive swords or mirror polished blades. Please go to a professional smith.
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The name comes from literally reeling silk off the cocoons of silkworms, a task traditionally done by young girls. If you pull too hard or unevenly, the silk thread breaks. Short silk threads were worth much less than long ones, so the movement must be done very smooth and evenly, same as in Tai Chi.
Silk Reeling is a distinct feature of Wudang Tai Chi and Chen Style Tai Chi, referring to continuous rounded and spiral movements utilising the whole body and limbs on top of the regular move from point A to point B.
Basically it means that power does not transfer in a linear fashion but it coils and spirals along the limbs. Thus there are two directions (clockwise & anti-clockwise).
Crescent Moon Knives are especially associated with the soft style Chinese martial art Baguazhang, which is known for its diverse weaponry. They are mainly used in trapping an opponent’s weapon in aid of tying up or breaking the opponent’s weapon, disarming the opponent and other close combat applications.
The Crescent Moon Knives are normally used against longer weapons such as spear, sword, broadsword, or any weapon which uses safe distances to attack from. One advantage of the Crescent Moon Knives in comparison to a longer weapon is that seeing as the deer horn knives are direct appendages of the hands, they can be moved with great speed and precision, and along with their ease of concealment, can easily be used to catch their opponent off guard.
Some variations of the Crescent Moon Knives include pairs with one crescent being longer than the other, the large blade presumably being used as the “main” hand and the smaller blade as the “guard” hand.
Wudang Store selected Bagua Moon Knives of highest quality here.
A monk’s spade (Traditional Chinese: 月牙鏟; Simplified Chinese: 月牙铲; pinyin: yuèyáchǎn; literally “Crescent Moon Spade”; also, Traditional Chinese: 禪仗; Simplified Chinese: 禅仗; pinyin: chánzhàng; literally, “Zen Weapon”. Romanized Japanese: getsugasan, Hiragana: げつがさん), also called a Shaolin Spade, is a Chinese pole weapon consisting of a long pole with a flat spade-like blade on one end and a smaller crescent shaped blade on the other. In old China, Buddhist monks often carried spades (shovels) with them when travelling. This served two purposes: if they came upon a corpse on the road, they could properly bury it with Buddhist rites, and the large implement could serve as a weapon for defense against bandits. Over time, they were stylised into the monk’s spade weapon.
The Fangbian Chan (or Monk Spade) is an unusual kind of weapon, which also Taoists possess and wandering Taoists bring with them in their travels. It is said that the Fangbian Chan is Laozi’s creation. In the field of Daoist studies, practicing the Fangbian Chan not only demands rigor, but it also builds rigor. The Fangbian Chan is divided into 3 parts.
First, the head of the shovel: its length of 1.8 feet represents the secret space between the 18 levels of Hades. The shovel face’s 2 curved edges each have a ring, which represents the 2 energies of Yin and Yang. The neck of the shovel head has 5 iron rings, representing the 5 elements (fire, wood, water, metal, earth). So the idea of the 5 elements is that practicing the Dao to keep Yin and Yang balanced in order to have the power to break away from the abyss of misery, and suppress the 18 levels of Hades with the shovel.
Second, the handle of the shovel: its length of 3.3 feet represents the middle 33 heavens. The idea is to manage cause and effect, good and bad oneself.
Third, the end of the shovel: its length of 8.6 inches represents the 8 directions and 6 sides because the 3 curves of the drill it forms brings about conformation and represent 3 Cai (Heaven/Earth/Humanity). In addition, each curve has a loop representing 3 treasures (Jjing/Qi/Shen). In this way, there is Heaven and Earth, and people have life from the 3 heavenly treasures. For this reason, people who go out into the world and experience life must follow the natural way of the existence in this world and universe. Laozi created the Fangbian Chan form with 81 movements; the original idea was to remind his disciples to always keep Yin and Yang, always practice with the heart, body, and mind, and help others along the way. Keep doing this again and again throughout your life and you can become immortal in the end. After this, you can suppress the force of Hades and rise to the Heavens.
The Fangbian Chan is a complete weapon. It can be used as a staff, spear, long broadsword, and trident. It can be used to hook, hitch, chop, block, thrust, shovel, sweep, smack, beat, twist, etc. These applications are used to understand the principles of defending and attacking, backwards and forwards, slow and fast, hard and soft, etc. Here is the path to the product list with Monk Spades
Wudang-Store is supported by local taoists in Wudangshan, since we opened our store in year 2012 we have happy customers only, because to find a better quality is simply not possible in whole China nor the internet.
On the picture below is the inner life of the working place of our tailor Lou He Hua
When I visited our tailor Lou He Hua I made few pictures of the view outside his atelier, those are rare pictures of Wudangshan, because since now it is forbidden by the Hubei province government selling vegetables from the ground and street food in the Wudang Mountains area.
Now everybody has the opportunity to buy a Tai Chi Uniform directly from Wudang online in our Online Shop.
]]>Routines for hook swords are taught in such northern schools as Northern Shaolin and Seven-Star Mantis, and in some schools of southern arts such as Choy Lay Fut. Modern routines for hook swords are often very flashy, and may involve techniques such as linking paired weapons and wielding them as a single long, flexible weapon. Most routines are single person. Some schools of Baguazhang also teach a similar weapon, often called "deer horn knives" or "Mandarin duck knives." These weapons typically feature a much shorter or entirely missing main hook, and instead focus on the various cutting and stabbing blades arranged around the guard. Because of the various protrusions and the high possibility for accidental hooking or stabbing, they are almost never used in sparring, and are used sparingly in two person routines. Check out our Double Hook Swords Selection at the Wudang Store.
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Fu Chen is a soft weapon originally used by Taoists for their travels designed to whisk away flies and mosquitos. Later generations have created the Fuchen form performed with a Horsehair Whisk.
The use of the Fuchen as a martial arts weapon was popularized by the Wudang Daoist Monks. They brought the whisk to its current level of notoriety especially given that many lay people believed it to be the only thing the Wandering Monks had available to protect themselves while out on their pilgrimage for acceptance by their masters. In actual fact, one of the other things the Wandering Monks were given when leaving the temple was a sword, so it can safely be assumed they would have used both weapons for self-defense if required. Wudang Fuchen is a weapon that truly combines the Yin and the Yang, with a hard handle and a soft tail. A weapon that on its shaft has one end rounded and the other end mounted with a conical metal tip hidden under its tail.
The movements of this form are made up of dusting, sweeping and picking. This weapon looks very soft and gentle but is extremely hard and strong for the opponent. The Horsehair Whisk or Fuchen is a special Taoist weapon. There is a saying: “The person who holds the Fuchen is not an ordinary person.” In Taoism, the Fuchen is for those who want to study seriously.
The Fuchen is essentially a whisk made by binding the hair from a horse’s tail to a long wooden handle. Throughout Chinese history the Fuchen has come in many guises from being as simple as palm fibers bound to Smilax root, through to the use of a variety of animal hairs including Yak, being bound with hemp onto a wooden shaft. The most luxurious and expensive were of course the whisks combining unusually colored horse hair with handles made from things such as Cinnabar, Ivory, Mahogany, Sandalwood and Ebony.
A long time ago, the Taoist temple was very serious in finding students. Usually, the Taoist master takes a long period of time to test and observe a disciple, after which the master will especially choose him for deeper teachings. Usually, a disciple will do simple work in the first three years, and learn some basic skills about Tao and kung fu, during which time, the master is still testing and observing the disciple’s patience. After 3 years of testing is complete, the master throws a ceremony to show his acceptance of a real disciple. Then the master allows the disciple leave to travel and study more, but he is worried the disciple will be tempted by many things and will not return. Therefore, before the disciple leaves, the master gives him a few things to remind him. One of these things: 1. a red belt (3.3 feet means to tame the mind) for this time period, he has to be serious and keep his mind at peace. 2. the Fu Chen, during his travels, befriend good people and help others. If he is enamored with something and is tempted to return to society, he must whisk away these ideas, like the Fu Chen. 3. the sword. If he has lost his way and has lost himself, the disciple remembers that his master has given him the sword to cut away these ideas, so that he may continue on his path. After 3 years of traveling and studying, he returns and the master sees that he has enough patience and steadfastness to live a lifetime at the temple, to learn the Dao, and finally for the master to teach him how to be immortal.
The Fuchen style is one of the soft weapon styles. wrapping and pulling, snapping, whisking, poking, sweeping, etc. It can be used like the broadsword, straight sword, scourge, and dart weapons. When you practice the Fuchen, your movements must be in tune with your intention, your intention must be in tune with your Qi, and your Qi must be in tune with your Shen. Its movements are smooth like the wind and flowing like water.
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