Chinese martial arts: From being shot and killed by the armed police during a mountain search to bec

Chen Hongwu walked to the stone bench in the center of the courtyard and sat down, pointing to the stone bench opposite him.

Before I teach you anything new, let me make a few things clear to you.

Chen Hongxiu obediently sat down opposite her, her hands on her knees, her back straight.

"What is Chinese martial arts?"

Chen Hongxiu paused for a moment, then blurted out, "National martial arts is just martial arts, right?"

"You're only half right." Chen Hongwu shook his head and corrected him, "Chinese martial arts are only for killing enemies, not for performance!"

"Those somersaults, brick-breaking, and chest-breaking boulders you see on the street are just street performers' tricks, not traditional Chinese martial arts."

True Chinese martial arts are not aesthetically pleasing to watch; in fact, they can be described as ugly. This is because every movement is designed to incapacitate the opponent or kill them in the shortest possible time.

Chen Hongxiu listened intently, her eyes never blinking.

"There are two types of Chinese martial arts: training methods and fighting methods. Training methods are for oneself, such as standing meditation, practicing boxing, and breathing exercises. Over time, one can loosen the muscles and bones and develop the strength."

The fighting style is designed to be deliberate and deadly; every move is aimed at killing, not at looking good.

"So, the horse stance you taught me, brother, is a training method?" Chen Hongxiu said thoughtfully. "And the skill you used to kill those bad guys, is that a fighting method?"

"That's right." Chen Hongwu nodded. "Practice is the foundation, and fighting is the real combat. If you only practice without fighting, you're just building a cart behind closed doors. When you encounter a real opponent, you'll only get beaten up. If you only fight without practicing, you're just relying on your past achievements. Over time, your skills will deteriorate. The boxing manual says, 'Practicing boxing without internal strength training is a waste of time in old age.' That's exactly the point."

Chen Hongxiu listened intently, her hands unconsciously clenching the fabric on her knees: "So, what level can one reach in the end with traditional Chinese martial arts?"

"Manifest strength, hidden strength, and transformative strength are three kinds of strength." Chen Hongwu said, "Manifest strength is hard strength. When punches and kicks are thrown, there is a crisp sound, the tendons and bones resonate, and the power reaches the four extremities."

Once you reach this level of training, each punch and kick will have the force of several hundred pounds, making it easy to shatter rocks and break wood.

Hidden strength is a soft strength; the power travels from the tendons and bones inward, penetrating the skin and flesh and reaching the internal organs. When you reach this level, if you punch tofu, the tofu won't break, but the force will have penetrated it, and the bricks underneath the tofu will crack in two.

The neutralizing force is a force that can be used at will, combining softness and hardness, and can be controlled and released freely. It can generate deadly force from any part of the body.

The boxing manual says, "Not a feather can be added, not a fly can land," which describes the state of neutralizing force.

"Not a single feather can be added, not a single fly can land..."

Chen Hongwu knew that simply listening wasn't enough; he had to let her experience it for herself. He extended his right hand, palm up, fingers naturally spread.

"Put your hands up here."

Chen Hongxiu placed her hand on his palm. Before she could react, she felt an indescribable force emanating from her brother's palm, traveling up her wrist, causing her entire arm to swing backward involuntarily.

She tried to press her hand firmly, but the force vanished in an instant, her palm touched nothing, and she lurched forward, almost falling off the stone bench.

"That's hidden force." Chen Hongwu withdrew his hand. "The force just now was soft, so you couldn't see my hand moving. If I had used visible force..."

He casually slapped a pebble in the flower bed next to him, and the stone split in two with a clean, knife-cut surface.

Chen Hongxiu looked at the stone, then at her own palm, her eyes wide with surprise.

"That's roughly what Chinese martial arts are like." Chen Hongwu stood up and walked back to the center of the courtyard. "You're standing in the horse stance now. Get into the horse stance, and I'll teach you the Three-Body Stance based on your horse stance."

Chen Hongxiu immediately jumped up from the stone bench, hopped over to him, and assumed a horse stance.

"The kung fu of Xingyi Quan is always based on the San Ti Shi (Three-Body Stance)."

The twelve forms—splitting fist, drilling fist, collapsing fist, cannon fist, horizontal fist—all their moves and strengths are derived from this single stance.

The horse stance mentioned earlier is the foundation of stance training, allowing you to stabilize your center of gravity.

"The San Ti Shi (Three-Body Stance) that we are teaching now adds the hand skills to achieve coordination between the upper and lower body and unity between the internal and external."

"The horse stance is a fixed stance, while the three-body stance is a dynamic stance. The horse stance is a balanced stance with both feet bearing weight evenly; the three-body stance has a 30/70 front and back weight distribution, with the front foot contributing 30% of the weight and the back foot 70%. The center of gravity is shifted to the back, allowing you to seize the initiative at the slightest sign of trouble."

Chen Hongwu stepped forward with his right foot, toes pointing forward, and his left foot stepped half a step to the side behind him, his feet in a "neither fish nor fish" position.

With the front knee slightly bent and the back knee in a half-squat position, the center of gravity is pressed on the Yongquan acupoint on the back leg, the spine is straight like a pole pointing to the sky, the left hand is extended forward, and the right hand is guarding the Dantian.

When he stood there, he was like a mountain pressing down on the ground, so stable that he didn't move an inch.

"The San Ti stance is the core stance training of Xingyi Quan. There is a saying in Xingyi Quan: 'All techniques originate from the San Ti stance.' If you master the San Ti stance, you will have a solid foundation for the techniques of splitting, collapsing, drilling, cannoning, and horizontal striking; if you don't master the San Ti stance, everything you learn will just be a fancy move."

Chen Hongxiu followed his example, taking a step forward with her right foot, spreading her left foot to the side, and stretching out her arms.

"No." Chen Hongwu walked around behind her and gently touched the heel of her back foot with his toes. "Turn your left foot out half an inch, and make sure your toes and knees are pointing in the same direction. Your knees shouldn't go past your toes. Your back leg is the root. Only when the root is firm can your upper body be supported."

Chen Hongxiu bit her lip and moved her foot half an inch outward.

"The fingertips of the leading hand should not extend beyond the tip of the nose. The shoulders should be relaxed and the elbows dropped, leaving three-tenths of an inch of space in the elbow bend, without straightening it."

Chen Hongwu walked around to the front, lifted her outstretched wrist with two fingers, and raised it slightly. "Upper hand protects the throat, lower hand protects the dantian. Knee inward three-tenths to protect the groin."

"Now that you've assumed the Three-Body Stance, the three gates—throat, heart, and groin—are completely sealed off, leaving the opponent with no opening to attack."

As he adjusted her posture step by step, beads of sweat appeared on Chen Hongxiu's forehead, and her legs began to tremble, but she gritted her teeth and did not complain of being tired.

"What is a live stake?" she asked, her voice strained.

"Most people stand still while practicing Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation), which is a dead stance. A living stance is a transition from standing to moving. The center of gravity is constantly shifting between the two legs, the strength is concentrated in the bone marrow, and the body can spring out in any direction at any time."

Once you've mastered the Three-Body Stance, shift your weight 30% to your front foot and 70% to your back foot, the weight transfer happening in the blink of an eye. This is the foundation of Xingyi Quan's "Half-Step Beng Quan" (half-step collapsing fist). Step onto the center gate, and shift your weight.

After listening, Chen Hongxiu fell silent, holding her breath as she adjusted her posture again.

He straightened his back by half an inch, his legs trembled more and more violently, and the tendons on the inside of his thighs were taut like strings.

At this moment, a servant hurried through the moon gate, walked up to Chen Hongwu, and whispered a few words to him.

Chen Hongxiu pricked up her ears and vaguely heard something like, "The fish is startled and is about to run away."

After listening, Chen Hongwu nodded: "Understood."

He turned around, said to Chen Hongxiu, "Stand here for a while longer," and strode towards the front yard.

Chen Hongxiu watched her elder brother's figure disappear outside the moon gate, then resumed the Three-Body Stance, biting her lip, and stood down.

As night falls, the lights are on.

The private rooms on the second floor of Zuixianlou were brightly lit, and people were clinking glasses and exchanging toasts.

The Chen family booked the entire second floor and set up six tables.

Li Su from Hung Shing Martial Arts School brought four disciples, Ip Man brought Wu Chung-Su and Chan Yu-Mian, Wong Hon-Sen from Po Chi Lam brought two junior brothers, and representatives from several other martial arts schools that were on good terms with the Chan family filled the room.

Chen Huaijin, dressed in a long blue robe, stood in front of the main table, holding a wine glass, with a smile on his face.

"Masters, the Chen family has suffered misfortune these past few days, and we are deeply grateful for your tireless help in guarding and patrolling. I, Chen Huaijin, will forever remember this kindness. Today, I have prepared a small feast to express my gratitude. I will drink first as a sign of respect, and you may all make yourselves at home!"

He tilted his head back and downed a cup of rice wine in one gulp, then showed the bottom of the cup to everyone, instantly enlivening the atmosphere at the table.

Li Su stood up, holding his wine glass, his booming voice cutting through the noise of the room: "Mr. Chen, you're too kind! When Master Chen killed the Japanese at Hongsheng Martial Arts Hall, he was already one of us in the Foshan martial arts world. It's only natural for family members to help each other!"

Amidst the clinking of glasses, several rounds of drinks and five courses of food were served.

Ip Man, holding his wine glass, glanced around the table and suddenly asked, "Master Chen, why haven't I seen Brother Chen tonight?"

Chen Huaijin put down his wine glass, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and smiled, "Hongwu has some things to take care of, he'll be here shortly."