ARTS OF THE IMPERIAL GUARD?
Occasionally people will ask us about our past Masters who were in the Ch'ing Dynasty Imperial Guard.
Some find this hard to believe or state there was no martial art of the Imperial Guard.
This statement is true, there was no particular art trained by the Imperial Guard, in fact the Guard was made up of many martial artists from all types of martial backgrounds. Some of these Masters are quite famous and well documented, while many others never reached vast historical recognition.
Some find this hard to believe or state there was no martial art of the Imperial Guard.
This statement is true, there was no particular art trained by the Imperial Guard, in fact the Guard was made up of many martial artists from all types of martial backgrounds. Some of these Masters are quite famous and well documented, while many others never reached vast historical recognition.
WHO WERE THE IMPERIAL GUARD?
Imperial Guards did not just guard the Emperor of the Ch'ing Dynasty but also the vast Imperial family of Princes, and Princesses. Many of these princes themselves would have Imperial Estates, numerous concubines, many children, as well as property around the Empire that needed guarding. Our past Pakua Masters for example Tong Hai'chuan, Yin Fu, Chia Feng Ming, Ma Gu, and Cheng Tinghua were all Imperial Guards for the Manchu Prince, Prince Su. This lineage, their duals, battles, and much of their lives is well documented as they lived in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The fact is many martial arts lineages can trace their schools to an Imperial Guard, as the Imperial Family had some of the best martial artists of the time on retainer.
These Imperial Guards independently represent varied styles that had long histories in the military such as H'sing-I, Shuai Chiao, Eagle Claw, Pakua, and many others. They also trained Manchu Archery, Horsemanship, Sword and other battlefield weapons. Arts like Eagle and H'sing-I were military arts for over 1,060 years since the 960's, and the art of Shuai Chiao (Shuai Jiao) is believed to be more than 6,000 years old spanning several Dynasties.
These Imperial Guards independently represent varied styles that had long histories in the military such as H'sing-I, Shuai Chiao, Eagle Claw, Pakua, and many others. They also trained Manchu Archery, Horsemanship, Sword and other battlefield weapons. Arts like Eagle and H'sing-I were military arts for over 1,060 years since the 960's, and the art of Shuai Chiao (Shuai Jiao) is believed to be more than 6,000 years old spanning several Dynasties.
“'Anyone who thinks a martial arts school being linked to the Imperial Guard is suspect has very little understanding of the history of Chinese Martial Arts" -Mang Taan
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Pakua was taught by Tsai Ching Tung, a bodyguard to the Empress Cixi, to William E. Fairbairn who later developed the hand-to-hand combat training for the allied forces in WWII. Fairbairn is considered the father of close quarters pistol, knife fighting, and unarmed combatives the military still uses today. Fairbairn trained under Tung for 10 years and considered him "a man of terrifying prowess". The idea of fighting several men using weapons, chin na, and strikes combined, is combat Pakua.
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"Heavy sparring, adult only classes, extensive toughening, and long class hours are the main reasons these arts will never be mainstream, it is not because they are simple, but because they are hard"
-Mang Taan
-Mang Taan
ISN'T MILITARY TRAINING FAIRILY BASIC?
Yes, the average warrior in the military would receive just weeks or months of training with the exception of specialists. The martial arts experience of Imperial Guards was likely not initially learned in the military but a skill that they brought in when trying out for the guard. However, the Imperial Family and high ranking military men did have their own training grounds and access to some of the best Instructors of the time. Prince Su for example, was said to be very skilled in the martial arts and trained by his guard, as was expected of a Manchu Prince. He was also literate and well trained in battlefield tactics as well as overseeing the City Guard for the capital of Beijing. The Bodyguards that were close to the Imperial Family were far from average soldiers.
WHY ARNT THEY ALL FAMOUS?
By far our most well know Masters of old are Chinese and in the Wu Tang arts. When the Q'ing Dynasty fell in 1911 the Southern Chinese gained the independence from the Manchu Dynasty, the communists worked hard to end that era and its arts and culture. They decided exactly what martial arts could be taught, and to what extent they could be taught. All arts taught today in China are governed by a communist committee. These arts are mostly Shaolin and Wushu theatrics and acrobatics and have become nothing like a true combat style. China did not want large capable schools of combat fighters.
Some of our Masters left China at this time, as they worked for the Empire. Few people today understand the extent of push back and ethnic purging against the Manchu that occurred during this period. Today it is said there are only a dozen or so native Manchu speakers alive. Our Imperial 8 Animal System, Machu Archery, Manchu Axe etc. is not well known. Is is often said that the best Chinese martial arts are taught outside of China.
The Chinese and Manchurians living in China today may not want to mention their past Masters worked for the Empire, and some even try to rewrite this part of their history. Many Manchu have changed their names to avoid the stigma of being associated with the Empire.
Some of our Masters left China at this time, as they worked for the Empire. Few people today understand the extent of push back and ethnic purging against the Manchu that occurred during this period. Today it is said there are only a dozen or so native Manchu speakers alive. Our Imperial 8 Animal System, Machu Archery, Manchu Axe etc. is not well known. Is is often said that the best Chinese martial arts are taught outside of China.
The Chinese and Manchurians living in China today may not want to mention their past Masters worked for the Empire, and some even try to rewrite this part of their history. Many Manchu have changed their names to avoid the stigma of being associated with the Empire.
Imperial Combat Arts is not a person but a group of martial artists from varied backgrounds. We have different lineages for the several arts we teach. These arts have been taught together as one system in the U.S. since the 1960's.