SHAN CH'I
PRINCE SU - SHANGQI - 善耆- AI TANG - 艾堂

Shan Ch'i was an Iron Cap Manchu Prince of the Ch'ing Dynasty who played a big role in the development of the Wu Tang Martial Arts and Manchurian Weaponry taught at Imperial Combat Arts. Shan Ch'i had numerous martial arts masters on retainer at his palace who also work as his personal bodyguard's. These masters included Pakua Chang founder Tung Hai Chuan, Yin Fu, Ma Kuei, and Cheng Ting Hua. Shan Ch'i was a Ch'ing Dynasty Army Commander, the leader of Beijing's Men-at-arms, and the head of the Ch'ing Dynasty's Police System. Shan Ch'i was a Pakua Chang student of Tung Hai Chuan, trained several other martial arts, and was well trained in traditional weapons, archery, cavalry, firearms, and artillery. 

IRON CAPPED PRINCE SU

Shan Ch'i, also know by the courtesy name Ai Tang 艾堂, was born October 5th 1866 in Beijing, the capital city of the Ch'ing Empire. Shan Ch'i was a prince of the Aisin-Gioro Clan, the ruling clan of the Great Ch'ing Dynasty. Manchurian military and social structure was based around an Eight Banner System, with the Aisin-Giorio Clan being of the Bordered White Banner. From the beginning of the Ch'ing Dynasty it was traditional that the sons of princes did not inherit their fathers full title, instead the title would lessen with each passing generation. 
The exception to this rule was 12 Manchurian Princes who's full titles would be forever passed down to their eldest sons. These Princes were known as the 12 Iron Cap Princes and one of them was Prince Hooge, the eldest son of the second Ch'ing  Emperor, and the original Prince Su. Prince Shan Ch'i was the tenth-generation Iron Cap Prince Su, descendant from Hooge. His forefather Hooge was first granted this title in 1636, with Shan Ch'i inheriting the powerful position over 230 years later. 

PRINCE SU SHAN CH'I

Shan Ch'i was known to be well educated, intelligent, courageous, physically and martially powerful, and a man with a good sense of humor. He was sympathetic to the plight of the common people, and worked hard to try and balance the expenses of the Empire, while also finding paths forward into a new era. In addition to martial positions of power San Ch'i served the Empire in a number of civil positions. He was a tax supervisor for the Chongwenmen area of Beijing, a member of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, helped supervise the Admiralty, and he served terms at the Ministry of the Interior, where he developed the Ministry of Dependencies. San Ch'i would also serve as the Head of Civilian Affairs, where he updated the police forces, developed and personally led the Tong Ling (Men-at-arms) as a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population.

FAMILY OF PRINCE SHAN CH'I

Shan Ch'i married Lady Heseri, a Princess Consort of the Noble Heseri Clan, an ancient and well respected Manchurian Clan. In addition he would also take four royal concubines from the other Manchu Clans to help secure his bloodline. Between his wife and four concubines Prince Su Shan Ch'i would have a total of 38 children comprised of 21 sons and 17 daughters. Most notably among his children would be Hsien Chang his eldest son, and his 14th daughter, the warrior Chin Pi Hui. 

SHAN CHI'S IMPERIAL GUARD

PRINCE SU ESTATE IN BEIJING
To protect himself, his family, and estates, Prince Shan Ch'i had his own Imperial Guard. Among his own Guard were several famous martial arts masters who were highly skilled and undefeated Masters of the time. These masters would train Shan Ch'i, his family members, and the other guards in martial arts. Included in these men were the first four Masters of Pakua Chang, included Tung Hai Chuan, Yin Fu, Ma Kuei, and Cheng Ting Hua. Pakua Chang would go on to become world famous and incorporated into the modern special forces hand-to-hand combat, and melee weapons training used still today.

TUNG HAI CHUAN

Tung Hai Chuan (1813-1882 C.E.) was a highly skilled martial artist renowned for the development of Pakua Chang (The 8 Trigrams Palm), one of the primary Wu Tang Martial Arts taught today at Imperial Combat Arts. Tung Hai Chuan's legendary teachings would make their way into modern special forces and become studied across the globe today. There are many tall tales and legends about Tung , but the historical truth is not hard to find.  Enter Page> Tung Hai Chuan

YIN FU

Yin Fu was the first disciple of Tung Hai Chuan and a highly skilled martial arts master who served as the Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard for the Empress Dowager, and the Kuang Hsü (Guang Xu) Emperor. Yin Fu would become the chief martial Instructor to the Imperial Court with Bannermen trained by him being stationed throughout Beijing and Zhili (Hebei) province. Yin Fu also trained Snake Kung Fu, Arhat Hand, Plum Flower Fist and mastered battlefield weapons with the Willow Leaf Saber as his primary. Enter Page> Yin Fu

MA KUEI

Ma Kuei was one of the first disciples of Pakua Chang who trained directly under both Tung Hai Chuan and Yin Fu, starting at the age of 12. Ma Kuei was a Bodyguard and Martial Arts Instructor to China's imperial court and later worked at the office of the President and also taught at the National Police Academy. Ma Kuei was a strong and highly toughened Pakua  Master who also trained Snake Kung Fu, Crab Kung Fu, Arhat Hand, Tien Hsüueh, Unicorn Fist and also mastered the Saber and Broadsword. Enter Page> Ma Kuei

CHENG TING HUA

Cheng Ting Hua (1848-1900 C.E.) was a powerful martial arts Master and the 4th disciple of Pakua Chang founder Tung Hai Chuan. Ting Hua mastered several martial arts including Mongol Wrestling, Shuai Chiao, H'sing-I Ch'uan, and Tai Chi Ch'uan, in addition to Pakua Chang. Ting Hua also mastered battlefield weapons specializing in Saber and Iron Staff. Ting Hua helped put the group of Masters together that would unite the Wu Tang Arts under one study, as taught at Imperial Combat Arts today. Enter Page> Cheng Ting Hua  

PAKUA IN SPECIAL FORCES

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, overlapping them, using chin na and strikes combined, as well as the ability to use anything as a weapon, is combat Pakua.

HSIN HAI REVOLUTION

On February 12 1912 the last emperor of China, Hsian-T'ung, was forced to abdicate the throne following the republican revolution. A provisional government was established thus ending close to 300 years of Manchurian rule over the largest ever Chinese Empire. The Ch'ing Dynasty had covered 5.68 million square miles of land, nearly ten percent of the worlds landmass, and held almost forty percent of the worlds entire population. The fall of the Ch'ing Dynasty caused a genocide of the Manchu people. While our past martial arts Masters of Chinese descent would remain in China, many of whom became world famous, our Manchu Masters would flee and change their names with their martial legacies being mostly unknown still today. Imperial Combat Arts still retains the arts of several Manchu martial arts masters, traditional battlefield weapons, and Manchu Archery.

SHAN CH'I LEAVES CHINA

Shan Ch'i, refusing to simply accept the fate of the empire, fled China and smuggled out what wealth he could. He escaped capture by the rebellion and made his way to Port Arthur, in the Kwan Tung Territory on Liaodong Peninsula, a Japanese leased territory. Like with the collapse of many empires, he would attempt to at least hold a kingdom, and attempt to secure the original territory of Manchuria. Shan Ch'i formed a Royalist Party and attempted to create an independent Manchu state under Pu-I (Puyi), the last emperor. To gain support he formed a tentative alliance with the Japanese, with the help of his personal friend Kawashima Naniwa. Assisting with Shan Chi's attempts to create a Manchu State, before and after his death, was his 14th Daughter Jin Pi Hui.

commander CHIN

Chin Pi-Hui (Jin Bihui) was a Manchu Princess of the Ch'ing Dynasty, who was Shan Chi's 14th daughter. Chin was raised in a house with some of our greatest martial arts masters. She would later be adopted by a Japanese family friend and get her famous Japanese name, Yoshiko Kawashima. In Japan Chin continued her training in Judo, Saber, Espionage, and Horsemanship. Chin would become a legendary spy and lead her own 5,000 man Manchu cavalry force.

MANCHU INDEPENDANCE

Shan Chi's attempts for Manchu-Mongol independence were overshadowed by those of Yuan Shikai, who would ultimately be the one to gain Japans support. A Manchu-Mongol state was created to the north of the Great Wall and the Manchurians briefly retook Beijing, seating Pu-I as Emperor, but the city was quickly retaken by the Republic. After this defeat, and the death of Yuan Shikai, Japan would give their support to the new Chinese government. On April 4th 1916 the Japanese Foreign Ministry would dismantle the Machu-Mongol Independence movement, and Shan Chi's men were disbanded 16 days later. 

SHAN CHI'S DEATH

Shan Ch'i settled in Lushun where he later died of natural causes in 1922, at the age of 56. His body was then transported to the Prince Su Cemetery in Beijing where he would be buried with this ancestors. During his lifetime Shan Ch'i never aligned with the Republic of China and due to his loyalty to the Ch'ing Dynasty he was posthumously named Prince Su Chung (肅忠親王), meaning Prince Su the Loyal. After his death in 1934 Japan would invade Manchuria and seat Pu-I on a throne in what would be the Kingdom of Manchukuo. In this time his daughter Jin would become the head of her own 5,000 man cavalry unit hunting insurgents.