Discover the origins, history and structure of one of the ancient styles that can be considered early forms of "mixed martial arts".
One of the most interesting systems we've had the opportunity to study and practice is the Taiwan-style of Five Ancestors Fist — Wuzuquan 五祖拳.
It's often described as a Southern Chinese martial art that merges five distinct Shaolin influences into one system. But that description doesn’t do justice to what’s actually happening beneath it all.
Because this wasn’t just a combination of styles. It's much more than that...
Moreover, Five Ancestors Fist was built on a premise that modern martial arts only recently rediscovered:
No single style is complete.
It's possible it's exactly here where Bruce Lee got his idea of creating the mixed martial art called Jeet Kune Do because Lee was a true master of various Kung Fu styles and truly understood the philosophy behind them.
What is interesting is that already over 600 years ago and in the last 200 years during the development of this style, the founders of Five Ancestors Fist understood the limitations of "one style".
While everyone else was obsessed with their own style, the founders of Five Ancestors Fist identified gaps in their combat ability and brought in styles that solved those specific weaknesses.
The five core influences are:
Each of these contributed something different and something essential.
The goal was to never practice 5 different styles separately, such as how "mixed martial arts" are often trained in modern MMA.
Here it's one system where all five are expressed simultaneously in every form and training application.
That’s what makes it fundamentally different and special.
The Origins — 700 Years of History
The historical origins of Five Ancestors Fist are complex and there has been many developers over the centuries. Even the Five Ancestors Fist we have today has multiple strong lineages.
This is how it typically goes with every Qigong or Kung Fu method. You should always ask: "Whose lineage?" or "Whose style?"
Another unusual characteristic of Five Ancestors Fist is that it's one of the only Southern systems with Northern Shaolin structural roots.
What I mean is that it carries: Northern framework and body mechanics of Lohan
combined with Southern close-range efficiency and Crane influence (The White Crane was added by Li Jun Ren in the 19th century).
This fusion of multiple elements is part of what gives the system its depth and why it operates across ranges and principles rather than being confined to one domain.
As I mentioned, there are multiple lineages of Five Ancestors Fist, and many differ significantly in emphasis and execution.
The Taiwan transmission is particularly unique.
Jiang Yu Shan learning from his master He Shan Fa. His master Fa was a well known and notorious master in Taiwan featured in the local Martial Arts magazines. Historically, staff training was a big part of Five Ancestors Fist although not as useful today.
Taiwan lineage is unique because it arrived through a unique pathway (passed through Burma before reaching Taiwan) and it developed in geographic isolation.
The geographic isolation is particularly important because it means the style wasn't diluted or lost during Mao Zedong's cultural revolution as what happened to countless styles in mainland China.
This is how the Taiwan style preserved the depth of internal training and application that is often lost in more mainstream branches of the same style.
This simply means the Taiwan's style still has the original depth while many others focus mainly on the external form.
Having seen many forms of Five Ancestors Fist, the grandmaster Jiang Yu Shan's style is completely different. You can see many of the same details and similarities, but as a whole, it's like a totally different beast.
It feels like the grandmaster's understanding and demonstration of the form is many steps above in level and depth compared to what I've come across online or anywhere else.
Grandmaster Jiang Yu Shan's Taiwan Style Five Ancestors Fist
In his approach, Grandmaster Jiang Yu Shan emphasizes three core forms:
1. Three Battle Steps (San Zhan)
2. Twenty Fists
3. Hitting The Four Corners
These are not just external forms you do. Rather, they are containers of the entire system of Taiwan's Five Ancestors Fist.
Within them, you develop:
Three Battle Steps (San Zhan) in particular is one of the most important forms in all martial arts because it's the original form for Sanchin — one of the most important internal forms of various Karate styles in Japan.
The Five Ancestors Fist embodies principles that can be applied across virtually any combat scenario: striking, interception, redirection and domination through frame.
龙行虎步 帝王气象
"Move like a dragon and tiger, with the presence of an emperor"
In ancient times, Yin & Yang was illustrated with a dragon (Heaven) and a tiger (Earth). This quote demonstrates the completeness of Five Ancestors Fist style.
When practiced correctly, you can develop qualities such as:
1. Internal power
Power generated through alignment, breath and connective tissue — not brute muscular effort.
2. Structure & frame
The ability to maintain composure and balance under pressure.
3. Bridge conditioning
Contact itself becomes damaging to the opponent through blocks.
4. Targeting the vital points of the body
Strikes are not random, they are directed at the weakest points of the human body that create the most damage.
5. Adaptation through soft & hard
Hard and soft, direct and indirect... shifting based on the moment.
These benefits are amazing even if you are not interested in fighting. However, it's necessary to say that this style was built for long-term development and real-world application.
Historically, Five Ancestors Fist was applied by villages and organized militias against pirates and intruders. In some parts of China, entire villages such as Fujian were practicing Five Ancestors Fist which says a lot about the effectiveness of the style.
Over the centuries, it developed for real fighting and defence of communities. The form was so versatile that it could be applied to any weapons, even farming tools and staffs.
And still today, the 3rd form by the grandmaster Jiang Yu Shan can be applied in both hand to hand combat and with a sword & shield.
Overall, Five Ancestors Fist is a sophisticated attempt to solve the problem of combat in a complete way:
Internal + external
Frame + movement
Precision + unpredictability
The Taiwan transmission preserved by Grandmaster Jiang Yu Shan still reflects these principles strongly. You can learn this powerful art at WarriorNeigong.com
Stay strong.
