
Pure Styles vs. Hybrid Styles of Kung Fu
By VAHVA Fitness on April 3, 2020
The first and likely the last free video clip from the new Health & Fighting Qigong course.
"I showed you footage of my old master. He didn't even know what Wing Chun kung fu looks like.", said Jiang Yu Shan in the video.
Wing Chun, right now, is the hottest and most popular style of kung fu mostly thanks to Bruce Lee who popularized the style and made his master Ip Man (or Yip Man) famous. Later, Hollywood made amazing films out of Ip Man and a legend was born.
Yet, only a while ago the highest level masters in the world of Kung Fu didn't even know who Ip Man was. If you asked Jiang's masters about Ip Man, they would only shake their heads.
Wing Chun is a legit Shaolin style but what most people don't know is that it is considered "a soft style" in the world of kung fu. Even the legend says it was invented by a woman.
When we talk about "kung fu", it doesn't only mean the fighting part of the training. In reality, many of these styles incorporate everything there is to developing the body. Combat is only one part of it. Qigong is a fundamental element of many kung fu styles.
That is to say; this is true in styles that are considered "pure styles" from pure lineages. According to Jiang Yu Shan, there were 5 ancient Shaolin temples, 3 families (the triad) and 4 doors where the styles originated from.
One of the doors was called the "Da Sheng Men" or "Hou Quan Men" where the latter literally means "the monkey fist door". These were the highly protected and secretive doors where the worthy and willing practiced their secret art.
You had to swear in front of the gods and be a serious patriot or a family member (remember, there were 3 big Shaolin related families) to be able to join.
This is where the saying "the dangerous fists never leave the door" originated from because the practitioners, "the inner door students" of these pure styles trained behind closed doors.
Now, it's a different world but these doors still exist and there still exist pure styles. A lot of what you can learn in the West are considered hybrid styles – generic and watered down bits and pieces from everywhere.
The knowledge is not only incomplete but they also lack the pure essence. This due to the overdistribution and commercialization of the arts.
Jiang Yu Shan inherited one of the secret doors, Hou Quan Men from his master who passed away in 2013 at the age of 93. His name was Chen Min Lun.
What we have seen Jiang Yu Shan demonstrate is something amazing and only a tiny portion can be found on our videos. And when we release a new video, the master is even hesitant to show the small amount that we show in the video.
Selfish? No, it's about respect – something the West has forgotten a long time ago.
Only after digging deep into the culture and the methods of this world, we started to understand why a lot of this knowledge has to be protected and kept behind the closed doors.
The more you make the knowledge publicly available and distribute it without genuine authority, the more you will disrespect the art.
Why? This is what has happened: real kung fu and Qigong are incredibly powerful and effective but due to the careless distribution of the knowledge, the original art has lost the essence, practicality and ultimately, the reputation.
In other words, everyone thinks kung fu is a joke. Tai Chi and real Tai Chi have become two separate things.
For example, Jiang Yu Shan's master Chang Chi Yen is known for Tai Chi that is incredibly difficult to learn even for other masters. His Tai Chi is NOT the same Tai Chi you will learn in a local Tai Chi class.
Likewise, a lot of Monkey Kung Fu online is what the master calls "some circus stuff". In the Qigong market, there doesn't exist hard Qigong at all and even the soft Qigong is questionable.
"This is a very big responsibility I inherited from my master", states Jiang when talking about inheriting the Monkey Fist Door.
Jiang is a true protector of the art. Becoming his disciple costs $36 000 USD (32 200€). And you cannot buy your way in. Even if you get chosen and pay the sum, bad behaviour (inside or outside the door) will get you thrown out (it has already happened).
Jiang Yu Shan could have thousands of disciples all over the world if he had significantly lower rates but it's not about money for him. It's about respect and dedication. In their real definitions.
Commitment from the student means equal commitment from the master. It's truly about transferring the highest level of knowledge, wisdom and skill from one generation to another with the utmost respect to the generations before them.
The price of becoming Jiang's disciple seems high but it's only because people don't understand or know what being a disciple means and how much value the disciple will get in return.
Becoming a PhD in a university or a master violinist is equally or way more expensive. This is ultimately about education in the field of real Chinese kung fu from an actual grandmaster. "This is not popcorn, this is precious knowledge", says Jiang.
When it comes to Health & Fighting Qigong course, this is Jiang's contribution to the society, especially during this time when taking care of both mental and physical health is especially vital.
You are welcome to join – now or later, even if you need to save for months or even a year.
Or as Jiang calls it: “The door is now open for you to learn.”.