Chinese martial arts is flowery? Li Shuwen, the god of gun in the late Qing Dynasty: it doesn't exist we practiced killing techniques

Wushu has always been one of China's labels, and Chinese kung fu once became the symbol of the Chinese people. But with the development of modern technology, more and more people began to question the practicality of Chinese martial arts. Some of the so-called "martial arts masters" have been revealed under the verification of modern media, which has intensified the doubts about Chinese martial arts. So, what the ancients created is actually a showpiece or a real killing technique?

Ancient martial arts exams

First of all, let's say one thing is clear, and that is that the so-called martial arts that we know and see now is indeed a flower show.

Many people have seen an interview with kung fu superstar Jet Li, when a reporter asked him if kung fu is really not, Jet Li answered categorically, "No." Jet Li then explained this answer: "The so-called martial arts are actually all redesigned routines for the sake of performance, and there is no difference between radio gymnastics."

As a star, the influence is huge, and Jet Li's words undoubtedly provide a part of the theoretical basis for those who think that Chinese martial arts are just flowery. Of course, we can't say it's wrong, after all, Jet Li is interpreting it from his own point of view. But is it possible to prove that the ancient Chinese martial arts is really the same as the modern martial arts performance is flowery?

I'm afraid we can't say that.

The Shuowen Jiezi explanation of martial arts is this: martial arts, stopping the go for martial arts; art, thinking through the creation of the world, with the through the act of art.

South Yan Yanzhi's "Prince Shidian will be made" said: "adult long things, following the sky to receive the saint; when Tuen will be Heng, the transport of the Meng is positive; lay down the closed martial arts, the exposition of the text order; commoner leaning wind, ten thousand streams look up to the mirror." In other words, martial arts is military technology, that is, ancient war technology. That's why weapons are called arms, military is called martial affairs, and armaments are also called martial preparations. So wu, the original meaning is to take up weapons and run, to go to war, to kill and destroy. So martial arts is the art of killing. Also for the art of war. Some people think that martial arts is not dance, in fact, it is not the right word. Martial arts do not pass the dance. Dance is entertainment, non-essential entertainment. And martial arts is one of the ancient survival techniques. It is a necessary military skill. If you have to say through the "dance", it can only be one, is the mouth of Jet Li said martial arts performance.

"Zuo Zhuan - Cheng Gong - Cheng Gong thirteen years" said: the country's major events, in the military in the ritual. What it says is the importance of martial arts. If it is really like what some people say, just a dance performance like things, then there is no need to write a big book. And the people who put forward this theory, can only say that they are blind to the historical facts, or they think that in ancient times there is no real war, the two armies fighting is like a group of street dancers fighting dance?

The stone locks used by Song dynasty generals to practice martial arts, each weighing 45 pounds

As a result of modern technological advances, especially the emergence of firearms, personal courage is no longer a factor in deciding whether to win or lose a war. The mysterious nature of the martial arts heritage is making it difficult for the general public to peek inside the veil of mystery. With the gradual demise of some heritage, we have been difficult to find the face of the original martial arts, but, fortunately, in the late Qing Dynasty, not too far from modern times, there are still some of the heirs of the ancient martial arts, and some of them are even more famous martial arts masters. Today we are going to say is such a - in the late Qing Dynasty has the name of the god of the gun Li Shuwen.

Li Shuwen photo

I believe that many friends have heard of a saying called "Wen have Taiji security, martial arts have the Eight Pole to determine the world." This saying refers to the two schools of ancient martial arts in China: Taijiquan and Bajiquan. Li Shuwen is the master of Bajiquan. (Not recognized by the martial arts community.)

Li Shuwen, word Tongchen, Hebei Cangzhou Yanshan County Wang Nanliang village people. Li Shuwen's master was Zhang Jingxing, the fourth generation of Bajiquan, and he later studied spearmanship under his own master, Huang Shihai.

However, Li Shuwen, a person due to congenital deficiencies, grew thin and dry, said to be less than 1.60m tall, but he was born with great strength, coupled with stubbornness, love of martial arts into obsessive, although congenital deficiencies, but he was practiced hard to make a name for himself. According to the Republic of China "Cangxian Zhi" records: Li Shuwen long "short barren and thin and tough forcing people", in the indoor row of palm striking the air, five feet from the window, through the paper vibration sound; with a large gun spiked wall of flies, flies fall and wall without trace. Iron cone into the wall (earth wall), force pulling very difficult, he stirred with a big gun, cone that is out. When he helped folks collect grain, he turned his back to the big wagon that loaded grain, hooked up the 80-catty grain bag with his foot, picked it over his head, and threw it onto the wagon. When he helped folks build houses with beams, he could use a big gun to pick a purlin up to the house hill.

Li Shuwen's grandson, Huo Qingyun, the imperial guard of Emperor Xuantong at the end of the Qing Dynasty, once recalled: "We can't practice the kung fu of the divine spear master Li. He used a big gun to pick up a big cartwheel of about eighty pounds and whirled it like a windmill. He often practiced like this, without any effort."

Of course, the above can be taken as his side of the people on his glorification and bragging, but Li Shuwen once briefly served as the Governor of Shandong Province, and according to the internal data of the *** army at that time, Li Shuwen was in the army to play sandbags for two hours a day, and he used sandbags weighing up to 300 kilograms.

According to the current saying, to judge the kung fu of a person practicing martial arts, you must look at the actual battle, so how is Li Shuwen's actual battle record?

Li Shuwen's first known fight was in 1895, the 21st year of Guangxu. At that time, Yuan Shikai had just begun practicing in the southern suburb of Tianjin, and the Emperor Guangxu, who had just failed in the foreign affairs movement, was preparing to seize power by force. Yuan Shikai, who was tasked with finding a bodyguard for the Emperor and hiring a trainer for his team, hired Japanese karate masters and German military instructors to train his elite troops. Li Shuwen's uncle, Huang Shihai, was also sent a letter of employment by Yuan Shikai, who had heard of him at that time.

But because Huang Shihai was already old, and he was not willing to work for the Manchu ***, but did not dare to offend the hot Yuan Shikai, so he sent his own disciple and nephew Li Shuwen.

Yuan Shikai, who first met Li Shuwen, and the instructors under his command, looked down on the skinny, dry Li Shuwen, and even Ito Taro, a martial arts instructor in Yuan Shikai's guards, scornfully said to Li Shuwen, "Great sick man of East Asia." And pointed downward continuously with his little finger. To the surprise of all the people, Li Shuwen faced the Japanese insults directly out of hand, Li Shuwen with lightning speed directly stabbed a gun to Ito Taro's throat, directly cut Ito Taro's throat and neck as a punishment. Ito Taro was furious, drew his sword and slashed at Li Shuwen's head. Li Shuwen's big gun a shake, the knife crashed away, and then a smooth gun "loach flip flower", piercing Ito's throat, and big gun a pick, the dead body thrown out of the martial arts hall outside. Everything happened in a flash, the crowd did not have time to react.

Japanese martial arts instructors Akino, Inoue, and Noda saw their companions stabbed to death by Li Shuwen, and swung their swords viciously towards Li Shuwen. Want to kill Li Shuwen to avenge their own companions, but did not expect Li Shuwen to one against three is also easy, only five or six rounds of exchanges, all three were Li Shuwen stabbed to death, and Ito Taro, the same, the body was thrown out of the door. According to historical records: Li Shuwen killed four people, the crowd was shocked, Li Shuwen big gun swing, stabbed at the hall column of the fly, the fly fell and the hall column without a trace. The hall immediately burst into thunderous applause. Yuan Shikai called out: "The divine gun! The divine gun! It is really a magic gun!" From then on, the "magic gun Li Shuwen" famous all over the world.

The famous modern martial arts master Huo Dengge is a disciple of Li Shuwen

The second shot is in the late Qing dynasty Xuantong two years of the famous Russian boxing champion Malotov came to China, set up a ring in Beijing, put up posters, boasts of insulting the Chinese children, at home to serve the master of the condition of the Huangshi sea Li Shuwen in the second master of the request of the amount of Zhang Jing, to go to the lesson of Malotov, Li Shuwen only two punches would be Malotov with only two punches, breaking all his ribs. Emperor Xuantong wanted to appoint Li Shuwen as the Chief Martial Arts Instructor of the Imperial Guards. Li Shuwen declined on the grounds that his master, Huang Shihai, needed him to fulfill his filial piety. Emperor Xuantong and all the courtiers have no choice but to give a golden Buddha statue to show their appreciation.

The third time is in 1908, already 50 years old Li Shuwen should be invited to Fengtian Fengtian general Xu Lanzhou, was Zhang Zuolin respectfully employed as the Feng army three military martial arts teacher, the results of the Japanese martial arts instructor Okamoto, Murano, insisted on and Li Shuwen, the results of the Okamoto just one on the ring, it was Li Shuwen a slap broken shoulder blade, if not Zhang Zuolin stopped in time, Okamoto will be If not for Zhang Zuolin's timely warning, Okamoto would have been killed on the spot by Li Shuwen.

After the Li Shuwen although on the surface did not say anything, but then went to pick over all the Japanese martial arts in the northeast, killed and injured dozens of Japanese martial artists, and ultimately was the head of Zhang Zuolin invited back to his hometown to end the matter.

In addition to the above records, in the "Eight Extreme Fist Essentials" also recorded some of Li Shuwen's other records, the bloodiest time when Li Shuwen served as a trainer under Li Jinglin, according to the memories of Li Shuwen's disciple, Liu Yunqiao: "When General Li Jinglin supervised the province of Zhili, the courtesy of the master of the military generals to teach the Zin, at that time, there were many skillful and famous fighters in Yenching, who knew that this is the most famous martial art in Japan. At that time, there were many martial artists and famous fighters in Yanjing, and when they learned of this news, they chose to send two famous fighters with excellent kung fu to challenge the late master, as the saying goes: "A strong dragon will not fight a snake on the ground!" The late master was new to the country, it is not convenient to offend people, so on the one hand, the resignation is not, on the one hand, set up a banquet to entertain the two of them; but after the banquet, they still insisted on competing in kung fu, the late master had to withdraw from the table match, just a fight, the late master an arrow step rushed up to the head of the head of a "Tarzan pressure" a palm of the first person's head into the item, two eyeballs burst out and died. Two eyeballs burst out and died. The second person still want to compare, the master followed the same pattern, or that move, the other side hastily a head, the head is flashed, but the whole shoulder with ribs are broken."

Perhaps, it is because of Li Shuwen violent and ruthless, each shot necessary human life, so, at that time in the martial arts community, especially some of the eight extreme boxing heir for their own sect's reputation, but also refused to recognize Li Shuwen's identity as a master.

According to the local county records, Li Shuwen at that time, how brutal it, the county records said: once there are two people because of the verbal dispute in front of Li Shuwen fought, others hard to listen to, the results out of the persuasion of Li Shuwen said twice after seeing two people still do not stop, they are angry and said: "so like to fight that and I fight." As a result, one person a punch to the two people all beaten tendons and bones broken, home soon after the death.

And Li Shuwen also knows that he is out to hurt too much, according to his disciples recall, Li Shuwen never go out the front door, but first from the door to throw a chair out, but people jump out of the window.

In addition to the above records, Li Shuwen's martial arts there is a circumstantial evidence. Li Shuwen himself served as an escort for the Guangxu Emperor, while he taught his disciple Huo Dengge as the chief martial arts instructor of the late Qing Emperor Aisin Gioro Puyi's escort, and his nephew Huo Qingyun as an imperial guard. Disciple Liu Yunqiao served as martial arts instructor for the guards of Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo. Disciple Li Jianwu, who joined the underground party during the war, served as the personal guard of *** Chairman, but unfortunately died in the battle of Heze.

Li Shuwen and his disciples are pictured together in the first row, second from the right

As for the question of whether Li Shuwen's kung fu is a flowery technique or a real killing technique, I think the answer is self-evident. I think the answer is self-evident.

As for why the modern world has never heard of such a master of martial arts, I think it's just that in this peaceful new China, people no longer need to rely on life to ensure their own lives at any time as before, which makes the modern people's willpower and the spiritual level is not as tight as in ancient times, the martial arts is no longer as a survival technique but has become a hobby for individuals to strengthen their bodies, which is not the case in this situation. Under these circumstances, the original martial arts, which emphasizes on one-strike killings, has been transformed into a more beautiful and good-looking "artistic gymnastics". Furthermore, as Li Shuwen himself once said: "martial arts is no longer suitable for this battlefield, martial arts can no longer block the bullets of foreign guns, learning martial arts to kill and what is the point."