A Brief History of Five Ancestor White Crane Fist

I was introduced to Five Ancestor Fist during a two-week visit to Xiamen City on the southern coast of Fujian in 1996. Mr. Xu Jing Ming (now deceased) and his student Wu Rong Fu taught me three forms of Five Ancestor White Crane Fist that developed in Xiamen City. What follows is a translation of a history that he wrote for me.

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Five Ancestor Fist is a branch of Southern Fist and one of the most famous styles in Fujian Province. It is popular in an area of Southern Fujian Province known as the Golden Triangle (the three cities of Quanzhou, Xiamen, and Zhangzhou). It is also popular in other places such as Jin Jiang and Longhai and in Southeast Asia in places like Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

A martial artists named Cai Yu Ming (1853-1910) in the end of the Qing Dynasty created the art. He was from Beng Wei VIllage, Wu Tang Town, outside of Nan Men in Quanzhou City (modern day Jin Jiang). His reputation was great and people called him "Beng Mei He" (Beautiful Crane of Beng Village). He was well and broadly learned and combined White Crane Fist, Monkey Fist, Tai Zu Fist, Louhan Fist, and Da Zun Fist into a unique style, thus creating Five Ancestor Fist. The techniques and characteristics are the hands of White Crane Fist, the leaping of Monkey Fist, the feet of Tai Zu Fist, the steps of Louhan, and the body of Da Zun Fist.

Cai Yu Min had many students scattered everywhere. It is said that he had ten famous students: Wei Yin Nan (also called Fen Tian Bao), Lin Jiu Ru (also called Gao Sai because Jiu and Gao have the same sound in Hokkien dialect), You Feng Biao (Ju San), You Jun An, Weng Chao Xian, Yang Yu Jie, Chen Yang De, Chen Jing Ming, Ke Cai Yun, and Gong Puo Zhan.

After Cai Yu Min created Five Ancestor Fist, he taught students according to their characteristic. In his many years of teaching experience, many students did not begin training with him but became his disciple only after Cai gained fame--and usually after they lost to him in a challenge match. After Cai Yu Min taught every student, that student created his own technique, style, and characteristics in his training and teaching practice. According to my research and investigation, there are three main groups that are primarily the same with small differences in movements, techniques, and characteristics.

The first group is called Wu Zu Bai He Quan (Five Ancestor White Crane Fist), taught by Yang Jie Yu. He founded the Xiamen He Wushu Guan. In this variation, the beginning postures of each form use the Four Step Beginning.

The second group is Wu Zu He Yang Quan taught by Chen Yang De, who founded the Xin An Wu Guan. They do the beginning postures of each form using the Eight Step Beginning. Some of Xin An's adherents consider Five Ancestor Fist synthesized from White Crane, Monkey style, Taizu Quan, and Xuan Nu Quan (Fairy Fist)--ommitting Louhan Fist--and absorbed the leg techniques of He Yang Pai. Therefore, the style is called Wu Zu He Yang Quan.

The third group, generally called Five Ancestor Fist, originated and is well known in Quanzhou and Jin Jiang. Some people believe that Wu Zu Quan is not a fist form but is a name for all five fist forms. They also call the art Taizu Quan. The beginning postures of every form use the Eight Step Beginning.

All these people have different opinions about the origin of Five Ancestor Fist. Many think that Cai Yu Min is not the founder but merely a great teacher who had significant contribution to the development of the art. This subject awaits further research and discussion.