Wu Zhong
From Mw
| Part of a of articles on |
| Muslim Wushu |
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Ba Ji Quan • Pi Gua Quan • TanTui • Liu He Quan • Tong bei Quan |
| Muslim Wushu Masters |
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Wang zi ping • Ma Menta • Yang Wan Lu • Chamir • Chang Yuchun Hu Dahai • Mu ying• Lan Yu • Wu Zhong • Zhang Shao Fu • Ma Xianda • Chang tung sheng |
| Silat |
Wu Zhong (nicknamed Hong Sheng 1712-1802), also the founder of Ba Men Chuan (eight doors style) in North China, started to practise Wushu when he was eight. He liked martial arts and practised day and night, in all weathers. One night Wu Zhong was practising Wushu in the courtyard and an old man suddenly jumped from the roof and stood in front of him, laughed at him and said he was not practising properly. Wu Zhong asked who he was but the old man didn't answer and started to do some kung-fu. Wu Zhong had never in his life seen such techniques so he asked the old man to sit down and tell him what he was doing. The old man told Wu Zhong a great deal about martial arts theory and techniques most of which he had never previously heard. Wu Zhong asked him what style was he doing, the old man said it was 'Ba-Ji Chuan'. Immediately Wu Zhong knelt down and begged him to accept him as his student. The old man refused and said, "I'm going to travel a lot, how can I teach you?" But Wu Zhong persisted, performed three kowtows, and told him how much it would mean to him to be taught by him. The old man, realizing Wu Zhong was sincere and had a deep love for Wushu, was so impressed by his determination and enthusiasm that he agreed to accept him as a student . So he stayed at Wu Zhong's house and started to teach him. After ten years of practice the old man said, "I've taught you almost everything and I have to go now." Wu Zhong was very upset, kowtowed and said, "Master, you have been teaching me for ten years but you have never mentioned your name or who you are." The old man said, "My surname is known only to my closest students - it is Lai." The old man was Lai Kou Yuan one of the great and almost legendary masters of the past.
Later, after Wu Zhong had improved on Ba-Ji and it became more advanced he was invited by the great nobleman Wang Gong Da Ren to teach 150 of his retainers in his palace. Ba Ji started to become popular.
Wu Zhong subsequently passed the style on to Li Da-Zhong and Chang Kemin; Li then taught his son Li Gui-Zhao, and Chang taught his son Chang Jing-Xing. Through several more generations the art was passed on to the great twentieth century master Ma Fu-Luo still alive today in his eighties, living in Ningxia, China. Ma Fu-Luo is the head of the Hui minority people in his province and a strict Muslim not considering himself to be a Chinese. Indeed, in the past he has led a battalion of resistance fighters against both the Japanese and the Chinese. Until recently he has refused to teach Ba-Ji to any Chinese or non-Muslim.[1]
