Fu Chen Sung

Fu Chen Sung (Chinese 傅振嵩) (1881-1953) was a third-generation baguazhang instructor from Henan, who founded a significant style of that art. He was also a soldier and a supporter of Sun Yat-sen.

Early life

Fu Chen Sung, also know was Fu Zhen Song in Pinyin, or Fu Qiankun (傅乾), was born in Mapo village, Biyangxian county, in Huaiqing City area, Henan province, China. When he was eight years old, the village set up a martial arts school. They hired Chia Feng Ming (賈山) (also written in English sometimes as Chia Chi-shan or Jia Feng Meng). He was a top student of the founder of ba gua zhang, Grandmaster Dong Haichuan. Also teaching was Chen Yanxi (陳延禧) from the nearby Chen village, (an 8th generation disciple of Chen family taijiquan). They taught in a local field. After nine years of training, his teachers were encouraging him to move to Peking (Beijing) to learn more. He wanted to learn the tai chi ball, so stayed till he had learned that, then moved to Beijing, where he studied more bagua with Ma Gui and Cheng Tinghua, both first generation disciples of Dong Haichuan.

In 1900 he moved back to home village to teach. He became well known in that part of China for defeating, armed with a metal pole, a large gang of bandits who attacked his village. 1911, Fu Chen-Sung became a caravan guard/body guard in Shantung and Henan at the request of the Kai Kung Hsin Shan Protection Service. After the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, Fu began to travel around the cities of Fu Chou and Cheng Chou, as well as Shan Si Province and elsewhere. In 1913, Fu was hired by the Revolutionary Army as a martial arts instructor, holding this post for just a few years. Sometime around then, Fu met the Wudangquan grandmaster, Sung Wei-I 宋唯一 in Liao Ning Province (this is not the same as the styles from Wudang Mountain). He was famous for his “lightning palm�?" and “rocket fist." He taught Wu Tang sword and taiji to Fu, and subsequently to this these elements were added to Fu’s forms. According to Lin Chao Zhen, the bagua Dragon form and liang yi chuan (“yin-yang boxing") were created after Fu studied tai chi with Song Wei Yi.

Military career

In 1920 he joined the central army. The then Brigade Commander (later General), Li Jinglin (“Miracle sword" Li), made Fu head of the 100 person strong martial arts company after he demonstrated tiger fist, leopard fist, connected fist, bagua “cyclone�? broadsword and bagua “four sided" spear. Li Jinglin had also learned sword from Sung Wei-I, and taught Fu further sword techniques. The company transferred to Beijing in 1926. During a martial arts demonstration “God spear" Li used his famous spear and Fu used his “four faced" bagua spear in a friendly bout. The match ended in a draw. This increased Fu’s fame and both men exchanged their knowledge of spear tactics. Fu Chen Sung was married to Han Kun Ru, who practiced the spear and had a powerful technique. Her father was also a famous kung fu master China. In Beijing, Fu met Sun Lu Tang, Yang Cheng Fu, and many other skilled practitioners, who exchanged knowledge. This exchange continued when the Zhongyang guoshu guan (Central National Arts Gymnasium) was founded in Nanjing. After heavy competition, Fu Chen Sung was made Chief Instructor of Bagua, emphasizing in his teachings fast precise footwork and waist strength. Here, he taught Sun Lu Tang the Wu Tang sword and in exchange, learns the Sun style of h'sing yi chuan (“mind-intent boxing") and tai chi.

Later (in late 1928 or 1929), at General Li Jinglin’s urging, the Central Gymnasium sent Fu south to teach at the Kuang Hsi and Guangzhou provincial school . This school, which was located in Guangzhou (Canton), was called the Liang Kuang Kuo Shu Kuan (兩廣國術館) (The Two Kuang's Martial Arts School). Fu Chen Sung became the school's director. The others who were sent to the south were (probably) Ku Ju-Chang, Wang Shao-Chou, Wan Lai-Sheng, and Li Hsien-Wu. They were constantly being challenged by southern Chinese martial artists, but beat all challengers. They thus earned the respectful nickname, the “Five Northern Tigers". Fu Chen-Sung was the only one who stayed permanently in Canton, and was the first master to teach northern internal styles like tai chi and bagua in Canton .

In 1937 the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out with Japan and the Provincial Martial Arts Academy and the Ching Wu Association schools were closed down. Fu moved his family further into the countryside for safety, and traveled around the south teaching the Chinese army troops. After the war ended in 1945, Fu began to teach in various schools in Canton (Guangzhou) province. He supported General Sun in his unsuccessful attempt to unify China under a republican form of government. He devoted his life to developing the Fu Style Wudangquan. In 1953 martial arts exhibitions were held in Canton Cultural Park. Fu Chen Sung was to demonstrate the dragon form to the audience. Thousands of people packed the park, and crowds of people blocked all entrances. After the first demonstration of the form, the cheering crowds called for encores, and Fu returned to perform the form, faster and faster. Of this event, a local newspaper said afterwards “words could not describe the speed he moved. This exertion overcame him, and later that night, Fu died in the local hospital. This is in fitting with the taoist ideal of being healthy throughout life, then not lingering on to waste away when you get old. He believed in constant innovation and continual improvement. The forms he developed express this, incorporating the most useful and practical principles of other styles, and progress from simple to advanced.

Lineage

Baguazhang

Dong Hai Chuan developed pa kua after learning circle walking from the "Complete Truth" Daoist sect. Fu spent 8 years learning pa kua from Jia Feng Meng, then 3 years in Beijing learning from Yin Fu's top student Ma Gua, and from Cheng Ting Hua at the same time. All were first generation students of Grandmaster Dong Hai Chuan.

Wudang Sword

Sung Wei Yi introduced the sword form to the tai chi system, firstly to Yang Pan Hou, then Li and Fu. From Yang Pan Hou's students it spread to Wu style and back to Chen style. Yang Pan Hou's father, Yang Lu Chan, did not use a sword to fight, his favourite weapons were the staff and even his wooden tobacco pipe. This system was called "Wudang" even though it did not come from Wudang mountain. Fu taught Sun Lu Tang the sword in Nanjing, and in exchange was taught h'sing yi ch'uan.

Taijiquan

Fu learnt Chen style tai chi as a youth, while simultaneously learning pa kwa chang (baguazhang). He later learnt Sun style from Sun Lu Tan and Yang style from Yang Cheng Fu. From all these styles he synthsized his own form, and balanced left and right.

Xingyiquan

Fu taught Sun Lu Tang the sword in Nanjing, and in exchange was taught h'sing yi ch'uan.

References

Information for this biography was sourced from the Pa Kwa Chang Journal (volume 1, # 3; volume 2 # 6; volume 5, # 2; and volume 6 # 6); from the book Fu Style Dragon Form Eight Trigrams Palms by Fu Yonghui and Lai Zonghong (translated by Joseph Crandall); and from the websites www.fustyle.org (Victor Fu’s website, 3rd generation Fu family internal styles), http://www.leeskungfu.com/ and http://www.wudangboxing.com/ (Qiang-Ya Liang’s site, who is the last living disciple of Fu Chen Sung).

Fu style schools worldwide: http://fu.style.wushu.googlepages.com/fustyleschools