— by Allen Pittman
In conjunction with Marnix’s essay I am joining these notes
Hung I-mien is a main student of Chang Chuen-feng. According to R.W. Smith in his text, “Chinese Boxing” – Hung I-mien taught Chang’s classes when Chang was ill. Mr. Smith’s visit was during the period of 1959 to 1964. Dan Miller’s Ba Gua Journal published a picture of one of Chang’s classes (don’t recall issue) round this period and Hung I-mien is in it I recall- but not front and center but off to the side. In Chang’s text on Ba Gua (which I have) all three brothers Hung; I-mien, I-shang and Tser-Hung(sp?) are listed as lineage students of Chang. And the list is not long – maybe a dozen or so.
I-mien went on with Chang’s teaching. I-shang re-synthesized it with Southern Shaolin from the Hung and other forms renaming it “Tang Shou Tao” or “The Tang Hand’s Way”. Tang being the word from the dynasty when China’s culture according to many reached zenith. Tzer-hung, the lesser known of the three brothers, worked with the Hou style of Tai Chi which Chang taught as the last aspect of his school curriculum.
I believe the Shaolin to Hsing-I- to Ba Gua to Tai Chi sequence Chang used was probably derived from his days as head instructor at the Shanghai Guoshu Academy. I say this knowing that R.W. Smith in his “Pa-Kua; for fitness and self-defense” called this sequence quackery while comparing it to a relay race. While it is true each art has it’s own depth, each art also teaches specific and sometimes entirely different skills. If spirituality is based on perception then this is extremely significant.
In spite of his own knowledge of Tai Chi, Chang sent Hung I-shang down from Taipei to Taichung to study Tai Chi with Chen Pan-ling, the director of the Chinese Boxing Association for all of Taiwan. I have thought that was a good demonstration of a healthy relationship between teachers-seeing talent and referring it to another teacher more experienced and specialized for individual work. Martial arts folks don’t hear enough about it.
It was also in Taichung that Hung I – shang worked with the mysterious Master of “Tien Hsueh” or “Point Learning”(the art of attacking vital points). R.W. Smith calls him “Master Kun” but I have also heard others close to I-shang calling him “Master Pi.” Apparently Master Pi was remarkable but private and an acquaintance of Chen Pan-ling. In my own visit I was not able to find anything out about him.
Chang’s relationship to Chen Pan-ling is interesting. He was Vice President of the Chinese Boxing Association while Chen was President. Chen was the older man and also apparently more exposed to various methods. R.W. Smith calls Chen “…the most knowledgeable man on the theory of Chinese Boxing principles and theory on Taiwan.” That was the phrase that motivated me to find his sons.
Chang’s relationship to Wang Su-chin is also informative. They both claimed to have studied with Chang Chao-tung. Though I figure Chang C-f. may have been with Chang C-t. for a longer period due to him being older than Wang. Hung I-mien said Chang was Wang’s ‘older brother.’
According to a third Chang (as if there are not enough already here!) who taught at Tian Jian University in Taipei, when Chang first came to Taiwan he and Wang were roommates. In spite of this, Wang taught the Ba Gua of Chen Pan-ling albeit with influences from Chang Chuen-feng.
R.W. Smith mentions Chang’s method as “harsher and rougher edged” compared to Wang’s. He failed to say “more systematic with it’s tactics and more comprehensive.” Chang’s method of Ba Gua is from Gao. 96 forms from standing to circle. Wang’s is from Chen (caveat here I heard a rumor that Wang had a ‘fist version’ of Ba Gua but never saw it or saw any of his students do it) – eight mother palm changes on a circle meant to condense and crystallize the best of all forms of Ba Gua. Both have merits and distinct purposed and both have plenty of effective applications for both health and self defense. When students cannot study with me for a prolonged period (years) I try to teach them Chen’s Changes because that’s the best of opening up the body and getting a sense of essential (not necessarily basic) functions of Ba Gua. However it will not rival Chang’s method (Gao) for tactical thoroughness.
There are similarities between Chang’s and Wang’s circle. Wang’s fourth change, “Dragon” and Chang’s seventh, “Rolling and Turning Palm” both use a face clamp identically. The eight changes of both systems have a variety of ‘Whirlwind Hands.’ And there is R.W. Smith’s brief footage of Wang on the roof doing a fusion of linear number 22 or “Leak” with some variations of the “Liang-I Palms” of Gao! This footage was shown on the Learning Channel a year or so back.
Hung I-mien was very clear with me that Wang did not know the whole Gao system. He said Wang’s specialties were his eight change “Whirlwind Hands” and the ninth palm or first auxiliary drill of the Gao circle, “Liang-I Palms.” These two skills, Wang had perfectly. Hung further stated the ninth change or Liang-I Palm drill was used by Wang to defect punches to the midsection to prep his for his own which was the corkscrew punch noted by R.W. Smith which Wang used on John Bluming.