Nanquan

Nanquan (Chinese南拳, Pinyin Nanquan, southern fist ') is a collective term for Chinese martial arts styles is south of the Yangtze River. The northern fighting styles are generally under the term heading north (北 派, běipài ) together, or they form a " leg of the North" (北 腿, Běitǔi ) the counterpart to the " Southern Fist " (南拳, Nanquan ).

The first mention of the term Nanquan found in the work Jiangnan jinglüe (Brief description of the areas south of the Yangtze River ) of the author Zheng Ruozeng ( 1505-1580 ). Filipiak suspected but that Zheng Ruozeng not yet used this term as a general term of various southern fighting styles, but referred to a particular style. So Zheng Ruozeng belonged to Nanquan four forms ( taolu ).

Southern styles have certain characteristic features: a variety of hand techniques, short powerful movements, stable positions with a low center of gravity, and a few low leg techniques or the frequent use of battle cries.

The oldest Südstile were mostly guarded as a secret of different families. These include, for example, the styles of Hung, the Li and the Mo family. Many well-known styles are based on the techniques of Shaolin 8 animals (monkey, crane, tiger, leopard, bear, horse, praying mantis, snake). In Hung Gar are, for example, Tiger and Crane integrated as determining motion characters.