Huo Yuanjia: Modern Mizongi hero
Mizongyi
Mízōngyì "Lost Track Skill", or simply Mízōng, is a style of Chinese martial art based on deception and mobility. Mizong is also known as Mízōngquán "Lost Track Fist" or sometimes "Labyrinthine Boxing" stressing the deceptive nature of the art) and Yanqingquan and there are many sub-branches of this style.
Mizong Lohan "Lost Track Arhat") is a combination of two styles: Mízōngquán and Luóhànquán. Through Luóhànquán, its lineage can be traced back to the Shaolin temple during the time of the Tang Dynasty (618–907).
As an external northern Chinese style, Mizong belongs to the "Long Fist" family of martial arts although in some traditions Mizong is considered an internal art, created by Yue Fei, and taught as a precursor system to Hsing I Ch'uan.
Mizong Luohan is an external style, with distinct internal influences. It draws on many aspects of the external Northern Shaolin Long Fist style, and the internal styles T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Pa Kua Chang and Hsing I Ch'uan, with which it is often taught in modern times. It is characterized by deceptive hand movements, intricate footwork, varied kicks, and high leaps. In execution, the style changes very quickly.
The emphasis on flexibility in Northern Shaolin styles is a guiding principle of Mizong, and this is evident in the versatility of its attacks and the extent to which it integrates the concepts of many internal styles. An increased emphasis on mobility often comes at the price of power, but Mizong compensates for this by providing a means for the dynamic generation of power. Mizong's unique fa jing (discharging of force) comes from the combination of the internal corkscrew power seen in Chen style Tai Chi Chuan and the external snapping power of Shaolin Long Fist. The result is the efficient generation of force through the dynamic motion of multiple elements of the body, the mastery of which gives a Mizong practitioner the capability of generating force quickly and flexibly from any distance.