Gong Chengxiang

Mr. Gong Chengxiang (鞏成祥, 1892–1980)

Gong Chengxiang, also known as “The Shaolin Army Officer,” was a native of Longyao (隆隢) in Hebei Province, near Cangzhou. He was born into a martial arts family. His father, Gong Meilin (鞏梅林), had passed the national martial arts examination during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor (1871–1908) and held the Qing dynasty title of Wujuren (武舉人, graduate martial artist).

Gong Meilin died young after falling ill following a duel with another broadsword master, Luo Sunshan (落孫山). After his father’s death, the eight-year-old Gong Chengxiang was raised by his uncle, Dong Jiezi (董介子), who became his first major martial arts teacher. Dong was a master of the Shaolin Fohan Quan (少林佛漢拳), also known as “Shaolin Buddha Guards Boxing” or “Buddha Sea Palms” (Fohaizhang, 佛海掌). Under his uncle’s instruction, Gong also learned the “Jumping Horse Broadsword” (Machaodao, 馬超刀) and various stick techniques.

The origins of Shaolin Fohan Quan are traced back to Xu Xiuwen (徐修文), also known as the monk Pu Jing (普净), the abbot of Shaolin Temple’s Nayuan Hall or Nandian 南殿, where the Warrior monks were training martial arts. Xu Xiuwen served as a military instructor for Shaolin’s guardians, teaching “light exercises” (Qingong), martial arts, and military tactics that blended traditional methods with more modern warfare strategies.

In 1860, Jia Yunlu (賈雲露) studied under Xu Xiuwen at Shaolin Temple, taking the monk name Guang Ming (光明). He later became a Qing dynasty army officer, fought in various wars, and eventually settled in Longwang Miao, Hebei, where he taught Fohan Quan primarily to soldiers. Among his roughly three hundred students were Gong Meilin, who became a Wujuren officer, and Dong Jiezi, who would later pass this art to Gong Chengxiang.

Gong also studied under another relative, Master Gong Yulong (龔雨龍) of Gaoyang (高陽), from whom he learned the Seven-Section Chain, Three-Section Staff, the “Night Battle in Eight Directions” Broadsword (Yezhan Bafang Dao, 夜戰八方刀), flying knives, and the Meteor Hammer.

Later, Dong Jiezi introduced Gong Chengxiang to Master Liu Zhensheng (劉振聲, 1883–1960) in Tianjin. Gong studied Tongbiquan under Liu, who came from a family lineage of this style in Jinghai district and had trained under Master Liu Yuchun (劉玉春, 1860?–) and the famous Huo Yuanjia (霍元甲, 1868–1908). Afterward, Gong worked as a professional bodyguard (Biaoshi, 鏢師) in Qinghe, Hebei.

In 1928, Gong entered the Central Martial Arts Institute of Zhang Zhijiang, introduced by the renowned masters Yu Zhensheng (于振聲, 1871–1959) and Ma Jinbiao (馬金彪, 1881–1973), who were leading exponents of the Praying Mantis and Cha (Shamir) boxing styles from Shandong. During his time at the Institute in Nanjing, Gong also studied Wudang Straight Sword (Wudang Jian, 武當劍) and the “Four Directions Palm Techniques” (Simian Bafang Zhang, 四面八方掌) under General Li Jinglin (李京林, 1885–1931).

In 1934, Gong competed in a free-fighting (leitai, 擂台) tournament at Lushan in Jiangxi Province and later taught martial arts to the 99th Troop of the Guomindang (國民党) army. He served as an instructor alongside his martial brothers Cao Yanhai (曹晏海, 1903–1939) and Liu Jingyun (劉景雲, 1906–?), the latter being a master of the Heyi (Duliu) branch of Tongbiquan and a former bodyguard of detective Huang Jinrong. Liu would later help spread this system in Shanghai.

Gong, Cao, and Liu developed a fighting curriculum that Gong passed on to his students in Hangzhou. These included:

• Fast Hands of Tongbiquan (Tongbi Kuaishou, 通臂快手)
  
  

• Thirteen Breaking Hands (Shisan Jue Shou, 十三記絕手)
  
  

• Eighteen Palms of Shaolin Buddha Sea (Shaolin Fohai Shiba Zhang, 少林佛海十八掌)
  
  

• Shaolin Zhou Tong Legs and fists (Shaolin Zhou Tong quantui, 少林周同拳腿)

Master Gong Shaolin Tongbiquan (Gongshi Shaolin Tongbiquan 鞏式少林通臂拳) is a composite traditional Sanda training containing mainly the techniques of the Shaolin Buddha Guards Boxing (少林佛海拳), the leg techniques Shaolin Zhou Tong Boxing (Shaolin Zhouting Quantui 少林周同拳腿), and the body and posture characteristics of the Cangzhou Twenty-four style Tongbiquan (Cangzhou Ershisishi Tongbiquan 滄州二十四式 通臂拳). It is also known as the Buddha Guards Tongbiquan (Fohan Tongbiquan 佛漢通臂拳) or the "Jumping Viper style" (Caoshang fei Quan 草上飛拳), as it was the nickname of Cao Yanhai, who was jumping all the time during practice,  and it is composed of 54 main sanshou drills and 10 forms.

He emphasized that martial arts should be practiced for real combat, not as mere form or posture: “In battle, respond quickly—do not pose, do not block, just strike once.” (遇戰快速，不招不架，只打一下).

After moving to Hangzhou in 1947, Gong began teaching at Chaoming Temple (潮鳴寺). He had about twenty disciples there, including Hu Zhiwei (胡志偉), Yu Baohua (余寶華), Xi Ahu (席阿虎), Zhang Shanchang (張善昌), Han Bingrong (韓炳榮), Han Guangrong (韓光榮), He Guirong (何貴榮), Fang Rongkui (方榮奎), and Li Shengyuan (李升元).