Fuzhou Cranes and Hsing Yi.

I first spoke about this awhile ago in a forum somewhere; the “internal” aspect of Fuzhou Cranes.

Many Fuzhou elders believed, including Ruan Dong when I spoke to him in Penang last year, that Fuzhou Cranes, at some point, absorbed features from an internal school when it made its way to Fuzhou.

We know from our records that Fang Chi Niang, the acknowledged founder, ganged up with internal stylists during her involvement in “Tien Ti Hui” or “Heaven and Earth Society”.

Exactly which internal style is unclear, the records only state “5 elements” internal philosophy.

I was given a book by Sifu Ku (Ban Chung Wing Chun) written some 40 years ago describing a White Crane form named “5 Elements 3 Battles” ; reading the text in that book, the author could be talking about Hsing Yi.

When I met with my Sihing recently, we, again, spoke at length about this and agreed that the only internal style that might have played a part in the shaping of Fuzhou Cranes is Hsing Yi.

Not only because this is the one internal style that revolves around the “5 Elements” concept, many of our 2 men routine, in fact, looked like Hsing Yi.

Our first 2 men routine resembles Hsing Yi’s “An Shen Pao” for instance.

And any Fuzhou Crane students would tell you this; without understanding the “5 Elements” philosophy, it is almost impossible to comprehend the foundation spirit of any Fuzhou Cranes.

This is something that both Sifu Ruan Dong and I concur.