Drunken Boxing, said to begin in the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods, is a form of imitation boxing. It imitates the movements of a drunken person, with the head waving constantly, the fist as swift as a shooting star, the waist as flexible as wicker, and steps quick and unsteady. While staggering, the boxer moves here and there, avoiding incoming strikes and launching his own attacks. His quick eyesight and swift movement of hands and feet, sometimes imitating the movements of animals, are really amazing.
Chinese kung fu (Gongfu), or Chinese martial art, is a sport peculiar to China, which combines physical exercise with personal combat skills. The martial art originated from labour, and developed later out of the needs of fighting and training. In the long years of development, Chinese martial art generated various styles and systems. The most famous among them are: Shaolin Boxing, Taiji Boxing, Xingyi Boxing, and Drunken Boxing.
Shaolin Boxing originated and prospered in Shaolin Temple, a Buddhist temple in the Songshan Mountain of Henan Province in central China. The temple was first built in AD 495, and was reduced to ruins several times throughout history. However, Shaolin Boxing has prospered the whole time. With simple, firm and vigorous movements, this form of martial art won the love of Buddhist monks and followers, as well as of ordinary people. It includes several hundred established forms of fighting, using the fist, saber, staff and sword. Shaolin Boxing is quite influential throughout China.
Taiji Boxing, originally known as Chen’s Boxing, was invented by Chen Wangting in Chenjiagou Village, Wenxian County of Henan Province. Chen developed this form of martial art amid his poetic village life, and integrated it with the Classic Boxing style of Qi Jiguang. Qijiguang was a general of the Ming Dynasty known for his herotic deeds in fighting Japanese bandits who invaded China’s coastal areas. Later masters of Taiji adopted the theory of yin and yang and the five elements from the Book of Changes, making it the most popular form of martial art, characterized by deliberately slow, rhythmic movements that are circular and continuous. Chinese statesman Deng Xiaoping once wrote the inscription, “Taiji Boxing is good,” to promote the sport.
Xingyi Boxing was developed in Shanxi Province of North China in the late Ming to early Qing dynasties. Based on the theory of mutual promotion and restraint of the five elements, Xingyi Boxing referred to the images and movements of twelve animals: dragon, tiger, monkey, horse, alligator, rooster, snipe, swallow, snake, pigeon, deer, and bear. Its formulas and movements are simple, well organized, fit for both attack and defense, highly rhythmic, and with outbreaks of force. In the martial art circle, this style enjoys a strong reputation.
