Yue Family Continuous Boxing is a type of Short Fist boxing. The  “Yue Family San Shou”: is based on stringing together single postures and actions to develop Fist Forms. Some teachers say this form of boxing comes from the legendary General Yue Fei who adapted the  Yi Jin Jing (the famous Shaolin Muscle Change Classic)  for exercise and martial skills blended harmoniously, with clear and obvious interpretations.

Shuang San Men,    the Double Three Doors series.

In the time of the Qing dynasty TongZhi period (1862-1874), one Liu Shi Jun moved from  Hebei Xiong county to Beijing, and began to teach Yue Family San Shou. This skill consisted of only nine postures: three high level, four middle level and two lower level. This was later increased to 173 manners. The style had no forms, only individual postures (actions). In the old days these were known as  the “San Shou” but with the original meaning not just of fighting but of  “Miscellaneous” or scattered  hands.

In 1912 the Beijing Physical Education Research Society invited Liu De Kuan to hold a teaching post, he taught Yue Family San Shou. In his method of instruction, the style could be divided into  “Eight Mother Postures”, then strung together to become a single form, now known as Ming Family Continuous Boxing. This could be practiced broken up, or looped with contiuous reiterated actions hence the name. Though this might seem progressive or “modern” now the placement of Yue Family Style’s beginning over 1000 years ago in the Song dynasty is strong evidence of the very logical belief that these methods of practice pre-dated most forms and sets. (See our instructor’s notebook on this subject).

Family descendents playing their art.

As this  style progressed it was  compiled into beginning eight roads, middle level eight roads and advanced level eight roads all together 24 Boxing forms.These forms are  brief  with each road only three to six postures.

This method of boxing gives first place to a lateral half horse position, footwork utilizes a straight advancing and retreating steps. Advancing steps use either a toe in or out position forming a half circle step, this is known as  “Spiral leg motions”.

Hand techniques include

梱 block,

拿 seize,

鎖 lock,

靠 lean,

推 push ,

打 strike,

勾 hook,

捋 stroke etc.

Body arts  make use of four major actions:   swallow, spit, sink, float.
Issuance of force is quick and clean, “hard hidden in 10 000 soft actions”.
Movements are connected but distinct, one evasive movement then one strike.

Due to their common ancestor, at least in folk accounts, and its structural approach to fighting, Yue Family fist is said to be the possible or partial origin of Xing Yi Quan, particularly in ShanXi lineage. The idea of form as a collection of the fundamental excises and partner practices, a sort of living tool chest instead of a performance is demonstrated in, for instance, the work of George Xu and the style he learned from Yu Hua Long. As in modern dance Yi Quan, another child of Yue Boxing if the history is right, the forms aspect of the art can be linked from the separate actions or spontaneously created as a sort of Boxing Dance. This ability to move through continuous loops has largely been lost and may yet be one of the major training aspects of real, evaporating Kung Fu.

Cousins in the family

Yue Shi Quan (Yue Family Boxing), being of famous lineage, claims a number of styles with a wide variety of designations and associatoins. For instance it is said to be associated with Hong Gar Boxing. Ping Xiang Nan Quan and Ying Zi Men are also related terms all of them related in one way or another to the name of  Yue Family Boxing as a catch-all term.

Ying Men Quan

One of its most important demarcations is Ying Men Quan (which includes Ping Qiang Quan and Hong Men associations) from west of the JiangXi. The style became a branch under Deng Zi Long who combined it with Zi Men Quan. During the Qing dynasty it was passed to Zhao Zhen Ji (1822-1903). From there it was inherited by Hu Yun Long, Wang Qing Hui,Wan Cha Lin, Li Mei Shen, and others.

There is a form  Yue Family Boxing north of JiangXi and sharing techniques with the Hebei styles. This  is said to be derived from the Yue family members.

One type of Yingmenquan is practiced in the western areas of Jiangxi and is likely a mix of Yuejiaquan with other styles such as Hong Gar and Respect the Tiger (Hu Zun) Boxing from Fujian.

In general Yue Jia Quan is classified as a Southern style. It has branches of its own such as the Zhang Family (associated with the Heven Earth Society), the Zhao and the Ma (probably Muslim). It is, of course, logical that this is considered a Southern style since it was Yue Fei’s fate to lose his life defending the Empire from Northern invading Mongols,  a pressure that in essence established the Southern Dynasties.

Resources:
New Ying Men Quan DVDs
Our VCD collection of Yue Family fighting.
Chinese books on this style.
About the Chinese folk hero General Yue Fei.