While kungfu was developed as an external, combative form of physical discipline, Zhang San-feng(living sometime in the perod 960-1279 AD) was creating a technique that would make him a legendary patriarch of latter-day Tai Chi Chuan.
He is often attributed to the time of Song Dynasty,
though the most
reliable and accepted evidence indicates that Zhang San-feng was the former magistrate and scholar of Confucianism for Chung Shan County, and was a native from Yi Zhou in today's east Liaoning Province. According to this evidence, he was born on the ninth day of the fourth moon of 1247 AD, in the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368AD). (Please notice the information of Sanfeng Birthday Celebration event on Mt Wudang as mentioned in this page )
His fame became established after he had completed a ten-year devotion at the Shaolin Manastery where, besides studying the Chinese Buddhist doctrines, he learned the " exoteric martial arts," wai kung . Zhang San-feng went on to study Taoism at the K'o Hung Mountain Monastery, which led him to wander as a hermit until he reached the Taoist enclave at Wudang Shan, where he founded the first major esoteric of internal
school, nei kung , of martial arts.....(MORE>>)
Wudang Sanfeng Pai
The martial arts on Mt Wudang of course should be classified as Wudang Pai. But, for various reasons,
here there are still different groups such as Sanfeng Pai, Xuanwu Pai, Songxi Pai,Taihe Pai and Chunyang Pai. Among them, Sanfeng Pai is undoubtedly the most influential school. In fact, each pai has its own feature; however, Sanfeng Pai is the most wellknown one. Thanks to GRAND MASTER
ZHONG QINGWEI and thanks to his strenuous effort,
Sanfeng lineage is unbrokenly going on.
(See a picture of Wudang Sanfeng Pai big family )
Wudang Gongfu is regarded as an important school of Chinese Wushu, enjoying an equal fame as Shaolin. There is a saying that the North advocates Shaolin, as the South respect Wudang.
Tradition has it that the founder of Wudang Gongfu is Zhang Sanfeng, a legendary Taoist priest. Considerable discrepancies have been discovered in varied historical records about Zhang Sanfeng it of is written in Ci Yuan (a dictionary specially recording the origins of Chinese words) "Zhang Sanfeng 1) A specialist of the art of attack and defence in wushu in the Song Dynasty, also a Wudang alchemist of making pills of immortality, who was expert at Chinese boxing. 2) A Taoist priest of the Ming Dynasty, from Yizhou of Liaoning once lived in Mt. Wudang." The two Zhang Sanfeng leave people a puzzle. Were the Zhang Sanfeng in the Song Dynasty and the Zhang Sanfeng in the Ming Dynasty the same person? Or could it be said that Zhang Sanfeng kept alive till the Ming Dynasty. But accoding to the law of the biological genetics, this is impossible. Thus, it is much reasonable that there once were two Zhang Sanfeng. The two had the same name, believed in the same religion, practices austerities at the same place, skilled in the same martial art ad enjoyed the same fame, which was inconsistent with Chinese habits in giving names and also did not agree with traditional taboo. Therefore, the issue about Zhang Sanfeng and his life has always been a hotspot drawing great concern in the historiography circles....(MORE>>)
Wudang Mountains
Wudang Taoist Wellness Academy
Learn from a Wudang Master
Wudang Taoist Culture Centre (WTCC) organizes sightseeing trip and study trip to central China's Wudang Mountains. WTCC's study programs contain two categories: one is studying in the Wudang Taoist Wellness Academy or any martial arts school ; one is studying with a Wudang master in a private way -one on one or a few.
In adition, Thanks to the English-speaking teaching staff,We can arrange classes all over the world. So far, we have taught in Spain, Brazil, Australia and Russia. There are individuals or organizations from such countries as Peru, South Africa and so on who are still contacting us for this issue. We appreciate the cooperations from which both sides can gain benifit and with which Taoist culture can spread to every parts of the world. Want to organize a workshop or seminar in your area with a guesting Wudang Master ?
Please contact:
wudangson@gmail.com or call WTCC director Gu Shining at 0086 138 8680 3653
