Tibetan White Crane (Bak Hok Pai), as a Martial Method
Tibetan White Crane is a “long arm” method of kung fu. What this means is that it uses large movements as a training mechanism to help the student understand how to engage the full body in creating power when delivering a technique. These large, sweeping and circular movements may seem exaggerated, but can be tremendously powerful and effective. Over time and with a lot of work, one develops skill in this method of full-body engagement. When this is accomplished, application of a technique can become much more compact and the exaggerated movement can be reduced or eliminated, while retaining the tremendous power that comes from full-body connection. In this way, technique can be effectively applied at any range, whether long or short.
The principles guiding this full-body engagement can be broadly applied to nearly all movement and technique within the system. Even movements that would not be recognized as “proper” techniques can become powerful and effective defensive methods. In this way the Tibetan White Crane method is very versatile. Application is direct and powerful, without becoming overly complicated.
Training consists of specific exercises and drills that help the student learn how to engage the full body. This is a gradual process, with exercises becoming more complex as the student grows within the method. Some exercises are done by the individual, while others are interactive with a partner to develop the ability to apply the techniques and concepts. As empty-hand skills grow, we begin training with a variety of traditional Chinese weaponry, including the staff (guan), spear (chong), sword (jian), and saber (dao). Weaponry skills are built upon the same principles as the empty-hand skills, namely the engagement of the full body to power the techniques and methods. In this way, there is a great deal of consistency in how the system as a whole is used to develop skill.
History of Tibetan White Crane (Bak Hok Pai)
The following history is a condensed version of information received from Sifu Quentin Fong in San Francisco.
The history that has been handed down within the White Crane kung fu tradition tells us that the method has roots dating back to the 15th century. During that time a Tibetan lama (Buddhist monk in the Tibetan tradition) named Ordator was meditating by a lake in the remote Tibetan highlands and was disturbed by a loud commotion. Investigating the commotion, he found that a “mountain ape” was attacking a white crane. The lama assumed the ape would quickly defeat the crane, but the crane proved to be a surprisingly formidable opponent for the ape. The crane was successful in evading the ape’s grasp, using its wings to strike and disrupt its attack. Finally, the crane struck the ape in the eye with its beak, causing it to flee.
The lama was surprised by what he saw and was inspired by the movement and tactics of the crane. Having been previously trained in martial methods, the lama recognized the potential in that movement and those tactics, and he used what he saw to develop a new method with a new approach to training. In addition, he was able to track down and capture the ape and keep it as a pet. He healed its wounds and studied its movement as well, combining aspects of the crane and the ape into his new method, that he called “Lion’s Roar.” This name was made in reference to a Buddhist tradition in which the Buddha was said, upon being born, to have entered the world with the roar of a lion. The lama felt that his new system was innovative and would, like the Buddha, have a great impact on the world.
Some generations later the method was brought into Guangdong Province in China by a lama named Sing Lung, who called the system by the name White Crane. During this time, it was also known as “Lama Pai” meaning simply the method of the Lamas. With Sing Lung’s efforts, the method spread in the region and different branches grew out of the original Lion’s Roar system. The three current branches are White Crane, Lama Pai, and Hop Gar. These three branches are considered sister systems with similar training methodologies yet are distinct, having been developed differently within their respective lineages.
A famous Sifu (teacher) named Ng Siu Chung learned White Crane from Wong Lum Hoi and Chee Chi Yiu, both disciples of Sing Lung lama. Ng Siu Chung began to teach at the young age of 18, in about 1913, and was named by Wong Lum Hoi as the chairman of the system under his lineage. Sifu Ng gradually revised the system and the methodology based on his experiences and established what he felt was a modernized lineage of Tibetan White Crane.
Sifu Ng had many students. Among them were Tang Cha Ming and Luk Chi Fu. Sifu Tang was the adopted son of Sifu Ng and was named as his successor before Sifu Ng died in 1967. Quentin Fong was a student of both of these men, studying first with Sifu Luk in both White Crane and another system called Choy Lay Fut. Later, Sifu Quentin studied pure White Crane with Sifu Tang and became his disciple.
Sifu Quentin Fong came to the United States, settling in San Francisco in 1963. A few years later he began teaching White Crane, eventually opening a school in the City’s famous Chinatown, as well as teaching in Oakland and Berkeley. Sifu Quentin has taught many students, including Bryant Fong who later became the head of the University of California, Berkeley, Wushu team and the San Francisco Wushu school.
Michael Schaefer became a student of Sifu Bryant Fong in 1997, learning White Crane, Taiji and elements of Shaolin Longfist. Michael’s primary interest is in White Crane, so in 2009 Sifu Bryant took Michael to meet his teacher, Sifu Quentin Fong. Sifu Quentin was mostly retired from teaching and was only working with a small group of disciples in his back yard. He allowed Michael to become his student and train alongside his small group of disciples.
Sifu Quentin Fong, Sifu Bryant Fong, Michael Schaefer
Some Commentary on the Early History
Origin stories within Chinese martial arts often have been passed along orally, without benefit of written documentation. It can often be difficult to know with certainty if the story is historically true, is based partially in fact, or is pure mythology. Common themes include a mysterious monk, a famous military general, or an early emperor, from ages long past, as the creator of the system. More than one method from China takes inspiration from observations of a powerful or crafty animal, or from witnessing a battle between wild animals with the underdog gaining an unexpected victory. That underdog gives the new method its identity, bestowing its scrappy determination and wild essence on the new system’s followers, and represents a new and innovative approach that upends the martial community of the time. These events are typically placed far enough back in time that researching them for historical accuracy can be problematic or even impossible for most people.
Origin stories can convey a sense of prestige or status, when the creator of a system holds a respected place in society or national history. There is reluctance to admit that the creator might have actually held low social status, so origin stories are told that capture the imagination and raise the status of the system by giving it worthy beginnings. The story of Tibetan White Crane follows this pattern. We have a lama, the “mysterious monk,” in a remote environment, gathering inspiration from a chance confrontation between two wild animals. The lama holds a position of status within Tibetan society and the seemingly fragile crane emerges ruthlessly victorious over the more powerful ape. Furthermore, the lama has the training and experience to recognize the value in what he witnessed, leading him to create a new, innovative, and powerful system. These are the elements that would satisfy the need for a worthy origin story. But that could be coincidence. Just because the story has all the elements of a glorious mythology does not mean that it cannot have a genuine place in history. These stories are interesting in that they give a sense of identity to those who practice the system, and merit some further examination to evaluate the likelihood that they are rooted in fact.
The Crane
In an effort to evaluate whether or not the origin story of Tibetan White Crane is at least plausible, clues must be found in sources not connected to martial arts. Martial sources would likely be repeating some variation on the established stories and would therefore be unlikely to reveal any hidden truth. Relevant sources include those that focus on Tibetan wildlife, culture, and Buddhism.
Sources on Tibetan wildlife are readily available and the habits and habitat of the birds and mammals of Tibet are not difficult to identify. Two animals are important to the Tibetan White Crane story: a crane and an ape.
There is in fact a species of crane, the Black-Necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) that lives in the remote highlands of Tibet. This was the last of the crane species to become well known to modern science given the remoteness of its habitat and difficulty in observation and study. It is a medium sized crane as far as crane species go, and its Wikipedia page indicates it stands about 55 inches tall and weighs up to 12 pounds (5.5 kilograms). Study of this crane is still rather limited, but other crane species can also be considered to find behaviors that are shared.
Biologists researching cranes have described their surprising strength and defensive capabilities. A determined crane is very agile and capable of avoiding capture, and the sharp claws and beak can be dangerous, as biologists attempting to capture wild cranes for study can attest. One case was cited by mulitple sources, describing an incident where a Demoiselle Crane (Grus virgo), the smallest of the crane species, killed a human handler by driving its beak through the man’s eye and into his brain. Furthermore, cranes are very protective of their young and cranes in Africa have been observed successfully confronting much larger animals like water buffalo that strayed too close to the nest. They spread their wings to look as large as possible, and aggressively chase off animals that come too close, pecking with the beak and attacking with the claws, running and jumping and leaping energetically. These descriptions paint a picture of a determined bird capable and willing to go the distance when the safety of the nest is on the line.
The literature on cranes includes written descriptions of aggressive behavior, including charging and flapping the wings followed by leaping attacks with the talons. Drawings of that behavior, as well as crane “dances” where two cranes engage in paired leaps, are reminiscent of movement sequences found within the Tibetan White Crane method. This suggests that somewhere in the history of this method, an ancestor spent time observing cranes.
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Black-necked crane, hunting.
Black-necked cranes.
The Ape
There are no apes that live in Tibet. Apes are tailless primates, divided into the Great Apes including gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos, and the Lesser Apes including siamangs and gibbons. While none of these animals live in the Tibetan highlands, various species of monkeys do. The Tibetan Macaque (Macaca thibetana), is one of them and is the largest species of macaque, weighing up to 43 pounds (19.5 kilograms) according to its Wikipedia page. This is a powerful animal, both intelligent and strong, and would pose a very real threat to a crane. Eggs make up a part of the macaques diet, and they regularly raid bird nests, giving us a plausible reason for a macaque and a crane to find themselves in conflict.
Tibetan Macaque.
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Tibetan Macaques.
The Ape as Pet
Sources indicate that macaques are kept as pets in Tibet. This is a tradition in the region that continues today, making it conceivable that Ordator could have captured the monkey and kept it for further study, as the story suggests.
Assessment for Historical Accuracy
The creation story of Tibetan White Crane is plausible and could be at least based on a true series of events. Whether or not it unfolded exactly as the story tells us is something that probably cannot be verified with any certainty. But the elements of the story exist and are supported by resources not connected to martial arts, including descriptions of the animal behavior and human interaction with the animals. Ordator could have witnessed a confrontation that occurred between a Black-Necked Crane and a Tibetan Macaque, when the macaque attempted to raid the nest for the eggs. The crane attacking the macaque’s eye is consistent with the incident of the Demoiselle Crane and the unfortunate human handler. Afterward, Ordator could have captured the macaque and turned it into a pet as is still seen in Tibet, and further studied it for martial inspiration. A contemplative individual with prior martial training, as Ordator is described, could then have successfully used this event as inspiration for the development of a new approach to training.
It is probably impossible to say with any certainty that the story is historically true. But it is possible, based on information that is readily available to the public.