5 Kung Fu Animals

[Hadda Condino]

In Mandarin, "wuxing" is the pronunciation not only of "five animals", but also of "five elements", the core techniques of xingyiquan martial arts, which also features animal mimicry, but often with ten or twelve animals rather than five, and with its high narrow Santishi stance, these look nothing like a Fujianese Southern style found in the North. Other animal styles of various types are sometimes used.

According to legend,[citation needed] Jueyuan, a 13th-century Shaolin martial artist, used the original 18 Luohan Hands as a foundation, expanding its 18 techniques into 72. In Gansu Province in the west of China, in the city of Lanzhou, he met Li Sou, a master of "Red Fist" Hongquan (紅拳). Li Sou accompanied Jueyuan back to Henan, to Luoyang to introduce Jueyuan to Bai Yufeng, master of an internal method.

They returned to Shaolin with Bai Yufeng and expanded Jueyuan's 72 techniques to approximately 170. Using their combined knowledge, they restored internal aspects to Shaolin boxing. They organized these techniques into Five Animals: the Tiger, the Crane, the Leopard, the Snake and the Dragon.[3]

Jueyuan is also credited with the Northern style "Flood Fist" Hongquan, which does not feature the Five Animals but is written with the same characters as the Southern style Hung Kuen, perhaps the quintessential Five Animals style.

Moreover, as in the Southern Hung Kuen, the "Hong" character (洪) in Hongquan actually refers to a family name rather than its literal meaning of "flood." However, the two styles have nothing in common beyond their shared name.

The 12 animal forms of Xingyiquan are quite different from the 5 animal forms of Southern Shaolin, like Hung Ka and Choy Li Fut. The Xingyiquan 12 animal forms came first, the Southern Shaolin five animal forms later, with about 600 years in between.[7][8] The 12 animal forms emulate the techniques and tactics of the corresponding animal rather than just their physical movements. Some of the animal techniques have only simple, straightforward movements where others are more complex and involve a sequence of mimicking movements. The techniques used in the 12 animal forms complement those used in the 5 element forms and add more striking, kicking and stepping techniques.[9]

I'm not sure I really need to elaborate on this question much, masters Tigress, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey are all named after the animal that they are when almost no-one else in the fictionalised setting seems to be (indeed actually no-one in the first movie) , not even Po, the only known giant panda at the time.

There are a few other kung-fu masters named after their animal most notably Chicken, Porcupine, Boars in Kung-Fu Panda 3 and a few other assorted masters in the Legends of Awesomeness TV show. There are also masters "Flying Rhino" and "Thundering Rhino" though I'm discounting these as flying and thundering seem like the sort of things that would distinguish someone sufficiently rather than referring to their entire species.

This response by Po to Tai Lung's taunts shows that Po has accepted, created, and mastered the fighting style that best suits him, to the point that he typifies that style. With time, his name and fighting style may become synonymous and interchangeable.

In contrast Po had a loving adoptive father, despite their differences, so Po would have no reason to use his given name. As mentioned above, Shifu named Tai Lung in hopes he would be the prophesied Dragon Warrior, a lesson Shifu would not repeat.

Play continues in a round until all animals have been hit in. Once that happens, score them; the player with the higher score earns the difference between the two scores as points. Then, play another round. When one player finishes a round with at least 21 points, the player with the most points wins!

The animal forms of Shaolin Kung Fu, consisting of the dragon, the snake, the tiger, the leopard and the crane, are a very well-known concept. The imposing imitations of animal movements are an eye-catcher at every show. But what is it actually about?

Practitioners do not want to become an animal by exercising their Kung Fu. As long as it is about classic Kung Fu and not about modern Wushu, it is also not the goal to imitate the respective animals as precisely as possible. So, one does not attack the opponent on all fours or by snaking on the ground towards him.

When our grandmaster, Wong Kiev Kit, read a classic about the five animals in his early years, he was still surprised that the depictions of the individual animal forms hardly differed. Only years later did he realize that the internal components made the difference.

In the "72 Shaolin Arts" practiced in Shaolin Wahnam, this manifestation is cited as "Hei Sai" (Energy Spirit). The outward movements are thus to be inspired by the "spirit", the temperament, or rather the essence of the respective animal.

The following listings contain a brief description of the animals, their inner essence or spirit, physical characteristics (of the movements), corresponding Kung Fu techniques, typical Kung Fu sets and styles, appropriate weapons, common sounds, and finally the specialty of the respective animal style.

As with many categorizations in Kung Fu, these are not absolute. We should not fall into stereotyped thinking and remember that Kung Fu is alive. In particular, the weapons are not always unambiguous. The listed weapons and weapon sets are therefore nearby recommendations.

Although the dragon is not regarded as a "real" animal in the West, it is firmly established in Chinese philosophy and mythology and is valued as a fortune-teller everywhere. It is found not only in art, as a zodiac sign in astrology, in Feng Shui, in temples and fashion, but also in Chinese martial arts, where it is often regarded as the highest of the animal forms.

Dragon techniques are characterized by swaying, curving, majestic, soft and smooth movements. Frequently, the feet remain in the same place, while Shen-Fa (body movement) is used to evade and immediately counter again. Defense and attack are often united in a single pattern. As hand forms the "dragon palm" is used for striking, the "dragon hand form" and "One Finger Zen" for Dim-Mak and sometimes the "dragon claw".

By its manoeuvrability, its soft and round movements, it resembles the behaviour of harmonic chi. The serpent is often referred to as earth dragon, because of certain similarities and because of the close connection between energy and the spirit.

The characteristic feature of the snake in Kung Fu is "Chi". Snake techniques are therefore particularly suitable for training energy flow, strengthening it and promoting endurance. In addition, Chi is the basic substance for internal force.

While the lion is considered the undisputed king of the animals, the tiger is often regarded as the king of the jungle. A single, explosive and at the same time smooth looking stroke is usually enough for the tiger to break the neck of its prey, making it look effortlessly.

In martial arts, the tiger stands for internal force. Frequently it is mentioned that tiger forms strengthen the bones, i.e. promote the "Gu" Chi (bone energy), which in turn is another synonym for internal force. Tiger techniques make special use of consolidated internal force. The tiger also stands for courage and ferocity as well.

As is true for a (large) cat, tiger patterns also have a smooth and soft component. Above all, however, they express concentrated power and superiority. Typical hand forms are the fist and the "tiger claw". The frequently used "tiger claws" are not meant to merely scratch the opponent, as it is commonly shown in movies. Rather, they are used to pull out the flesh, paralyze energy points, or dislocate joints.

Internal force helps us to achieve better results in all things in life, whether at work, in hobbies or in martial arts. The tiger spirit helps to become self-confident, to open up and to take courage.

The Leopard is characterized by speed. The explosiveness of the leopard is used when immediate action is required, for example with a fast-paced counter-attack or with combinations of several strikes. Another characteristic is the training of muscular strength, "Li", a property that has no special significance in Shaolin Wahnam.

The most common crane techniques are kicks. However, very direct attacks with the "crane beak", the typical hand form, against eyes or genitals are its specialties too. Do you know how the beak is used properly? In addition, the "Phoenix-Eye Fist" is used for striking vital points.

The training of the animal styles therefore does not serve for imposing performances, but provides a holistic training for martial arts and everyday life, which develops many important qualities. All aspects of our being, i.e. body, energy and spirit are cultivated by the essence of the different animals.

As already emphasized, technique alone is not the decisive factor. If a crane kick, such as "Single Leg Flying Crane", is executed in a clumsy manner, the essence of the crane is not manifested. If a tiger pattern, such as "Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain" is missing the necessary internal force to dominate the opponent, one must speak of a kitten rather than a tiger. If a snake technique is cramped or a leopard technique is slow, their typical characteristics are missed. If the mind is not focused when performing a dragon technique, it becomes a hollow shell.

This means that we are mentally present in every technique (dragon), the energy and the breath are flowing harmoniously (snake), the technique is supported by internal force (tiger) and performed fast (leopard) and elegantly (crane).

The Kung Fu Panda universe contains both carnivores (tigers, leopards, wolves, crocodiles etc.) and animals commonly eaten, both by those and in Chinese cuisine (pigs, ducks/geese, cattle, sheep etc.). All of these are portrayed as sentient and one would assume that they are thus not part of the diet. I can't recall any reference to them being eaten.

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