The legend of Fang Chi Liang and the creation of White Crane Boxing- by The Chief Instructor Mr Russell Suthern

There are many variations to the legend of the creation of White Crane & many different spellings of the names involved.
The account portrayed here is one of the most popular & widespread.
About 350 years ago in the turbulent period straddling the Ming & Ching dynasties, there lived a Shaolin practitioner called Fang Zhang Guan. It is said he lived in what is now the Xia Pu county of the Ning De district of the Fujian province in South East China. Although considered a Shaolin master, Fang was attacked & severely beaten by a band of brigands, eventually dying from the assault. Fang had a daughter called Fang Chi Liang whom he had been teaching Kung Fu. She was devastated at her father’s death & swore revenge. She realised, however, that her Kung Fu skills were not up to the task. Shaolin was predominantly a hard style & as a female, small in stature, she knew that she would be unable to make this work against larger, stronger opponents.
While pondering this problem, it is said that she was disturbed by a large Crane that screeched & landed close to her. Fang tried to beat it away using a long pole, but the Crane fended off her attacks easily using the agility of its feet & wings & the swiftness of its counter attacks using its beak.
Fang was amazed by the Cranes grace & relaxed speed. She began to formulate a Kung Fu style based on the Cranes use of evasion & counter attack.
It is said Fang took three years to create White Crane style & after this period of intense training she was able to get revenge for her father’s death. However, she was appalled at what she had done & retired to the Yong Chun district to live a life of seclusion & perfect her skills in Kung Fu.
However, word spread about this little girl & her revolutionary Kung Fu style. Many people sought her out for tuition or even to challenge her. It is said she never lost a challenge match & her reputation grew tremendously.

ZENG SI SHU.

One such challenger was a certain Zeng Si Shu. He was a master of Iron Shirt Kung Fu & he was described in the following fashion:
His body was like an iron plate, his fingers were like steel forks & he had strength without parallel. A formidable foe!
He had heard of Fangs art & had travelled to Yong Chun to “compare arts with her.” (Which is a fantastic euphemism for “He wanted to knock the stuffing out of her!) Although incredibly strong, his hands & feet lacked co-ordination & his breath was inconsistent.

Without being hit even once, Fang was able to beat Zeng easily. After the fight, Zeng stated that had relied too heavily on physical strength & that Fang had used her evasive style & inner force to subjugate him.
Beating Zeng did much to enhance Fangs reputation!
Zeng begged to be accepted as Fangs disciple & eventually, despite his natural disadvantages of being too big, slow & clumsy, he managed to master White Crane.
From then on the two travelled Yong Chun teaching many students who in turn passed the tradition down to the modern day.
Today the White Crane system is still flourishing in the Fujian District of China. It is also very popular in Singapore, Taiwan & other parts of the Far East.
There are five styles Crane which derive from the White Crane system.
These are:

Calling Crane
Flying (Jumping) Crane
Eating Crane
Sleeping (Lying) Crane
Shaking (Vibrating) Crane

White Crane system is highly regarded in China & has been blended & integrated into many other styles. Thus we now see Snake & Crane, Tiger Crane, Dragon Crane & the five animal & five ancestor styles which both use White Crane techniques within their curriculum.
It is a historical fact that due to early trade roots between China & Okinawa, White Crane is the basis for Okinawan Karate & therefore Japanese Karate also.
As many of the modern styles have their roots in Karate, we can see how White Crane has influenced many of the Martial Arts styles in existence today.

As with so many legendary stories, I believe the story of Fang Chi Liang should be read as an apocryphal tale. I am sure that through generations of re-telling, the story has become embellished somewhat. However, I am also convinced that all tales of this nature have a grain of truth at their core.
Histories of this nature are allegorical. They should be used to excite & inspire the practitioner to train hard & reach greater levels of expertise themselves, without the student getting too hung up on their absolute historical accuracy.
It is important to respect the past, but for traditional martial arts to survive in today’s modern world, its practitioners must also look to the future!