quan (dragon, tiger, leopard, snake, crane), sometimes seen as synonymous
with Shaolin Boxing; the twelve animals (tiger, horse, eagle, snake, dragon,
hawk, swallow, cock, monkey, Komodo dragon–like lizard, tai, and bear)
of Shanxi-style xingyi boxing; and the ten animals of Henan-style xingyi
boxing (tiger, horse, eagle, snake, dragon, hawk, swallow, cock, monkey,
and cat). These styles and forms represent a human attempt to mimic spe-
cific practical animal fighting and maneuvering techniques. Of course, the
dragon is a mythical beast, so this form is based on the Chinese vision of
the dragon’s undulating movement and the way it seizes with its claws—a
pull-down technique. The tai is an apparently extinct bird whose circular
wing movements suggest a deflecting/defensive form. Some of the so-called
animal forms could be categorized in other ways. For instance, some of the
animal techniques in xingyi boxing could be subsumed under the basic Five
Element forms (crushing, splitting, drilling, pounding, and crossing). In ad-
dition to the actual animal forms, many Chinese boxing forms have flow-
ery titles such as “Jade Maiden Thrusts the Shuttle,” “Step Back and Strad-
dle the Tiger,” and “White Ape Offers Fruit.” These are merely traditional
images, familiar to most Chinese, used as mnemonic devices to assist when
practicing routines.
Animal and Imitative Systems in Chinese Martial Arts 17The magic monkey Songoku from a Chinese fable creates an army by plucking out his fur and blowing it into
the air—each hair becomes a monkey-warrior. Illustration created by Yoshitoshi Taiso in 1882. (Asian Art &
Archaeology, Inc./Corbis)