Defending the Nation 63
Mount Niu, by which it probably refers to the monastic center on Mount
Funiu, Henan (map 3).^19
Late Ming military experts usually heap praises on the Shaolin staff
method. Qi Jiguang, for instance, lists it among the famous fighting techniques
of his time, and Mao Yuanyi concludes that it has served as the source for all
other staff styles. However, the information to be gathered from critical voices
is no less significant. Martial artists who disapproved of the Shaolin method
prov ide us w ith detailed information on it. This is especially true of those mili-
tary experts that found fault with the Shaolin emphasis on the staff, for they
offer the strongest testimony of its centrality in the monastery’s regimen.
One expert who objected to the Shaolin concentration on staff fighting, ar-
guing that it resulted in neglect and even distortion of training in other weap-
ons, was Wu Shu. Wu was born on the banks of the Lou River (now called Liuhe),
in the subprefecture of Taiqiang, some thirty miles northeast of Suzhou in
Map 3. Ming centers of monastic fighting.