One of the folks asked me about english language sources for the history of Chinese wrestling (both as a sport and as a form of military training). Really the choices are slim. I would only recommend these sources:

The Method of Chinese Wrestling by Tong Zhongyi, translated by Tim Cartmell (this is a Republican era training manual and is the oldest Chinese wrestling manual we have with fairly compete technique illustrations).

The Spring and Autumn of Chinese Martial Arts by Prof Kang Gewu (this is kind of a This Day in History book with somewhat frequent mentions of Chinese wrestling).

And for background:
Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals: A Historical Survey by Brian Kennedy and Elizabeth Guo (yes, it is my book but it has a couple of sections on various grappling manuals)

Although there are other english language books that are good discussions of the techniques of Chinese wrestling...they may not be such great historical sources.

Take care,
Brian
p.s. I will attach a piece Liz and I did for Classical Fighting Arts magazine awhile back. It is 8 pages long so if the mod thinks it is using up too much space they can cut it out.


Tong Zhong Yi; Chinese wrestler, author and organizer
By Elizabeth Guo and Brian Kennedy

“It was practiced a lot in the military in the Qing dynasty. Northern people are better at this skill, you seldom see southerners practice it….Japanese ju jitisu looks like it but they are actually different.”
The “it” being referred to is Chinese wrestling, known in Chinese as shuai chiao. The quote is from Jing Yi-ming’s preface to Tong Zhong Yi’s book Chinese Wrestling Methods published in 1935. Tong Zhong Yi and his book are the subjects of this article.
The book Chinese Wrestling is interesting for a number of reasons. First, there are not many shuai chiao books from the Republican era (1911-1948) and Tong’s book is an outstanding early example of a training manual devoted to shuai chiao. The book is interesting too, because it contains many photographs of various shuai chiao throws, training devices and training exercises. The book is clearly written and complete, which was not always true for Republican era martial arts training manuals.
The book maybe of particular interest to those interested in the relationship between Chinese and Japanese grappling arts in that it gives a pictorial view of how shuai chiao was actually practiced in the early part of the 20th century. There are natural comparisons and contrast with Japanese judo and perhaps to a lesser extent with Japanese sumo. It is not the place of this article to discuss whatever the relationship maybe but rather to simply tell a bit about shuai chiao and leave it to the reader to delineate what the relationships might be.

Shuai chiao
Shuai chiao literally means “throwing-competition”. It is used as a generic term for Chinese wrestling. Shuai chiao is several things at once; it is a sport, it can be a form of self defense and it was often used as a form of recreation or entrainment. As Jing Yi-ming alluded to in the opening quote, Chinese wrestling was a popular form of recreation among the Chinese military, especially in the north.
Chinese wrestling went by a number of names during its long history. As Lin Bo-Yuan mentions in his 1996 book The History of Ancient Chinese Sports the original name for Chinese wrestling was “chaio li”. The “chiao” of “chiao li” can mean “horns” as in the horns of a cow. But it’s normal usage is as a verb meaning to compete. “Li” means “force”. Thus a “competition of force” would be the most accurate translation.
We mention that not to bore you with arcane etymology but to dispel a common mistake that tends to make Chinese wrestling look foolish. It is sometimes said that the origins of Chinese wrestling lie with an “ancient art” in which the Chinese wrestlers wore horns on their heads and butted each other. That is unlikely. While we are aware of pictures showing Chinese “wrestlers” wearing bull horn headgear, that can more likely be attributed to preliminary shows, along the same line as lion dances or dragon dances or simply to “artists’ license” than the reality of how Chinese wrestling was conducted.
Returning to reality, Mr. Lin’s book goes on to trace Chinese wrestling history. Two points are worth noting; first, wrestling has a very long recorded history in China, pre-dating the Chin dynasty (221-207 B.C.). Second, the art has always been connected with the military. Although by the time of the Eastern Chin (317-420 A.D.) civilians started to make full time livings out of giving wrestling performances. In the “there is nothing new under the sun category” is the fact that by the time the Song Dynasty (420-479 A.D.) came around, there were records of court sponsored topless female wrestling. The practice was harshly criticized by Confucian moralist of the time but it does go to show that female “hot oil” wrestling is not exclusively a 1980’s Los Angeles phenomena.
Turning back to the more serious side of Chinese wrestling, shuai jiao became the official name for Chinese wrestling in 1928 when the Nationalist government was organizing and systemizing Chinese martial arts. It is important to note that modern Chinese wrestling is viewed not as a “Han art”, i.e. not a “Chinese art” but rather a Mongolian art. When we turn to the career of Tong Zhong Yi that fact will become relevant.

Tong Zhong-yi
Tong Zhong yi (1878-1963) was Manchurian, born in Chang Chou. His father was a master of the Big Six Harmony system of northern shaolin. Tong started at a young age to learn that system from his father and went on, in the words of his biography, “to became a very skillful martial arts practitioner”. He certainly did enjoy a local reputation as he, along with Wang Zi-ping, were known as “The 2 Masters of Chang Chou”.
Tong’s wrestling skill did not come from his family circle. On the contrary he learned wrestling from the eldest disciple of his father, a person named Tsai Ging Tien. Tsai was a Mongolian and skilled in Mongolian wrestling which he had acquired prior to his study with Tong’s father. In an unusual display of frankness, the biography of Tong that appears in the Lion Publishers reprint of his book Chinese Wrestling Methods admits, “although Tong practiced very hard he did not make a great deal of progress”. The biography, which it is important to note was not part of the original book, goes on to say that “it was not until he worked as the martial arts coach for Bao Ding Military School that he made a great progress because he had lots of chances to practice with various wrestlers”.
When Tong was 17 he went to live with his uncle. That uncle was the owner of a “bao biao”, a private security business. Private security companies were one of the major ways that martial artists in the Qing era (1644-1911) made their livings. The other common employments were teaching martial arts, working as a “bone setter” ( a type of traditional Chinese medicine that involved massage, herbal remedies and plasters) or a military career. Martial artists who found none of those employments to their liking or lot in life, tended to drift downward on the social scale into either “street entertainer” (i.e. doing martial arts performances on the street and then passing the hat around) or crime. Contrary to the movies and popular western impression, most martial artists of Qing era China were not grizzled and wise monks nor handsome and brave knight errants. They had more mundane ways to make a living.
Returning to Tong Zhong yi, he worked for awhile for his uncle’s private security business then later he joined the army. In the army he taught at the Bao-Ding military academy and it was during his tenure there that his wrestling skills came to full flower. After his stint in the army he then went to Shanghai. Once in Shanghai he established the Zhong Yi Boxing Study Society and the Chinese Wrestling Society. The latter organization did quite a bit to advance and modernize shuai chiao. Among their various activities was the publication of books, most notably Tong’s book and they were also responsible for promoting the practice of shuai chiao among the general public. Again Tong was in the forefront of this. Tong made his living by both teaching martial arts and running a bone setting medical practice. He also served as the head of the shaolin department of the Shanghai City National Arts Institute. Tong continued teaching till the end of his life. He was awarded a “level two” state funeral by the Chinese communist party.
On a family note, Tong’s daughter Tong Pei Yuen, studied wrestling with him since she was young. In 1948 she won the championship of the Women’s’ Wrestling Division of Shanghai City Sports Event. Women participating in shuai jiao has a long history. Sometimes, as in the case of Tong Pei-yuen, this participation is “real” in the sense of real participation in the training and real competition. As mentioned above sometimes participation by women in shuai chiao is nothing but a form of bawdy entertainment.
Tong’s own system, which he called Tong Pai Jiji Shu, (Tong Family Combat Techniques School); combined elements of Mongolian shuai jiao and his family’s chin-na and 6 Harmonies Boxing. Chin-na is the Chinese art of joint locks, breaks and throws. Chin-na can be differentiated from shuai jiao in that chin-na was never a sport and is usually taught along with some other martial art, whereas shuai jiao is usually taught as a “stand alone” sport. Both can be effective on the street.

The book Chinese Wrestling Methods
Tong’s book, entitled simply Chinese Wrestling Methods, was published in 1935 by the Chinese Wrestling Society. As is standard for Republican era martial arts training manuals the book opens with a number of laudatory prefaces and calligraphies. The book itself is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the solo training methods of wrestling as well as various practices with training devices. The second part discusses paired practice. The appendixes include discussions of competition throws, falling, the rules and etiquette of competition. The book closes with a discussion of the training uniform, called the “big collar”, including a pattern for tailoring the garment.
One of the things that sets this book apart is the fact that it is well illustrated with a large number of photos. Oftentimes, due to cost and the fact that photography was not widely available, Republican era training manuals skimped on the photos. That is not the case in this book. Posing for the photos are Tong himself along with Ju Wen-wei and Du Wan-ching.


Falling the shuai chiao way
We will now take a look at a couple of areas that maybe of interest from a historical standpoint or as a contrast to how similar things are handled in other grappling arts such as judo. Let us turn our attention first to how falling is demonstrated in the book. The quoted section is the entire discussion of falling as presented in Tong’s book. It says:
“Knowing how to fall is a necessary practice for wrestling students. For nobody can guarantee they will never be defeated, so a wrestler can not only know how to throw people but they must also study how to fall skillfully. If he knows how to fall skillfully then he knows how to throw skillful. So if in real practice, you realize you are in an impossible position and you know you will be thrown; at that point don’t try too hard to change that situation, just follow the flow and take the throw”.
“In that situation, just release your grip on the opponent and when you touch the ground, lower your head towards your chest and tuck in your jaw to the chest to prevent you from hitting the ground with the back of your head. Also bend both arms to protect your chest and make both hands into fist to protect the face. Also bend both legs to protect your stomach and groin area. Curve the shoulders and curve the back and make your whole body into a semi-circle”.
“When you touch the ground use the part of your back which is near the armpit to touch the ground, do not use the arms or elbows to support to the body and let the body roll naturally. Then your body, as a whole, will not get injured.”
This approach to falling would seem to be quite a contrast with falling as taught in other grappling arts as judo or aikido but the approach outlined is what might be termed the “traditional approach” to falling in Chinese martial arts. This method is taught not only in shuai chiao but also in other Chinese martial arts which have a throwing element. In actual competition, at least based on the photos in Tong’s book, the key points seems to be first; keep your arms and head from hitting the floor and second, land on your slightly curved side, with the point of impact being the part of your side right under the armpit.


Solo Training Devices
A number of solo training devices are shown in Tong’s book. For example shuai jiao students use a hemp rope for various exercises. This is not the belt used as part of the uniform but rather two braded ropes. According to the description “the pulling strength of the two hands is what the hemp rope seeks to develop. The hemp rope is 3 chinese feet (chi) long and the two ends are tied in a knot. When practicing moves with the hemp rope pull hands apart on the rope. When you get familiar with using the hemp rope you can switch to an iron chain”. (see photos for examples)
Another device is the “shao bang tzu” or “small wooden “clapper”. The description in the book states; “ it is 9.5 chinese inches (cun) long. Its diameter is 2 chinese inches but can be varied in accordance with the size of your hands. Externally it is used to develop the strength of your arms and grip as well as to develop you chest muscles. Internally it strengthens your internal organs, making them able to withstand attack.” (see photo)
Also used is the “ta bang tzu”, the “big wooden clapper”. It is 2 chinese feet (chr) long and made of hard and smooth wood. (see photo). Like the small wooden clapper it is held in the hands while going through various exercises. It’s purpose, according to Tong is “to strengthen the “jing” of the waist and legs. “Jing” is often translated as “strength” but it is better explained as “coordinated strength” or “strength specifically applicable to a certain technique”. To speak of building “jing” is to speak of building strength for a specific task.
The book also mentions the use of “the basket” which is exactly what it says. It is a basket filled with dirt, bricks or stones. Tong recommends, “when you practice start with 10 or 20 jin (Chinese pounds, 1 jin equals 600 kg or 1.32 lbs) and you can increase the weight gradually”. If you can practice with over 100 jin then when you meet an opponent of over 200 jin you can lift him up because you practice with hard immovable things you can handle moveable things like people”. The practice consist of lifting the basket and throwing it to the left and right at waist level, holding it momentarily on your hip.
A related device is the mundanely named “gong” meaning “barrel”. Like the basket, one fills the barrel with dirt and increase it gradually. The major difference is that the barrel is itself quite heavy, being made of ceramic. You roll it back and forth; keeping the base on the ground.


The Rules of Shuai chiao
Tong’s book gives a set of rules for shuai chiao competition. The rules are actually given as “prohibitions”. That section in Tong’s book states: “The purpose of the contest is to throw down the opponent”. It then goes on to list these prohibitions:
“No fist attacks.
When you kick you can only kick below the knee and above the ankle.
You can not use the right foot to kick the opponent right foot (i.e. you must kick with opposite foot).
You can not grasp the opponents waistline, pants (the phrase refers in particular to the cuffs of the pants and or the loose material, the rule seems to be you can grab the leg but not the material of the pants) or groin or hair, ears or face.
You can grasp the lapels of the big collar or neck or arms or hands, and feet.
Your knee can not be bent when you are in close ( the phrase we have translated as “in close” appears to be a bit of shuai chiao jargon and refers to a specific technical position. Based on the photos, the position might be translated as “in a clinch” in the western boxing sense ).
If you use an illegal position or move and injure the opponent you lose.”
These “prohibitions” make no mention of such things as weight divisions, time limits for bouts or the size of the competition area or mats for the safety of contestants.

“Practical Shuai Jiao”
Usually martial arts books and movies depict the master fighting some other famous master or fighting a whole gang but the mundane reality is martial arts masters rarely used there arts in “all out” confrontations. But that is not to say that martial arts can not be used to resolve “minor personal disputes” as the following story about Tong illustrates. The story comes from “Practicing Shuai Jiao” by Wang Feng-ting who was a student of Tong. He writes:
“When Tong Zhong yi was in his 70s, he lived in Shanghai and had his own clinic. And at that time in Shanghai men could and often did urinate in alleys or roads. One day Tong had a friend visit him at his clinic, which was also his home. Tong and his guest were chatting when a guy stopped in front of the clinic door and started to urinate. Tong saw it and was not very happy. He walked out and told the guy ‘don’t pee here’. The guy ignored him so Tong didn’t say anything more. Rather than continue to debate the matter, Tong, using only one of his arms, grabbed the person by the back of the collar, picked him up and moved him several steps down the street. The guy got enough of a fright that he ran off”.

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