Lin Yin Sheng, Wang Jian Min. - Southern Shaolin SHE ZU QUAN. Pugilistic Art of the SHE Nationality.

Origin of SHE ZU QUAN. During the reign of emperor Yongzheng (1723 - 1735) from the dynasty QING Shaolin patriotic monks made plans to overthrow the QING and restore the MING dynasty. The Southern Shaolin in Quanzhou became an underground center of the movement for the restoration of the MING dynasty in the south of China. After being reported about that, the QING government sent troops which had an order to demolish the monastery and kill the monks. By some miracle only four monks — Tie Zhu, Tie Xie, Tie Bing, and Tie Ban escaped. After long and dangerous wandering Tie Zhu reached the village of Jindouyang in the district of Fuan, the province of Fujian, populated by the SHE nationality. The village was situated in a remote mountain region in the North-East of the Fujian province; the villagers were kind and generous people. When they saw the ragged and emaciated Tie Zhu, they felt compassion to him. Tie Zhu who took the name Pan settled in the village. Although Tie Zhu was outwardly dispassionate, his soul knew no rest and he did not lose the hope for the MING restoration. Homicide of monks and suppression of the people carried out by emperor Yongzheng fomented fire of vengeance in him. He swore that he would take vengeance for his tutors and comrades. He hung up on the wall a tablet with the following words offensive to his feelings: Yongzheng, the First Hero of the Celestial who overcame four monks. Each day he read the offensive words and his heart was filled with hatred, adding him strength and inspiring for hard training. Tie Zhu exercised day and night. Exhausted, he fell asleep on a narrow bench but as soon as he woke up he immediately started exercising again. There was a stone cap weighing over ten JINs on his head, he wore clothes with sand weighing several dozens of JINs (one Jin is equal to about 1.3 lbs). With his hands he rammed wooden piles into the soil to improve the mastery in the Iron Palm, exercised with millstones etc. to do exercises of the Shaolin School. Trees and bamboo around the house where Tie Zhu lived gradually withered because of countless number of blows with fists, palms, arms, legs, and head. So three years passed. Tie Zhu's mastery immensely improved, he was a great success in Shaolin skills of Iron Head, Iron Shirt, Iron Fist, Iron Palm, and Iron Fingers.Once Tie Zhu saw the local people exercise with a knife and a stick. He started teaching them the martial art to prepare fighters for overthrowing the QING dynasty. With time a lot of disciples gathered and he opened his school. Many people from Jindouyang, Niucheng and other villages situated in neighborhood were eager to learn from Tie Zhu. The ablest and most persistent Tie Zhu's disciple was Lei Chao Bao. He was the master of the family martial art passed down from generation to generation. Additionally, he persistently learned from Tie Zhu. Over time Lei Chao Bao excelled his tutor in mastery and became very popular, he was nicknamed Teacher of Tigers and Leopards.Years passed and Tie Zhu died in the village of Niucheng. Lei Chao Bao carried on the cause of his tutor and taught combat art to his disciples. He united methods and techniques of the Southern Shaolin and the local school and built up the original style SHE ZU QUAN with high combat efficiency and health-improving qualities. Since that time those who were eager to learn incessantly came to the village of Jindouyang, number of masters and tutors was on the rise. With time SHE ZU QUAN spread in localities where the SHE people lived and among the Chinese who lived in the north-eastern part of the province of Fujian.