18 Lohan Fist of Beijing - Kungfu Discovery

Interviewing Master Xiang Gui Jiang (项贵江师父), one of the last master of the complete Ji Family 18 lohan fist 纪氏罗汉拳 in Beijing.

18 Lohan Fist is one of the most complete traditional martial arts system barely surviving in China today. It is complete in the sense that it trains in BOTH internal and external with external striking form that includes grappling, wrestling, striking with all parts of the arms and legs as well as pressure point striking. Just like the "Yi Quan", the 18 Lohan Fist focuses first on internal conditioning through qigong in order to strengthen and prepare the body for the external "expressions".

This family of 18 Lohan Fist was passed down since Ming Dynasty when it was taught to imperial guards of the royal palace. It has its qigong basis in the 13 taibao qigong (十三太保功）which was the qigong practised by the imperial guards then which has strengthening as well as hardening properties.

It consists of 18 different forms that builds up each aspect of the art progressively. The first 3 forms, which focuses mainly on the internal chi movements, are introduced in the video by Master Xiang. Names of the 18 forms are: 开天 (opening the sky), 辟地 (Splitting the ground), 浑元 (integration), 连环 (striking combinations), 转环 (throwing combinations), 蹬环 (kicking combinations), 龙形 (Dragon Form), 虎形 (Tiger Form), 凤形(Pheonix Form), 长眉 (fingers acu striking), 比丘(elbow and kness acu striking), 赤脚 (legs acu striking), 降龙 (defeating the dragon), 伏虎 (subduing the tiger), 御风 (low stance), 醉卧 (drunken style), 疯癫 (crazy striking), 破尘 (final form) .

If you wish to check out Master Xiang in Beijing, please feel free to drop me a message through my channel and I would be glad to set you guys up.