Poles of Plum Blossom. External (WAI GONG) and Internal (NEI GONG) Training.

The book covers "external" (WAI GONG) and "internal" (NEI GONG) training methods practiced by traditional schools of the "Shaolin family" (SHAOLIN PAI). The following proverb has been passed down from generation to generation of people who were occupied in martial arts: "Strength can not overcome Style, Style can not overcome Mastery (GONG FU)." There is one more saying: "Style is the flesh of mastery, mastery (GONG FU) is the skeleton of style." All this stresses paramount importance of training in the "Internal Mastery" (GONG FU).

Now many exercises presented in the book are almost lost and practiced by very few people. However, earlier they were an integral part of training in traditional schools of Chinese martial arts. Those and similar training methods allowed masters of the past to reach staggering results. Now their skills seem to us supernatural and unattainable. For instance, FEI YANG ZOU BI - "Flying up to a roof ridge and run up the wall", this skill belongs to the section QING GONG - "Mastery of Lightness". Or DAO PI FU KAN ER BUNG EN RU - "Swords cut, axes slash but can not harm", this skill is from the section YING GONG — "Mastery of Hardness". But those and similar abilities are based on following proper methods, diligence and persistence. That is the main (and only) secret and "no mysticism at all", as the author writes.

The book includes the preface and five chapters.

The FIRST CHAPTER covers general aspects of training "Internal" and "External" mastery. Then requirements to the practice NEI GONG and two exercises for regulation of QI are given. Additionally, there are several exercises from WAI GONG for developing the ability to hit powerfully and to the mark as well as for hardening and strengthening of limbs.

The whole SECOND CHAPTER covers YING GONG - "Mastery of Hardness". It describes a method for developing the ability to sustain cold-steel blows.

The THIRD CHAPTER covers QING GONG - "Mastery of Lightness". A methods of acquiring the ability to run up the wall, walk on a rope, quickly and easily move on the tops of poles is described.

The FOURTH CHAPTER covers the art MEI HUA ZHANG - "Poles of Plum Blossom" proper. It contains 15 exercises for developing the exactness and speed of motion and 9 exercises for developing the technique of continuous arm and leg blows at five poles.

The FIFTH CHAPTER describes QIGONG of "Dragon and Tiger". That practice results in better QI circulation, strengthening the body and internal organs, improving eyesight.

About the Author

"Earlier I wrote the following books: SHAOLIN JINGANG QUAN (“Diamond Fist of Shaolin”), WUDANG BAGUA QUAN (“The Style of Eight Trigrams from Wudang”), YUE FEI QUAN (“The Style of Marshal Yue Fei”), FO JIA QUAN (“The Style of Buddhistic Family”), CHUN YANG JIAN (CHUN YANG’s Sword”), MEI HUA DAO (“Broadsword of Plum Blossom”), LIU HE GUN (“Pole of Six Correspondences”) and some others. Being limited by my modest knowledge, I barely touched upon some aspects of martial arts in those books and included into them only small part of the problem.

At present (30th-40th of XX Century) many secret aspects of Kung Fu are becoming public. Several magazines on martial arts are issued, books are published. Thanks to those publications many famous schools of Chinese Martial Arts have become well-known both in China and abroad and their heritage is not lost for devotees of Kung Fu. Here I expressed my humble opinion about great achievements."

Yuan Chu Cai.