In the early Qing dynasty, as the shaolin temple was believed to have been a sanctuary for resistance fighters, government forces burned the place down in 1674.

Among the monks that fled the monastery was Fang Zhonggong a master of monk fist boxing from the rural village of Yongchun, Fujian province. A group of scoundrels from a neighbouring village, who were trying to gain control of the village of Yongchun, deceived Fang and then beat him up. He consequently fell ill and eventually died. His daughter, Fang Qiniang who had been trained by her father in monk fist boxing was very troubled by her father’s death and vowed to take revenge.

One day after the tragedy she saw two cranes fighting outside her home. She noticed how these two cranes strategically manoeuvered themselves away from each other's fierce attacks with remarkable precision. In an attempt to shoo the cranes away she went outside and with a long bamboo pole she attempted to swing or poke but before the pole reached the intended target the cranes evaded every attempt and then flew away.

After considerable time and study, Fang finally came to understand the central principals of hard and soft (and yielding) to  power. After 3 years of relentless training, Fang’s innovative style became one of the most popular self-defence systems in the Fujian province. The system was in fact a fusion of Monk Fist Gong Fu and Fang Qiniang’s interpretation of the white cranes instinctive defensive movements. She believed that it is only through discovering and mastering the world within that the power of positive human force can be developed in harmony with nature and used to defeat any adversary. Yongchun White Crane Gong Fu is born.

Crane Boxing Introduced to Okinawa in 1826

Zeng Cishu who Fang defeated in battle became her student and eventually the 1st successor or 2nd

Generation master of White Crane Gong Fu. Through relentless practice of Happoren Quan, he developed his inner strength so that it eventually manifested through his 36 vital points. He made Happoren Quan a popular tradition which was perpetuated and handed down. Thus to develop inner strength through the Quan.



1. Eliminate external distractions and concentrate only upon intention 
2. Coordinate breathing and synchronise it with the muscular activity. When you extend your arm, exhale and strike but conserve 50% of your air. Be sure never to expel all of your air at one time. When you inhale, your body becomes light. When you exhale, your body becomes rooted
3. Listen to your breathing and become aware of every part of your body
4. There must be a constant but pliable muscular contraction in the deltoid, trapezius, latissimus dorsi, serratus and pectoral muscle groups
5. To encourage perfect diaphragm breathing, the spine must be parallel to the stomach
6. Techniques are executed forward and back from where the elbows meets the waist

To understand the physical and metaphysical precepts of hard and soft (‘gaugrou' in Mandarin, ‘goju’ in Japanese) one must learn that it is the even balance between the two that enables one to overcome the greatest adversary of all: oneself. Hardness represents both the material force of the human body and one’s fierceness. Softness represents the gentleness of one’s character and the resilience to yield in the face of adversity.

• One of Zeng Cishu’s many students was Teng Shan Wang Foudeng, who became the second successor and the one responsible for perpetuating the tradition in the following years.

• Lin Shixian a master of White Crane Gong Fu from Yongchun village taught Pan Yuba.

• Pan Yuba taught Ryuru Ko (Xie Zhingxiang).

• Ryuru Ko developed his own hybrid form of Crane Boxing called Minghe Quan or Whooping Crane Gong Fu (also referred to as singing or crying crane Gong Fu) the style emphasised palm techniques, the 72 Shaolin Seizing techniques, striking the 36 vital points, the use of Qi energy and body movement. He taught Higashionna Kanryu.

Higashionna Kanryu Okinawan after living in Fuzhou for nearly a decade came to learn the central elements of several kinds of Chinese Gong Fu. From this hybrid of Whooping crane Gong Fu and other, Crane Boxing was introduced to Okinawa in 1828 and served as the basis from which Goju Ryu was born.

Birth of Goju Ryu 21 November 1930

What is Goju Ryu

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