Zhong Nan System (終南門派)

The Zhong Nan Mountains  (終南山)  in Shanxi （山西）Province are recognized in Chinese mythology and history as the place where many martial arts were born. Monks, hermits, and sages stayed there for many years, developing both their individual skills as martial artists and their personal world view and philosophy of life. The great masters were very modest, avoiding exposure, in part to avoid unwanted challengers and enemies who would be attracted by unnecessary publicity.

The pursuit of good health and long life was an important element in the worldview of these monks and wise men.  They included in their practice regimes elements of healing and meditation that turned their martial arts into a full and encompassing way of life, resting on deep philosophical premises and improving both physical and mental health. To this day, when the Chinese want to bless someone close to them, they say:  “may you live as long and be as strong as the Mountains of Zhong Nan” – meaning not the mountains themselves but their legendary inhabitants of bygone days.

The system developed by Great Grandmaster Wang Shu-Jin (王樹金) is also named after these famous mountains. The “Zhong Nan Men Pai” （終南門派)  system combines three internal martial arts:  T’ai Chi Ch’uan (太極拳), Hsing-I Ch’uan（形意拳), Ba Gua Zhang（八卦掌) based on traditional knowledge hundreds of years old.

We continue the tradition of Great Grandmaster Wang Shu-Jin and his disciple Grandmaster Wang Fu-Lai (王福来), teaching the three internal martial arts according to the way of Great Grandmaster Wang Shu-Jin and the great masters who preceded him.