Tien Shan Pai (天山派, pinyin Tiānshān pài) is a northern style of Kung-fu[1] which stresses rhythm, the demonstration of power accentuated by solid thuds made by the hands, the emitting of power from the entire body, the coordination of the hands and feet as well as blocks and strikes, high kicks and low sweeps, as well as locking and throwing techniques.
[2][1] Paired boxing forms and exercises are emphasized for timing and accurate evaluation of distance in reference to a moving, responsive adversary.
According to the legend taught by Master Wang to his students the style originated in the Tien Shan mountains of northwestern China.
[citation needed] After training members of Chiang Kai-shek's army in the martial arts,[8] he settled in Taiwan, where he began to teach his curriculum in the late 1940s.
Most notable among the successes of these early students, was Wu Ming Jer's victory in the International Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Tournament (the Tai-Gang-Au) in 1957.
[10] Together with noted Chinese martial arts Master Chen Pan-Lin and others, Wang co-founded the Chung Hua Kuoshu Federation.
The details of that legend vary in the re-telling, but the story is essentially as follows: At the urging of his mother, a young shepherd, who would come to be known as Hong Yun (紅雲) / Hung Yun Tzu,[1] that lived in the foothills of the Tien Shan mountain range followed an old monk into the mountains to learn his martial art.
He gives workshops and seminars regularly, around the country, on the traditional forms and practices of Tien Shan Pai (as taught to him by Wang, Jyue Jen.)
Lin has produced a series of instructional DVDs in order to record Tien Shan Pai's traditional legacy in both the Kung Fu, as well as the Tai Chi aspects.
He further states that Wang, Jyue Jen is the creator (the Founding Generation) of this style, and that this system, now known as Tien Shan Pai, dates from the 1940s.
[citation needed] Huang Chien-Liang has been teaching and promoting Tien Shan Pai consistently for the past thirty five years.