Drunken boxing

The earliest written reference to drunken boxing is probably in the classic novel Water Margin, in which the Song Dynasty rebel Wu Song is depicted as a master of drunken boxing.

In the kung fu manual "Boxing Classic" (拳經; quán jīng) from the 18th century, Shàolín monks are described as practicing the style of eight drunken immortals boxing. This style is described as a technical derivative of dì tàng quán.[3]

The Bā yǐng quán (八影拳) lineage from Henan attributes its wine boxing to the Shaolin Kung Fu style.

Hung Ga lineages stemming from Wong Fei Hung attribute their drunken boxing to So Chan.

Creation of the Buddhist style of zui quan is attributed to Shaolin temple. At the beginning of the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD), 13 monks from the Shaolin temple intervened in a great war to help Li Shimin against rebel forces. The role of the monks was prominent so Li Shimin, as the next emperor, appreciated the monks' help and bestowed on them officialdom, land, and wealth. In ceremony of the victory, he sent the temple a gift of meat and wine.[5]^{: vol2,p475} Because of the emperor's permission, the monks could abandon the Buddhist rule of not consuming meat and wine. This happened around 621 AD and since then, some Shaolin monks have consumed wine.

According to some, the drunken style was first introduced in the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD). It is said that a famous martial artist named Liu Qizan accidentally killed a person and sought refuge in Shaolin to avoid trial and to repent. Despite his monastic vows, he still continued drinking wine. This was not tolerable by the monks and they wanted to expel him from the temple. While completely drunk after consuming a huge amount of wine, he defied and beat the monks, some say more than 30 monks. The abbot, after seeing this, praised his skill. This drunken style of combat was adopted from him by the monks and refined over the generations.[4]

The most important Buddhist icons in Shaolin kung fu are Arhats, known in Chinese as Luohans. The same holds for the drunken style as a part of Shaolin kung fu, in which, the main character is the drunken luohan. Drunken luohan methods in Shaolin kung fu do not appear only in zui quan, but in some other styles as well. For example, in Shaolin luohan quan a drunken luohan steps forward, in Shaolin 18 luohan quan one of the 18 characters is a drunken luohan, and in Shaolin mad-devil staff[6] a drunken luohan sways to the sides with disorderly steps.

As with other Shaolin styles, Shaolin zui quan is not a complete stand-alone system itself, but consists of a few barehanded and weapon forms which together with other forms and styles comprise the whole system of Shaolin quan. Every lineage of Shaolin monks may have one or two barehanded[7][8][9] and one or a few weapon forms of zui quan. The main weapon is the drunken staff,[10][11] but other weapons such as the drunken sword[12] are also practiced. Though the technical contents are almost the same, the drunken forms of different lineages are different and their historical sources are mostly unclear.

The Daoist style of zui quan imitates the characters of the "Drunken Eight Immortals" (八仙; ba xian), which are a group of legendary immortals in Chinese mythology. First described in the Yuan Dynasty, they were probably named after the Eight Immortal Scholars of the Han. Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang or Song dynasty. They are revered by Daoists and are also a popular element in the secular Chinese culture. In drunken kung fu, the eight immortals are used as martial archetypes, or as eight sub-styles of drunken kung fu.[13] Each immortal has his or her own strategy and mindset. This style is a complete system itself comprising 8 forms, each representing one of the eight immortal characters:

1. Lu Dongbin (吕洞宾), the leader of the 8 immortals, with a sword on his back that dispels evil spirits, swaying back and forth to trick the enemy, the drunken with internal strength.[14]
2. Li Tieguai (李铁拐), Li, the cripple, walks with an iron cane, feigns the weakness of having just one leg, to win the fight with one powerful leg.[15]
3. Han Zhongli (汉钟离), the strongest immortal, carries a large cauldron of wine, tackles the enemies with strength.[16]
4. Lan Caihe (蓝采和), sexually ambiguous, carries a bamboo basket, attacking the enemies with swaying waist, mostly feminine postures.[17]
5. Zhang Guolao (张果老), old man Zhang, donkey rider, with his entertaining postures on the donkey, and his donkey's lethal swift double kicks.[18]
6. Cao Guojiu (曹国舅), the youngest immortal, a clever, controlled fighter, locks and breaks the joints (擒拿; qin na), attacks the deadly soft parts of the enemy body (点穴; dian xue).[19]
7. Han Xiangzi (韩湘子), flute-playing immortal, denying and countering the enemy attacks with powerful wrists.[20]
8. He Xiangu (何仙姑), Miss He, flirting with the enemy to cover her short-range attacks, evading the enemy attacks with the twisting body.[21]

These elements combine to form a complete fighting art. This style has also several weapon forms. The main weapon is the drunken sword, but other weapons such as the staff are also used.

• Some Hung Ga lineages include one set of drunken boxing. Wong Fei Hung's unique status as a culture hero along with his numerous depictions in popular culture were influential in disseminating drunken boxing into public consciousness.
• Some Choy Li Fut lineages include one set of drunken boxing
• Hark Fu Mun include one set of drunken boxing
• There is a Southern style of kung fu called eight drunken immortals boxing[22]

• The most popular form of drunken fist practiced today is probably the modern Wushu taolu called drunken fist. Wushu taolu are based on traditional kung fu taolu. Wushu differs from traditional kung fu in its emphasis on visual aesthetics as opposed to combative effectiveness, and in its pedagogic structure. Wushu drunken fist is generally more acrobatic and dramatized than traditional drunken boxing, with the player visually mimicking a drunkard. Many references to drunken boxing in popular culture resemble Wushu drunken boxing.[23]
• Bā yǐng quán may incorporate the most extensive drunken component (called wine/alcohol fist) in existing traditional kung fu, with a developed training curriculum, weapons, movement and fighting theory etc., making it a virtually stand-alone style.
• Ying Zhao Pai includes one set of drunken boxing
• Some Qi Xing Tanglang Quan lineages include at least one set of drunken boxing
• Fu Zhensong system includes an eight drunken immortals staff set

There are Northern and Southern versions of drunken monkey boxing, which is related to drunken boxing.

Many aspects of drunken boxing are specialized towards deception: continuous bobbing and weaving and slipping, feigning instability and lack of focus, attacking from unusual angles and seemingly weak positions, sudden changes of momentum, compounding multiple attacks with the same limb, use of blind-spots and visual distractions, changing game plans in mid-fight and employing concealed or improvised weapons.

Like many styles of kung fu, drunken boxing employs a wide variety of attacks, including striking, chin na and wrestling, with trapping range fighting as a default skill. Strikes and grabs are alternated with the hands striking as they extend towards the enemy and grabbing as they retract. The power for grabs is sometimes generated by dropping the body, either through slightly lifting the feet off the ground and then stomping down with the weight of the entire body or by falling to the prone.

Some styles of drunken boxing use traditional kung fu weapons, often the jian or gun.[26] The Bā yǐng quán wine boxing system includes many weapons, including saber, spear, guan dao, flute, fan, gourd bottle, sash, sash tied to guard and more.