In a long deep trench stood a young man, he was only one of hundreds ofyoung soldiers preparing for battle. Beside him on the ground lay avery long pole with a steel tip on one end. Beside all the others laythe same thing. These were the young soldiers that would be the firstline of defense in this great battle. As the sound of thunderinghorses, clattering armor and weapons got closer, the commander gave thesignal to get ready to meet this enemy head on. The young man’s legswere shaking as he grabbed his long weapon and planted the back end ofit deep into the earth below him. Hold steady the commander said. Waitfor my command, wait… wait… NOW! As he shouted out they all raisedtheir poles.The enemy clashed and the sounds of men and horses as they struck thetips of the long pole was deafening to the young man’s ears. Men andanimals fell everywhere. The dead and wounded lie on the ground allaround the young man, He had survived to live another day. But manyothers did not. This was the beginning of the use of the spear in thebattlefields of Ancient China.

The Ying Chiang (Tasseled Spear) is said to be the “King” of ChineseLong weapons (Chiang- Chinese term for spear). Due to its relative easeof manufacture, the spear in its many variations was one of the mostpopular weapons of the pre-modern Chinese battlefield. It is known asone of the four major weapons, along with the staff, Saber, and theSword, called in this group "The King of Weapons".

Brief history
The spear (chiang/qiang) is as old as China itself. Not only is itconsidered to be the oldest military weapon in China, the spear wasoriginally developed as a horse soldier's weapon. Before 400 B.C., footsoldiers used either a nine foot spear or an eighteen foot spear. Thesespears combined a thrusting point with a hooking or slicing blade. Inancient China, many advanced martial artists/warriors knew that thispointed implement under the usage of a proficient spear player wasusually both lethal and formidable. But its very earliest origin wasthat of a first line of defense used by foot solders that would standin trenches and impale incoming enemy as they rushed in.

Two of the top spear masters were the famous General Yueh Fei and thefirst woman warrior - Fa Mu Lan. Both warriors were consideredunbeatable due to their skill with the spear in combat. (Stories haveit that General Yueh Fei developed the Xing Yi mind-shaping boxingsystem based on his skill with the spear).

According to legend a famed spear master by the name of Lin Chung(Leopard Head) was famous for his finishing final strike called thereturning horse spear thrust; this retreating technique was used todraw the pursuing attacker. Then Lin Chung would suddenly stop and usean overturning body spear thrust at his opponent. When executed right,the spear rarely missed its target. It has been said that during the"Water Margin" period of ancient China some of "Leung Mountains" heroesof the "Water Margin" fame were very skilled spear masters. Lin Chungwas known as one of the best in the group. Yang Cheng Fu of the YangFamily Tai Chi fame always carried a shorter single-headed spear forprotection. It served Yang as both a short staff and straight sword.

Under the pressures of warfare, the British in the mid-nineteenthcentury concluded that the Chinese spear was far superior to theirbayonets on the battle field.

Weapon characteristics

Currently, the weapon is smaller and its uses are compressed intoaround thirty different methods. Common features of the Chinese spearare the diamond shaped blade and red horse-hair tassel lashed justbelow. When the spear is moving quickly, the addition of the tasselaids in blurring the vision of the opponent so that it is moredifficult for an opponent to block or grab the spear. The tassel alsoserved another purpose, to stop the flow of blood from the bladegetting to the wooden shaft (the blood would make it slippery or stickywhen dried). The length varied from around 7 feet (2 meters) long,commonly used by infantry, increasing up to the length of 13 feet (4meters) favored by cavalry. The spear is typically made of wax wood, astrong but flexible wood. It bends to absorb impact preventingbreakage. The bending motion combined with the horse hair tassel makesthe spear tip very hard to follow. The wood from White Wax Wood(Ligustrum lucidum) saplings has been prized in China for thousands ofyears. It is an ideal material from which to fashion a spear tipbecause it is tough, hard and flexible and can absorb shock withoutbreaking. Rattan is also a commonly used material for the shaft of theChiang. It also has the strength and flexibility need to support thespear head. The spear head itself is shaped like a diamond. It isdesigned this way to cause maximum damage when thrust with rotation. Itenters making a small wound, but as it turns, the wider part of thediamond shape opens the wound wider. Although the shape may vary insize the basic diamond shape remains the same.

     

External hard styles such as Hung Gar and Choi Lay Fut also incorporatethe Chiang, although Southern Kung Fu players prefer the long pole overthe spear. Sets such as the Moi Fah Ying Chiang or Plum Flower spear istaught in both Hung Gar and Choi Lay Fut. They share the same name butare very different sets.

Some lineages in Hung Gar utilize Ng Loong Bat Gwa Chiang, fifth son,eight diagram long pole set (based on Ng Loong Bat Gwa Gwan). It issaid that this set (Ng Loong Bat Gwa Gwan) was created by a famousspear master of the Sung Dynasty, the fifth brother of the Yang familywho was a general. After a major loss in battle he fled to the Shaolinmonastery and became a monk. He adapted his spear play to be used witha long pole. Other lineages teach Say Moon Moi Fah Ying Chiang or fourgate plum flower spear set. This set was adopted into the Hung Garsystem and the pattern follows that of the petals of a plum flowerwhile using the “Say Moon” or four gates. The Lau Family long pole setwas also adopted from the techniques of the spear. This set is nowtaught in many Hung Gar schools today.

Misunderstood reputation
The reason for the Chiang’s reputation as King of weapons ismisunderstood. Some say it is king because of its elegance and simplebeauty. While others say it is because of its great length and menacingDai “Great”. The Chiang could reach lengths of twelve feet or more. Andothers say it is because many famous heroes and military generals ofChina used this fierce weapon. To fully understand why it has earnedthis reputation one must start with the basic principle of all MartialArts, Reeling Silk or “Chan Si Ging”. Reeling Silk refers to thecircler or spiraling movement used in all Kung Fu styles. Chan Si Gingis an Ancient Chinese term that is used to describe the spiralingaction of silk being unwound from a silkworm’s cocoon. This movementbegins in the feet, then up through the legs, waist and out through thepoint of contact, in this case the tip of the spear. As the old sayinggoes “Rooted in the feet, Developed in the legs, and Directed by thewaist and Expressed at contact”. This is Kung Fu’s method of generatingpower. Chan Si Ging/Reeling Silk is very evident in sets such as HungGar’s Ng Long Bat Gwa Gwan. This spiraling movement is pronouncedthroughout the set and its practice. That is why you will see manypractitioners use the Chiang while performing some of the long polesets. It is said that all the spear practice was replaced with the polebecause the Buddhist belief was that one could not draw blood. So thespear tip was removed. In the hands of a proficient Martial Artistevery inch of this weapon can be utilized, from the very tip to theblunt back end of the shaft, long range as well as short range.Crossing weapons with an opponent could mean sliding down the shaft andusing the lead hand of the opponent as a prime starting target.Trapping and going over the opponent’s guard and into the main targetwould follow.

Two man training sets
Two-manfighting sets such as the saber vs. the spear, spear against thebutterfly knives, Kwan Do vs. spear, etc. shows just how important thisweapon is in a Kung Fu students training. Two-partner training is veryimportant in developing the Chan Si Ging theory. Sensitivity in theplay of the weapon is very essential. Two skills used in Kung Fu aredeveloped when training with a partner: Nian Ging (sticking energy) -the ability to maintain contact with your opponent or to stick to him -and Ting Ging (listening energy) – the ability to read one’s opponent’sintent and feeling or reading what your opponent’s next move may be. Bytraining with a partner and feeling the contact the student get thesense of actually using this weapon in a real combat situation.

Preserving the past and the future

All classic Chinese weapons possess their own special characteristics,each serves to develop a Martial Artist’s over all skill. Learning avariety of weapons enables one to better understand all aspects of achosen Chinese Martial art.

SIFU CURTIS KAUTZMAN is the head instructor and president of the Canadian Hung Kuen Martial Arts Assoc. www.fuhok.com