A Little Background on Kunlun...

The Kunlun Mountains (崑崙山) form one of the longer mountain ranges in Asia, stretching for some 3,000 km between Tibet (to the south) and the Tarim Basin, Takla Makan and Gobi Deserts (to the north). The highest point in the range is the mountain Kunlun Goddess, at 7,167 meters. They are one of the Earth’s remote places, and are only crossed by roads in two places. Kunlun is famous for its jade, and was the source of the Jade Road, an ancient set of trade routes, stretching as far as the Mediterranean, SE Asia, and China, and predating the more famous Silk Road by millennia.

There are five sacred mountains in Taoist cosmology. Pride of place, the center, goes to Kunlun. It is considered the central axis of the Taoist universe. Shrouded in clouds and mist, dangerous and mysterious, its high peaks are a symbol of the unknowable Tao, as well as a symbol of the link between Heaven and Earth, body and spirit. Kunlun is also believed to be the Taoist Paradise (Shangri-La?) and the home of Xi Wang Mu (西王母), the Queen Mother of the West, an ancient Chinese goddess who lived atop Kunlun in her palace, tending the Peaches of Immortality. It was believed, in the past, that Kunlun could move about at will, that it existed both within and without the world, that it was everywhere and nowhere.

Together with Shaolin, Wudang, Ermei, and Kongdong, Kunlun is considered one of the five major martial schools of China. Kunlun is known for its skills with the sword. There are a number of Taoist sects and martial traditions associated with the Kunlun Mountains. Of course, claiming a connection to distant Kunlun is similar to ascribing your art to a nameless Taoist hermit or monk in the mountains (or to Bodhidharma, for that matter).

The arts of Kunlunquan, Kunlunpai (divided into West and East branches), and Kunlun Mountain Fist all appear related, and claim a connection disappearing back into antiquity. These styles may display a Hakka influence (though some claim the influence went the other direction). There is a strong Cannon Fist element to the arts, and there is a resemblance, in some forms, to Chen Taiji. Jonty was lucky enough to study Kunlun Mountain Fist in the mid-90’s with Shifu Jason Baaht, before his death in 1997. Clips of Kunlunquan from a set of Chinese VCD’s by Huang Shuangqing are what generated interest in the art for me. Very rare here in the West, we are currently researching the art in an attempt to find out more.

Bapak Willem de Thouars uses Kunlunpai in the title of his Kuntao Silat organization, but ascribes a strictly symbolic reason to his choice of names. Additionally, there are Indonesian martial artists that claim a connection to the Kunlun region, dating back many centuries.

Some people claim an origin in Kunlun for Bagua, including the practitioners of Lama Dorje’s (Max Christenson) Kunlun Bliss, a system of “shaking” Qigong. No one that I am aware of has yet substantiated such claims, however. Bagua does have a Kunlun Fan Form, named in honor of Dong Haichuan, who was sometimes called the "Hero of the Kunlun Mountains".

The Muslim Chinese style of Tantui may have its origin in the Kunlun region. It is certainly a possilbility, given the Central Asian locale.

Some Taiji styles, especially Yang Michuan, have a Kunlun sword form, as does Hung Gar Kung Fu. Again, however, this is likely symbolic.

Wild Goose Qigong, or Dayan Qigong, and the related Kunlun Shan Qigong, maintain a Kunlun origin for their energetic health practices. There are Bagua-style circle walking practices found in these Qigong styles.

There are also some Youtube clips of something called Kunlun Goddess Yoga, but I don't have any information about it at this time.

One of our aims is to increase our knowledge of these arts. Additionally, we would like to increase public interest in them, as we feel they are worthy of further study.