SHIFU LIN DONGZHU

MARTIAL CURRICULUM OF GM° LIN DONGZHU

Lin Dongzhu was born in August 1957 in the Jiangtuan village near Laiyang (Shandong province) into a renowned martial arts family.
His grandfather Lin Jingshan and his father Lin Shangwei dedicated their lives to martial arts, reaching the pinnacle of the Seven Star Praying Mantis style,
one of the main branches of the Praying Mantis style. Lin Dongzhu began throwing his first punches and kicks in his grandfather Lin Jingshan's school at the age of six.
In the morning, even before dawn, he used to go to the park with his grandfather. In the evening, he almost always went to the school to train with other students in fundamental exercises and Tanglangquan taolu.
His grandfather personally taught him with great care and severity, not hesitating to punish him whenever young Lin Dongzhu trained lazily.
Once, at the age of ten, while Lin Dongzhu was practicing at dawn in the park, his grandfather noticed that his grandson was studying with little intention.
So he called him and ordered him to perform a taolu with over forty movements in front of him ten times.
Every time young Lin Dongzhu made a mistake in a single movement, his grandfather ordered him to start all over again.
Often, his grandfather took his grandson to visit his old friends and martial arts brothers, instructing him to perform in front of all the old masters.
Young Lin Dongzhu was very sharp and endured hardships without blinking, so every time he performed in front of his grandfather's friends, he received compliments from everyone. In a few years, following his grandfather's meticulous and strict guidance, Lin Dongzhu quickly achieved high proficiency and skill in the art of Qixing Tanglangquan.
After the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution (1966 n.d.), the "Lin Jingshan Wushu Sheguan" school was forced to close.
Lin Jingshan, having no more occupation in Yantai, returned to his hometown in 1969 with his entire family.
At that time, Master Lin was eighty-four years old, but every morning, he continued to go to the mountains to train.
In the evening, he taught his grandson in the courtyard.
The relationship between grandfather and grandson was very close; often Lin Jingshan repeated to Lin Dongzhu, "Art knows no bounds, learning knows no bounds, supreme is martial virtue."
Every day, grandfather and grandson went to the mountains to gather herbs, and often Lin Jingshan assigned tasks to his grandson.
For example, he ordered his grandson to run along the mountain slopes or perform somersaults on the ground.
Every day, once back from school, Lin Dongzhu never parted from his grandfather.
When Lin Dongzhu was fifteen years old, his grandfather passed away.
His father, Lin Shangwei, wanting his son to continue the family art, set up a specific training program for him: every day, morning and evening, Lin Dongzhu had to study and review the fundamentals of the style, taolu, duilian, practice free combat, and train Qigong and Paidagong exercises.
To ensure that his son properly practiced the Sanhuijiuzhuang paida qigong, he required him to persist tenaciously, without skipping a day on these exercises.
Twice a day, morning and evening, they trained these exercises for forty minutes.
Only by continuously doing these exercises for one hundred days can the body be strengthened and show good results in one's physique.
One evening, while Lin Dongzhu was training in Paidagong exercises, Lin Shangwei noticed that his son's mind was not relaxed, and he couldn't bring the Qi down to the dantian, so he scolded him severely.
Under the meticulous guidance of two generations of Qixing Tanglangquan, Lin Dongzhu has developed excellent martial awareness and ability over time.
From 1985 to 1987, Lin Dongzhu participated in various Wushu competitions held in the city of Yantai, winning a total of three gold medals in the barehanded category, three golds with long weapons, and three golds with short weapons.
In 1996, he participated in the competition held during the second international martial arts festival in Jinan, winning two awards.
In 2002, he participated in the Tanglangquan competition in Shandong province, winning first place in the "barehanded," "sword," and "staff" categories.
In 2003, he participated in the "National Traditional Wushu Championship," sponsored by the national physical education office, winning a gold in barehanded and a silver with the sword.
In 2006 and 2007, he won four gold medals at the "National Martial Arts Festival" held in Yantai.
In 2007, he participated in the "First National Peasant Martial Arts Championship," winning a gold in the "long weapons" category.
In 2008, as a member of the Chinese team, he participated in the third "World Traditional Martial Arts Championship," winning a gold barehanded and a gold in long weapons.
In the same year, the Chinese government recognized Lin Dongzhu's Qixing Tanglangquan style as the "Orthodox of the Lin Family" and, as part of the program to conserve traditional Chinese Gongfu styles, acknowledged it as the "Inviolable Cultural Heritage of the Chinese Nation."
In the '80s and '90s, the overall situation of Tanglangquan in the city of Laiyang was not very positive.
Despite the Chinese Sports Committee initiating a preservation and research effort for national martial arts in 1983, many problems remained unsolved after twenty years.
The people practicing Tanglangquan in Laiyang (the birthplace of this art) were decreasing, and the art itself was going through a period of profound crisis. Considering this, Master Lin Dongzhu decided, in December 2005, to open a Tanglangquan practice center, the "Laiyang Qixing Tanglangquan Wuguan."
The establishment of this center contributes to the development of national martial spirit and culture, promotes the dissemination and development of Tanglangquan, and trains first-class martial artists and talents.
In recent years, Master Lin's school has upheld the ideals of ancient martial tradition: the development and spread of the art, the unity of theory and practice, the united growth of technique and morality, and the cultivation of martial virtue.
Breaking with sectarian tradition and eliminating old conservative ideas, Lin Dongzhu has made the secret teachings that his predecessors did not easily disclose accessible to all. In his school, Master Lin teaches indiscriminately to every type of student with a real scientific approach, while still preserving traditional exercises and teachings.
His continuous research, teachings, and perseverance ensure that the art of Qixing Tanglangquan can be preserved and passed down from generation to generation.
His disciples include: 刘经海 Liú Jīnghǎi, 位平 Wèi Píng, 宫梅波 Gōng Méibō, 盖玉堂 Gài Yùtáng, 盖玉波 Gài Yùbō, 董强 Dǒng Qiǎng, 高凯 Gāo Kǎi, 林腾飞 Lín Téngfēi, 刘玉修 Liú Yùxiū, 王辉 Wáng Huī, 于晓军 Yú xiǎojūn, 位思云 Wèi Sīyún, 乔勇 Qiáo Yǒng, 乔日飞 Qiáo Rìfēi, 崔玉琪 Cuī yùqí, 张庭瑞 Zhāng Tíngruì, 荆平 Jīng Píng, 曲玉生 Qū Yùshēng, 乔雪榕 Qiáo Xuěróng, 吴彦霖 Wú Yànlín, 王曦 Wáng Xī, 查振武 Maurizio Zanetti, Eduardo Tobia.