Southern Style (Nan Quan) is a relatively young, modern wushu style created in the 1960s. It originated by mixing traditional southern Chinese martial arts styles from the Cantonese family, such as Wing Chun, Choi Lei Fut, and Hung Gar. The name comes from the Chinese words: "Nan" = South and "Quan" = Fist or Style.
Contemporary Nanquan involves acrobatic wushu jumps, low stances, extensive hand techniques, and loud shouts. Nanquan is considered a hard style (almost the opposite of Taijiquan), and there are also Nanquan weapon styles, mainly involving the staff and broadsword. In Chinese, these weapon styles are called "Nan Gun" (Southern Staff) and "Nan Dao" (Southern Broadsword). For modern wushu acrobatics, see the main wushu section.
Southern Fist is considered an external wushu style, characterized by hard, aggressive, and somewhat stiff movements.
Style Description
Typical Nanquan difficulty moves include:
Traditionally, every Nanquan form includes at least four animal movements. Each animal style has its own distinct shout, which is why there are usually four shouts in every Nanquan form.
Advice
Southern Fist is a very popular and interesting style. Every Chinese wushu athlete knows a few Nanquan moves, and even Chinese people not interested in wushu often recognize this style. If you ever get the chance, definitely learn it!
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