Fahai Cave

Chan Buddhist Martial Arts of Jinshan Temple

Jin Shan Temple Boxing Xi Xin Quan (Washing Heart Boxing)
This boxing style is demonstrated by Jinshan Si Monk Bai Chuanzhang.
Jinshan temple is located along the southern bank of the Yangtze River, on the edge of Zhenjiang city in Anhui province.
Bai Chuan Zhang was born into a local Zhenjiang Wushu family. His father, uncles, and grandfather were all well known martial artists. At the age of 3 he began to train in foundational methods under his grandfather.
During the early 1950's his family lost their land and were split up being sent to work camps in various parts of China.
Finding himself homeless and alone he went to Jinshan temple to ask for shelter and at age 12 made the decision to become a Buddhist disciple.
The monks at Jinshan temple studied Chan Buddhism spending long hours practicing Chan mediation. The monks of the temple also had a long history of martial practice.
His teacher, senior monk Pu Xiu, was the inheritor of the traditional boxing methods of the temple and would lead the daily practice sessions.
Because of his background Bai Chuanzhang had both the interest and foundation to completely master the traditional practices of the temple's arts.
This boxing system contains extensive Qigong practices and was meant to be used as the active counterpart to the monk's daily practice of Chan sitting meditation.
Along with the Boxing set there is also a Jian (Straight Sword) and a Damo Cane set as well as a range of drills, Qigong, stretching, breathing, massage, and conditioning exercises.
Traditionally the temples boxing methods were only practiced by the monks and did not have a name. During the 1980's traditional arts survey many ancient unnamed lineages were turned up and in order to be cataloged, names had to be invented. Bai Chuanzhang chose the name Xi Xin Quan Washing Heart Boxing, this name may contain an allusion to the original name of the temple Ze Xin Si Pool of the Heart Temple.
Bai Chuanzhang is still alive today and teaches traditional Chan Buddhism. However he has not found a successor for his boxing methods and is currently the only one who knows the traditional boxing of Jinshan temple.
Because he has not been able to find a successor he is now writing a boxing manual and filming his practices for the local Zhenjiang historical archives so that some record will remain.
Jinshan temple is one of China's most famous Buddhist temples.
It was built on an island in the Yangtze river around 1600 years ago in the Eastern Jin dynasty.
Over the millennia the river shifted and today the island has become a peninsula in the river.
Jinshan Si is one of the 4 most famous Buddhist temples in China and features a number of building, caves, grottoes and a huge pagoda.
But most awesomely it is also the site of Zhongling Spring which is famous in ancient books as being the source of some of the best water anywhere for brewing fragrant tea.
The temple was originally named Ze Xin Si Pool of the Heart Temple, and later called You Long Si Swimming Dragon temple
However by the Tang dynasty it gained the name Jin Shan Si Golden Mountain Temple.
This is supposedly because the monk Fahai discovered a pot of gold hidden in the mountain and turned it in to the emperor who returned the gold instructing him to use it build his temple on the spot.
In reality the temple was already there and a small vein of gold was found there during the Tang period.
Jinshan temple and island are home to many legends, all Chinese people have heard of Jinshan Si from the famous Legend of the White Snake.

Locals and history buffs also know the area around the temple as the site of The Battle of Huangtiandang where the greatly outnumbered troops of Southern Song dynasty general Han Shizong ambushed and defeated the invading Jurchen Jin army led by Wanyan Wuzhu. The River directly in front of the temple saw Han Shizong's wife Lady Liang Hongyu (famed as a master of Boxing, Wrestling Horsemanship, and archery) personally man the signal drums on the Song flagship leading their navy to encircle and set fire to the Jin navy.



Jinshan island and Zhenjiang city occupy a strategically important location on the Yangtse and have always been considered to be of great military importance.
Not only is it an ideal strategic location for controlling the Yangtze River, but according to the ancient systems of Fengshui it is seen as being a major point where various streams of natural energy converge. Because of this Qin Shi Huangdi believed the area was too powerful and having an area of that power outside of his own capital posed a possible threat to his dynasty. To restrain that threat he had an army of 3000 prisoners tunnel through one of the hills surrounding Zhenjiang in order to drain the energy away from the area.