A large spear measuring over 3 metres in length, known to be Bajiquan's reference weapon, and used to train Bajiquan's characteristic fā jìn 發勁. Skill in LiuHe DaQiang is considered, by many, to be necessary in mastering Bajiquan.[1]

Contents show]

Name

LiuHe DaQiang 六合大枪 translates literally as "Six Harmonies Great Spear". Da 大 is sometimes translated as "big" or "giant", while Qiang 枪 may also be read as "Lance". It has, on occasion even been translated as "Six Element Integration Spear".[2]

It can be also be argued that:

the ‘six harmony’ (liuhe) in spear techniques originally meant ‘six combinations of combat’, which refer to six combinations in training that systematically integrate different techniques into fixed routines.[1]

History

Early Military and Civilian DaQiang

Prior to the end of the Ming Dynasty in 1644 AD, there were two main branches of DaQiang: the "Military" DaQiang, used in the army and the "Civilian" DaQiang. As the DaQiang is far too long to be a practical choice for self defence, most civilians practicing DaQiang were young men planning to join the army. At the same time, retired soldiers and members of the military were also transferring military DaQiang skills back to the normal people. As a result, over time, the civilian DaQiang merged into the military version.[3]

In 1644, with the fall of the Ming Dynasty and later the adoption of more modern firearms during the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese military was eliminated, mirroring what was happening in Europe with the Military Pike. This process occurred over many years, and as such, while the civilian DaQiang system remained, it was beginning to transition into becoming a form of strength training, due to issues of safety and practicality. Over time, these skills have become the "Traditional" DaQiang skills that exist today.[3]

Wu Zhong

The LiuHe DaQiang has been associated with Bajiquan since its creation, with its founder, Wu Zhong, having earned a reputation for his skill with the spear during a competition in YanJing (Modern day Beijing) with the Prince of Xun-Qing. In the famous duel, Wu was reported to have powdered the tip of his spear with white chalk and, using lightning fast thrusts, used it to leave white marks on the eyebrows of the prince, before his opponent could react. The martial prowess that he demonstrated in this encounter earned him the name "God of Spear Wu Zhong".

Wu had been well versed in wielding a spear, but it wasn't until he encountered a master Zhang YueShan, from whom he learned key principles, specifically "the combined methods of advance and retreat" (進退合戰之法 jintui hezhan zhi fa)

Li ShuWen

Li ShuWen's incredible skills earned him the nickname "God of Spear Li".

Modern Reappearance

Following on from the surge of interest in HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), in 2016 the International DaQiang (IDaqiang) organisation has managed to generate a large amount of interest in competitive spear sparring, using the DaQiang. While the organisation had been in existence since, it was not until November 2016 when a promotional video made by the group was shared on social media, that they gained public attention.

Specification

Length

LiuHe DaQiang are generally between 3-4 metres in length, but vary depending on the school and practitioner. Some historical DaQiang were reported to be as large as 5 metres in length.[4]

First of all, the spear/lance needs to be longer than 10 feet, and must be made of a very hard wood. Thus the lance must be long and heavy, and using it requires the practitioner to have a certain amount of strength.[5][6]

In military usage, evidence suggests that many generals tended to opt for the 3 metre long variety, while regular foot soldiers would be equipped with a longer, 4-5 metre spear.

Modern DaQiang, as used by the International Daqiang organisation, measure 3.3 metres in length.

Weight

It is customary to use heavier shafts for training purposes to help develop the strength necessary to wield the LiuHe DaQiang with adequate skill, these generally weigh 2-3kg. Zhang GongCheng and Li ShuWen, alongside several other deceased masters, used spears with shafts weighing up to 8 jin (4 kg) for training, while Ma FengTu is reported to have used one weighing five to six jin ( 2.5-3kg) even into his seventies.[1]

For military DaQiang, however, it was also important to be able to wield and carry the weapon easily and for extended periods of time, and as such, a lighter shaft could be beneficial.[3]

Stiffness

Military DaQiang were required to have "100%" stiffness, for two main reasons:

Firstly, to provide the user with good power transfer and superior penetration power - flexibility would impede this and make the weapons less effective.[4] Greater stiffness results in a higher vibration frequency and a lower vibration amplitude on impact. Because a softer DaQiang has greater vibrational amplitude, it will bend more, particularly if the opponent is armoured, and it therefore lacks the same ability to penetrate as a DaQiang with a stiffer shaft.[7]

The second reason for the stiff shaft is that DaQiang defensive techniques always require players to use the side of the shaft to deflect attacks. As a result, the blocked attack will always be perpendicular to the shaft of Daqiang and will cause it to bend; naturally, a softer shaft will bend more than one that is stiff. This then means that, due to vibration causing the staff to deform, power transmission to the tip of the DaQiang is impeded, the ability to block is delayed, and the tip of the weapon may be misaligned with the target.[7].

Construction

In ancient China, DaQiang were often made with a composite material, consisting of a wooden core surrounded by bamboo strips, allowing them to be both stiff and light. Next, the shaft would be polished and wrapped in silk before finally being lacquered.

DaQiang have historically always been made of wood, however, modern, competition-DaQiang are generally made of carbon fiberglass.[4] On the other hand, personal and performance DaQiang are more often made using flexible wax-wood as larger vibrations are aesthetically desirable. Dr. James Guo (), suggests that the prevalence of wax-wood spears may come from a misunderstanding in the literature on the subject:

There has been a misunderstanding of using White-Wax wood for Daqiang. Well, the famous Daqiang book, “Records of Arms手臂錄”, states: “White-wax wood is only good for staffs (a hacking weapon)”.[7]

Usage

There are three fundamental techniques known as "Bi, Feng, Ci" or "Lan, Na, Zha".

Chinese English Description Bi Seal Lan Outward Parry Feng Close Na Inward Parry Ci Stab Zha Thrust