Five Elders
Legendary Chinese martial artists
title: "Five Elders" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["chinese-martial-arts", "shaolin-monastery"] description: "Legendary Chinese martial artists" topic_path: "geography/china" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Elders" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Legendary Chinese martial artists ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox Chinese"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| showflag | cp |
| c | 少林五祖 |
| p | Shàolín wǔ zǔ |
| mi | |
| w | Shao⁴-lin² wu³ tzu³ |
| tp | Shào-lín wǔ zǔ |
| j | Siu3 lam4 ng5 zou2 |
| y | Siu làhm ngh jóu |
| ci | |
| gd | Siu3 lem4 ng5 zou2 |
| :: |
::callout[type=note] the folklore figures ::
|showflag=cp |c=少林五祖 |p=Shàolín wǔ zǔ |mi= |w=Shao⁴-lin² wu³ tzu³ |tp=Shào-lín wǔ zǔ |j=Siu3 lam4 ng5 zou2 |y=Siu làhm ngh jóu |ci= |gd=Siu3 lem4 ng5 zou2 In Southern Chinese folklore, the Five Elders of Shaolin (), also known as the Five Generals are the survivors of one of the destructions of the Shaolin temple by the Qing Dynasty, variously said to have taken place in 1647 or in 1732.
The original Shaolin Monastery was built on the north side of Shaoshi Mountain, the central peak of Mount Song, one of the sacred mountains of China, located in the Henan Province, by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty in 477. At various times throughout history, the monastery has been destroyed (burned down) for political reasons, and rebuilt many times.
A number of traditions also make reference to a Southern Shaolin Monastery located in Fujian province. Associated with stories of the supposed burning of Shaolin by the Qing government and with the tales of the Five Elders, this temple, sometimes known by the name Changlin, is often claimed to have been either the target of Qing forces or a place of refuge for monks displaced by attacks on the original Shaolin Monastery. Besides the debate over the historicity of the Qing-era destruction, it is unknown whether there was a true southern temple, with several locations in Fujian given as the site for the monastery. Fujian does have a historic monastery called Changlin, and a monastery referred to as a "Shaolin cloister" has existed in Fuqing, Fujian, since the Song Dynasty. Whether these have any actual connection to the Henan monastery or a martial tradition is still unknown.
The Five Elders of Shaolin
Within many martial arts circles, the original Five Elders of Shaolin are said to be:
- Ji Sin (Gee Sin) (). Speculated to be also known as Chi Thien Su.
- Ng Mui (). Noted for Ng Mui Kuen, Wing Chun Kuen, Dragon style, and Five-Pattern Hung Kuen.
- Bak Mei (Pei Mei) (). Literally "Taoist with White Eyebrows". Speculated to be also known as Chu Long Tuyen.
- Fung Dou Dak (). Taoist founder of Bak Fu Pai.
- Miu Hin (). An "unshaved" (lay) Shaolin disciple.
The Five Family Elders
The founders of the five major family styles of Southern Chinese martial arts were all students of Gee Sin (see above), and are sometimes referred to as the Five Elders. This has caused some confusion.
- Hung Hei Gun (). Founder of Hung Ga.
- Lau Saam Ngaan (). Literally "Three-Eyes" Lau; founder of Lau Gar.
- Choi Gau Yi (). Founder of Choi Gar.
- Lei Yau Saan (). Founder of Lei Gar; teacher of Choy Li Fut founder Chan Heung.
- Mok Ching Giu (). Founder of Mok Gar.
References
References
- Shahar, Meir. (December 2001). "Ming-Period Evidence of Shaolin Martial Practice". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies.
- Title: Martial Arts of the World [2 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation, Thomas A. Green (Editor), Joseph R. Svinth (Editor) Page. 94, Hardcover: 663 pages, Publisher: ABC-CLIO (June 11, 2010), Language: English, {{ISBN. 1598842439, {{ISBN. 978-1598842432
- "Destruction of shaolin temple".
- Author: Meir Shahar, Publisher: University of Hawaii Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2008), Language: English, {{ISBN. 082483349X, {{ISBN. 978-0824833497
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::