We teach traditional Northern Shantung Shaolin Kung Fu - Hua Quan (Glorious Mountain Boxing).
This style of kung fu dates back to the Song Dynasty – 420 AD (and many believe it may have been in existence long before that), Hua style has a huge boxing repertoire with many hand forms and weapon sets with a strong emphasis on partner sets. Its movements are really quite beautiful and it is a true "long arm" style. The old saying is that if you know the complete Hua style you can "go anywhere under the heaven." The word Hua means "glorious/brilliant" but also a synonymous for China itself (due to the close pronunciation many Americans confuse this style with Hua Chuan - Flower Fist).

Hua Quan originated from the Mount Hua area. Mount Huashan is one of the five sacred mountains of China and was called Mount Tai-Huashan in ancient times for its five main peaks shaped much like a flower. Mount Hua was historically the location of several influential Taoist monasteries, and was known as a center for the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts. Situated in Huayin County, Mount Huashan is about 75 miles east of Xian City in Shanxi Province. This mountain is celebrated for its majestic breath-taking crags, steep paths, beautiful scenery and it is said to be the most precipitous mountain in the world.

Mount Huashan is reputed to be the most dangerous mountain in China. Most of the trails are stairs. From bottom to top, it takes about seven hours of continuous walking. Until recently this was the only way to reach the top of Mount Huashan. Most of the trail is very narrow and steep; some parts are almost vertical. Iron chains have been set up along the path, but courage and an adventurous spirit are still necessary if you decide to climb Mount Huashan on foot. Recent developments have added two alternate ways of traveling to the summit. Now you can take the ropeway, or ride in a cable car to enjoy the unique scenery of Mount Huashan.

Mt. Huashan has more than two hundred places of interest and fascinating scenic spots. Its five main peaks, the South Peak (Landing Wild Goose Peak), the West Peak (Lotus Flower Peak), the East Peak (Facing Sun Peak), the Middle Peak (Pure Girl Peak) and the North Peak (Yuntai Peak), each of them has its peculiar scene and moving legend.

Mount Huashan was a place that many great masters went to give up common earthly life and retire to cultivate their moral character. They would spend the rest of their lives practicing the art of integrating their temperament, cultivating their bodies and developing their kung fu. The Hua style manual states, "practice boxing like a boat floating on water, flowing along for a thousand miles, avoiding the barbaric style of practicing martial arts which lends to disorders of the body and mind." This is another reason why people say the naming of the style is believed to be from the type of training in the Hua Quan. Hua style focuses on the training of the three pure essences of energy – Jing (flowing energy), Chi (internal energy) and Shen (spiritual energy). By combining the three hua's (essences of energy) into one it becomes Hua Quan (Glorious Boxing).