On the morning of August 24, more than 50 trainees were practicing Miao Quan — a traditional martial art of the Miao ethnic group—under the instruction of 74-year-old Chen Benzhao on the cultural square of Shuiyuan Village, Lanrong Township, Chengbu Miao Autonomous County. As the sixth-generation inheritor of this martial art, Chen has dedicated over half a century to bringing Miao Quan from remote mountains onto the national intangible cultural heritage list as a traditional sport.

Chengbu Miao Quan traces its origins to the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) in the Qing Dynasty. To protect his community, Chen Zuofa, ancestor of the Chen family, spent ten years studying martial arts at Mount Emei. He then integrated Emei martial arts with Miao combat skills to create a distinctive Miao Quan style. Chen Benzhao started to practice martial arts at six and has since built up extraordinary strength over 68 years of practice. In 2023, at 71, he won the championship at the 9th Hunan Provincial Martial Arts Competition. He refined the "fire meteor" performance—a whirling chain with a burning cage—and won a gold medal at the 2014 Hunan Traditional Games for Ethnic Nationalities.

To preserve Miao Quan, Chen broke the old rules that imposed restrictions on female and non-family members to practice, opening his doors to all learners for over four decades, and forming a Miao Quan and Miao lion dance performing troupe. In 2018, Yang Huanchu, a young Wing Chun practitioner from Foshan, Guangdong Province, came to study under Chen, becoming the first disciple from outside the clan. During winter and summer breaks, Chen runs youth training camps that have drawn hundreds of participants, helping Miao Quan take root in the younger generation.
 
In 2013, Chengbu Miao Quan was inscribed on the national intangible cultural heritage list as a traditional sports item. Today, Chen still practices every day. "As long as I can hold the Horse-Riding Stance steadily, I will keep teaching, so that the legacy can be passed on from these mountains to the wider world."

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: Hunan Daily