This is an article about martial arts styles attributed to Zhou Tong. To read his main article, go to Zhou Tong (archer).
Various martial arts have been attributed to or associated with Zhou Tong, the archery teacher of the Song dynasty general Yue Fei. This is because assorted wuxia novels and folk legends portray him as being either a Shaolin monk or a lay disciple of Shaolin. Some of these skills range from mastery of the bow, double swords and Chinese spear to that of Wudang hard qigong, Chuojiao boxing and even magical X-ray eyes. However, the oldest historical record that mentions his name only says he taught archery to Yue Fei. Nothing is ever said about him knowing or teaching a specific style of Chinese martial arts.
Zhou Tong can also be linked to these combat arts through his historical and folklore students. Practitioners of Eagle Claw, Chuojiao and Xingyi commonly include him within their lineage history because of his association with Yue Fei, the supposed progenitor of these styles. He is also linked to Northern Praying Mantis boxing through his fictional students, the Water Margin bandits Lin Chong and Yan Qing, the adopted son of Lu Junyi. One modern day folktale even represents him as a master of Drunken Eight Immortals boxing.
According to a Yangzhou Pinghua (扬州评话 – “Yangzhou storytelling”) folktale called Meeting Zhou Tong by Chance, “Among the itinerant people of the rivers and lakes this man was of illustrious fame, a fame reverberating like thunder, an expert in both civilian and military matters. Iron Arm Zhou Tong, Old Master Zhou!”Børdahl, Vibeke. The Oral Traditions of Yangzhou Storytelling. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon Press, 1996 () (“Iron Arm” being his martial nickname.) Another source makes the bold assumption that he was "known as the greatest of grand-masters of all times in the history of Chinese martial arts and has many disciples who scattered across the country to teach the martial arts and all the culture involved in its knowledge, such as calligraphy, painting, poetry, chess..."The Creation of Xing Yi
Military
Yang Jwing Ming, author of Analysis of Shaolin Chin Na: instructor's Manual for all Martial Styles, states Zhou Tong taught Yue Fei "a complete system involving barehand combat, weapons, military tactics, horsemenship, archery, and other related subjects."Yang, Jwing-Ming. Dr. Analysis of Shaolin Chin Na: instructor's Manual for all Martial Styles. Massachusetts: Yang's Martial Arts Association (YMAA), 1987 () The historical Yue Fei Biography states, “家貧力學，尤好【左氏春秋】、孫吳兵法。"History of Song - Biography of Yue Fei () (ISBN ?) (See also, 岳飞子云 (Chinese only)) "Despite his family's poverty, [Yue Fei] was studious, and particularly favored the Zuo Zhuan edition of the Spring and Autumn Annals and the strategies of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi."
A 1930s Xingyi manual, which details a Yue biography that appears to be a variation of the semi-historical Biography of Song Yue, Prince of E, Prince of E, says the “military leader Zhou Tong” taught Yue the “deployment of troops”.Jin, Yunting. The Xingyi Boxing Manual: Hebei Style's Five Principles and Seven Words. Trans. John Groschwitz. North Atlantic Books; New edition, 2004 ()
Sinologist Hellmut Wilhelm theorized that Yue Fei purposely patterned his life after famous Chinese heroes from dynasties past. Apart from studying literature under his father, Yue Huo (, d. late 1122), Yue loved to read military classics. Although his literacy afforded him the chance to become a scholar, which was a position held in much higher regard than the common soldiery during the Song, Yue chose the military path because there had never been any tradition of civil service in his family. Therefore, he had no reason to study the Confucian classics in order to surpass the accomplishments of his ancestors or to raise his family's social status to the next level. His fourth-generation ancestor, Yue Huan (), had served as a functionary on the lowest rung of the government ladder, but he was never a full-fledged member of the civil service rank.Hammond, Kenneth James. The Human Tradition in Premodern China. Human tradition around the world, no. 4. Wilmington, Del: Scholarly Resources, 2002. () The paper goes on to say the Yue learned "archery, swordsmanship, and lanceplay" from Zhou Tong.Wright, Arthur F., and Denis Crispin Twitchett. Confucian Personalities. Stanford studies in the civilizations of eastern Asia. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1962 ()
Bow The wuxia novel The Story of Yue Fei says "the supernatural strength of the lord Yue was developed as a result of Zhou Tong's training. He taught him this skill called ‘the Bow for Supernatural Arms!’” The Yue Fei Biography states, "生有神力，未冠，挽弓三百斤，弩八石。學射与周侗，盡其術，能左右射"
"[Yue Fei] possessed supernatural power and before his adulthood, he was able to draw a bow of 300 catties and a Cross-bow of 8 stone. He learned archery from Zhou Tong. He learned everything and could fire with both hands."
The Biography of Song Yue, Prince of E states “Yue Fei began studying spear techniques at the age of eleven under a teacher named Chen Guang ... By the time he was thirteen he started studying archery under Zhou Tong ... When he became a general he used what he learned from Zhou Tong to train his troops, and they became renowned for their skill and discipline.”Henning, Stanley E., M.A. Chinese General Yue Fei: Martial Arts Facts, Tales and Mysteries. Journal of Asian Martial Arts. Dec. 2006: 30-35
According to a moral tale called “Yue Fei Studies the Archery” in You Er Hua Bao ( – “Children's Pictorial”) Magazine, a Chinese magazine tailored for children ages two through seven, Zhou taught Yue Fei the skill of the “far-sighted person”, which involved staring at the morning sunrise, to improve his eyesight for archery.Yue Fei Studies the Archery (Chinese only)About “Children's Pictorial” Magazine (Chinese only)
Eighteen Weapons of War
The Story of Yue Fei reads, "...because Zhou Tong was old, he was eager to teach the military arts for all the eighteen weapons to [Yue Fei]."Qian, Cai. General Yue Fei. Trans. Honorable Sir T.L. Yang. Joint Publishing (H.K.) Co., Ltd. (1995) The aforementioned tale about Yue Fei learning archery says "Yue Fei practiced diligently [under Zhou] and became a master of the eighteen weapons of war." The book Qigong Empowerment: A Guide to Medical, Taoist, Buddhist, Wushu Energy Cultivation reads, “Yue Fei began learning martial arts in his early childhood from Zhou Tong, mastering many martial arts systems and all 18 primary weapons.” Liang, Shou-Yu, Wen-Ching Wu, and Denise Breiter-Wu. Qigong Empowerment: A Guide to Medical, Taoist, Buddhist, Wushu Energy Cultivation. The Way of the Dragon, Limited, 1996 ()
Spear
Zhou Tong is usually represented as a master of the Chinese spear through his association with Yue Fei, who, according to legend, created Xingyi boxing from the movements of this weapon.Xingyi Boxing The Story of Yue Fei states Zhou "also taught Yue Fei the method of the spear." According to a famous Xingyi boxing manual, “...岳飞当童子时，受业于周侗师，精通枪法,"
"...when [Yue Fei] was a child, he received special instructions from Zhou Tong. He became extremely skilled in the spear method.”
The Story of Yue Fei says the Water Margin bandit Lin Chong was his student. In the Water Margin's 9th chapter entitled “Chai Jin Keeps Open House For All Bold Men, Lin Chong Defeats Instructor Hong in a Bout with Staves”, it reads, “Chai Jin said to the man, whom he called Arms instructor Hong: ‘This is Arms instructor Lin who teaches the art of spears and staves in the Eastern Capital's Imperial Guards.’”Shi, Nai’an and Luo Guanzhong. Outlaws of the Marsh. Trans. Sidney Shapiro. Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1993 ()
Swords
Meeting Zhou Tong by Chance reads, “The steel blades of [Zhou Tong's] double swords shone as bright as snow in his hands. Now he was giving a performance of his swordplay [in front of several royal-looking people]. How did he play? How he did play? Ha! How could this be called swordplay! He looked like a snowball, as if he were totally wrapped in snow! He performed his swordplay extremely well!” The tale continues on to emphasize his skill was so good that even if a person threw a bowlful of writing ink at him during his swordplay, not a single drop of it would land on his white clothing.
According to The Story of Yue Fei, Zhou had an intimate knowledge of Chinese sword history. Yue Fei says, “Formerly I have heard my late teacher [Zhou] mention that any truly sharp sword can sever a dragon in water and cut down a rhinoceros on land and that there is an origin for each of the famous swords, like the Dragon Stream Sword, the Tai O Sword, the White Rainbow Sword, the Purple Lightning Sword, the Sword of Fish Intestine, the Moxieh Sword, Gan Jiang’s Sword, the Sword of Great Tower and others.”
The book Four Masters Of Chinese Storytelling: Full-length Repertoires Of Yangzhou Storytelling On Video reads, "During Wu Song's stay in the capital, he studies the swordplay of the 'Rolling dragon sword' from the senior master, Zhou Tong."Børdahl, Vibeke. Four Masters Of Chinese Storytelling: Full-length Repertoires Of Yangzhou Storytelling On Video. Nordic Institute of Asian Studies; Bilingual edition, 2004 ()
Civilian
None of Yue Fei's biographies--Yue Fei Biography, The Story of Yue Fei or Biography of Song Yue, Prince of E—ever mention any kind of Kung fu styles in connection with Zhou Tong. The following skills come from sources not originating from the Song dynasty.
Chuojiao
Chuojiao is an external northern Chinese boxing style famous for its deceptive footwork and wide array of kicking techniques. One legend states a wandering Taoist named Deng Liang () created the style during the Song dynasty when he used a Chinese abacus to expand the 18 basic leg attacks to 108. From Deng, the style passed to Zhou Tong, who supposedly taught it to Yue Fei. Because of his popularity, Yue Fei is often considered the progenitor of the style.Chuo Jiao Fist HISTORY & DEVELOPMENT OF CHUOJIAO According to the book Jiuzhuan Lianhuan Yuanyangtui (), practitioners of "Nine Ring Mandarin Duck Chuojiao" consider Zhou Tong their founder.Jiuzhuan Lianhuan Yuanyangtui() ()
Chuojiao is alternatively known as the "Water Margin Outlaw style" and Yuānyāng Tuǐ ( - "Mandarin Duck Leg"). In the Water Margin's twenty-ninth chapter, entitled "Wu Song, Drunk, Beats Jiang the Gate Guard Giant", it mentions Wu Song using the "Jade Circle-Steps with Duck and Drake feet". One Northern Praying Mantis manual mentions Lin Chong as the thirteenth master (out of eighteen) invited to Shaolin to teach his "'Mandarin ducks' kicking technique". This links together Zhou Tong's historical and folklore students Yue Fei, Wu Song and Lin Chong and Chuojiao and Mantis fist boxing.See also, Chuojiao (Feet Poking Chuan)
Eagle Claw
Eagle Claw is an external northern Chinese boxing style known for its powerful gripping techniques, Qinna joint-locking, pressure point strikes, and acrobatic leaping. According to Yang Jwing Ming, "Yue, Fei created for his troops two new styles of Wushu. The first [was Xingyi]. The second style, which he created out of external Wushu, was Eagle Claw (鷹爪), a style which put a major emphasis on Qin Na (擒拿). The external style, because it was learn more easily, and because it had immediately practiced techniques, mad Yue's troops successful in battle.”Lian, Shou Yu and Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. Xingyiquan: Theory, Applications, Fighting Tactics and Spirit. Boston: YMAA Publication Center, 2002. ()