Pai mei

[dirty face angel]

Does anyone know where I can find some real info on PAI MEI?


Holla back!

[jasondavis]

This may be completely wrong, but I think that Pai Mei is a character that the shaw brothers used in alot of their movies. The movie "Fist of the white lotus" is one that comes to mind that has him in it........ apparently their are alot more. Sometimes they base old Kung Fu movies off of old stories so He was probobly a person, But i can't ind anything on him except the fact that he was a charater in some shaw brother movies

[Zhen Wu]

Well as far as real information I'm affraid you are going to come up short. Many lineages claim Pai Mei to be a real person, but like many people during this time, most of what we know comes from legends. I know that my style has a story about Pai Mei, but as to whether or not it is absolute fact i'm not sure, and I highly doubt it is. For most of the stories that I have heard of Pai Mei is not the Shaw Brother's villian he was made out to be in the movies, but rather soeone forced to do what he did.

Live well, and train hard!

[Sun_Tzu]

Pai Mei aka Bak Mei? The Whitebrow? Shaolin's Bane (ok, too much Tolkien, I know ...)

[xingiboxer]

Pai Mei isn't a person. It's a style of martial arts "White Eyebrow".

[Zhen Wu]

From the stories I have heard Pai Mei style was created by the students of Pai Mei to fight against authorities in China.

[dirty face angel]

Ok, Thankz for the info

[pesilat]

Pai Mei isn't a person. It's a style of martial arts "White Eyebrow".

I thought "White Eyebrow" was "Pak Mei"?

Mike

[xingiboxer]

If you can turn Chinese into English you're a better man than most.

Somebody today was trying to tell me how to say simple words, and they were nothing like any Roman language, Japanese, Indonesian ...

Like almost a guttural juh but without the j.

[SwiftBeatz]

From http://shaolin-wahnam.tripod.com/answer ... b01-3.html

Question 2
I have read a lot recently about Bak Mei. Various masters state that during the Qing dynasty the government hired Bak Mei stylists to destroy the Shaolin Temples. When the war was going on, 90% got killed by the Bak Mei people.


Answer 2
The Qing Army destroyed two Shaolin Temples. The first one was the southern Shaolin Temple at Quanzhou in Fujian Province. The Qing government hired mercenary Lama fighters from Tibet. These fighters used Lama Kungfu, which later developed into Tibetan White Crane Kungfu and Hap Ka Kungfu.

Among a few Shaolin masters who escaped were Ng Mui, Pak Mei, Chee Seen, Fong Tou Tak and Miu Hein, who were later known as the Five Shaolin Grandmasters.

Chee Seen built another southern Shaolin Temple at Jiulian Shan (Nine Lotus Mountain), which is also in Fujian Province. Pak Mei went to Ermei Shan (Swan Eyebrow Mountain), and Fong Tou Tak to Wudang Mountain. Ng Mui spent much of her time in Yunnan, and Miu Hein in Guangdong.

The style of kungfu from Chee Seen is now generally known as Southern Shaolin Kungfu, while that from Pak Mei as Ermei Shaolin Kungfu, and from Fong Tou Tak as Wudang Shaolin Kungfu, but usually shortened to Ermei Kungfu and Wudang Kungfu. The term "Pak Mei Kungfu" became popular only recently.

Unfortunately differences arose between Ng Mui, Chee Seen and Mui Hein on one side, and Pak Mei and Fong Tou Tak on the other. Politically, Ng Mui, Chee Seen and Mui Hein wanted to overthrow the Qing, whereas Pak Mei and Fong Tou Tak supported the government.

Pak Mei's distinguished disciple, Kuo Chun Chong, was the military commander for the two provinces of Fujan and Guangdong. Led by Pak Mei and with the help of Fong Tou Tak and their followers, Kuo Chun Chong and the Qing army destroyed the second southern Shaolin Temple at Jiulian Shan.

Shaolin followers were defeated in both Shaolin Temples at Quanzhou and at Jiulian Shan not because Lama Kungfu or Pak Mei Kungfu was better, but because of sheer number. The Shaolin followers were out-numbered by about one to ten. Moreover, they were trapped by fire and ambushed by arrows.




Question 3
They claim Bak Mei undefeatable by any other style. I wonder what your opinion is on Bak Mei Kung-Fu.


Answer 3
There is no such a thing as an undefeatable kungfu style. If it were so, all informed martial artists would practise that style. Of the Five Shaolin Grandmaster, the best fighter was Ng Mui, a woman, and not Pak Mei.

Nevertheless, if all other things were equal, one particular style may be superior to another. For example, a style that employs internal force is superior to one that uses only mechanical strength. A style that employs all modes of attacks -- such as strikes, kicks, throws and grips -- is superior to one that mainly uses only one mode, like only throws or only kicks. However, an expert in an inferior style would be a better fighter than a novice in a superior style.

Pak Mei Kungfu is a superior fighting art. It was specially developed by Pak Mei to fight the Southern Shaolin Kungfu of Chee Seen, and its hallmark is the phoenix-eye fist for striking vital points. But this does not necessarily mean that a Pak Mei fighter is better than a Southern Shaolin fighter.

Personally I prefer Southern Shaolin Kungfu to Pak Mei Kungfu. There are many reasons for my choice, and one of the most important is my kungfu philosophy. While combat efficiency is important, other considerations are also significant. To me, Pak Mei Kungfu is mainly geared to fighting, whereas Shaolin Kungfu offers a complete programme for personal development.

Pak Mei Kungfu is deadly; it does not bother with those technique which do not kill or maim. Hence, its range of techniques is limited -- very few holds or throws, for example, but its limited techniques, such as a strike to the solar plexus or throat, are highly effective and destructive.

In contrast, Shaolin techniques are marked by compassion. Instead of striking an opponent's throat, a Shaolin disciple would hold his neck under control but without seriously harming him. Instead of breaking an opponent's arm, he would press the arm to the ground.

Pak Mei Kungfu emphasizes internal force training, but it is tailored to destroying an opponent. In Shaolin Kungfu, besides its use for combat, internal force is used for enhancing vitality and mental freshness.

[Retread]

Pai Mei = Pak Mei = Bak Mei = Bai Mei, etc., etc., depending on dialect.
Bak Mei is White Eyebrow, named after monk - one of the 5 elders -- and yes, there are the other stories and legends regarding Bak Mei and the Shaolin Temple.
And one of the primary reasons I like Bak Mei is what was addressed in the previous reply.... because it is a fighting art. Not neccessarily pretty, but effective, with no unneccesary moves. Much of the desciption in the previous reply is pretty good.

To see what some actual practitioners of this style discuss, see these :

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/futshanbakmeipai/
http://www.komudokwan.com/FutshanBakMeiPai.htm
http://groups.msn.com/BaiMeiQuan/

[lilmacc1281]

pai mei is the white eyebrow technique of the southern school