In the past, many people had heard about Commander Xu Shiyou practicing kung fu at Shaolin Temple, but few knew that there was also a deputy commander named Qian Jun from Shaolin Temple in the Nanjing Military Region. General Qian Jun and General Xu Shiyou are both highly skilled in martial arts and have 5 years of experience studying martial arts at Shaolin Temple. His life was full of legendary colors.
Qian Jun, originally named Qian Yunbin, was born in 1905 in Guangshan County, Henan Province. Due to his family’s poverty, he was sent to the landlord’s house as a cowherd when he was 6 years old. Two years later, unable to bear the beating, scolding, and abuse of his employer, he secretly ran away with a passing painter. But this painter has a very irritable personality. Xiao Qian Jun follows him tirelessly all day long, carrying a heavy burden and walking around the streets. Not to mention, if he makes any mistakes in his work, he will be beaten up. Finally, at the age of 11, Qian Jun “escaped” again, this time he “escaped” into Shaolin Temple. Qian Jun entered Shaolin Temple three years later than Xu Shiyou, but due to the large number of monks in the temple at that time, they were not familiar with each other. Qian Jun joined the Red Army in 1930 and arrived in northern Shaanxi after the Long March. The two met and chatted, only to discover that they were actually brothers from the same “temple”.
Qian Jun is also very skilled in Kung Fu. During his 5 years at Shaolin Temple, he mastered the skill of “Iron Palm” Kung Fu. To initiate a move, one’s hand is like a sharp axe, breaking wood when encountering wood and stones when encountering rocks. How was this kung fu practiced?
It is said that on the second day after Qian Jun entered Shaolin Temple, the on duty monk asked him to light a fire. In front of the stove stood a wooden stake the size of a bowl, but there was no chopping knife. He asked, and the on duty monk raised his hand and said, “This is a knife.” He stopped and picked up the “knife,” tearing, twisting, and splitting the wooden stake into pieces.
Usually, as long as he finishes his miscellaneous tasks, he follows his master’s arrangement to stand on stakes, throw sticks, run bricks, insert sand, use luck, and hit plum blossom stakes, etc. Qian Jun practiced very diligently, not afraid of sweating or bleeding, and because it was a small practice, he made rapid progress and developed a solid foundation. It is said that he has extraordinary arm strength and is proficient in all eighteen weapons, including knives, guns, swords, and sticks. He is quite outstanding among those who practice martial arts together. As long as he does not carry the “heavy body” sandbag used for practice, he can run and jump up the temple’s several meter high wall just a few steps away; With enough luck, a generous brick over three inches thick can be shattered with just one palm. At the same time, his masters often told him stories such as “Thirteen Stick Monks Saving the Tang King” and Shaolin Martial Monks Resisting the Japanese, which instilled in him a character of righteousness and a desire to uphold justice from a young age.
Five years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Qian Jun feels that he has learned kung fu well. He also really wants to go home and reunite with his family, so he bid farewell to his master and fellow disciples and left the mountain. When bidding farewell, many people came to see him off, and Qian Jun was very reluctant.
In 1927, Qian Jun was introduced by Dong Biwu and joined the CPC. After the failure of the Great Revolution, he joined the revolutionary army led by the Party. From then on, in the towering mountains and valleys of Hubei, Henan, and Anhui, on the snowy mountains and grasslands, and in the years of continuous warfare, his martial arts skills and strong physique like an iron tower gave him wings like a tiger in war. Even when faced with difficulties that ordinary people find difficult to overcome, he can turn danger into safety and achieve victory.
In 1938, Qian Jun was appointed as the commander of the second regiment of the fourth detachment of the anti Japanese guerrilla forces in southern Shandong. In a battle to crush the enemy’s encirclement and defend the provincial party committee in Baligou, Teng County, he led a platoon to risk their lives and rush into the enemy’s formation in order to recapture the two communication radio stations that the provincial party committee and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China had taken away from them. When the battle reached the point of hand to hand combat, Qian Jun raised his large sword and slashed left and right. Under the cold light, the enemy collapsed like a landslide, and the two radio stations finally returned safely to the hands of the people’s army. He fought dozens of battles against the Japanese invaders in the anti Japanese base area of Shandong, and every time he engaged in hand to hand combat, the enemy did not take any advantage! But he was hit by 15 bullets and hung up 19 times. However, the strong physique he developed when he was young quickly led him back to the battlefield.
Qian Jun has trained all his martial arts skills at Shaolin Temple. The common skill of chopping bricks in TV and movies nowadays is like a child’s play for Qian Jun. However, it is said that his martial arts skills are rarely known. When Xu Shiyou was training soldiers, he often performed one or two moves as requested by everyone. However, Qian Jun was different. Except for a few senior generals, not many people knew that he was familiar with martial arts. The reason for this is because they are afraid of arousing everyone’s curiosity and come to request the competition, fearing that they may accidentally harm their comrades. He often said that people who have martial arts skills are different from those who don’t. Sometimes when you make a move, you don’t want to hurt someone, but it often goes against your wishes and accidentally hurts someone. However, sometimes due to the need to fight against the enemy, I have mercilessly used my martial arts skills. Among my comrades, some invited me to try punches, engage in combat, arm wrestling, and so on. In most cases, I pretended to be a “dwarf” and willingly accepted defeat, easily refusing to let go. Of course, sometimes out of curiosity, and occasionally showing off. From this statement, it can be seen that the general is quite gentle and humble.
Once, Qian Jun went to northern Jiangsu to inspect militia work. During the evening break, the officials all asked him to perform “rock chopping”. But in northern Jiangsu, where can we find suitable stones at once? Finally, I found a piece of bluestone for pressing pickles, which weighed at least twenty pounds. It was bare and wet, and placed on the table in the center of the hall. Can Commander Qian really split it? “” I’ve never seen a flesh hand split a rock before! “Amidst the whispers of the people, Qian Jun walked up to the table, straightened the stone, raised his right hand fiercely, and with a palm down, he heard a” bang “sound as the bluestone shattered into three pieces. The split stone fragments jumped out for over a zhang!
There is a widely circulated story among the people: one day during the Cultural Revolution, Qian Jun was traveling by car and passing through Zhongshan Gate in Nanjing, but was stopped by a group of “rebels”. The “rebels” held iron spears and wanted to inspect the military vehicles. General Qian got off the car and argued with them. One of the “rebels” then extended the spear to Qian Jun’s chest and threatened him. Qian Jun smiled slightly and reached out his left hand to hold the spear. The “rebel” tried to retract it, but stretched the spear with force but remained motionless. General Qian extended his right hand again and exerted a slight force, causing the iron spear to bend into a bow shape. The ‘villains’ were immediately subdued and obediently allowed to pass.
Since joining the revolutionary forces, Qian Jun has fought in various battles and made numerous military achievements. He has held various positions such as regimental commander, division commander, and corps commander. After liberation, he served as the deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region and was awarded the rank of Major General in 1955.
In his military career, Shaolin Kung Fu played a significant role. He participated in the Daredevil Squad four times during his time in the Red Army and fought many tough battles, always leading by example with a big sword at the forefront. If there were no real kung fu, no one would dare to do that. Even if they dare, they may not be able to break through the bloody storm.
After liberation, although Qian Jun’s kung fu was no longer useful, he persisted in practicing diligently and never forgot. It is said that his home is filled with cold weapons such as knives, guns, swords, and sticks, and sandbags are hung on the big trees in the yard. He often dances and exercises his fists and feet just like during wartime.
Qian Jun and Xu Shiyou have both stayed in Shaolin Temple for a considerable amount of time, and many people believe that they must have become monks. The fact is not like that. Xu Shiyou and Qian Jun were only doing odd jobs and learning martial arts at Shaolin Temple, and did not receive any ordination.
However, Generals Qian Jun and Xu Shiyou have never forgotten their experience at Shaolin Temple. Their good martial arts skills and perseverance were developed here, which is the most precious part of their lives. Xu Shiyou often tells the story of his martial arts training at Shaolin Temple to the soldiers, while Qian Jun always practices Shaolin Kung Fu in the morning, regardless of wind or rain. Therefore, although they are not monks at Shaolin Temple, they are still authentic Shaolin disciples. Qian Jun passed away in Nanjing on April 13, 1990.
