Cha + Hua (查拳・華拳) — Premier Northern Long-Fist

Chaquan (查拳) and Huaquan (華拳) are two of the most influential 長拳 changquan ("long-fist") systems of northern China — long in the sense of long, extended postures, long stances, and long-range entries, not in the sense of long forms. Both arose in Shandong; both were Muslim (Hui) traditions in origin; both became foundational influences on what eventually became modern competition wushu (長拳套路). They are characterized by big extended frames, clear stop-start rhythm, springy footwork, kicks, and leaps.

Cha (查拳)

The most famous Hui (Muslim) Chinese martial art. Origin tradition attributes it to Cha Mizhi (查密爾, also written 查尚義), a Hui martial figure of the Tang or Ming era (versions differ); the documented historical line begins in Guanxian county, Shandong (山東冠縣) in the late-Ming / early-Qing period.

Curriculum: 十路查拳 (Ten-Road Cha) — ten progressively-numbered forms, the canonical sequence:

1. 母子拳 (Mother-and-Son) — the "mother" form, foundational

2. 行手 (Moving Hand) · 3. 飛腳 (Flying Foot) · 4. 升平 (Rising Peace, the most widely-trained) · 5. 關東 (Guandong) · 6. 埋伏 (Ambush) · 7. 梅花 (Plum Blossom) · 8. 連環 (Linked Chain) · 9. 龍擺尾 (Dragon Wags Tail) · 10. 串拳 (Threading Fist)

Sister sets in the Cha curriculum: 滑拳 (Hua Fist) — confusingly homophonous with the Huaquan below; 炮拳 (Cannon Fist); 洪拳 (Hong Fist — distinct from the southern Hung Gar); 腿拳 (Leg Fist).

Major lineage holders: 張其維 (Zhang Qiwei) of Guanxian — late Qing master from whom most modern lines descend, including 常振芳 (Chang Zhenfang, 1898–1979) and 張英振 (Zhang Yingzhen).

Hua (華拳)

Originally Jinan-centered (Shandong); sometimes traced (traditionally) to the Cai (蔡) and Hua (華) families of the Song dynasty, but documented as a coherent system in the Ming–Qing period. Hua emphasizes 精氣神 (essence, qi, spirit) unity — the "three internals" — and is known for symmetrically balanced postures that prize "beauty of form, refinement of skill" (形美藝精).

Curriculum: 十二路華拳 — twelve progressively-numbered forms, each shorter than a typical long-form set but demanding in posture quality. The Hua system became one of the roots of modern competition wushu長拳 in the 1950s standardization.

Notable transmitter: 蔡桂勤 (Cai Guiqin) of the early 20th c. is the major modern source.

What they share

• Extended postures — limbs fully extended; the practitioner occupies space.

• Clear stop-start rhythm — a posture is fully completed, marked, then released into the next. (Distinct from the continuous flow of Taiji or the rolling chains of Fanzi.)

• Kicks and leaps — both styles use full kicks (front, side, slap, twisting) and aerial techniques (旋風腳 whirlwind kick, 騰空跳 spring jumps).

• Long-fist body method as a category: lengthen the line of attack, advance through the line, drop weight into the strike.

Primary sources

We hold:

• 查拳圖說 (Zhang-style Cha lineage, Republican) — the canonical illustrated Cha Quan manual. Held in the codex's Sources/northern-kungfu-manuals/.

• 國術教範 查拳 (Central Guoshu Institute era) — the institutional teaching version. Also held.

Hua: no dedicated PD-era standalone scan located; references appear inside the Republican Guoshu institutional publications also held.

Video

• 中華武術 — 查拳

• Shandong Cha / Hua Quan 1 — 1980s, Master Zhang Wen aged 69 — strong period flavor

• 張文廣 — Berlin 1936 Olympian, 常振芳 student — historical master footage

• Hua Quan 4 — two-person instruction · Hua Quan solo

• 王子平 Wang Ziping — rare archival, Cha lineage

See also

Tan Tui (彈腿) — the foundational kicking drill-set that underpins both Cha and Hua

Northern Kung Fu Styles — Cha + Hua in the broader Northern canon

Sources

[1] Chaquan, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org) — Hui-Muslim Shandong origin, ten-road curriculum, Zhang Qiwei lineage.

[2] Huaquan, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org) — Jinan / Shandong roots, the 12-road curriculum.

[3] 查拳圖說 and 國術教範 查拳 (Republican-era) — held in the codex.