80-year-old inheritor sees White Crane Kung Fu spread worldwide

(ECNS) -- Su Yinghan, 80, an inheritor of White Crane Style, a Chinese martial art form that originated from Yongchun County, east China's Fujian Province, has witnessed the martial art form go global.

Su picked up the White Crane Style at 15, inspired by elders in his family, who often talked about the martial art and a classmate from a family of local practitioners.

Pioneering masters of the martial art have influenced the younger generation through their spirit, he said.

In the 1990s, a large number of foreigners came to Yongchun to learn the White Crane Style. With a history of over 300 years, it has spread to more than 80 countries and regions, attracting thousands of foreign disciples to the birthplace of White Crane Style every year.

As early as 1929, influential overseas Chinese Chen Jiageng,, along with about 20 White Crane masters carried out a year-long tour of White Crane Style in Singapore, Malaysia and other countries, causing a sensation among local communities.

In 2008, five types of boxing including the White Crane Style, were listed as intangible cultural heritages of national level. In 2022, White Crane Style was selected as a provincial intangible cultural heritage in Fujian.

Yongchun County selected representative inheritors of county-level in 2024, and for the first time chose 14 foreign inheritors of the White Crane Style from countries such as Malaysia, Germany, the U. K., and Spain, to help the martial art go global.