Golden Bell - origin/purpose of the name?

[Ron Panunto]

Tell that to the boxers (of the Boxer Rebellion).

[wiesiek]

there is the long line,
up front the heaven door, those, who try quality of their bulletproof vests
anyway
good level will protect vital points , but not against weapons dynamic cuts or stabs!

[Paul R]

Hi I'm a longtime lurker on here signed up just to post on this so here goes.
Golden bell is the name of the style/system and it would totally make sense if you understood the exercises and theory behind it. Studied in China and was introduced to a very high level master and a few of his disciples, trained on and off with them on extended visits. Most powerful qi gong I have studied by far. Very fast not 100 days training or many rules to it. It's just where you are up to with your training.
The golden part comes from the colour of the qi you will feel during the training. This is then used throughout the style.
The bell part comes from the exercises and hitting of the body you do. It's not small repetitive body conditioning. It's a lot of meditative focused breathing. Followed by an exercise such as "raising the bell" and " ringing the bell" amongst more. When the body is hit an exhalation of a noise corresponding to where you are upto in your training so far. The hardness and usage of the self hitting increases as you do in the system. See how a church bell would vibrate when you ring it that's a huge part of it.
then there is meditation after during which your encouraged to keep the qi you circulated and gathered.
hope this helps had to stop myself going into too much detail there.
Again this just what I learnt and more than happy to discuss.

[wiesiek]

Thank you Paul R,
it nicely explain the name,
would you be so kind, and add what reword you get after the "mastering " the practise?
I mean - is master able to take more, than just static pressure of the sharp objects ?

[amor]

Hi I'm a longtime lurker on here signed up just to post on this so here goes.
Golden bell is the name of the style/system and it would totally make sense if you understood the exercises and theory behind it. Studied in China and was introduced to a very high level master and a few of his disciples, trained on and off with them on extended visits. Most powerful qi gong I have studied by far. Very fast not 100 days training or many rules to it. It's just where you are up to with your training.
The golden part comes from the colour of the qi you will feel during the training. This is then used throughout the style.
The bell part comes from the exercises and hitting of the body you do. It's not small repetitive body conditioning. It's a lot of meditative focused breathing. Followed by an exercise such as "raising the bell" and " ringing the bell" amongst more. When the body is hit an exhalation of a noise corresponding to where you are upto in your training so far. The hardness and usage of the self hitting increases as you do in the system. See how a church bell would vibrate when you ring it that's a huge part of it.
then there is meditation after during which your encouraged to keep the qi you circulated and gathered.
hope this helps had to stop myself going into too much detail there.
Again this just what I learnt and more than happy to discuss.

Nice post, please do go into as much detail as you like and elaborate on the beginner, middle and advanced paths of this training if you are able - TIA.

[Paul R]

The beginning level consisted of learning the breathing that had to be used, standing meditation until qi is felt. Your taught how to move it with your breath, qi circulation etc. The exercises are quite strong intense and work very fast.
Then the iron shirt training commenced, the body is divided into specific areas (chest, stomach, Palm, throat, head etc) are conditioned by the practitioner during the breathing exercises. This isn't hard dynamic tension style conditioning either, it's totally soft relaxed and then sudden short explosive hitting or pressing of particular points.
Exercises are divided into sets. Exercises are performed 9 times per set and we would do 4 sets. This was 3 times per day morning noon and night. (9 x 4 x 3= 108). Meditation then follows. The methods learnt aren't anything like I've studied seen in any video book or article and very unique. For some of the exercises medicines were also used. Work was all 121 with sifu and lots of mental imagery and mind work is used. The main golden bell meditation exercise was always done at the end of every set of every body part and is the key part of the system.
Each body part would have levels and each level had a test. There was no extra exercises every time you passed one just however long you kept doing the exercises made it stronger and stronger. Learning body parts closer to previous ones made it even quicker and reinforces the other ones. This creates your golden bell cover.

[edededed]

Sounds cool, Paul R! Was this taught as part of a fighting style (Shaolin, etc.)? And was the medicine externally applied, or did you take internally as well?

[Paul R]

Medicine was externally and internally applied. some dit da jow was drunk in the mornings and also some of the exercises required apparatus. Iron Palm for example used 2 bags filled with different fillings depending on your advancement in training .dried beans and one medicine in the first. Iron shot and a different medicine on the second. The shot was soaked in a special dit da jow before medicine was applied. The same bags were also used when learning some of the head exercises.
The golden bell was not part of a style of kung fu that I seen it was taught stand alone however the sifu had a family style only taught to his disciples.

[edededed]

Sounds pretty cool, and the system sounds really comprehensive, thanks!

China is a weird place - you do get some rare "family styles" that are not found anywhere else, yet which seem to have interesting histories and characteristics nevertheless!

[Ron Panunto]

Sounds like a combination of iron shirt and iron palm, i.e., defensive and offensive.

[palmslam]

The video of the guys with no shirts are Brendan Tunks students from Australia . This is Body Conditioning exercises. It does toughen the body, but done easy at first, then increase striking with time. All this training requires Time and Energy. Then go onto the striking with bamboo, Bamboo with sand, etc. I trained with these folks in Qingdao, China and they train hard. You have to get a really good teacher that understands this. With most folks jobs , this training is hard to be dedicated to.

V/r
S. Manning

[Josealb]

If i recall correctly, here is one practitioner of Golden Bell training, demonstrating his skill...

[Doc Stier]

If i recall correctly, here is one practitioner of Golden Bell training, demonstrating his skill...

Hahaha! Gary Clyman at his finest! Note the perverted pleasure of the bystanders in the background.

[wayne hansen]

Don't get the point of the photo
Just looks like Chang doing a demo of water

[Michael Babin]

Clyman had said he could take a punch and Chang obliged. I remember the exchange of letters afterwards in Inside Kung fu magazine in [I think] the late 80s or early 90s. Supporters of Clyman claimed that it was a stirling example of Clyman going with the punch and not getting hurt; supporters of Chang said that Clyman was a fraud and couldn't take the punch.

I don't have a dog in that old fight, just reporting what I remember reading in the subsequent back-and-forth of letters on the editorial page of that magazine over several consecutive issues.

That's a nice looking uppercut/tzuan by Master Chang caught in a "Kodak Moment". I know who I would have wanted for a teacher in those days and his first name wasn't Gary.