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Pwangainoon – What’s in a Name?

To whom this may be of interest, for or against, pro or con, agree or disagree!

I have yet to find any, hard copy, historical documents, books, periodicals, pertaining to the word and/or name, Pwangainoon, in so far as being a Style of Chinese Martial Arts, around the late 1800’s, in the region formerly called Canton, now known as, Guangzhou, China.

There has been much written about Pwangainoon by people far more versed than myself
but as such, these writings are based on stories passed down through the generations and I for one would like to have actual documentation to support such stories and/or legends.

One may be aware that in several, very good, excellent books, on Uechi Ryu Karate-Do and the subject of Pwangainoon, there is reference made to the name, Pwangainoon, stating this word means, half hard, half soft.

Let us venture back to China, say the era of 1700’s till 1949, for example. The main dialect spoken in Canton, was Cantonese. Fukenese and Toisan were also spoken in Canton. In the North, they spoke Putonghua (Mandarin).

Regardless of the Chinese dialect, the written Chinese Character was the same up to 1949.

In 1949 China became the People’s Republic of China under the Communist Leader, Chairman Mao. The Communist simplified the written characters throughout all of China. Only in places like Taiwan or Hong Kong, are the Chinese characters written in the old, ancient way.

Nowhere in the Cantonese speaking community, for example in Hong Kong, will anyone find a person that knows the word Pwangainoon.

Chinese characters today, have special assigned numbers to each and every stroke of a given Chinese character. On my Hong Kong, Government issued, ID card, I have a 4 character, Chinese name, given to me by my Chinese teacher over 35 years ago. These 4 Chinese characters are supported by a 16 – English digit number code (my Chinese name in numbers: 3134 3024 6855 1405)

The importance of this pronunciation of the word Pwangainoon, will become clearer so please, do read on!

Due to the delicate and numerous nuances, many many tones and need to take care when speaking Cantonese correctly, this English number system was adopted by the Royal Hong Kong Police in order properly and accurately identify Hong People names, a long time ago.

Pwangainoon, Pwang Gai Noon, or any combination there-in or there-of, is not a Cantonese word.

However, there is an Ethnic Chinese Group known as the Hakka people. The Hakka originated in the north of China then migrated to China’s south coast, around the mid 1700’s. The exact date of this migration s is subject to debate. In Hong Kong, we have a very large, very visible community of Hakka speaking people.

I have, through my research and talking to local Hakka people in Hong Kong, including some research credited to my friend and student, George Chaplin, discovered that the word Pwangainoon, was known or was familiar to, Hakka speaking people.

During the Boxer Rebellion in China, and there were many different rebellions over a long period of time. In the late 1800’s, around 1890, there was a Boxer Group known as the White Lotus Society. The White Lotus operated in the Canton region of southern China including the area around the city of Fuzhou.

The Westerners, operating their Trade Legations in China during this period in time, they considered the Boxer’s to be robbers, murderers, brigands and thieves.

To the local Chinese people, the Boxers were heroes and freedom fighters. The Imperial Court in the Forbidden City in Beijing publicly denounced the Boxers as they feared reprisal from the Western Forces stationed in China at the time to protect these legations.

However, the Imperial Court, under Prince Tu-an, helped finance the Boxers with arms and money.

The Foreigners occupying China with soldiers protecting their Legations were from, England, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Russia, Japan and America, to name but a few.

There was a sub group within the White Lotus Society, called or known as Pwangainoon. In Hakka, Pwangainoon means “Attack Hard – Retreat Quick “

The Boxers “were not” martial art masters. They were from the poorest of poor of China. They were mostly peasant farmers, uneducated and very superstitious to the extreme. The Boxers were the ultimate Secret Societies with many different groups and sub groups.

They believed they could not be harmed by bullets because they wore special magic patches on the garments and wore amulets for protection. I would venture to say, based on what I have read, for every 500 Boxers, maybe one had rudimental martial art training.

The Boxers killed Western and Chinese Christians, they attacked and burned Western Trading Post, Warehouses and all things pertaining to Western interests.

To join any Boxer group, a person would be carefully vetted or checked out. A new disciple would need to be recommended by a long standing member within a Boxer group. The very same way one joins a Chinese Triad Group today….aka, Triad – Chinese Mafia. If you were not Chinese, you could never, ever expect to join a Boxer Group.

Why did the Boxers hate all Westerners… This hate included the Japanese and Koreans.

One good example, there was a British Trading Company, known as a Hong, by the name Jardine Mathewson, based in Canton. They were one of the largest companies trading with China at the time and still in business here in Hong Kong to this day.

From China, Jardine received pure ingots of Silver, in return, Jardine traded, provided, sold to China, only one crop and one crop alone, Opium! The Opium came from British Trading Posts in India and Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka.

Jardine Mathewson was the biggest drug dealers of the day. They bribed Chinese Customs Officials, they eliminated anyone that got in the way of drug selling. They turned China into the biggest drug addicted country of all time. Even today, 150 years after Opium was stopped in China, local flea markets sell old opium pipes and drug paraphernalia but buyer beware….. One can be arrested for possession of such materials by the HK Police.

When Beijing complained to England, Jardine went before the British Parliament claiming the Imperial Court was interfering with British Commerce.

England declared war on China and hostilities commenced which today we know this as the Opium Wars. The combined Westerner forces of foreign troops attacked Beijing and the Forbidden City and they burned & looted the Imperial Summer Palace outside Beijing.

One of the British – China, Opium War, booty prizes. Was the surrender by Beijing to England, of a small Chinese fishing village called back then and still known by the same name to this very day, Hong Kong.

What’s in a Name….. I guess, whatever one wishes to think or believe.

Until then, Remember, to Strike Hard and Retreat Quick….. In all your Battles in Life!

In southern China, era 1700 till 1949 ( Communist take over in 1949) the language spoken was Cantonese. In the north, they spoke Putong-wa or Mandarin )

There is no word, group of words, sounds like the words, Pwangainoon, in the Cantonese Language, nor in Fukinese or Toisanese )

There is a word, pwangainoon, found in the Hakka dialect of Chinese. The Hakka people originally came from northern China but migrated to the southern Chinese coast in the late 1700's.

In Hakka, pwangainoon means, "Attack Hard, Retreat Quick"

There has been a long standing view that the word Pawangainoon was attributed to Kanbun Uechi. But …I have yet to find any Chinese records indicating there was a Chinese Martial Art style called Pwangainoon.

I am absolutely sure Kanbun referred to what he was teaching as Pwangainoon_ But I have yet to find any historical records that there was a style, from China, known as Pawngainoon and so stated by someone Chinese.

I welcome any and all further research that anyone may wish share and bring forward on this subject. Thank you.

Dear Van Sensei,

May I take this opportunity to thank all the pro & con replies to my article regarding Pwangainoon, noted on your web/thread.

I would also like to thank all those contributors for their opinions and respectfully suggest they include foot notes as to the source/s of their information, in the future, in so far as their source of published book titles & authors, book dates, periodicals or other publications so everyone can enjoy those resources.


As to the comment and/or doubt that Triads exit in China, now and back in time / in history. There are thousands of books, written by authorities and knowledgeable persons on this subject and with a little effort, one can find these books via Google or Amazon.com.

Pwangainoon - To be clear from my point of view :

I, 100% agree that Kanbun Uechi referred to his martial art teachings, when asked, calling it, Pwangainoon, the Half Hard, Half Soft, style.

I agree completely this is documented via many sources.

I accept completely that Kanbun Uechi chose to use the term, Pwangainoon,

to describe his method / manner / practice of martial arts.

~~~~

Further, anyone may choose to call what they practice, in sport or martial arts, whatever they want. They can select whatever words they feel best describes what they are teaching or sharing in physical skills.


However, until someone better read than myself, comes forward with historical documentation, from Chinese scholars, that a style of Chinese martial arts, called Pwangainoon, did exists, in China, in the late 1800's.

I must reserve my opinions to doubt there was such a style bearing this name, Pwangainoon.

I love Uechi Ryu, I respect the Uechi Family, if Pwangainoon is the source name they credit to our style, so be it. I support that name but that changes not, historical facts, to date.

I openly welcome to be proven wrong that a style called Pwangainoon did exist in China.



I teach Uechi Ryu, limited as I may be, but I try my best. I choose to call my method/s of Uechi Ryu by several names. For examples, I teach a method called Tiger Uechi Ryu, also, Timing Hand Uechi Ryu.


My favorite name, Pushing Air - Moving Water Uechi Ryu ! These are words I use to best describe how I practice my martial arts.


I can only assume with wonder and amazement, that Grand Master Kanbun Uechi chose to use the phrase, Pwangainoon.... to best describe his form of Half Hard Half Soft, martial arts.

Chinese Triads are not fictional, they are not Robin Hood types, they are not Zorro.... they are real, thugs, drug dealers and murderers.

Triads have existed in China as organized criminal gangs for hundreds and hundreds of years !!!

Today, 23rd of August 2012, In Print

Source South China Morning Post Newspaper

Section City Section, Page C - 1

Story by SCMP Reporter - Clifford Lo ( clifford.lo@scmp.com )

Statements Superintendent Hong Kong Police - Lau Tat-Keung

Article Triad Run messenger service uncovered in HK Prison located in Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon district, Hong Kong


How Undercover HK Police Officer, disguised as prisoners,

infiltrated the Triad Gang operating inside and outside the

prison. The gang's mastermind along with 4 other men and 5

women, all not prisoners, were arrested.