So, Shuai Jiao is just… Bökh?

Here at Bokhinayin we’ve maintained that what are today called Mongolian wrestling and Chinese wrestling are in fact closely related, and that today’s Chinese wrestling could even be considered an offshoot of Mongol Bokh / Mongolian wrestling. This assertion has upset some people who believe that 中国式摔跤 Zhōng Guó shì shuāi jiāo, the jacketed Chinese wrestling we know of today, has a 5000 year old unbroken Han Chinese lineage. They believe that today’s Shuai Jiao may have had Mongol and Manchu influences during the Qing era but that it is inherently a Han Chinese martial sport and descends directly from the belt-wrestling and Sumo-like styles of the Tang and Song dynasties, and has its origins even earlier. During the Republican era of China, this was the popular narrative. Anti-Qing sentiments were rampant and Han ethnonationalism ran high, and martial artists sought to distance themselves from traces of Manchu-Mongol or Qing Bannerman influences. Yet this appears to have been a false narrative. 

Lǐ Bǎorú (李宝如 / 李寶如), elder and expert in the Beijing Shuai Jiao fostering the next generation

Dig a little deeper in Shuai Jiao (摔跤 / 摔角) you will likely hear of the name: Lǐ Bǎorú (李宝如 / 李寶如). The man is an elder in the Shuai Jiao community and an expert. Born in 1934 he was able to train with the Beijing wrestlers who taught civilians after the fall of the Qing dynasty. These wrestlers in Beijing had a serious pedigree - they were or were trained by the elite Imperial wrestlers of the 善撲營 Shàn Pū Yíng. These wrestlers were deeply linked to the Imperial bodyguards and Emperors of the Qing dynasty. According Lǐ Bǎorú, Shuai Jiao comes directly from Mongol Bokh!

The 善撲營 Shàn Pū Yíng was called ᠪᡠᡴᡠ (布庫) Buku , ᠵᠠᡶᡠᠨᡠᠮᠪᡳ jafunumbi and 貫跤 Guàn jiāo.

The man himself says it and it’s been video recorded. He describes how the wrestling and it’s apparel are all borrowed directly from Mongolian wrestling. He goes on to comment on the excellent skill level of the Mongols and a bit about their lifestyle and attributes. Even the name was borrowed from Mongolian! What is ᠪᠥᠬᠡ Bökh in Mongolian became ᠪᡠᡴᡠ Buku in Manchu. To add even more context and evidence, our friends Emanuele Papa (Wrestler & Researcher) and Byron Jacobs (Martial artist & Researcher) discuss this topic on Youtube:

Thanks goes to: Lǐ Bǎorú (李宝如 / 李寶如), Byron Jacobs & Emanuele Papa

I want to conclude this article by saying that this does not take away from the contributions and skill of Hui and Han Chinese wrestlers who helped Shuai Jiao flourish during the Republican era. This does not take away from Chang Dongsheng’s legacy and his role in bringing the art to Taiwan and beyond. This doesn’t mean in the latter days of the Ming dynasty (preceding the Qing) that there wasn’t some kind of wrestling being practiced in southern China. This does not mean that there isn’t any Han Chinese wrestling - there was and still is a style in Shanxi. At the end of the day we’re making sure credit goes where it’s due and as as far as the origins of 中国式摔跤 Zhōng Guó shì shuāi jiāo (the modern jacket wrestling we call Shuai Jiao) it’s origins are Mongol Bokh.

- Vincent Tseng @the.wandering.warrior