Zha Mi'er
查密爾
Legendary figureLegendary fighter from Central Asia or Xinjiang of the late Ming dynasty, after whom tradition names the Chinese Chaquan (Zhaquan) style, widespread among the Hui Muslims.
Quick Facts
ChinaBiography
Zha Mi'er (查密爾) is a legendary figure whom tradition regards as the founder of the Chinese Chaquan style, also written Zhaquan. Sources differ on who he was: the English Wikipedia speaks of him as a Turkic fighter from the area of today's Xinjiang or from Central Asia, the Chinese as a Hui (Muslim) commander from there. Both place him at the end of the Ming dynasty.
According to legend, he was called up to fight the wokou pirates and fell ill on the way through Shandong. Local Muslims cared for him, and when he recovered, he passed his martial art on to them. According to the Chinese Wikipedia, they named the system Chaquan (查拳) in his honor.
Chaquan was originally a local art in the area of Guanxian and Rencheng in Shandong, especially in Muslim communities. Under the Guangxu emperor, three branches formed, according to the Chinese Wikipedia: the Zhang and Yang branches in Guanxian and the Li branch in Rencheng. According to the source, the style comprises 10 tantui rows for basic strength, 10 longer Chaquan forms and six main weapons: staff, sabre, sword, spear, kuandao and hook swords. Known masters include Wang Ziping, Zhang Wenguang, Ma Jinbiao (born in 1881 in Jinan according to the Chinese Wikipedia) and Liu Hongchi.
His name is interpreted in different ways: the Chinese Wikipedia regards it as a probable transcription of the Arabic name Sameer or Samir, the English also gives the Turkic Dämir, meaning iron. We have not been able to verify Zha Mi'er's historical existence, and the sources expressly describe the account of him as a legend.