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Thirty Heaven-shaking Palms

Thirty Heaven-shaking Palms

Contents

Thirty Heaven-shaking Palms (simplified: 震天三十掌, traditional: 震天三十掌, pinyin: Zhèntiān Sānshí Zhǎng) was the signature martial art of Zhuo Tianxiong, the imperial guard who served the Qing1 emperor. This formidable palm technique, combined with the Eighteen Whips of Huyan, established Zhuo Tianxiong’s fearsome reputation throughout the jianghu.2 Only the Hunyuan Qi could match the power of this technique.

Description

The Thirty Heaven-shaking Palms was a palm technique that, along with the Eighteen Whips of Huyan, allowed Zhuo Tianxiong to establish his reputation as a dominant force in the martial world. The technique’s name suggests it possessed formidable power.

History

The Thirty Heaven-shaking Palms was developed as a signature martial art technique, though its exact origins remain unknown. The technique gained prominence through Zhuo Tianxiong, who served as chief amongst the Seven Great Imperial Guards of the Qing Dynasty.

The technique’s development and transmission history is not fully documented, but it became associated with imperial guards and high-level martial artists who served the Qing court.

Notable practitioners

Zhuo Tianxiong

Zhuo Tianxiong was the known practitioner of the Thirty Heaven-shaking Palms. As an imperial guard serving the Qing emperor, he combined this technique with the Eighteen Whips of Huyan to achieve martial supremacy in the jianghu.

Behind the scenes

The Thirty Heaven-shaking Palms represents Jin Yong’s exploration of imperial martial arts and the techniques used by high-level government officials. The technique’s association with the Qing Dynasty reflects the author’s interest in the relationship between political power and martial arts mastery.

The technique’s limitation against Hunyuan Qi demonstrates Jin Yong’s thematic exploration of how different martial arts systems can counter each other, creating complex relationships between various fighting styles.

See also

Footnotes

  1. 清朝 – Qīng Cháo. Dnasty ruled by the Manchu people under the House of Aisin-Gioro from 1644 to 1912 CE. See Wikipedia. ↩

  2. 江湖 – jiānghú. The world of martial arts. A sub-society involving all who are related to the martial arts scene. What is jianghu? ↩