A martial arts exchange and cooperation agreement involving the Fujian martial art Yongchun Bai He Quan was signed between Taiwan and Fujian province on August 13, with martial artists from Taiwan, Fuzhou, Xiamen and Quanzhou on hand to witness the signing.

Yang Wenqi, Taiwan International martial arts head coach and Lin Yupin, chief of the Yongchun Bai He Quan culture research center, signed the agreement, which will act as a platform for martial arts exchange and cooperation across the strait. At the signing ceremony, Lin gave a reprinted copy of a Yongchun Bai He Quan orthodox book as a present to Yang.

The agreement calls for both sides to inherit the true spirit of martial arts and devote themselves to Yongchun Bai He Quan cultural research, as well as train martial arts fans to exchange skills and knowledge.

Yongchun Bai He Quan dates from the years of Qing Emperor Kangxi and was created by Fang Qiniang, daughter of Shaolin martial artist Fang Zhong in Funing. She combined the action of the white crane into a martial art, creating the distinctive style of Yongchun Bai He Quan.

In the past 300 years, many top martial artists have emerged and shared the Yongchun Bai He Quan martial art form around southeast Asia, earning a fine reputation for China. Yongchun Bai He Quan has now spread to the world, with Wushu centers across five continents. And since the reform and opening up to the outside world, many martial arts groups and individuals have come to Yongchun county to exchange martial art skills and knowledge.

By Hu Meidong and Liu Xintian