Crane (He Xing)
It is believed that the crane lives a long life because his body containes a great amount of essential energy, or libido. The crane develops his energy easily since it is a calm, quite animal whose power of concentration in not easily broken. An example of the crane's patience and concentration is in his ability to stand on one leg for hours without shifting his weight.
Training in the crane form was designed to help the student hold his energy and consequently increase his strength both internally while developing his chi and externally at the same time making the bones and muscles harder. The crane has a calm, quite nature and the movements are usefull for overthrowing and controlling the opponents easily with a minimum amount of effort.