119-658: Xingyi may refer to: Xingyiquan , one of the major internal Chinese martial arts The Oath (Singaporean TV series) , a 2011 TV series Places in China [ edit ] Xingyi, Guizhou , a county-level city in Guizhou Xingyi, Chongqing (兴义), a town in Fengdu County , Chongqing Xingyi, Hebei (邢邑), a town in Dingzhou, Hebei Xingyi, Sichuan (兴义),
238-482: A Han Chinese woman (surname Zhang); it is unknown which of them was Shi Tianze's mother. Shi Tianze was married to two Jurchen women, a Han Chinese woman, and a Korean woman, and his son Shi Gang was born to one of his Jurchen wives. His Jurchen wives' surnames were Monian and Nahe, his Korean wife's surname was Li, and his Han Chinese wife's surname was Shi. Shi Tianze defected to the Mongol forces upon their invasion of
357-759: A bell tower and drum tower to announce the night curfew (which was revived after being abolished under the Song). The Jurchens followed Khitan precedent of living in tents amidst the Chinese-style architecture, which were in turn based on the Song dynasty Kaifeng model. A significant branch of Taoism called the Quanzhen School was founded under the Jin Dynasty by Han Chinese Wang Zhe (1113–1170), founder of formal congregations in 1167 and 1168. He took
476-564: A clear separation between the sedentary population who had lived under Liao rule, and the sedentary population who formerly lived under Northern Song rule but had never been under Liao rule. The former they referred to as hanren or yanren while the latter they referred to as nanren . Because the Jin had few contacts with its southern neighbour, the Song dynasty, different cultural developments took place in both states. Within Confucianism ,
595-473: A common training protocol among xingyiquan and baguazhang practitioners. Often, because baguazhang requires significantly more time for a practitioner's skill to mature, it is acceptable to learn xingyiquan first or simultaneously. Such a practitioner develops a tactical vocabulary that is more readily apparent than the core baguazhang movements. For controversies concerning the teaching of one person by another, see lineage chart below. From Cao Jiwu,
714-521: A complete Canon for printing. After sending people on a "nationwide search for scriptures" that yielded 1,074 fascicles of text that had not been included in the Huizong edition of the Canon and also securing donations to fund the new printing, Sun Mingdao proceeded to have the new woodblocks cut in 1192. The final print consisted of 6,455 fascicles. Despite records that the Jin emperors offered copies of
833-600: A depleted military force, Wanyan Liang failed to make headway in his attempted invasion of the Southern Song dynasty. Finally he was assassinated by his own generals in December 1161, due to his defeats. His son and heir was also assassinated in the capital. Although crowned in October, Wanyan Yong (Emperor Shizong) was not officially recognised as emperor until the murder of Wanyan Liang's heir. The Khitan uprising
952-702: A few exercises developed to fulfill that purpose. Shi li movements are basically simplified versions of the more advanced body mechanics and circles found in the Five Elements and the Animals. Their focus is on training one's structure and Yi, and can be thought of as " zhan zhuang in movement". They are usually trained very slowly, one movement at a time, repeating the same movement for many minutes on end. The more advanced practitioner many also spontaneously link up and flow between different Shi Li movements, or train them more explosively with fa jin . In yiquan ,
1071-456: A fighting or martial context. The recognized founder of baguazhang , Dong Haichuan , was reputed to have fought Guo Yunshen with neither able to defeat the other – though it is possible that they were training together. It would have been controversial at the time for Dong Haichuan to have studied under Guo Yunshen , since Dong was the older of the two. The most neutral viewpoint would be to say that they trained together , which may explain
1190-617: A later exponent of the art, became famous in the early 20th century for his skills (chiefly in the Beijing and Tianjin areas), and for the martial books he had written about the Internal arts. During Sun Lutang's lifetime and martial 'career', he and several of his contemporaries began to classify xingyi , together with tai chi and baguazhang , as " Wudang " style of martial arts. Sun also exchanged knowledge with his friend and colleague Fu Zhensong , who subsequently took this branch of
1309-657: A new official edition of the Canon printed by the Northern Song. Completed in 1173, the Jin Tripitaka counted about 7,000 fascicles, "a major achievement in the history of Buddhist private printing." It was further expanded during the Yuan dynasty . Buddhism thrived during the Jin period, both in its relation with the imperial court and in society in general. Many sutras were also carved on stone tablets. The donors who funded such inscriptions included members of
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#17327659380411428-460: A non-mandatory art, a secondary priority in wushu competitive circles. As there had never been a single organizational body governing the teaching of the art, several variant styles and sub-styles developed. Although there are classical texts which include specific encoded instructions and general guidelines for practice, many of these are ignored by most modern practitioners, and interpreted in different ways by those who follow their instruction (this
1547-640: A short amount of time though, the practitioner would be taught how to move the muscles and connective tissues on a minute level from the inside of the body, making these stances very dynamic internally and more challenging to train. The most common zhan zhuang among all xingyi schools is santishi (it is the stance demonstrated by Sun Lutang in the picture at the beginning of the article). Other common stances are: hunyuan zhuang , wuji zhuang , fuhu zhuang , xianglong zhuang and their many variants. There are many reasons for training zhan zhuang . Among them are, in general: Some teachers consider zhan zhuang to be
1666-466: A single unit, and the intense focusing of one's Intent (意; yi ) and coordinated power (勁; jin ) utilizing tight circles usually in a forward direction, but can be applied on all 6 directions of energy (forward, backward, left, right, up, and down). Issuing explosive power in xingyi is referred to as fa jin , the same term used in many other traditional Chinese Martial Arts . Despite its hard, angular appearance, cultivating "soft" internal strength
1785-639: A skill called Yiquan' (意拳). Meticulous and unfathomable, this technique far outstripped ancient ones." According to legend, throughout the Jin , Yuan and Ming dynasties few individuals had studied this art, one of them being Ji Gong (also known as Ji Longfeng and Ji Jike ) of Shanxi province . After Yue Fei's death, the art was 'lost' for half a millennium. Then, during the Ming and Qing dynasties in Shaanxi province 's Zhongnan Mountains, Yue Fei's boxing manual
1904-530: A town in Xinjin County , Sichuan Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Xingyi . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Xingyi&oldid=1214767771 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
2023-481: Is a precursor to xingyi' s 'Chicken Stepping', which is the faster and more explosive stepping method in the art. In yiquan , plow stepping had been replaced with 'mud stepping'. In many lineages, there is an intermittent stage between the stationary zhan zhuang and the more complex Five Elements (though this stage might also be taught following the Five Elements). The two names above are interchangeable for
2142-486: Is based on twelve distinct Animal Shapes (of which, ten animals are more common – see table below). Present in all regional and family styles, these animal movements emulate the techniques and tactics of the corresponding animal rather than just their physical movements. Many schools of xingyiquan have only small number of movements for each animal, though some teach extended sequences of movements. The bazigong are eight fighting combinations that exist in some lineages of
2261-591: Is depicted in the lineage chart further down this page). As a result, over the decades and especially over the last few dozen years, branches of the art have considerably differentiated and diverged. This trend was strengthened by the influence of other martial arts and the spread of xingyi to the Western World . The art began to be taught in the West somewhere along the 1960s–1970s. However, it only rose to prominence among martial arts communities worldwide during
2380-477: Is determined by what point of which cycle they see themselves in. Each of the elements has many variant applications that allow it to be used to defend against all of the elements (including itself), so any set sequences are ultimately entirely arbitrary in real combat but present a frame work for developing a more practical skill, the destructive cycle is often taught to 'beginners' as it is generally easier to visualize and consists of easier applications. Xingyiquan
2499-513: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Xingyiquan Xingyiquan, or Xingyi , is a style of internal Chinese martial arts . The word translates approximately to " Form-Intention Fist ", or " Shape-Will Fist ". It is characterized by aggressive, seemingly linear movements and explosive power most often applied from a short range. A practitioner of Xingyi uses coordinated movements to generate bursts of power intended to overwhelm
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#17327659380412618-552: Is disputed. According to the book Henan Orthodox Xingyiquan written by Pei Xirong ( 裴錫榮 ) and Li Ying'ang ( 李英昂 ), Dai Longbang "...wrote the Preface to Six Harmonies Boxing in the 15th reign year of the Qianlong Emperor [1750]. Inside it says, '...when Yue Fei was a child, he received special instructions from Zhou Tong . Extremely skilled in spearfighting, he used the spear to create fist techniques and established
2737-467: Is done in slow-motion. This is true for almost all the movements in the art, though the majority of them can and are also trained explosively. Zhan zhuang is a general name given to postures which one holds in place for prolonged periods of time – anywhere between 2 minutes and 2 hours. These postures are related to postures used in actual fighting, and are sometimes identical to them. Initially, these postures are taught as static training stances. After
2856-399: Is essential to achieving power in xingyiquan . Also, the advanced practitioner always contains tight spirals within his movements, so even the seemingly direct and linear ones are circular on a very small scale. Such circles and spirals also exist in other martial arts, but xingyi (like Southern Praying Mantis ) likes to keep them smaller than others. Efficiency and economy of movement are
2975-514: Is not to be confused with the separate internal art liuhebafa . Both the Shanxi and Hebei branches use a twelve animal system with five elements while the Henan branch uses ten animals. Depending on the lineage, it may or may not use five elements. Due to the historical complexity and vagueness of the lineages, it is uncertain which branch would constitute the "authentic" xingyiquan . In all of
3094-506: Is that many lineages of the art discussed and referenced on this page had survived The Great Leap Forward and The Cultural Revolution). Another popular Taiwanese branch in the West is Wang Shujin 's lineage, which was chiefly transmitted by his student Wang Fulai. There are also several lineages from Tianjin which are nowadays taught in the West, namely in Canada and Israel . Lines of Dai-style xinyi and xinyi liuhe are still rare in
3213-407: Is to train evasive stepping and stretch the hip and groin regions. Xingyi uses movements named after the five classical Chinese elements to metaphorically represent five different states of combat. Also called the "Five Fists" or "Five Phases", the Five Elements are related to Taoist cosmology although the names do not literally correspond to the cosmological terms. These five movements make
3332-515: Is usually identified as the creator because of his considerable understanding of the art (as shown in the work The Ten Theses of Xingyiquan , credited to Yue) and his cultural status as a Chinese war hero. It ought be noted that in Chinese culture, it is common to attribute the creation of great traditions to legendary individuals. In such a way, the art of tai chi is attributed to the legendary Zhang Sanfeng, and Daoism to Laozi , even though as in
3451-750: The Alliance Conducted at Sea with the Han -led Northern Song dynasty and agreed to jointly invade the Liao dynasty. While the Song armies faltered, the Jurchens succeeded in driving the Liao to Central Asia . In 1125, after the death of Aguda, the Jin dynasty broke its alliance with the Song dynasty and invaded north China. When the Song dynasty reclaimed the Han-populated Sixteen Prefectures , they were "fiercely resisted" by
3570-609: The Canon as gifts, not a single fragment of it is known to have survived. A Buddhist Canon or "Tripitaka" was also produced in Shanxi , the same place where an enhanced version of the Jin-sponsored Taoist Canon would be reprinted in 1244. The project was initiated in 1139 by a Buddhist nun named Cui Fazhen, who swore (and allegedly "broke her arm to seal the oath") that she would raise the necessary funds to make
3689-648: The Heilong River , and the Sumo Mohe in the south, named after the Songhua River . From the Heishui Mohe emerged the Jurchens in the forested mountain areas of eastern Manchuria and Russia's Primorsky Krai . The Wuguo ("Five Nations") federation that existed to the northeast of modern Jilin are also considered to be ancestors of the Jurchens. The Jurchens were mentioned in historical records for
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3808-569: The Henan branch are typically the most aggressive of the three. The Henan branch is known as the Muslim branch because it was handed down within the Muslim community in Luoyang to which its founder, Ma Xueli, belonged. Henan branch is sometimes referred to by practitioners as xinyi liuhequan instead of simply xingyiquan . This may be attributed to the fact that the Muslim community of China
3927-469: The Huai River to the Jin dynasty and the execution of Song general Yue Fei in return for peace. The peace treaty was formally ratified on 11 October 1142 when a Jin envoy visited the Song court. Having conquered Kaifeng and occupied northern China, the Jin later deliberately chose earth as its dynastic element and yellow as its royal color. According to the theory of the wuxing ('five elements'),
4046-689: The Neo-Confucian "Learning of the Way" that developed and became orthodox in Song did not take root in Jin. Jin scholars put more emphasis on the work of northern Song scholar and poet Su Shi (1037–1101) rather than on Zhu Xi 's (1130–1200) scholarship that constituted the foundation of the Learning of the Way. The Jin pursued a revival of Tang dynasty urban design with architectural projects in Kaifeng and Zhongdu (modern Beijing), building for instance
4165-588: The Southern Song dynasty in 1161. Meanwhile, two simultaneous rebellions erupted in Shangjing , at the Jurchens' former power base: led by Wanyan Liang's cousin, soon-to-be crowned Wanyan Yong , and the other of Khitan tribesmen. Wanyan Liang had to withdraw Jin troops from southern China to quell the uprisings. The Jin forces were defeated by Song forces in the Battle of Caishi and Battle of Tangdao . With
4284-640: The Western Regions , where they would become known in Chinese historiography as the Western Liao . After conquering the Liao territory, the Jin launched a century-long campaign against the Song dynasty (960–1279) based in southern China, whose rulers were ethnically Han Chinese . Over the course of the Jin's rule, their emperors adapted to Han customs and even fortified the Great Wall against
4403-436: The " Xingyi Classics", often contain characters whose meanings are obscure or have disappeared completely from the Chinese language. Specialized terms which describe historically specific concepts (names of ancient weapons for example) are commonly interpreted with regards for their closest, modern linguistic equivalent. The results can be problematic, producing translations which are linguistically correct but inconsistent within
4522-415: The "Great Jin" (大金), with Jin meaning "gold". The Jurchen word for "gold", and therefore also for their state name, was alchun . Furthermore, the Jin emperors referred to their state as China, Zhongguo ( 中國 ), just as some other non-Han dynasties. Non-Han rulers expanded the definition of "China" to include non-Han peoples in addition to Han people whenever they ruled China. Jin documents indicate that
4641-465: The "Newly Submitted Army" ( 新附軍 ). Genghis Khan died in 1227 while his armies were attacking Western Xia. His successor, Ögedei Khan, invaded the Jin dynasty again in 1232 with assistance from the Southern Song dynasty . The Jurchens tried to resist; but when the Mongols besieged Kaifeng in 1233, Emperor Aizong fled south to the city of Caizhou . A Song–Mongol allied army surrounded the capital, and
4760-618: The 'base' of the art, upon which all further combative knowledge and skill is built upon. Most schools will teach the five elements before the twelve animals because they are easier and shorter to learn (though eventually more difficult to master). The Five Elements do not appear in Henan xinyi liuhequan , though similar movements and methods exist in that art's curriculum. Each of the Five Element movements has many vectors of movement contained within it. Together, they are used to explore all
4879-451: The Dai clan refused to teach him, but he eventually won over their trust, and he was taught by Dai Wenxiong, Guo Weihan, or both. After learning Dai-style xinyi for a number of years, perhaps over a decade, Li left the Dai territories and traveled across Shanxi and Hebei provinces, teaching for many years his own elaboration on the art, now called " xingyiquan ". No reasons were ever recorded for
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4998-431: The Dai family either because he heard of their fame in the martial arts and business, or maybe as suggested by others, after having fought and lost to a practitioner of their art. It is generally agreed he then settled in the area of their village, and grew and sold vegetables, which earned him the nickname "Li Laonong" (李老農, literally "Old Farmer Li", but with the connotation of "Respectable Farmer Li"). Initially, members of
5117-608: The Five Fists and animal shapes, many lineages employ the training of several additional movement forms – from a handful to a few dozen. Some of the more common forms are partner forms, which simulate combat scenarios. Once the individual animal shapes are taught, a student is often taught an animal linking form ( shi'er xing lianhuan ) which connects all the taught animals together in a sequence. Some styles have longer, or multiple forms for individual animals, such Eight Tiger Forms ( huxing bashi ). Other forms often link movements from
5236-519: The Five Fists, the different animal shapes, or both, and commonly include additional movements and techniques not found elsewhere. There also exist a bazigong linking form and many weapons forms. Jin dynasty (1115%E2%80%931234) The Jin dynasty ( / dʒ ɪ n / , Chinese : 金朝 ; pinyin : Jīn cháo ), officially known as the Great Jin ( 大金 ; Dà Jīn ), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 1115 and 1234. As
5355-503: The Geng Jishan/Deng Yunfeng/Rose Li tradition, the phrase santi in santishi is sometimes replaced by "central equilibrium stance". Since the 1980s, zhan zhuang has become more and more popular in other martial arts; many of which, such as some schools of Chen-style tai chi , borrowed these methods from xingyi schools. Other martial arts sometimes had their own zhan zhuang methods beforehand. Today,
5474-532: The Han Chinese population there who had previously been under Liao rule, while when the Jurchens invaded that area, the Han Chinese did not oppose them at all and handed over the Southern Capital (present-day Beijing , then known as Yanjing) to them. The Jurchens were supported by the anti-Song, Beijing-based noble Han clans. The Han Chinese who worked for the Liao were viewed as hostile enemies by
5593-568: The Imperial Jurchen Academy was founded, and the imperial examinations started to be offered in the Jurchen language. Emperor Shizong 's reign (1161–1189) was remembered by the posterity as the time of comparative peace and prosperity, and the emperor himself was compared to the mythological rulers Yao and Shun . Poor Jurchen families in the southern Routes (Daming and Shandong) Battalion and Company households tried to live
5712-550: The Imperial palaces in Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song dynasty, capturing both Emperor Qinzong and his father, Emperor Huizong , who had abdicated in panic in the face of the Jin invasion. Following the fall of Bianjing, the succeeding Southern Song dynasty continued to fight the Jin dynasty for over a decade, eventually signing the Treaty of Shaoxing in 1141, which called for the cession of all Song territories north of
5831-450: The Jin "eastern capital", and in 1213 they besieged the "central capital", Zhongdu (present-day Beijing ). In 1214 the Jin made a humiliating treaty but retained the capital. That summer, Emperor Xuanzong abandoned the central capital and moved the government to the "southern capital" Kaifeng , making it the official seat of the Jin dynasty's power. In 1216, a hawkish faction in the Jin imperial court persuaded Emperor Xuanzong to attack
5950-434: The Jin dynasty merged Jurchen customs with institutions adopted from the Liao and Song dynasties. The pre-dynastic Jurchen government was based on the quasi-egalitarian tribal council. Jurchen society at the time did not have a strong political hierarchy. The Shuo Fu ( 說郛 ) records that the Jurchen tribes were not ruled by central authority and locally elected their chieftains. Tribal customs were retained after Aguda united
6069-567: The Jin dynasty. His son, Shi Gang, married a Keraite woman; the Keraites were Mongolified Turkic people and considered as part of the "Mongol nation". Shi Tianze, Zhang Rou, Yan Shi and other Han Chinese who served in the Jin dynasty and defected to the Mongols helped build the structure for the administration of the new Mongol state. The Mongols created a Han army out of defecting Jin troops, and another army out of defected Song troops called
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#17327659380416188-417: The Jin imperial family, high officials, common people, and Buddhist priests. Some sutras have only survived from these carvings and thus they are important in the study of Chinese Buddhism. At the same time, the Jin court sold monk certificates for revenue. This practice was initiated in 1162 by Emperor Shizong to fund his wars, and stopped three years later when the wars were over. His successor Zhanzong used
6307-525: The Jin southern capital Kaifeng (the former Northern Song capital) to the central capital's "Abbey of Celestial Perpetuity" ( Tianchang guan 天長觀), on the site of what is now the White Cloud Temple in Beijing. Other Daoist writings were also moved there from another abbey in the central capital. Zhangzong instructed the abbey's superintendent Sun Mingdao (孫明道) and two civil officials to prepare
6426-534: The Jurchen tribes and formed the Jin dynasty, coexisting alongside more centralised institutions. The Jin dynasty had five capitals, a practice they adopted from the Balhae and the Liao. The Jin had to overcome the difficulties of controlling a multicultural empire composed of territories once ruled by the Liao and Northern Song. The solution of the early Jin government was to establish separate government structures for different ethnic groups. The Jin court maintained
6545-578: The Jurchens as the Liao violently extorted annual tribute from the Jurchen tribes. Leveraging the Jurchens' desire for independence from the Khitans, chief Wugunai (1021–1074) of the Wanyan clan rose to prominence, dominating all of eastern Manchuria from Mount Changbai to the Wuguo tribes. According to tradition, Wugunai was a sixth generation descendant of Hanpu while his father held a military title from
6664-527: The Khitan Xiao Zhala defected and commanded the three tumens in the Mongol army. Liu Heima and Shi Tianze served Genghis Khan's successor, Ögedei Khan . Liu Heima and Shi Tianxiang led armies against Western Xia for the Mongols. There were four Han tumens and three Khitan tumens, with each tumen consisting of 10,000 troops. The three Khitan generals Shimo Beidi'er , Tabuyir , and Xiao Zhongxi [ zh ] (Xiao Zhala's son) commanded
6783-506: The Liao court, although the title did not confer or hold any real power. As described, Wugunai was a great warrior, eater, drinker, and lover of women. His grandson Aguda eventually founded the Jin dynasty. The Jin dynasty was created in modern Jilin and Heilongjiang by the Jurchen tribal chieftain Aguda in 1115. According to tradition, Aguda was a descendant of Hanpu . Aguda adopted
6902-489: The Liao dynasty, but they also sent a number of tributary and trade missions to the Song capital of Kaifeng , which the Liao tried unsuccessfully to prevent. Some Jurchens paid tribute to Goryeo and sided with the latter during the Khitan–Goryeo War . They offered tribute to both courts out of political necessity and for material benefits. In the 11th century there was widespread discontent against Khitan rule among
7021-460: The Mongols. The Jurchen Jin emperor Wanyan Yongji 's daughter, Jurchen Princess Qiguo was married to Mongol leader Genghis Khan in exchange for relieving the Mongol siege of Zhongdu in the Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty . Many Han Chinese and Khitans defected to the Mongols to fight against the Jin dynasty. Two Han Chinese leaders, Shi Tianze and Liu Heima [ zh ] , and
7140-648: The Mysterious Metropolis of the Great Jin ( Da Jin Xuandu baozang 大金玄都寶藏). Based on a smaller version of the Canon printed by Emperor Huizong (r. 1100–1125) of the Song, it was completed in 1192 under the direction and support of Emperor Zhangzong (r. 1190–1208). In 1188, Zhangzong's grandfather and predecessor Shizong (r. 1161–1189) ordered for the Song Canon woodblocks to be transferred from
7259-486: The Shaolin monks by Ji Longfeng's line, while others hold the view that Ji Longfeng was taught martial arts by the monks. From Ji Longfeng, the art was passed down to Cao Jiwu . From Cao Jiwu, the art split into its two biggest branches. One branch came down from Cao's student Ma Xueli, and became xinyi liuhequan – an art still widely practiced today, which compared to other lineages, have not undergone many changes over
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#17327659380417378-534: The Song dynasty, but in 1219 they were defeated at the same place by the Yangtze River where Wanyan Liang had been defeated in 1161. The Jin dynasty now faced a two front war that they could not afford. Furthermore, Emperor Aizong won a succession struggle against his brother and then quickly ended the war and went back to the capital. He made peace with the Tanguts of Western Xia, who had been allied with
7497-540: The Song dynasty. Song Han Chinese also defected to the Jin. One crucial mistake that the Song made during this joint attack was the removal of the defensive forest it originally built along the Song-Liao border. Because of the removal of this landscape barrier, in 1126/27, the Jin army marched quickly across the North China Plain to Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng ). On 9 January 1127, the Jurchens ransacked
7616-617: The West, and can be said to even be relatively rare in China, though they are not at risk of becoming 'extinct'. In the United States, Dai-style xinyi is taught by Li Tailiang and several of his students. Yiquan , on the other hand, has become exceedingly popular in the West, being taught in many schools, especially in Europe. There are no statistics as to the number of practitioners in any of these arts in either China or other countries. Ancient Chinese texts, like those which make up
7735-515: The adverse reactions are mutual over-restraint (overwhelming destructive interaction), mutual reverse restraint (reversal of the destructive cycle), and mutual burdening (unbalancing or reversal of the constructive cycle). Practitioners abiding by these concepts train to react to and execute specific techniques in such a way that a desirable cycle will form based on these interactions of the five element theory. Where to aim, where to hit and with what technique, and how those motions should work defensively,
7854-518: The art from the Dai family in the 19th century. It was Li Luoneng and his successors—which include Guo Yunshen , Song Shirong , Che Yizhai , Liu Qilan and Li Taihe (who would popularize xingyiquan across Northern China ). It is known that Li Luoneng was proficient in other martial arts before studying Dai-style xinyi . Some claim his original art was qimenquan (奇門拳), perhaps his family's style, while others believe he actually studied tongbeiquan and gongliquan . Li came to study under
7973-404: The art hints at both the military origins and the influence of spear technique alluded to in its mythology. The goal of the xingyi exponent is to reach the opponent quickly and drive power through him in a single burst, to close in and break your opponent's structure so they can neither attack nor defend. The analogy with spear fighting is useful here. This is achieved by coordinating one's body as
8092-409: The art split into two branches: These two branches survive to this day. Later, Li Luoneng developed xingyiquan out of the Dai family branch. From Li Luoneng 's time onward, the art has been said to have three main developmental branches: However, the identification of three separate branches is tenuous because of the extensive cross-training that occurred across their lineages. This suggests that
8211-434: The art to southern China (after it had been mostly practiced in the northern parts of the country for centuries). Later, many others have spread the art across China and the world. Yiquan , which had been devolved from xingyiquan by Wang Xiangzhai, became especially widespread during the 20th century, in China and across the world. Following the Cultural Revolution in China, some xingyi forms have been adapted to fit
8330-459: The art's history grows firmer. Ji Longfeng, also known as Ji Jike, is the first person which all agree had both existed and practiced the art. Ji Longfeng's contributions to the art are described in the Ji Clan Chronicles (姬氏族譜; pinyin : Ji Shi Zupu). Like the Preface , the Chronicles describes xingyiquan as a martial art based on the combat principles of the spear. The Chronicles , however, attributes this stylistic influence to Ji himself, who
8449-598: The art. They emphasize direct combat applicability, and elaborate further on the movements vectors and powers explored and trained with the Five Elements. Sometimes, there exist two variations for the bazigong – one for kung fu development, and another for actual fighting usage. There might also exist in a lineage a linking form for all 8 combinations. The eight bazigong are: Cutting Down/Severing ( Zhǎn 斬), Intercepting ( Jié 截), Wrapping ( Guǒ 裹), Carrying ( Kuà 挎), Lifting/Raising ( Tiāo 挑), Pushing Upwards ( Dǐng 頂), Leading ( Lìng 令) and Cloud ( Yún 雲). Additionally to
8568-422: The ascendant Mongol Empire . The Jin also oversaw a number of internal cultural advances, such as the revival of Confucianism . The Mongols under Genghis Khan invaded in 1211, inflicting several crushing defeats upon Jin armies. After a sequence of defeats, revolts, defections, and coups over a span of 23 years, the Jin were ultimately conquered by the Mongols in 1234. The Jin dynasty was officially known as
8687-413: The ban on Jurchen nobility marrying outside of their ethnicity was only annulled in 1191. Following the death of Emperor Taizong in 1135, each of the next three emperors were the remaining grandsons of Aguda , each by a different one of his sons. Emperor Xizong ( r. 1135–1149) studied the classics and wrote Chinese poetry. He adopted Han Chinese cultural traditions, but the Jurchen nobles had
8806-499: The branches did not evolve in isolation, thus diluting any major differences between them. Schools of the Shanxi branch have a narrower stance, lighter footwork and tend to be more evasive. They emphasize the development of relaxation before the practice of intention ( yi ). Schools of the Hebei branch emphasize xing and yi before developing a higher level of relaxed structure, and have a slightly different evasive footwork. Schools of
8925-424: The case with Yue Fei, there exists no proof for such claims. Other martial artists and Chinese martial art historians, such as Dan Miller, Tim Cartmell , and Brian Kennedy, hold that this story is largely legendary; while xingyiquan may well have evolved from military spear techniques, there is no evidence to support that Yue Fei was involved or that the art dates to the Song dynasty. These authors point out that
9044-438: The earth element follows the fire, the dynastic element of the Song, in the sequence of elemental creation. Therefore, this ideological move shows that the Jin regarded the Song reign of China was officially over and themselves as the rightful ruler of China Proper. The decision to choose "earth" (signalling the Jin as successor of the Song) was chosen against the alternative suggestion of linking Jin (literally meaning "gold") with
9163-471: The element of metal. This rejected suggestion was based on a nativist current that distanced the Jin from the Song and interpreted the Jin as an autonomous development rooted in Northeast Asia unrelated to the precedents of Chinese dynasties. However, the emperor dismissed the "metal" suggestion. After taking over northern China, the Jin became increasingly sinicised . Over the span of twenty years,
9282-494: The first decade of the 21st century. Currently, it is still not well known among the general public. One explanation for this situation is that unlike other traditional oriental martial arts, xingyi was not a notable style in movies which became popular in the West (and though a modified 'wushu' version of it appeared in The One , starring Jet Li, this was not told or hinted to the viewers as part of that film's script). Arguably,
9401-454: The first time in the 10th century as tribute bearers to the Liao , Later Tang , and Song courts. They practiced hunting, fishing, and kept domestic oxen while their primary export was horses. They had no script, calendar, or offices during the mid-11th century. The Jurchens were minor political actors in the international system at the time. By the 10th century, the Jurchens had become vassals of
9520-428: The five element theory, a general combat formula which assumes two types of cyclic interactions and three types of adverse interactions. The two cyclic interactions are the mutual nourishment (constructive) and mutual restraint (destructive) cycles. The adverse reactions are lesser known and rarely trained but exist from the understanding that nothing would exist if the mutual nourishment and restraint cycles existed alone,
9639-431: The following sections under this paragraph is chiefly discussed the art of xingyiquan that had come down from Li Luoneng. These sections are not representative of Dai-style xinyiquan or liuhe xinyiquan . Xingyiquan features aggressive shocking attacks and direct footwork. Most of the training and footwork is practiced on straight lines, but application occurs on all planes of movement. The linear nature of training in
9758-466: The generations. The other branch that came down from Cao Jiwu was through his other student, Dai Longbang. The latter passed the art into the Dai clan, which had made many changes to it, mixing it with several arts and skills that had already existed in the Dai family. The art remains in the Dai clan to this day, but has also spread elsewhere in China and around the world. The art remained fairly obscure until Li Luoneng (also known as Li Nengran) learned
9877-545: The late Ming military. Some speculate that during that period of the development of the art, either Ji Longfeng or some of his students had a connection with monks at the famous Shaolin Temple on Song Mountain . There exists a martial art called " xinyiba ", which is still taught at the general location of the temple, and bears a few similarities to xingyi -related styles. Some claim that Shaolin Xinyiba had been taught to
9996-419: The legendary fight between Guo Yunshen and Dong Haichuan never happened. The book states that the truth of the matter is that Guo Yunshen actually fought one of his older xingyi brothers and lost. Sun Lutang was a student of both Guo Yunshen and Cheng Tinghua so this stance on the subject seems to be one of the most accurate. Treating the story of Dong Haichuan and Guo Yunshen as allegory, however, reveals
10115-531: The lifestyle of wealthy Jurchen families and avoid doing farming work by selling their own Jurchen daughters into slavery and renting their land to Han tenants. The wealthy Jurchens feasted and drank and wore damask and silk. The History of Jin says that Emperor Shizong took note and attempted to halt these things in 1181. Shizong's grandson, Emperor Zhangzong (r. 1189–1208), venerated Jurchen values, but he also immersed himself in Han Chinese culture and married an ethnic Han Chinese woman. The Taihe Code of law
10234-687: The many changes Li made to the art, but there are those who claim that Li wished to compete with the Dai clan's fame, perhaps because of some grudge. Li and many of his students and grand-students were famous for offering bodyguard and caravan escort services. A condensed version of xingyiquan was taught to Chinese officers at the Military Academy at Nanjing during the Second Sino-Japanese War for close quarters combat . This included armed techniques such as bayonet and sabre drills alongside unarmed techniques. Sun Lutang ,
10353-415: The most common xingyiquan lineage in the West today is of the yizong branch, which came down from Zhang Junfeng . Many of Zhang's students and grand-students, such as Kenneth Fish (martial artist) , Hung I-Hsiang , Su Dongchen , Luo Dexiu , Hsu Hung-chi and others have been teaching his xingyi to Westerners since the 1980s – especially Americans. This branch became the most popular because Taiwan
10472-423: The most important practice in xingyi ; whereas, others neglect to train and teach them altogether. The use of the santishi zhan zhuang as the main training method in xingyi dates back to Li Luoneng, the founder of modern version of the art. In Dai-style xinyi , the central and most important training method is called 'Squatting Monkey' – a dynamic movement exercise rather than a static posture held in place. In
10591-414: The needs of modern practitioners of the competitive sport of wushu . This meant that various movement forms from the art were adapted to a competitive format, in which the emphasis was put on aesthetics and flowery movements, rather than on fighting. The style is nonetheless relatively rare in wushu competitions because all wushu practitioners must compete in several mandatory events, which make xingyi ,
10710-523: The new Jurchen ruling class constituted around half of a larger pattern of migration southward into northern China. There, many Jurchens were granted land, which was then organised around a social structure based on hereditary military units: a mouke ('company') was a unit consisting of 300 households, and groups of 7–10 moukes were further organised into meng-an ('battalions'). The Jurchen ruling class ruled over an estimated 30 million people. Many Jurchens intermarried with Han Chinese, though
10829-415: The next year Emperor Aizong committed suicide by hanging himself to avoid being captured in the Mongols besieged Caizhou , ending the Jin dynasty in 1234. The territory of the Jin dynasty was to be divided between the Mongols and the Song dynasty. However, due to lingering territorial disputes, the Song dynasty and the Mongols eventually went to war with one another over these territories. The government of
10948-528: The nickname of Wang Chongyang (Wang "Double Yang") and his disciples were retrospectively known as the "seven patriarchs of Quanzhen". The ci poetry that characterized Jin literature was tightly linked to Quanzhen: two-thirds of the ci poetry written in Jin times was composed by Quanzhen Taoists. The Jin state sponsored an edition of the Taoist Canon that is known as the Precious Canon of
11067-417: The opponent, simultaneously attacking and defending. Methods vary from school to school, but always include bare-handed fighting training (mostly in single movements/combinations and sometimes in forms) and the training of weapons usage with similar or identical body mechanics to that used for bare-handed intense fighting. The most basic notions of movement and body mechanics in the art were heavily influenced by
11186-416: The original Five Elements and 12 Animals have all been 'condensed' and 'refined' into forms of Shi Li, which replace them as the core exercises in the art (together with zhan zhuang ). There also exists in certain lineages a type of Shi Li drill called Si Bu Pan Gen. It originated from baguazhang , and is a form of tight Circle Walking – encircling a small square rather than a circle. The main purposes of it
11305-489: The permanence of the move, he razed the nobles' residences in Huining Prefecture. Wanyan Liang also reconstructed the former Song capital, Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng ), which had been sacked in 1127, making it the Jin's southern capital. Wanyan Liang also tried to suppress dissent by killing Jurchen nobles, executing 155 princes. To fulfil his dream of becoming the ruler of all China, Wanyan Liang attacked
11424-436: The position of emperor. Historians have consequently referred to him by his posthumous name "Prince of Hailing". Having usurped the throne, Wanyan Liang embarked on the program of legitimising his rule as an emperor of China. In 1153, he moved the empire's main capital from Huining Prefecture (south of present-day Harbin) to the former Liao capital, Yanjing (present-day Beijing ). Four years later, in 1157, to emphasise
11543-435: The posture hunyuan zhuang in particular has become a mainstay of many styles; its spread probably owing to the growing popularity of yiquan . Also called 'friction stepping' (摩擦步; mócā bù ), this exercise is meant to ingrain in the practitioner the correct forward-stepping habits and methods of xingyi , which are different from those of other arts (though similar to those found in some styles of baguazhang ). Plow stepping
11662-441: The practice of staves and spears. Historically and technically related martial arts include Dai-style xinyi liuhequan , liuhe xinyiquan and yiquan . The earliest written records of xingyi can be traced to the 18th century, and are attributed to Ma Xueli of Henan Province and Dai Longbang of Shanxi Province . Legend credits the creation of xingyi to renowned Song dynasty (960–1279 AD) general Yue Fei , but this
11781-488: The pressure of Mongols from the north. Genghis Khan first led the Mongols into Western Xia territory in 1205 and ravaged it four years later. In 1211 about 50,000 Mongol horsemen invaded the Jin Empire and began absorbing Khitan and Jurchen rebels. The Jin had a large army with 150,000 cavalry but abandoned the "western capital" Datong (see also the Battle of Yehuling ). The next year the Mongols went north and looted
11900-563: The qualities of a xingyi stylist, and its direct fighting philosophy advocates simultaneous attack and defense. There are few kicks except for extremely low foot kicks (which avoids the hazards of balance involved with higher kicks) and some mid-level kicks, and techniques are prized for their working within key principles rather than aesthetic value. Xingyiquan favours a training stance called santishi ( simplified Chinese : 三体势 ; traditional Chinese : 三體勢 ; pinyin : Sāntǐshì ), literally "three bodies power," referring to how
12019-528: The ruling Wanyan clan was of Jurchen descent, it is also sometimes called the Jurchen dynasty or the Jurchen Jin . At its peak, the empire extended from Outer Manchuria in the north to the Qinling–Huaihe Line in the south. The Jin dynasty emerged from Wanyan Aguda 's rebellion against the Liao dynasty (916–1125), which held sway over northern China until being driven by the nascent Jin to
12138-410: The stance holds the head, torso and feet along the same vertical plane (As a Zhan zhuang method, this stance is trained lower). In actual fighting, a free-form traditional guard should be used in the application of intent ( yi ) rather than adhering to any aesthetic value, in training santishi is more often trained at middle-low heights. Like other Internal Arts , much of the training in xingyiquan
12257-570: The stylistic similarities between baguazhang and the xingyiquan monkey shape. Frantzis argues that this encounter never took place and that Guo and Dong had little contact with each other. Frantzis argues that a xingyi - bagua exchange was more likely to have occurred in Tianjin c. 1900 where xingyi masters Li Cunyi and Zhang Zhaodong, bagua master Cheng Tinghua, and four other xingyi and bagua teachers lived together (Frantzis, 1998, p. 179). Sun Lutang states in his autobiography that
12376-413: The term for "gold" as the name of his state, itself a translation of "Anchuhu" River, which meant "golden" in Jurchen . This river, known as Alechuka in modern Chinese, is a tributary of the Songhua River east of Harbin . Alechuka (阿勒楚喀) is a transliteration of its Manchu name alchuqa (ᠠᠯᠴᡠᡴᠠ), suggesting that the Jurchen name for the river sounded more similar to alchuhu rather than anchuhu . It
12495-421: The three Khitan tumens and the four Han generals Zhang Rou [ zh ] , Yan Shi [ zh ] , Shi Tianze and Liu Heima commanded the four Han tumens under Ögedei Khan. Shi Tianze was a Han Chinese who lived under Jin rule. Inter-ethnic marriage between Han Chinese and Jurchens became common at this time. His father was Shi Bingzhi . Shi Bingzhi married a Jurchen woman (surname Nahe) and
12614-541: The top positions. Later in life, Emperor Xizong became an alcoholic and executed many officials for criticising him. He also had Jurchen leaders who opposed him murdered, even those in the Wanyan clan. In 1149 he was murdered by a cabal of relatives and nobles, who made his cousin Wanyan Liang the next Jin emperor. Because of the brutality of both his domestic and foreign policy, Wanyan Liang was posthumously demoted from
12733-551: The two empires. In the early 1180s, Emperor Shizong instituted a restructuring of 200 meng'an units to remove tax abuses and help Jurchens. Communal farming was encouraged. The Jin Empire prospered and had a large surplus of grain in reserve. Although learned in Chinese classics , Emperor Shizong was also known as a promoter of Jurchen language and culture; during his reign, a number of Chinese classics were translated into Jurchen,
12852-525: The usage of "China" by dynasties to refer to themselves began earlier than previously thought. The progenitors of the Jin and the Jurchen people were the Mohe people , who lived in what is now Northeast China . The Mohe were a primarily sedentary people who practiced hunting, pig farming, and grew crops such as soybean, wheat, millet, and rice. Horses were rare in the region until the Tang period and pastoralism
12971-545: The useful ways through which one could advance on a straight line. Each of the Elements may be used as a zhan zhuang in-itself, and in some schools this is encouraged. A common saying originating from the xingyi classics is: "The hands do not leave the heart and the elbows do not leave the ribs". This is most evident in the Five Elements. Some xingyi practitioners also use the five elements as an interpretative framework for reacting and responding to attacks. This follows
13090-523: The works attributed to Yue Fei's role long postdate his life, some being as recent as the Republican era, and that it was common practice in China to attribute new works to a famous or legendary person, rather than take credit for oneself. One source claims that the author of the "preface" is unknown, since no name is written on the manuscript. Most practitioners just assume it was written by Dai Longbang. Some researchers of martial arts believe that it
13209-406: Was actually written in Shanxi during the final years of the 19th century. In addition, historical memoirs and scholarly research papers only mention Zhou Tong teaching Yue archery and not spear play. Yue historically learned spear play from Chen Guang (陳廣), who was hired by the boy's paternal grandfather, Yao Daweng (姚大翁). Beginning in the late Ming era and Ji Longfeng 's time, evidence for
13328-529: Was common for Chinese translators at the time to use the final -n sound at the end of a Chinese character to transliterate -l , -r , -s , -z etc. at the end of a syllable in foreign words. The Jurchens' early rulers were the Khitan -led Liao dynasty , which had held sway over modern north and northeast China and the Mongolian Plateau , for several centuries. In 1121, the Jurchens entered into
13447-607: Was historically a very closed culture in order to protect themselves as a minority, thus retaining the older addition to the name of xingyi . Liuhe means "Six Harmonies" and refers to the six harmonies of the body (three external harmonies: wrists-ankles, elbows-knees, shoulders-hips; three internal harmonies: xin-yi , yi-qi , qi-li i.e. spirit or "emotional mind" ( xin ) harmonises with your intention ( yi ), intention harmonises with your breath and physical momentum ( qi ), breath and physical momentum harmonise with your physical strength ( li ) that contribute to correct posture.) This
13566-408: Was known as the "Divine Spear" (神槍; pinyin : Shén Qiāng) for his extraordinary skill with the weapon. Nowadays, many believe that the style Ji Longfeng was taught had been Shaolin Xinyiba (a style which still exists today, and bears minute resemblance to xinyi liuhequan ). Ji Longfeng referred to his art as liuhe , The Six Harmonies, a reference to the most highly developed spear style practiced in
13685-454: Was not suppressed until 1164; their horses were confiscated so that the rebels had to take up farming. Other Khitan and Xi cavalry units had been incorporated into the Jin army. Because these internal uprisings had severely weakened the Jin's capacity to confront the Southern Song militarily, the Jin court under Emperor Shizong began negotiating for peace. The Treaty of Longxing was signed in 1164, ushering in more than 40 years of peace between
13804-584: Was not widespread until the 10th century under the domination of the Khitans . The Mohe exported reindeer products and may have ridden them as well. They practiced mass slavery and used the slaves to aid in hunting and agricultural work. The Tang described the Mohe as a fierce and uncultured people who used poisoned arrows. The two most powerful groups of Mohe were the Heishui Mohe in the north, named after
13923-473: Was open to Westerners during the 20th century, while throughout much of that century, the People's Republic of China did not allow Westerners to visit regularly, and thus people were not exposed to branches of the art from the mainland. Contrary to popular belief, spread by some Taiwanese teachers, the art had not 'died out' on the mainland, but was simply inaccessible to outsiders for several decades (proof of this
14042-460: Was promulgated in 1201 and was based mostly on the Tang Code . In 1207, the Southern Song dynasty attempted an invasion, but the Jin forces effectively repulsed them. In the peace agreement, the Song dynasty had to pay higher annual indemnities and behead Han Tuozhou , the leader of the hawkish faction in the Song imperial court. Starting from the early 13th century, the Jin dynasty began to feel
14161-759: Was said to have been discovered by Ji Gong. It is more likely though that Ji Jike had created the art based on prior martial arts experience, or passed on an art that had already existed. Yang Jwing-Ming, who is not a practitioner of the art, argues that aspects of xingyiquan (particularly the animal styles) are identifiable as far back as the Liang dynasty at the Shaolin Temple. According to Yang, Yue Fei therefore did not strictly invent xingyiquan , but synthesized and perfected existing Shaolin principles into his own style of gongfu which he popularized during his military service. Nonetheless, according to Yang, Yue Fei
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