"Hsing Yi Ch'uan is one of the three orthodox "internal" styles of Chinese martial art (the other two being T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Pa Kua Chang). "Hsing" refers to form and "Yi" to the mind or intent.
""Ch'uan" literally means fist and denotes a method of unarmed combat. Hsing Yi Ch'uan is commonly refered to as "Form and Mind" or "Form and Will" boxing. The name illustrates the strong emphasis placed on motion being subordinate to mental control.
"Origin: Shan Hsi Province, China.
History:
"The exact origins of Hsing Yi Ch'uan are unknown. The creation of the Art is traditionally attributed to the famous general and patriot Yueh Fei (1103- 1141) of the Sung Dynasty. There is, however, no historical data to support this claim. The style was originally called "Hsin Yi
"Liu He Ch'uan" (Heart Mind Six Harmonies Boxing). The Six Harmonies refer to the Three Internal Harmonies (the heart or desire coordinates with the intent; the intent coordinates with the ch'i or vital energy; the ch'i coordinates with the stength), and the Three External Harmonies (the shoulders coordinate with the hips; the elbows coordinate with the knees and the hands coordinate with the feet).
"The earliest reliable information we have makes reference to Chi Lung Feng (also known as Chi Chi Ke) of Shan Hsi Province as being the first to teach the art of Hsin Yi Liu He Ch'uan. Chi Lung Feng was active near the end of the Ming Dynasty (early 1600's) and was a master of spear fighting (he had the reputation of possessing "divine" skill with the spear). He is recorded as stating "I have protected myself in violent times with my spear. Now that we are in a time of "peace" and our weapons have all been destroyed, if I am unarmed and meet the unexpected, how shall I defend myself?" In answer to his own question, Chi Lung Feng reportedly created a style of weaponless combat based on his expertise with the spear. He refered to his art as "Liu He," the Six Harmonies.
"Chi Lung Feng had two very famous students. One was from from He Bei province and was named Ts'ao Chi Wu. The other was from He Nan Province and was named Ma Hsueh Li. It was at this point in history that the Hsin Yi Liu He Ch'uan (now also refered to as Hsing Yi Ch'uan) divided into three related yet separate styles, the Shan Hsi, He Nan and He Bei schools. After spending 12 years studying Hsin Yi Ch'uan with Chi Lung Feng, Ts'ao Chi Wu entered the Imperial Martial Examinations and placed first (this was the most prestigious honor one could possibly win as a martial artist in old China, and assured the victor a high government position). Ts'ao passsed on his art to two brothers, Tai Lung Pang and Tai Lin Pang.
"Tai Lung Pang passed his Art on to Li Luo Neng (also known as Li Neng Jan). Li holds the distinction of being the greatest Hsing Yi Boxer in the styles' history and one of the top Chinese boxers of all time. Li Luo Neng taught his art in his native Shan Hsi Province and also taught a great number of students in He Bei Province (his duties as a bodyguard involved escorting various members of wealthy families to and from He Bei). Two of Li's most famous Shan Hsi students were Sung Shi Jung and Che Yi Chai. His most famous He Bei student was the formidable Kuo Yun Shen (who reportedly defeated all comers with his "Beng Ch'uan," a straight punch to the body). Kuo Yun Shen passed on his art to Wang Fu Yuan, Liu Ch'i Lan and Sun Lu Tang among others; Liu Ch'i Lan passed on the Art to the most famous practitioners of this century, including Li Ts'un Yi and Chang Chan Kuei (also known as Chang Chao Tung). There are many practitioners of all three sub-systems active today, and Hsing Yi Ch'uan is still a popular and well respected style of martial art in China.
Description:
"The art is divided into two main systems, the Ten Animal and Five Element respectively. The Five element system is further divided into two major branches, the He Bei and Shan Hsi styles. The Ten animal style is closest to the original Hsin Yi Liu He Ch'uan in form and practice. The movements in the forms are patterned after the spirit of various animals in combat, including the Dragon, Tiger, Monkey, Horse, Chicken, Hawk, Snake, Bear, Eagle and Swallow. The Five Element based systems have five basic forms (including Splitting, Drilling, Crushing, Pounding, and Crossing) as the foundation of the art. These basic energies are later expanded into Twelve Animal forms which include variations of the animal forms found in the Ten Animal styles as well as two additional animals, the Tai (a mythical bird) and the Tuo (a type of water lizard, akin to the aligator). Training in all systems centers on repetitive practice of single movements which are later combined into more complicated linked forms.
"The direction of movement in Hsing Yi Ch'uan forms is predominately linear. Practitioners "walk" through the forms coordinating the motions of their entire bodies into one focused flow. The hands, feet and torso all "arrive" together and the nose, front hand and front foot are along one verticle line when viewed from the front (san jian hsiang chiao). The arms are held in front of the body and the practitioner lines up his or her centerline with opponent's centerline. A familiar adage of Hsing Yi Ch'uan is that "the hands do not leave the (area of the) heart and the elbows do not leave the ribs." There are few kicks in the style and the techniques are of a predominately percussive nature. Great emphasis is placed upon the ability to generate power with the whole body and focus it into one pulse which is released in a sudden burst.
"Hsing Yi is characteristically aggressive in nature and prefers to move into the opponent with a decisive blow at the earliest opportunity. The style prizes economy of motion and the concept of simultaneous attack and defense. As the name of the style implies, the form or "shape" of the movements is the outward, physical manifestation of the "shape" of one's intent. A fundamental principle underlying all styles of Hsing Yi Ch'uan is that the mind controls and leads the movement of the body.
Training:
"Training in He Nan (Ten Animal) Hsin Yi Liu He Ch'uan includes basic movements designed to condition and develop the striking ability of the "Seven Stars" (the head, shoulders, elbows, hands, hips, knees and feet). From there the student will progress to learning the basic animal forms. Form practice consists of repeating single movements while walking foward in various straight line patterns. Later, the single movements are combined into linked forms. The techniques are relatively simple and straightforeward and rely on the ability to generate force with almost any part of the body (the Seven Stars). Also included at more advanced levels are weapons forms (including the straight sword, staff and spear).
"The Five Element based styles of Hsing Yi Ch'uan (Shan Hsi and He Bei) traditionally begin training with stance keeping (Chan Chuang). The fundamental posture is called "San Ti" (Three Bodies) or "San Ts'ai" (Three Powers, refering to heaven, earth and man). It is from this posture that all of the movements in the style are created and most teachers place great emphasis upon it. After stance keeping the student begins to learn the Five Elements (Wu Hsing). These are the basic movements of the art and express all the possible combinations of motion which produce percussive power. After a certain level of proficiency is acquired in the practice of the Five Elements, the student goes on to learn the Twelve Animal and linked forms. The Twelve Animal forms are variations of the Five Elements expressed through the format of the spirit of animals in combat. There are several two-person combat forms which teach the student the correct methods of attack and defense and the applications of the techniques practiced in the solo forms. Five Element based styles also include weapons training (the same weapons as the He Nan styles).
Substyles:
"As mentioned above, Hsing Yi Ch'uan is divided into three related yet distinct styles: He Nan Hsin Yi Liu He Ch'uan and Shan Hsi/He Bei Hsing Yi Ch'uan.
"He Nan Hsin Yi Liu He Ch'uan is characterized by powerful swinging movements of the arms and the ability to strike effectively with every part of the body. This system is very powerful and aggressive in nature and the movements are simple and straightforeward.
"He Bei style Five Element Hsing Yi Ch'uan emphasizes larger and more extended postures, strict and precise movements and powerful palm and fist strikes.
"Shan Hsi style Five Element Hsing Yi Ch'uan is characterized by smaller postures with the arms held closer to the body, light and agile footwork and a relatively "softer" approach to applying technique (Shan Hsi Hsing Yi places a greater emphasis on evasiveness than the other styles)." *
| * International Academy of Martial Arts |