I have been practicing martial arts for 57 years. For the last 37, I have concentrated on Xingyi and Bagua. Now I only choose to teach Xingyi. Not because I think Xingyi is “the best” but only because that is my personal preference. My first exposure to Xingyi was through meeting Vince Black and watching my friend Tom Biso practice. Tom was studying with Vince and at the same time teaching Filipino stick fighting. The style or “expression” of Xingyi was from Master Hsu Hongji, who had been a student of Hung Yixiang, who was a student of Zhang Junfeng. When I saw how Xingyi improved Tom’s Arnis, I decided I should learn it too. Seven years later, I met Master Li Guichang and began to learn his expression of Xingyi. Now it seems that many of the disciples refer to it as Dong style after Master Li’s teacher, Dong Xuisheng.
When I first began to study, there weren’t many books about Xingyi, and most of the ones in English were pretty bad. Today, it’s an entirely different story. Everywhere I look, people are writing about Xingyi, translating books about it, or putting up films to promote themselves and make money. My Facebook feed seems to be loaded with Xingyi experts! Most of the time, when they talk about or demonstrate Xingyi, they will talk about weight placement or where the rear hand is or alignments, etc., and they often refer to what they are doing as Xingyi and say “this is how piquan is done” or “when standing Santi, the weight must be 60-40” (Master Li would say that there were many different correct weightings. Which one you choose just depends on what you are trying to develop). Another example I have read is “the fist must be held tight while doing the elements,” and of course, the fist should tighten when hitting, but other styles hold the fist loose while doing the elements to take excess tension out of the arm. They do this for their own developmental and combat reasons. In all of these cases, it would be more proper for these “experts” to say “this is how we do it in our style, and this is why we prefer to do it this way.”
Many people seem to think that the way they learned Xingyi is the “right” way. It’s a little like religion that way. The truth is that for the most part, the things they are talking about and teaching are only exterior aspects of Xingyi. What they talk about as “correct” is correct for their teacher’s style but may not be “correct” for a different style. I have been fortunate enough to study several styles in depth and to understand why they do things the way they do, but I would never say one was “right” and the other was “wrong”. Of course, I have a preference, but it is based on my own body and spirit. Song Zhiyong has also emphasized that one should not say that another style is wrong. I may not like it, but that doesn't make it wrong. Vince Black also referred to different styles of Xingyi as different “expressions” of Xingyi. I have always liked that since a practitioner, when they reach a high level, develops their own expression of Xingyi.
This, of course, leads to a deeper question. If these exterior things aren’t what truly makes an art Xingy Quan, then what does? What truly makes Xingyi Quan, Xingyi Quan?
To try and clarify that (which is hard to do by writing but easy to do in person), I’ll use the thoughts of two different teachers and styles. Li Zhongyuan, who, as a young man, studied with Shang Yunxiang, and my Master Li Guichang, who, as a young man, was a disciple of Dong Xuisheng.
Many years ago, Song Zhiyong quoted Master Li as saying, “The forms and applications are just something people made up. The internal development is what is real”. Now I recognize that he doesn't mean that the forms and applications of Xingyi are not important. He is referring to the many variations in how they are done. After all, his teacher studied Liu, Song, and Guo styles with famous masters, so he was aware of the styles’ different expressions as well as the different expressions of his teachers. Of course, Dong Xuisheng over time developed his own expression of Xingyi, as did Master Li. On this site is a long discussion of this question, and I assume if you are reading this, you have read that, but I am going to add a bit of it here:
“There is some truth in your understanding, but it’s expressed from the ideological and theoretical point of view, not from what you feel inside your body after training Xing Yi Quan to a certain extent. Master Li understood the issue this way: What is Xing (form)? What is Yi (mind)? What is Quan (fist)? Releasing to the exterior is termed Xing (form). Containing in the interior is termed Yi (mind). This is the explanation of those two characters of Xing and Yi. How can it become Quan (fist)? Yi (mind) “containing in the interior” can be released externally, and Xing (form) “releasing in the exterior” can be contained internally – Only by this way, can there be Xing Yiquan”
I just want to emphasize two things here: 1. “What you feel in your body” this means that you have to develop the internal awareness to feel the jing and how it moves throughout the body. I want to strongly emphasize that I don’t mean some form of visualization but to actually feel the movement inside the body. If jing moves other things will be stimulated and move with it. For example, the jing causing the movement of the waist. 2. “The Xing can be contained internally”. Again, this does not refer to visualization but actual movement. Song Zhiyong once stood in Santi and placed my hand on the side of his waist. He then did the five elements without moving from Santi. I could feel all of the changes taking place inside his body. It was somewhat like an animal moving inside him. This is not dependent on any outward body shape. Many shapes could be “correct”. In the same vein, the three Jings; Ming, An, and Hua are not dependent on the external shape.
Shang Yunshang’s student Li Zhongyuan says “The fact is that the character “Ming” as Ming Jing in the boxing chronicles not only means clarity, but also means comprehension. You have to “observe the Jing within your own body”. Your punches will naturally become stronger in this stage. The word “An Jing” means a transition from clear to hidden, from awareness to subconsciousness: let go of your observations, let the Jing become an automatic reaction. Hua Jing is a state where you can switch between awareness and subconsciousness at will. (This is very similar to my own description of them.) He also quotes Shang saying: “Do train on the power but not the form, do use Jing but not the force.” Li Zhongyan speaking about his teacher also says: If I have to describe it with words, then I have to say that his "form" means "no form" and his "intent" means "no intent". This is not some old monks making useless zen speech, it is a fact in martial arts training.
Master Li Guichang and Shang Yunshang, in addition to the above, also agree on another important point. Master Li said, “True strength lies between Yi and no Yi,” and Li Zhongyuan says, “Yi equals no YI.” They both emphasize instinctive reactions and a different understanding of what we usually think “Yi” means. This is very important .
Now, of course, Xingyi Quan has many written principles, such as The Eight Character Secret, the Six Harmonies, the Eight Vital Points, and many more. And different styles will follow them, but they will disagree about many things. None of them are the “real” Xingyi in the same way they are not the “wrong” Xingyi, and I think it would be better for all Xingyi if more teachers acknowledged this.
You may have noticed that nowhere on my site do I talk about how to do Xingyi Quan the “right” or “correct” way. The things I do write about almost all have to do with the things that I think are vitally important and not dependent on styles. They are not easy to learn. They take a lot of effort and hard, consistent work. Forms and applications and different types of strength are not really that difficult to learn, but they are easy to get satisfied with. And finally, I would advise potential students to be wary of teachers, of whatever nationality, who claim that what they teach is the real, and true, Xingyi.
As always, if anyone wants to talk to me about this, or has thoughts of their own they would like to share please feel free to email me.
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