Grandmaster Zheng Xian Qi and the Tradition of Huang Style T’ai Chi Ch’uan

This post is an interview conducted in 2006 with Grandmaster Zheng Xian Qi by my former classmate/internal martial arts teacher/writer Heron Beecham. This was originally written with a view to publishing in Tai Chi International Magazine but was considered to be a bit too short at the time.

You might find it interesting and there is good advice regardless of the style you practise. I believe Grandmaster Zheng Xian Qi passed away in 2019. 

Grandmaster Zheng Xian Qi and the Tradition of Huang Style T’ai Chi Ch’uan

 

Each morning in Taipei’s 2-28 Memorial Park, Master Zheng Xian Qi (Jeng Shean Chih 鄭顯氣), a quietly spoken Fujianese man in his mid-eighties, continues the tradition of Huang style T’ai Chi Ch’uan, a variant of Yang style created by Huang Xing Xian (黃性賢), Cheng Man Ching’s famous ‘Malaysian student’* who taught in Taiwan and South East Asia.

 

Huang Xing Xian (1910-1992) was known throughout Asia for his internal power (old video footage shows him uprooting students via fluorescent light strips as proof that he wasn’t using force), and he was already a master of White Crane Boxing prior to studying with Cheng Man Ching. Huang subsequently combined  White Crane and T’ai Chi to create his own unique blend.

 

Zheng Xian Qi, a national pushing hands champion, and a practitioner of White Crane Boxing himself prior to leaving the Mainland, was Huang’s only formal disciple in Taiwan – as well as a junior student of Cheng’s. In spite of his advanced years, he is known on the island for his skills in tui shou and his ability to topple students less than half his age. 

 

Master Zheng is amongst the last of the old mainland boxers who moved to Taiwan at the close of the Chinese Civil War, and he is one of the few masters still teaching traditional Chinese gongfu based on non-forceful methods. Earlier this year, I had a chance to interview him:

 

Heron Beecham: Master Zheng, when did you first begin studying Chinese martial arts?

 

Zheng Xian Qi: I began studying gongfu when I was eighteen. At that time I was still in China, in Fujian Province. My first style was White Crane Boxing (Baihe Quan), in which I have had three different teachers. I then came to Taiwan during the civil war where I started learning T’ai Chi Ch’uan.

 

HB: What initiated your interest in the martial arts?

 

ZXQ: In China, before we had television, we used to have traditional storytellers who would go from place to place telling wushu stories. Listening to those stories sparked an interest. I also saw many different people training from an early age and I was really inspired by them.

 

HB: What different styles do you practice?

 

ZXQ: I practice Yang style T’ai Chi and two styles of White Crane, one of which includes Lohan Quan (Monk Fist).

 

HB: Can you talk a little about the styles you teach? 

 

ZXQ: There are four styles of White Crane Boxing: Fei He (Soaring Crane); Ming He (Whooping Crane); Su He (Nesting Crane) and Shi He (Feeding Crane). The main style I teach is Ming He. The style of T’ai Chi I teach is Yang, which is soft (sōng róu 鬆柔). In contrast, there is Chen style, which is harder. 

 

To begin with I trained in White Crane, and was already a good standard, but I didn’t really become effective until I combined it with T‘ai Chi. Once you put the two kinds together, your jin will be much more powerful; a few touches, and then your opponent will fall down. 

 

 

HB: What inspires you to keep practising?

 

ZXQ: Originally, I was inspired in my youth, but now I’m old. Every day I am at home with nothing to do; (laughs) an old person with nothing to occupy my time, so I keep practising.

 

HB: How does Huang style differ from Cheng Man Ching style?

 

ZXQ: Huang Xing Xian’s boxing is more like White Crane. He wasn’t so concerned about keeping Cheng Man Ching’s style; he wanted to create his own. Cheng Man Ching needed to take a step to push you, but because Huang Xing Xian had White Crane he didn’t need to. Many people watch Huang Xing Xian’s video and think it’s fake, but once you felt him, you knew it was true.

 

HB: Can you talk about what is important in tui shou? 

 

ZXQ: The most important thing is to relax (sōng 鬆). By relaxing, you can get power from the floor. 

 

I apply ‘gang rou bing zhi’ (soft and hard help each other/counter each others weaknesses). White Crane is effective on its own, but it’s hard. When I combined the two, my art took off. After this, the jin was more powerful. This happened with my teacher: when he arrived at classes, he would just touch people lightly and they would go flying. But if you wanted to move him, he could be just like stone. There was no way you could move him. He also had an amazing level of song–sometimes it was as though he was completely empty. He could be really soft. And when he was like that, he could just pull you.

 

HB: Huang Xing Xian was famed for his power. Where did that power come from?

 

ZXQ: Master Huang practiced day and night. He was continually practising, which is why he was able to be so amazing (Master Zheng then demonstrated how to push). You must apply song and not push forcefully. Then the power will come from the ground. It comes via the legs from the ground.

HB: What do you think are necessary factors for success when studying Chinese martial arts?

 

ZXQ: The most important factors are focus and practice. It is like the foundations of a house. It is important to have a root. You must take the basic movements of whatever system you study and really practise and do them correctly. The other thing is standing practice (zhàn zhuāng). Ultimately it doesn’t matter what style you do; the most important thing is that you really practise.

 

 

*Huang Xing Xian was originally from Fujian province but moved to Malaysia (via Taiwan and Singapore) in the 1960s. In Taiwan he is often referred to as Cheng’s Malaysian student’.

 

 Photos courtesy of Heron Beecham