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
