The 8 Prohibitions of Che style Xingyi by Prof Che Xiangqian

1. The restrictive 5 elements theory that each fist corresponds to an internal

organ and a sense organ and that the 5 element fists mutually create and destroy
each other seems to have become a classic of xingyi. For example crushing fist
is actually found in all other martial arts, where it is called a straight jab. Its
also the most common and practical move used when people fight. Guo
Yunshens crushing fist shook the MA community, out of all the fists crushing is
most worth researching. Whoever heard of another move that beat allcomers
and was without peer (da bian tian xia wu dui shou). The previous generations
explained crushings characteristics as: fast, simple, and straightforward, but
capable of change and chain-punching. However, some books introduce
crushing like so: Bengquan [crushing fist] is wood. Wood creates fire and
destroys earth, Beng creates Pao and destroys Heng;Metal destroys wood, Pi
destroys Beng;Internally, Beng is connected to the liver, and externally to the
eyes;should be performed facing east;the corresponding trigram is zhen
[shaking];this fist is specifically for training the liver. The explanations of
Drilling, Pounding, Splitting and Crossing are also explained in this fashion. In
Che style, we dont believe in these connections, because application has shown
that these theories do not hold true in practice and that there is not necessarily
any connection between Crushing fist and, say, the eyes. Such theories only
serve to hold people back.
2. We dont believe in applications of Daoist alchemy without first seeing hard
proof. I started learning xingyi in 1950, but it was only in the 80s that I heard of
another classic, talking of 3 ways of practicing, 3 steps of gongfu, 3 layers of
meaning and the 3 levels of breathing. Pronouncements such as ming
jin [obvious power] is in the hands, change in the bones, turning jing into qi,
breathing through the nose and mouth; an jin [hidden power] is in the elbows,
changing the sinews, turning qi into spirit, dantian breathing; hua
jin [neutralising power] is in the body, changing the marrow, returning to the
void, breathing through the skin. In the 90s I heard of an even higher level, to
become all-seeing, all-powerful and at one with the Tao, a level which had only
been reached by one person in the entire history of Chinese martial arts. The
previous generations of Che xingyi in Taigu did not talk about this, nor did Guo
Yunshens inheritors in Shenzhou (in Hebei province), nor did the inheritors of
Zhao Zhenyao (Geng Jishans disciple)s xingyi such as Professor Yang Shaoyu
in Beijing, or Zhang Huian-Yu Chonglin in Wuhan. These terms come from

Daoist alchemy. Not a single living person has displayed any of these
phenomena through practice of xingyi. This is because there are no real martial
artists in whom obvious and neutralising powers, or hitting and neutralising
powers are separated; because the internal and external changes together in
people who pracice xingyi in a scientific manner; nor is there any way of proving
that someone has returned to the void or become one with the Dao'; nor can
any of these Grandmasters stop up their mouth and nose and breathe through
their skin or dantian. Thats why Che style teachers dont talk about it, and
students dont believe in it.
3. We dont practice neigong that ignores the external. There is a phrase popular
in xingyi circles, saying that xingyi is neigong boxing which mainly trains
intention, spirit and qi . The 4 treatises on neigong (namely the Neigong,
Nagua [Na Trigram?], Shenyun [divine movement], Dilong [ground dragon]
classics) have also become classics. Che style xingyi does not talk about this.
Our forebears were of the opinion that the internal and external should be
trained together, at the same time. Training in a scientific manner measurably
strengthens all the organs and systems of the body. If someone sweats, shakes
and becomes breathless after ten minutes of sparring, that means theres a
problem with their organs and systems. This is something that both the
practitioner and observers can see and is measurable with instruments. The
internal of Che style xingyi is closely linked with the external, its specific. For so
many years, we have heard a lot of talk of stress the internal, dismiss the
external and abandon the form, stress intention. The older generation of
masters warned students that ignoring the external shape in favour of practicing
neigong cannot produce a master, nor will it lead to health and longevity;
instead, it can easily lead to monkhood. There is factual proof of this.
4.We dont pursue superpowers. In martial arts tales and books, there are
many training methods that can enable the practitioner to withstand sword cuts,
lift great weights, vault over walls, even to move objects with the mind or eternal
youth, etc..Our forebears were always dismissive of these kinds of claims.
Historically, after Li Luoneng returned to Hebei province, Che Yonghong [Che
Yizhai] was number 1 and Li Fuzhen number 2 in the xingyi community.

Che Yonghong (aka Che Yizhai), the founding father of Che style xingyiquan

The older generation saw all kinds of martial artists in their time, but they never
encountered anyone with superpowers. The old tale of M Che hanging the
painting refers to his ability to launch people into the air, not to some ability to
stick to a wall. Are there superpowers? Maybe; but if there are, theyre like
emperors each country has only one. If everyone wanted to gain superpowers,
it would be like everyone wanting to be an emperor, it would lead to utter chaos.
Better to practice Che style xingyi instead.
5. Dont exhaust yourself. Our forebears advocated not only not practicing when
youre tired, but also not training to the point of exhaustion. We dont practice
when our body is tired or when our spirit is fatigued (as in depressed, angry or
excited). We especialy do not practice to exhaustion. Frequently practicing to
exhaustion will only make the student become fed up at the mention of martial
arts. Even training something like taiji too heavily over a long period of time can
lead to injuries and illness. Che style xingyi is about technique and skill; you
should not only get stronger, but also learn the knacks [qiao jin] and art of

xingyi. Thus, you should use your brain as well as your body; single moves and
forms are important, but sparring even more so. In short, experiencing and
mastering the connection between fitness and combat comes first.
6. We dont practice hard qigong [ying gong]. Our forebears forbade students
from hitting punchbags, lifting iron locks [similar to kettlebell exercises], hitting
trees and other such hard qigong training methods, because they are bad for
your health and are of no use in combat.
(1) Ying gong can increase your punching power and resistance to blows, but it
doesnt raise your skill level. The crux of fighting is that we can hit him, but he
cant land a blow on us. Strength is necessary, but each persons strength has its
limits, whereas the techniques and strategy of using that strength is limitless.
Like when a Spanish toreador fights a bull, a bull is stronger than a man, but the
man wins with cunning. Everyone with real fighting experience knows that the
more nimble the fighter, the less strength is used. As long as you can combine
ones innate strength with that derived from practicing martial arts and apply it
to a single point, thats enough. The practice of ying gong can reverse the
relationship between skill and strength by luring people onto the path of
winning by strength, turning fighting from a match of skills to mere trial of
strength.
(2) Ying gong builds strength fast, each days practice builds it more. But once
people reach middle age they cant practice ying gong any more. And once you
stop practicing ying gong, the strength it built starts to disappear. Martial arts
training should give you skills you can use your whole life, Ying gong only builds
atttributes for a relatively short period of time and is thus a waste of your time.
(3) Theres a saying that the young fool can get away with sleeping on a cold
kang, only because of his vigour. Youngsters can practice ying gong because
their body can still take the abuse. But the ravages of time spare no man, once
you get old injuries and illness appear. How many martial artists have gained
gongfu but sacrificed their health in the process?
(4) Brute force does not work against an adept, because an adept wins by skill, 4
ounces defeats a thousand pounds. Moreover, if fighting with ordinary people,
ying gong is liable to leave the opponent disabled, which is against martial ethics
[wu de].
These are the reasons that ying gong is forbidden in Che style xingyi.

7. We do not practice stillness [jing gong]. Stillness can refer to posture

holding, as in zhan zhuang; it can also refer to practices where thought stops or
the intention is focused on one place. Of course, zhan zhuang must be practiced;
as the saying has it practicing martial arts without holding postures is just but
messing around. San Ti, in particular, encapsulates the postural requirements
of xingyi. Of the myriad methods, none leaves San Ti Mastering San Ti is
halfway to success. Whilst San Ti should not be held for long periods, it can be
done several times a day. Each time you hold San Ti, you should only hold it for
a maximum of 10 minutes, but this could be repeated two or three times a day.
If you hold San Ti for an hour everytime you train, not only are you losing
precious training time, it can also damage the nerves and capillaries in the legs.
Overdoing zhan zhuang is one of the reasons why a lot of martial artists suffer
leg and knee problems. As for your intention staying in one place, this should
only happen in health qigong when your intention rests on one spot it only
needs to do so for a matter of seconds (10 or so is fine), not minutes. There is no
health benefit if the intention stays in one place for a long time.
8. We dont take the path of wushu-isation or the mystification of xingyi. Li
Luonengs xingyi is characterised by its simplicity, practicality, its combination
of form and intention and its suitability for young and old alike. However, there
are two tendencies in the xingyi community. One is wushu-isation: the
movements and names are xingyi, but the postures, coordination, power and
rhythm are all long-fist-ised, meaning that the performance is neither good
long fist nor good xingyi. This kind of performance becomes a San Da-style
contest of force when moved into the boxing ring. The other tendency is the
mystification of xingyi, where people force daoist, buddhist, confucian, or TCM
concepts onto xingyi, turning xingyi into a religion, almost. This mystical kind
of xingyi I call neigong-style xingyi. These two trends have existed have a long
time, but are particularly rampant now.

Bu Xuekuan, one Che Yizhai's most famous disciples

When Che Yonghong [aka Che Yizhai], Li Fuzhen and Bu Xuekuan were alive,
these two tendencies had no place or market among Che stylists. Since 1980,
these two trends have flooded the xingyi community. Regarding this
phenomenon, the older generation of masters impressed upon us that we must
preserve Che styles simplicity, practicality and emphasis on skill. Keeping the
exhortations of our forebears firmly in mind, in Che style both our newlycompiled and traditional routines can be performed by young and old alike, they
have no difficult flashy moves. The principles of our art are testable and based
on concrete examples; even illiterates can understand them. Our fighting
techniques are practical and based on skill: a technique learnt in the morning
can be used by the afternoon. The representatives of our style maintained their
abilities into their old age, and could still win in sparring into their 70s and
80s.