subject: 250 Years Old and Still Strong Through Qigong - Chinese Martial Artist and Herbalist Li Ching-Yuen! [print this page] 250 Years Old and Still Strong Through Qigong - Chinese Martial Artist and Herbalist Li Ching-Yuen!
Not only did the Chinese invent writing, paper,bureaucracy records and record keeping but also History (93 CE sees completion ofRecords of the Grand Historian, in 103 Volumes, by Ssu Ma Chien).The seriousness, accuracy and reliability of Chinese historical records and accounts needs appreciating when considering the life of Li Ching-Yuen.Deng Feng County Record contains official reports of Bodhidharma's sojourn within the Shaolin Temple at Songshan (circa 510-20 CE) as doesRecord of The Buddhist Monasteries of Loyang (547 CE) this was long considered a mythical or legendary event by some Western sources. Quite recently, the very existence of the Shang Dynasty (2144-1675 BCE) was disputed by the West--now, thanks to the efforts of Chinese Scholars, both it and the preceding Xia Dynasty (2194-1675 BCE) are established indisputably.
Imperial communications as those mentioned for individuals who were particularly long-lived were not exceptional--the pursuit of longevity (coupled with health and relative youthfulness) has been a Chinese ideal for millennia. Taoist history provides a long list of those achieving great ages who similarly received written Imperial congratulations. These individuals were frequently invited to provide official accounts of the methods they used "pour encourage les autre"!
The later actions of General Yang Sen who invited Li Ching-Yuen to his residence in Szechuan in 1927 as Military Governor of the Province could be said to be representative of the Chinese Kuomingtang Government of those troubled times. Ardent Taoist Yang-Sen became the Qigong student of Li Ching-Yuen and produced such an official reportA Factual Account of the 250 Year-Old Good-Luck Man, (2). The Warlord Wu Pei-Fu (General Yang's immediate superior) Head of the Powerful Chili Militarist Clique and Master of most of Northern China at that time had previously invited him to his own residence, probably with similar intentions- Wu Pei Fu was prestigious enough to feature on the September 8th 1924 cover of 'Time' Magazine. with regard to the burgeoning internal military struggle within China.
Longevity and Kung Fu Training
For 100 years Li Ching-Yuen worked as a herbalist, collecting herbs from around and within the mountainous area in which he lived in his native Szechuan before becoming a merchant trading and dealing with herbs collected by others. At 71 he joined the Army of Yeuh Jong-Chi Commander-in-Chief of the Province as a Tactical Advisor and Martial Arts Instructor, perhaps teaching the Northern Shaolin Changquan 'Longfist' Kung Fu popular in the Szechuan area.
Changquan would be particularly suited to Szechuan's rocky and mountainous terrain and is famous for its battlefield origins and military applications. Certainly, considering he stood approximately 7 feet tall (3) it would have suited Li Ching-Yuen to perfection--as a long-range style, Changquan favours tall individuals with long limbs (which is why some Westerners do particularly well at it). Incidentally 'Longfist' ' is sometimes referred to (admiringly) as the ' Grandaddy of all styles'-- highly appropriate for Li Ching-Yuen-- the Grandaddy of all stylists!
Longevity and Qigong Training
Travelling through the Himalayas at the age of 130 he encountered a Taoist Sage who taught him a Qigong set with breathing instructions and movements training coordinated with specific sounds. This is almost certainly Six Sounds Breathing aka Liu Zi Jue.(4) This regulates the rise and fall of Qi (vital energy) through inhalation coupled with the exhalation of six sounds, each of which (together with the appropriate exercise movements) strengthen the liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys, thus helping to balance internal energies and bodily functions.
The sounds' vibrational qualities have a cleansing/reinvigorating effect on the organs concerned whilst dynamics of breathing and bodily exertion cause cleansing body-fluid movements (the body is 70-80 percent water) in a pre-determined and highly structured sequence. The Sage also taught him Baguazhang (Eight Diagram Palm) Kung Fu.The beneficial longevity inducing effects of Kung fu are also well known (5). The Taiji Master Liu Da also a longtime student of Li Ching-Yuen reported that latter said he had performed Six Sounds Breathing ever day for 120 years!
Notes
(1) 'Time' Magazine 6th May 1933
(2) Yang Sen (1936) Foreign Languages Literary Storehouse (Pub.) Taipei, Taiwan.
(3) op cit.
(4)Li Zi Jue Chinese Health Qigong Association, China: Foreign Languges Press
(5) Wong Kiew-Kit (2002)The Art Of Shaolin Kung Fu Tuttle
Peter Allsop M.Ed. teaches Shaolin Kung Fu and Qigong in Sheffield and Chesterfield U.K. He also teaches various subjects in Secondary and Higher Education, contributing extensively to 'Google Scholar'. Alongside Changquan (Longfist) Wu Xing (5 Animals) and Wu Tzu (5 Ancestors) Kung Fu he also teaches 5 Elements Qigong.
Trained in both the U.K. and China, Sifu Allsop is a Founder Member of Shaolin Fists International and a Senior Student of Grandmaster Yap Leong whose HYL (Health, Youth and Longevity) Energiser Programme. he also delivers.
A member of Sheffield Chinese Lion Dance Team, his interests include both Iron Shirt and Longevity Training.
For more details visithttp://sheffieldkungfu.com orhttp://hylenergiser.com
