19/3/2016

ChinaFromInside.compresents...BAGUAZHANGInterviewwithMr.XiePeiqi,YinstyleBaguazhangexpertfromBeijing

InterviewwithMr.XiePeiqi,YinstyleBaguazhangexpertfromBeijing
byJarekSzymanski
PhotosJarekSzymanskiandcourtesyofMr.Xie(1)J.Szymanski1999
Mr.XiePeiqi(left)withhisstudentand
granddisciple,HeJinbao

Mr.XiePeiqiwasbornin1923inBeijing.HefirstlearntTanTui
at the age of 6. When 13, he started his Bagua studies under
Men Baozhen (18701957), one of Yin Fu's disciples. Mr.Xie
followed his teacher for more than 20 years and inherited not
only martial art system, but became proficient at traditional
Chinesemedicine.Heisfamousnotonlyforfightingskills,but
alsoformassage(Tuina)andherbalprescriptions.Mr.Xielives
and teaches in Beijing, but is often invited to give seminars
abroad.

InthelastdaysofSeptemberIwenttoBeijinginbusinesswiththeintentionofmeetingsomefamouspeople
inmartialartscirclesthere.However,sinceBeijingwasgettingreadyforbigcelebrationof50thanniversary
of the proclamation People's Republic of China, once I had two days off, they closed half of the city for one
day because of the rehearsal and it was impossible to travel across Beijing. Hence, out of many planned
meetings, I only saw Mr.Xie Peiqi. This visit, although very short, was quite interesting, and I would like to
sharewhatMr.Xietoldme:
BRANCHESOFBAGUAZHANG
Mr.XiePeiqi:WeshouldnottalkaboutbranchesinBaguazhang,thereisonlyonestyleandthevariationswe
knowcomefromadifferentlevelofattainmentofitspractitioners.YinFuspentmorethantwentyyearswith
Dong Haichuan and learnt his complete system. Chen Tinghua spent only two years with Dong, while Liang
Zhenpu less than one. It is obvious that what they practice is different from Yin Fu's Bagua. It is like
attendingaschoolsomeareontheprimaryschoollevel,someareuniversitygraduates.
DONGHAICHUAN'SBESTDISCIPLES
Yin Fu was Dong's best disciple his skill was best among all Dong's students. Ma Weiqi was next, and Wei
Jixiang(fromGansuProvince)wasthird.

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ChinaFromInside.compresents...BAGUAZHANGInterviewwithMr.XiePeiqi,YinstyleBaguazhangexpertfromBeijing

YINFU'SBESTDISCIPLES
The best one was "Wan Tong" Li. Not much is known about him, only that his work was stringing pearls
together. The second was Ma Gui (Yin's oldest disciple), then successively Men Baozhen (Mr.Xie's teacher),
"Ciqi"Yang("Porcelain"Yang,YangJunfeng),JuQingyuan,GongBaotianandRongShiofManchunationality.

XiePeiqidemonstratingoneofsitting
meditationpostures
TRADITIONALCHINESEMEDICINEANDBAGUAZHANG
Chinese say that medicine and martial arts come from the same root
(Yi Wu Tong Yuan). Although I learnt Baguazhang and some medicine
from my master Men Baozhen, most of my knowledge in medicine
comes from Wen Peiting, who was Yin Fu's kungfu brother and
imperial doctor (Yu Yi). I learnt mainly Tuina (Chinese traditional
massage) and some Zhenggu (Bone setting). My kungfu brother, Liu
Shoushan, professor at the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in
Beijing,learntmainlyZhenggu.

INTERNALANDEXTERNALSTYLES
InternalstylesdevelopQifirstandLi(physicalstrength)later,whileexternalonesstartwithLiandonlythen
practice Qi. Internal styles reach the goal of full development of Jing (Vitality), Qi and Shen (Spirit) faster
then external styles. In internal styles each movement can by broken into parts and analyzed from the
applications point of view, which is not possible in external styles. External styles include some movements
practicedonlyforperformance.
SPECIALSKILLSINBAGUAZHANG
I did not learn any skill of this kind (like Tieshazhang Iron Sand Palm, Qinggong Light Skill, etc.). When
Dong Haichuan was returning home from his stay in the South, he passed the method of Qinggong to his
studentsinJiangsuandHenanProvinces,butIdonotknowifanybodypracticesitnow.
PAIDAGONG(HARDENINGEXERCISES)
My Bagua system includes this exercises as one of health preserving methods. (at this moment Mr.Xie
startedtostrikehisbodyvigorouslywithopenpalms)

XiePeiqiinTuozhuXianbaoShi
(SupportingPearlandOffering
TreasurePosture)

SECRETSINBAGUAZHANG
There are no secrets in Baguazhang, your level depends only on how
diligent and how hard you practice and if you have a competent
teacher. Some tips that advanced practitioners can find useful and
applytotheirpracticewillnotbeunderstoodbybeginners.
POWERSINBAGUAZHANG
There are many powers which we develop in Baguazhang, but the
mostdevastatingisZhenJin(ShockingPower).Thisisthepowerthat
does not leave any brushes on your skin but destroys your internal
organs(Mr.Xietoldmetorelaxandpushedmychestwithtwopalms
although the push was relatively gentle, I felt some pain inside the
chest.Thefeelingofpowerwasasifitcamefirstinonewavetothe
chest,thenretreatedandthencameagainpenetratingthechest).

POINTSTRIKING
The points we use in massage and those we strike or grasp in Baguazhang are not necessarily the same. In
TuinathegoalistohealthepatientbyusingQiappliedtothepointsonhisbody.InBaguaweusepointsto
strikeorgetridofagrasp.Practitionershouldknowhowtousethem.(Mr.Xieaskedmetoclenchmyfistas
tightaspossibleandthenpressedonapointbetweenligamentsonthebackofthefistitwasquitepainful.
Then,hepressedHegupointwhenmypalmwasopenedandithurttoohowever,oncehetoldmetoclench
the fist, the pain disappeared although he did not release his pressure). For the safety reasons I prefer to
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ChinaFromInside.compresents...BAGUAZHANGInterviewwithMr.XiePeiqi,YinstyleBaguazhangexpertfromBeijing

teachQinnainsteadofstriking.
PUSHINGHANDSOFBAGUAZHANG
ThereisPushingHands(TuiShou)practiceinmysystemofBaguazhang.WefirstpracticeTuiShouwithone
hand,thenwithtwohands.TheyaresimilartoTaijiTushou,butharder.

XiePeiqidemonstratingoneofhis
StandingExercises
MR.XIEPEIQI'SBAGUAZHANGSYSTEM
In my system beginners first learn Zhan Zhuang (Standing
Exercises).Theyaremostbasicandmostimportant.
Then they learn Zuo Gong (Sitting Methods), Xing Gong (Moving
Methods) and Wo Gong (Lying Methods). These methods develop
Qi and are crucial to efficient Tuina (Chinese Massage). You will
notbegoodatTuina if you do not practice these basic exercises.
Many foreigners who learn Bagua from me do not practice these
exercises, they are more interested in fighting skills. However, I
have a foreign student who studies only traditional Chinese
medicinefrommeandhepracticesthemverywell.

After learning the basics, one can proceed to circle walking (there are eight kinds of stepping), then routines
(Eight Shapes Eight Postures) and free fighting. Practitioners also learn eighteen straight line routines, 72
kicks, Qinna (Grappling Methods), Tuojie (Escaping from Seizes and Locks), selfdefense. We also practice
manyweaponroutines(atthismomentMr.XiepointedatextremelylongandbigBaguabroadswordhangingby
thesideofabookcaseItookitanditwasratherheavy.AsMr.Xiesaidthebroadsword'ssizewasexactlythe
sameasthetraditionalonesusedhundredyearsagobutwasnotasheavy).

NOTES:
SinceitwasthedaybeforeMr.XiewasleavingfortheUSAforthreemonths'visit,Idecidedtomakemyvisit
shorter so that he could spent these last hours before departure with his family. During our conversation
Mr.Xie showed ready to publish manuscript of his new book on Bagua. Besides, we were also watching video
tapesshowinghisBaguazhang.Hisstyleseemstobeverypractical,fightingoriented,mostofthemovements
are driven with obvious power. It shows similarities to Yin Yuzhang's branch of Yin style Bagua, Shi Jidong's
and Liang Zhenpu's styles, but differs a lot from smooth and "swimming" movements of typical Cheng
Tinghua'sexponents.

Endof"InterviewwithMr.XiePeiqi,YinstyleBaguazhangexpertfromBeijing"J.Szymanski1999

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