The Root of Chinese Qigong. Jwing-Ming Yang

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organized acupuncture theory and principles.

      In 1034 A.D. Dr. Wang used acupuncture to cure the emperor Ren Zong (). With the support of the emperor, acupuncture flourished. In order to encourage acupuncture medical research, the emperor built a temple to Bian Que, who wrote the Nan Jing, and worshiped him as the ancestor of acupuncture. Acupuncture technology developed so much that even the Jin race in the distant North requested the brass man and other acupuncture technology as a condition for peace. Between 1102 to 1106 A.D. Dr. Wang dissected the bodies of prisoners and added more information to the Nan Jing. His work contributed greatly to the advancement of Qigong and Chinese medicine by giving a clear and systematic idea of the circulation of Qi in the human body.

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      Later, in the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279 A.D., ), Marshal Yue Fei () was credited with creating several internal Qigong exercises and martial arts. It is said that he created Ba Duan Jin (The Eight Pieces of Brocade, ) to improve the health of his soldiers. He is also known as the creator of the internal martial style Xingyi (). Eagle style martial artists also claim that Yue Fei was the creator of their style.

      From then until the end of the Qing dynasty (1911 A.D., ), many other Qigong styles were founded. The well-known ones include Hu Bu Gong (Tiger Step Gong, ), Shi Er Zhuang (Twelve Postures, ) and Jiao Hua Gong (Beggar Gong, ). Also in this period, many documents related to Qigong were published, such as Bao Shen Mi Yao (The Secret Important Document of Body Protection, ) by Cao, Yuan-Bai (), which described moving and stationary Qigong practices; and Yang Shen Fu Yu (Brief Introduction to Nourishing the Body, ) by Chen, Ji-Ru (), about the three treasures: Jing (essence, ), Qi (internal energy, ), and Shen (spirit, ). Also, Yi Fan Ji Jie (The Total Introduction to Medical Prescriptions, ) by Wang, Fan-An () reviewed and summarized the previously published materials; and Nei Gong Tu Shuo (Illustrated Explanation of Nei Gong, ) by Wang, Zu-Yuan () presented the Twelve Pieces of Brocade and explained the idea of combining both moving and stationary Qigong.

      In the late Ming dynasty (around 1640 A.D., ), a martial Qigong style, Huo Long Gong (Fire Dragon Gong, ), was created by the Taiyang martial stylists (). The Well-known internal martial art style Baguazhang (Eight Trigrams Palm, ) is believed to have been created by Dong, Hai-Chuan () late in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911 A.D., ). This style is now gaining in popularity throughout the world.

      During the Qing dynasty, Tibetan meditation and martial techniques became widespread in China for the first time. This was due to the encouragement and interest of the Manchurian Emperors in the royal palace, as well as others of high rank in society.

      Characteristics of Qigong during this period were:

      1. Qigong was adapted into the martial arts, and martial Qigong styles were created.

      2. Qi circulation theory and acupuncture reached a peak. More documents were published about medical Qigong than the other categories of Qigong exercises.

      3. Religious Qigong practice remained secret.

      4. Qigong exercises had become more popular in Chinese society.

2-4. From the End of the Qing Dynasty to the Present ( )

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      Before 1911 A.D., Chinese society was still very conservative and old-fashioned. Even though China had been expanding its contact with the outside world for the previous hundred years, the outside world had little influence beyond the coastal regions. With the overthrow of the Qing dynasty in 1911 and the founding of the Chinese Republic, the nation began changing as never before. Since this time Qigong practice has entered a new era. Because of the ease of communication in the modern world, Western culture now has great influence on the Orient. Many Chinese have opened their minds and changed their traditional ideas, especially in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Various Qigong styles are now being taught openly, and many formerly secret documents have been published. Modern methods of communication have opened up Qigong to a much wider audience than ever before, and people now have the opportunity to study and understand many different styles. In addition, people are now able to compare Chinese Qigong to similar arts from other countries such as India, Japan, Korea, and the Middle East.

      I believe that in the near future Qigong will be considered the most exciting and challenging field of research. It is an ancient science just waiting to be investigated with the help of the new technologies now being developed at an almost explosive rate. Anything we can do to speed up this research will greatly help humanity to understand and improve itself.

       References

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CHAPTER 3

       Basic Concepts of Qigong

      There are a number of special terms that are commonly used by Qigong practitioners, and are found in the documents which have been passed down from generation to generation.

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