Xingyiquan is one of the major "internal" or Wudang styles of Chinese martial arts. The word translates approximately to "Form/Intention Boxing", or "Shape/Will Boxing", and is characterized by aggressive, seemingly linear movements and explosive power. There is no single organizational body governing the teaching of the art, and several variant styles exist.

A practitioner of xingyiquan uses coordinated movements to generate bursts of power intended to overwhelm the opponent, simultaneously attacking and defending. Forms vary from school to school, but include barehanded sequences and versions of the same sequences with a variety of weapons. These sequences are based upon the movements and fighting behavior of a variety of animals. The training methods allow the student to progress through increasing difficulty in form sequences, timing and fighting strategy.

Legend

The exact origin of xingyiquan is unknown. The earliest written records of it can be traced to the 18th century to Ma Xueli of Henan Province and Dai Long Bang of Shanxi Province. Legend, however, credits the creation of xingyiquan to the renowned Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) general Yue Fei.

According to the book Henan Orthodox Xingyi Quan written by Pei Xirong and Li Ying’ang , Xingyi Master Dai Long Bang "...wrote the Preface to Six Harmonies Boxing in the 15th reign year of the Qianlong Emperor [1750]. Inside it says, '...when [Yue Fei] was a child, he received special instructions from Zhou Tong. Extremely skilled in spearfighting, he used the spear to create fist techniques and established a skill called Yi Quan [意拳]. Meticulous and unfathomable, this technique far outstripped ancient ones.""于乾隆十五年为“六合拳”作序云：“岳飞当童子时，受业于周侗师，精通枪法，以枪为拳，立法以教将佐，名曰意拳，神妙莫测，盖从古未有之技也。"

Throughout the Jin, Yuan and Ming Dynasties few individuals had studied this art, one of them being Ji Gong (also known as Ji Longfeng and Ji Jike) of Shanxi Province. After Yue Fei's death, the art was lost for half a millennium. Then, during the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Shaanxi Province's Zhongnan Mountains, Yue Fei's boxing manual was discovered by Ji Gong.

History

Yang Jwing-Ming argues that aspects of xingyiquan (particularly the animal styles) are identifiable as far back as the Liang Dynasty at the Shaolin Temple. Yue Fei, therefore, did not

strictly invent xingyiquan, but synthesised and perfected existing Shaolin principles into his own style of gongfu which he popularised during his military service. Because this theory holds that Yue Fei based his style on existing Shaolin techniques, some consider Bodhidharma to be the originator of xingyiquan. Nonetheless, according to Yang, Yue Fei is usually identified as the creator because of his considerable understanding of the art (as shown in the work The Ten Theses of Xingyiquan, credited to Yue) and his cultural status as a Chinese war hero.

Other martial artists and Chinese martial art historians, such as Miller, Cartmell, and Kennedy, hold that this story is largely legendary; while xingyiquan may well have evolved from military spear techniques, there is no evidence to support that Yue Fei was involved or that the art dates to the Song dynasty. These authors point out that the works attributed to Yue Fei's role long postdate his life, some being as recent as the Republican era, and that it was common practice in China to attribute new works to a famous or legendary person, rather than take credit for oneself. One source claims that the author of the "preface" is unknown, since no name is written on the manuscript. Most practitioners just assume it was written by Dai Long Bang. Some researchers of martial arts believe that it was actually written in Shanxi during the final years of the 19th century. In addition, historical memoirs and scholarly research papers only mention Zhou Tong teaching Yue archery and not spear play. Yue historically learned spear play from Chen Guang (陈广), who was hired by the boy’s paternal grandfather, Yao Daweng (姚大翁).

With the late Ming-era and Ji Longfeng, evidence for the art's history grows firmer. Ji Longfeng's contributions to the art are described in the Ji Clan Chronicles (姬氏族谱; pinyin: Ji Shi Jiapu). Like the Preface, the Chronicles describes Xingyiquan as a martial art based on the combat principles of the spear. The Chronicles, however, attributes this stylistic influence to Ji himself, who was known as the "Divine Spear" (神槍; pinyin: Shén Qiāng) for his extraordinary skill with the weapon.

The master who taught xingyiquan to Ma Xueli is conventionally identified as Ji Longfeng himself. However, the traditions of the Ma family itself say only that Xueli learned from a wandering master whose name is unknown. Ji Longfeng referred to his art as Liu He, The Six Harmonies, a reference to the most highly developed spear style practiced in the late Ming military.

The Preface identifies Cao Ji Wu as a student of Ji Longfeng and the master who taught xingyiquan to Dai Long bang.However, other sources identify Dai's teacher variously as Li Zheng or Niu Xixian.

Xingyiquan remained fairly obscure until Li Luoneng (also known as Li Nengran) learned the art from the Dai family in the 19th century.It was Li Luoneng and his successors—which include Guo Yunshen, Li Cunyi, Zhang Zhaodong, Sun Lutang, and Shang Yunxiang—who would popularise xingyiquan across Northern China. Sun Lutang exchanged knowledge with Fu Chen Sung, who subsequently took this branch of the art to southern China.

Recent history

A simplified version of xingyiquan was taught to Chinese officers at the Military Academy at Nanjing during the Second Sino-Japanese War for close quarters combat. This included armed techniques such as bayonet and sabre drills alongside unarmed techniques.

Xingyiquan forms have been adapted to fit the needs of modern practitioners of the competitive sport of Wushu. The style is relatively rare in competitions because all wushu practitioners must compete in several mandatory events, which make xingyi a secondary priority in wushu circles.

Disputed history

Ancient Chinese texts, the source of xingyiquan knowledge, often contain characters whose meanings are obscure or have disappeared completely from the language. Specialised terms which describe historically-specific concepts (names of ancient weapons for example) are commonly interpreted with regards for their closest, modern linguistic equivalent. The results can be problematic, producing translations which are linguistically correct but inconsistent within a fighting or martial context.

Jargon from other martial arts seems to have entered the xingyiquan vocabulary through cross-training. For example, some schools refer to a training method of "Xingyi Push Hands" - a term more commonly in use in training taijiquan - which may be called by other schools "Five Elements Fighting"

The recognised founder of baguazhang, Dong Hai Chuan, was reputed to have fought Guo Yunshen with neither able to defeat the other - though it is possible that they were training together. It would have been controversial at the time for Dong Hai Chuan to have studied under Guo Yunshen, since Dong was the older of the two. The most neutral viewpoint would be to say that they trained together, which may explain the stylistic similarities between baguazhang and the xingyiquan monkey. Frantzis argues that this encounter never took place and that Guo and Dong had little contact with each other. Frantzis argues that a xingyiquan-baguazhang exchange was more likely to have occurred in Tianjin c. 1900 where xingyi masters Li Cunyi and Zhang Zhaodong, Bagua master Cheng Tinghua, and four other xingyi and bagua teachers lived together (Frantzis, 1998, p. 179).Sun Lutang states in his autobiography that the legendary fight between Guo Yunshen and Dong Hai Chuan never happened. The book states that the truth of the matter is that Guo Yunshen actually fought one of his older xingyi brothers and lost. Sun Lutang was a student of both Guo Yunshen and Cheng Tinghua so this stance on the subject seems to be one of the most accurate.

Treating the story of Dong Hai Chuan and Guo Yunshen as allegory, however, reveals a common training protocol among xingyiquan and baguazhang practitioners. Often, because baguazhang requires significantly more time for a practitioner's skill to mature, it is acceptable to learn xingyiquan first or simultaneously. Such a practitioner develops a tactical vocabulary that is more readily apparent than the core baguazhang movements.

The founder of Yiquan, Wang Xiangzhai studied under Guo Yunshen, and similarities in

techniques between these arts can be seen. The primary standing postures of Yiquan trains separately what xingyiquan santishi (三體式) trains simultaneously.

Characteristics and principles

Xingyiquan features aggressive shocking attacks and direct footwork.The linear nature of xingyiquan hints at both the military origins and the influence of spear technique alluded to in its mythology.Despite its hard, angular appearance, cultivating "soft" internal strength or qi is essential to achieving power in Xingyiquan.

The goal of the xingyiquan exponent is to reach the opponent quickly and drive powerfully through them in a single burst — the analogy with spear fighting is useful here.This is achieved by coordinating one's body as a single unit and the intense focusing of one's qi.

Efficiency and economy of movement are the qualities of a xingyiquan stylist and its direct fighting philosophy advocates simultaneous attack and defense. There are few kicks except for extremely low foot kicks (which avoids the hazards of balance involved with higher kicks) and some mid-level kicks, and techniques are prized for their deadliness rather than aesthetic value.Xingyiquan favours a high stance called Sāntǐshì (三體式 / 三体式), literally "three bodies power," referring to how the stance holds the head, torso and feet along the same vertical plane.A common saying of xingyiquan is that "the hands do not leave the heart and the elbows do not leave the ribs."

The use of the Santishi as the main stance and training method originated from Li Luoneng's branch of xingyi. Early branches such as Dai family style do not use Santi as the primary stance nor as a training method.

Five Element forms

Xingyiquan uses the five classical Chinese elements to metaphorically represent five different states of combat.Also called the "Five Fists" or "Five Phases," the Five Elements are related to Taoist cosmology although the names do not literally correspond to the cosmological terms.

Xingyiquan practitioners use the five elements as an interpretative framework for reacting and responding to attacks.This follows the five element theory, a general combat formula which assumes at least three outcomes of a fight; the constructive, the neutral, and the destructive.Xingyiquan students train to react to and execute specific techniques in such a way that a desirable cycle will form based on the constructive, neutral and destructive interactions of five element theory.Where to aim, where to hit and with what technique—and how those motions should work

defensively—is determined by what point of which cycle they see themselves in.

Each of the elements has variant applications that allow it to be used to defend against all of the elements (including itself), so any set sequences are entirely arbitrary, though the destructive cycle is often taught to beginners as it is easier to visualise and consists of easier applications.Some schools will teach the five elements before the twelve animals because they are easier and shorter to learn.|

The Five Elements of Xingyiquan

Chinese Pinyin

Splitting 劈 Pī Metal Like an axe chopping up and over.

Drilling 鑽 Zuān Water Drilling forward horizontally like a geyser.

Crushing 崩 Bēng Wood Arrows constantly exploding forward.

Pounding 炮 Pào FireExploding outward like a cannon while blocking.

Crossing 橫 Héng EarthCrossing across the line of attack while turning over.

It is perhaps unfortunate that the names used for the elements are used as fundamental names for applications of energy or jìn (勁), since it can be confusing to describe the "heng jin contained within pi quan".The jìn referred to by the five element names are not the only ones, there are many others.

Animal forms

Xingyiquan is based on twelve distinct animal forms (形; pinyin: xíng).Present in all regional and family styles, these emulate the techniques and tactics of the corresponding animal rather than just their physical movements. Many schools of xingyiquan have only small number of movements for each animal, though some teach extended sequences of movements. Once the individual animal forms are taught, a student is often taught an animal linking form (shi'er xing lianhuan) which connects all the taught animals together in a sequence. Some styles have longer, or multiple forms for individual animals, such Eight Tiger Forms Huxing bashi.|

The ten common animals

Chinese Pinyin

Bear 熊 Xióng In Xingyi, "the Bear and Eagle combine," meaning that the Bear and Eagle techniques are often used in conjunction with each other. There is a bird called the "Bear Eagle," which covers the characteristics of both forms.

Eagle 鷹 Yīng

Snake 蛇 Shé Includes both Constrictor and Viper styles.

Tiger 虎 HǔFeatures lunging with open-handed clawing attacks mimicking the pounce of a tiger

Dragon 龍 Lóng

The only "mythical" animal taught (except in those family systems where the phoenix is one of the 12 animals). In some lineages it is practiced separately from tiger because they are said to clash.

Chicken 鷄 JīMimics the pecking movement of a chicken. This form also mimics the quick and aggressive combat style of the rooster.

Horse 馬 MǎCombination of Metal and a hand movement that mimics the action of a rearing a horse. Performed with tension, however.

Swallow 燕 Yàn

Follows the swift and random movements of the swallow by rotating position and circling the enemy with strong but quick foot movement. May refer to the Purple Swamphen (Rallidae) Coot.

Goshawk 鷂 Yào

This can mean 'Sparrowhawk,' though the more common word for "Sparrowhawk" used to be Zhān (鸇), which has fallen from use over the years. The Chinese word for "Goshawk" covers both the Goshawk and the Sparrowhawk. Note - in some lineages this animal is translated to mean the Grouse or small pheasant, as well as the phoenix.

Monkey 猴 HóuPerformed with light, empty movement, simple striking combined with parrying and deception of distance.

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Other animals that may be present in a particular lineage

Chinese Pinyin

Crane 鶴 Hè

Crocodile 鼍 Tuó The animal it is meant to represent is the Yangtze River alligator.

Sometimes referred to as a water-skimming insect, or water lizard. The movements of a yangtze river alligator have been compared to those of a pig crossed with a dragon.

Tai 鳥台 (𩿡) see note

This is a flycatcher native to Asia. Due to the rarity of this character it may be translated as ostrich, dove, hawk or even phoenix. The Chinese for this animal is a single character (𩿡), not two (as written); this character is not in the earlier versions of the Unicode standard so not all computers are capable of displaying it.. For further information, check the Unihan database for complete data on this character.

Turtle 龜 Guī

Represents the snapping turtle which uses quick head snapping motions to catch fish. Some schools will teach this in combination with Tuó (crocodile), considering them to be the same animal.

Ostrich 鴕 Tuó

Similar in stepping to Fire and Tiger, with counter-directional circling and double uppercuts. This animal represents the Chinese Ostrich, which some sources speculate could actually be the source of the Chinese Phoenix.

There is a twelve sentence poem in Xingyi Quan classic which describe the attributes of twelve animal fighting postures. In every sentence, the second character is “You”, which means “has”; and the fifth character is “Zhi”, which means “of”.    long  you   sou   gu     zhi     fa   

    1. Long you sou gu zhi fa - Dragon possesses brisk technique

Long: dragon.Sou Gu:  the ability to contract/shrink the skeleton.Fa: as in Quan Fa, it can have the following meanings: method, way, mode, standard, model, law, or doctrine.

Dragon is miraculous animal with mythical abilities. Created by the ancient Chinese, it symbolized all of nature's wondrous powers. One of the defining greatness of dragon is its ability to change according to situation. For example, it can change its size at will. When the space is small, it shrinks to accommodate. But when the space is suddenly opened up, it instantly expands, rise up and soar freely in the heavens. This sentence describes that ability. The reader need to feel the magic and awe of that moment when the dragon is sprung loose, the quickness, the agility, the flexibility, the grace, and the power involved.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: Shrink, twist, and quick pass through from asmall space when suddenly fly up.

  hu     you   pu     shi    zhi   yong   

    2. Hu you pu shi zhi yong - Tiger is fearless in its pounce

Hu: tiger.

Pu: lunging, pouncing.Shi: food, here is means prey (soon to be food).Yong:  normally means courage. But like other Chinese characters, when use in association with other characters, it can have a meaning related but a little different to the meaning of the character by itself. Here it means it is so courageous and fearless that it is fearsome to others, that it's an unstoppable force.

Tiger is the most powerful and ferocious animal. It is a king of all beasts. It's always used to express power, control, the ability to do anything you want.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: So powerful and quick is the movement that nothing can stop it.

  hou  you zhong shan  zhi   neng   

    3. Hou you zhong shan zhi neng - Monkey has the nimbleness to scale mountains

Hou: monkey.Zhong: technically it means jump up in quick, light, and nimble way.Shan: mountain.Neng: capability.

Monkey is the most smart and nimble animal. Here it is used to describe how the monkey can go anywhere it wants in the mountain environment, a fish in the water so to speak.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: Quick, nimble, and skillful.

  ma    you     ji      ti      zhi   gong   

    4. Ma you ji ti zhi gong - Horse has churning footwork

Ma:  horse.Ji:  fast.Ti: hoofs. So Ji Ti means run fast.Gong: skill, as in gong fu.

Horse is a strong and healthy animal. When it's running, its leg movements are quick, powerful, and continuous.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: Quick, powerful and continuous strikes just like a horse’s leg movements when it's running.

  tuo    you    fu    shui   zhi   ling   

    5. Tuo you fu shui zhi ling - Tuo can float and swimming in waters well

Tuo:  a mythical animal. According to legend, dragon produced 9 sons. All of them look entirely different from their father. Each has its own habitat and special powers. Tuo is one of them, and it lives in water and resembles the alligator.Fu Shui: float and swimming in waters.Ling:  highly skilled. Ling has additional meanings here, beyond staying buoyant in the water. According to legend Tuo has magic power and possesses very nimble or impossibly high skills for the water. Very quick and powerful but at the same time quiet and light. Ling also means spirit, clever, quick, and agile.

Tuo (alligator) stays in the water. It can swim quickly and smoothly. It can stay still very quietly and attack suddenly.  It is very powerful when it rotates.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: Nimble, quiet, smooth, and quick movement with powerful rotating and twisting force.

  ji     you  zheng dou   zhi   xing   

    6. Ji you zheng dou zhi xing - Rooster is born with a competitiveness nature for fighting

Ji:  rooster.Zheng Dou: fighting, competing.Xing: nature, disposition.

In ancient times, people believed it is in the rooster's nature to fight. In competition, it fights bravely and hard, and never quit easily.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: Hard, brave, and keep going on. Never be afraid to make a hard fight.

  yao   you  zuan  tian   zhi   shi   

    7. Yao you zuan tian zhi shi - Sparrow hawk possess the form for piercing the heavens

Yao:  sparrow hawk.Zuan Tian: fly very quickly and straight up toward the sky. Here the feeling is like seeing a swept wing fighter jet streaking toward the heavens at great speed, it looks like it can break through earth's bound.Shi:  form.

Sparrow hawk is a bird of prey. It is quick and agile. When it flies up – Zuan Tian, it shows how strong it is. When it flies down, it shows how quick it is. When it flies to pass through the forest, it shows how agile and accurate it is. When it turns over its body during flying, it shows how nimble it is.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: Quick, hard, and straight, but still very nimble. Like a spare piercing forward.

  yan   you  chao  shui   zhi   qiao   

    8. Yan you chao shui zhi qiao - Swallow has the agility to skim over waters

Yan: swallowChao Shui: shallow grab or scoop the water from above lightly and quickly.Qiao: very skillful, artful, clever, also meaning accurate, exactly the right way.

Here picture a swallow skimming just above the water, if it's a little bit low, it will fall into the water, if a little bit high, it cannot get water.Swallow can fly very quickly with accurate movement. It is not a hard but agile skill.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: Accurate skillful power with light and quick movement.

  she   you   bo    cao    zhi    jing   

    9. She you bo cao zhi jing - Snake has the refined skill to move grass to side way cleanly

She: Snake.Bo Cao: move grasses to the side. Here it means snake can hide in grass and go through the grass with light, quiet, and quick movement. Usually it travels in zigzag patterns, as if moving grass to side way lightly.Jing: spirit, essence, refined, meticulous, skilled.

Snake is considered a vicious animal. It can hide well, move quietly, and attack suddenly. When it prepares for an attacks, it moves from side by side, so it is difficult to predict where the attack will come from.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: Light, quick, sudden and accurate skill from unknown direction.

  tai    you  beng zhuang zhi zing   

    10. Tai you beng zhuang zhi zing - Tai are skilled at collision and ram forward

Tai:  Mystical bird resembling the ostrich. This interpretation is the one commonly used in most Hebei Style Xingyi groups. In other versions, Tai is a kind of big fish, or a kind of wild horse.Beng:  as in beng quan, collapse, burst. It always expresses some sudden and powerful event, like an explosion.Zhuang: collide or ram. Usually when a big and heavy thing rams you with very high speed and strong power that is impossible to stop, it is called Zhuang. (eg. hit by a car)

Tai is a big mystical bird. When it's running, its wings flap very powerful so that it is very strong and can knock over anything blocking it.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: Strong and quick movement can destroy anything trying to stop or  block it.

  ying   you  zhou   na    zhi     ji   

    11. Ying you zhou na zhi ji - Eagle are skilled at capture

Ying: Eagle.Zhou: capture.Na: grab, hold.Ji:  skill, technique.

When the eagle is circling the skies and zooms in on a prey, it will suddenly drop down and capture the prey. Its capturing skill needs to be powerful and accurate. In Xingyi Quan, people said every attack skill has to be like eagle talon. It means when you find a chance, your attack should be sudden, quick, powerful and accurate; and if you get it, never give him chance to fight back or run away.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: sudden, quick, powerful, and accurate, and keep control all the way.

  xiong  you   shu  ding   zhi     li   

    12. Xiong you shu ding zhi li - Bear shows it’s the power when it stands up

Xiong: bear.Shu Ding:  Shu means straight up, Din means the top of the head. So Shu Din means hang up, straighten, or support with top of the head. It means stand up.Li:  force.

When the bear stands up, it shows very strong and powerful force from its shoulders and arms, like nothing can attack it. In Xingyi Quan, people always said when you defend, you should be like a bear stand up. It will be very strong and stable.

In Xingyi Quan practice, its attribute is: Strong and stable.

Branches

Xingyiquan has three main developmental branches:

Shanxi Hebei Henan

However, the identification of three separate branches is tenuous because of the extensive cross-training that occurred across their lineages. This suggests that the branches did not evolve in isolation, thus diluting any major differences between them.

Schools of the Shanxi branch have a narrower stance, lighter footwork and tend to be more evasive. Schools of the Hebei branch emphasise powerful fist and palm strikes, with slightly different evasive footwork. Schools of the Henan branch are typically the most aggressive of the three .

The Henan branch is known as the Muslim branch because it was handed down within the Muslim community in Luoyang to which its founder, Ma Xueli, belonged. Henan branch is sometimes referred to by practitioners as Xinyi Liuhe Quan instead of simply xingyiquan. This may be attributed to the fact that the Muslim community of China was historically a very closed culture in order to protect themselves as a minority, thus retaining the older addition to the name of Xingyi. Liuhe means "Six Harmonies" and refers to the six harmonies of the body (three external harmonies: wrists-ankles, elbows-knees, shoulders-hips; three internal harmonies: xin-yi, yi-qi, qi-li i.e. spirit or "emotional mind" (xin) harmonises with your intention (yi), intention harmonises with your breath and physical

momentum (qi), breath and physical momentum harmonise with your physical strength (li) that contribute to correct posture.) This is not to be confused with the separate internal art Liuhebafa.

Both the Shanxi and Hebei branches use a twelve animal system with five elements while the Henan branch uses ten animals. Depending on the lineage, it may or may not use five elements. Due to the historical complexity and vagueness of the lineages, it is uncertain which branch would constitute the "authentic" Xingyiquan.

Weapons

Traditionally xingyiquan was an armed art. Students would train initially with the spear, progressing to shorter weapons and eventually empty-handed fighting. Xingyiquan emphasises a close relationship between the movements of armed/unarmed techniques. This technical overlap aims to produce greater learning efficiency.

Common weapons:

Spear Straight sword Sabre Large Sabre (used by infantry against mounted opponents) Long Staff Short Staff (at maximum length you could hold between the palms of your hands at each end -

techniques with this weapon may have been used with a spear that had been broken) Needles (much like a double ended rondel gripped in the centre - on the battlefield this would

mostly have been used like its western equivalent to finish a fallen opponent through weak points in the armour)

Fuyue (halberds of various types) Chicken-Sabre Sickle . This weapon was supposedly created by Ji Longfeng and became the

special weapon of the style. Its alternate name is "Binding Flower Waist Carry".

Weapon diversity is great, the idea being that an experienced Xingyi fighter would be able to pick up almost any weapon irrespective of its exact length, weight and shape.

Famous figures

Since the validity of lineages are often controversial, this list is not intended to represent any lineage. Names are presented in alphabetical order using pinyin romanisation.

Famous figures

Name Chinese Other names Notes

Bu Xuekuan 布學寬(1876-1971) Disciple of Che Yonghong (a.k.a. Che Yizhai), Director of the Taigu County Guoshuguan.

Cao Jiwu 曹繼武Reported to have won first place in the Imperial Martial Examinations sometime in the 17th or 18th century.

Chu Guiting 褚桂亭Disciple of Li Cunyi. He mastered Xingyi, Bagua and Taiji.

Dai Long Bang 戴龍邦 First student of the art from the Dai family.

Fu Chen Sung 傅振嵩Chief instructor of baguazhang at the Nanjing Central Goushu Institute

Guo Yunshen 郭雲深

A legendary tale reports him as having been incarcerated for killing a man, and when confined to a prison cell only being able to practice Beng quan.

Hong Yixiang 洪懿祥Founder of the Tang Shou Tao school in the 1960s

Ji Longfeng 姬龍峰 Ji Jike (姬際可)Founder (or rediscoverer depending on how legendary you consider the Yue Fei tale.)

Li Luoneng 李洛能 Li Nengran (李能然)Nicknamed "Divine Fist Li"; popularizer of the art.

Li Tian Ji 李天骥 Li LongFei (李龙飞)

Author of "The Skill of Xingyiquan". Was the first Chairman of the Chinese Wushu Administration under Communist China. Helped to preserve Xingyiquan during the Cultural Revolution.

Li Cunyi 李存义 Li Kui Yuan (李魁元) Famous Boxer. Disciple of Guo Yunshen

Ma Xueli 馬學禮 Founder of the Henan or Muslim branch.

Shang Yunxiang 尚云祥Founder of the Shang or "New Style" of the Hebei branch.

Song Shirong 宋世榮 Founder of the Song Family Style.

Sun Lutang 孫祿堂 Sun Fuquan (孫福全)Author of several books on internal arts, also known for developing Sun style taijiquan. Disciple of Guo Yunshen and Li Cunyi.

Wu Chaoxiang 武朝相(1917-2000) Disciple of Bu Xuekuan, introduced the Che style of Xingyiquan to Brazil.

Zhang Baoyang 张宝杨

Disciple of Wang Jiwu and Zhang Xiangzhai. Founder and honorary president of the Beijing Xingyi Research Association. Author of the book "Xing Yi Nei Gong", written with grandmaster Wang Jin Yu. Still has a few highly skilled disciples in Beijing.

Zhang Junfeng 張俊峰 Founded a major school in Taiwan in the 1950s.

Zhang Zhaodong 張兆東 Zhang Zhankui (張占魁)