• GENERAL
• CHEN XIAOWANG
• FENG JINGCHUN
• FENG ZHIQIANG
• HUANG ZHENHUAN
• TIAN QIUXIN
• WANG BO
• WEI SHUREN
• ZHAO ZENGFU

FENG ZHIQIANG

PRESENTATION

Much has been said about this wordly famous master, in numerous websites, books or magazines. What I can contribute isn’t much. Besides we have in Spain a quite direct pupil of this master: Pedro Valencia ( see link pages) . I’ll just go over the facts and then simply add comments and impressions.

Master Feng Zhi Qiang was born in ShuLu, province of Hebei, in 1928. He started studying “stake” qi-gong, “tong bei” boxing and “xing yi quan” when he was a boy. He studied Chen style with Chen Fake from 1950 to 1957, at the request of another great master of martial arts and renowned doctor in Beijing, Hu Yao Zhen, who was a friend of Fake’s.

Besides from his liking for martial arts, Feng Zhi Qiang worked as a superintendent for an electric machinery factory.

He fought with many renowned masters without being defeated. In 1983 he was given the “excellence prize” in competition in the 5th contest of martial arts.

Apart from being representative of the style, he also is:

President of the Institute of Investigation of Taiji quan Chen Style, of Beijing,

Vicepresident of the Municipal Association of Artists of Beijing,

Member of the Chinese Association of Wu-Shu.

President of Huaxia Club of Martial Arts.

 

BOOKS

Some of the books he has written are:

Introduction to Chen Style of Taiji Quan (already 10 editions) Chen Style of Taiji Quan (translated to English, written and compiled together with Chen Xiaowang) 48 Simplified Movements of Chen Style of Tai Ji Quan Selection of Chen Style of Taiji Quan Course of Chen Xin Yi Hun Yuan Style He is one of the writers of the “Complete Book about the Taiji Quan Styles.”

ANECDOTES AND PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS

There is a well-known anecdote which occurred when he was working in the factory of electric machinery: He suddenly saw a machine of about 500kg had unfastened itself from the cables from where it was held to, and instinctively and using an extraordinary strength which he himself didn’t imagine, he could stop it. Everybody was astounded (even he himself).

Once he was invited to teach in Japan. There were three well-known black belts, ( I don’t know of what discipline) who challenged him to fight. His wife was worried and asked him to leave the place, but Feng told her not to worry and that as they were already there, he had to face the fact. So they fought and Feng Zhi Qiang beat them all, using a movement of Er lu Pao Chui.

Master Feng is not a tall mal but robust indeed. I felt he was a friendly, frank and good-humoured man, experienced and appreciated by his neighbours.

I went to his house with Zhang Xiumu who introduced me to him and they talked about tai-chi, of course for quite a long while. We were in a small room full of medals, plaques, conmemorative objects and other gifts he had been given... everything related to tai-chi-chuan. At the end we wanted to invite him to dinner, and he recommended a simple restaurant near his house, where he often went. He gave again good pieces of advice to Zhang while having dinner. When we wanted to pay, he refused, so Zhang passed me the money under the table, and saying I was going to the bathroom, I asked the waiter for the bill, but he told me that Feng had already paid. We were a bit ashamed of the master inviting us but he said it wasn’t important at all.

When we were in his house, while he was talking or listening, he kept bringing close and separating the palms of his hands , as if he were playing an invisible accordion. He said he often did it , wherever he was. It had to do with a part of his Qi-gong.

I told him I had difficulties in identifying the feeling of “Qi” .Then he told me to hold the palm of my hand open. Feng put his hands paralell to mine at a certain distance , being my hand between them. He started to make circles and circles and then he asked me if I had felt it. I didn’t know what to say. Baffled and keeping stuck to my skepticism I answered I didn’t. However after a time I can still remember a subtle and strange sensation which I couldn’t identify then as a manifestation of”qi” because of my intelect.

I also know that a pupil of another famous master of tai-chi-chuan was once in a park where Feng gives his classes. He was sitting on a bench, not too far away. Feng was doing the form and this pupil received a gust of “Qi” that came into him through his feet as a rising wave. ( I am not absolutely sure of the description he made because it’s a long time since I heard this conversation between this gentleman and Zhang, but this is broadly what I remember)

Note: Zhang Xiu Mu has written an article about the aspects of practise which Fen Zhi Quiang taught him. You’ll be able to see it in the”Articles” section , when we can translate it to English.