Hsing I

By Daniel Mattson

The origin of Hsing I Chuan is unknown, but it is most often attributed to General Yue Fei. Yue Fei was a general for the Chinese military in the Song Dynasty and died around AD 1130. Most historians and scholars agree he did not invent the system of Hsing I, but it is attributed to him for his promotion of Hsing I in the military. Although the general has been accredited to founding several different styles including Egle Claw and the health exercise known as the "Eight Pieces of Brocade". Some scholars have traced it back as far as the Liang Dynasty AD 550. Although this still does not prove that it started at that time. Hsing I is an “internal” martial art. Although it is difficult to master, it is considered to be the simplest of the three major internal systems (Tai Chi Chuan, Pa Kua Chang, and Hsing I).

The only recorded record of Yue Fei’s teacher proclaims him as a wandering Taoist with no name actually mentioned. Hsing I is a predominant subject of many stories, songs, and poems throughout Chinese history. Several theories have been made by well known martial artists including General Yue Fei with his “Ten Important Thesis”.

As with any system without origin and claim to ancestry heritage, Hsing I has some variations. When a family adopted a system or style they usually critiqued its contents to either make it their own or improve it. Today Hsing I is practiced within all over the world by not only Chinese schools, but others who have incorporated it’s theories into their own system. The first five forms learned are a representation of the “Five Elements”; water, wood, earth, metal, and fire. Then the system of Hsing I’s twelve animals is practiced; tiger, bear, eagle, ostrich, turtle, snake, dragon, monkey, swallow, pheaquefo (bird), horse, and chicken. These are the most well known aspects of Hsing I Chuan. Combined together form and meditation have made this one of the hardest hitting systems known.

Hsing I Chuan (Xing Yi)