On the Value of Yiquan - By Master Han Jingchen

Articles by Master Han Jingchen

As soon as it emerged Yiquan rose to fame for its instant and huge explosion of
energy in combat. This power is traditionally named as the Whole Power or the
Hunyuan Power - the power of integrating all the elements.
The theories and effectiveness of Yiquan soon interested the entire circle of martial
arts, as a number of people began to study and explore the unique features of
Yiquan. This trend has continued and become even stronger today. There have been
many works written about Yiquan, however most are stuck in the superficial, the
partial or even the working of the mind.
There have been no works so far that provide a complete and systematic
explanation of Yiquan. Not surprisingly, Master Wang Xiangzhai, the founder of
Yiquan, said that My way will not be truly understood until after 100 years.
As a late comer, I dare not spare any efforts in learning the art. Despite my
shallowness, I would like to present to you all that I have gained from practicing and
exploring Yiquan and what I consider to be the most valuable aspects of it. As the
theoretical system of Yiquan is intimately connected to traditional Chinese culture, I
must define a few terms so that they can be better understood later.

Definitions
Nature
1) Pure Nature: It means the objective world that is true with its own laws of
evolution. It can otherwise be called Natural Ecology.
2) Habitual Nature: It means self-conscious speeches and behaviors that we human
beings develop by regulating, continuously practicing and intensifying such
speeches or behaviors using our subjective ideas. The Habitual Nature becomes
even more natural over time, as to another who just comes out of the toilet, one
may naturally ask Did you eat?
3) The Applied Nature of Perfect Combination between the Objective Conditions of a
Subject and the Objective Needs of an Object:
As the name clearly states it becomes unnecessary for me to explain it any further.

Wholeness
1) Representative Wholeness:
It means the wholeness of the body that is visible as shown by body shapes.

2) Intentional Wholeness:
It means the wholeness of the body that human beings design, create and believe
to be whole by using their subjective ideas.

3) Wholeness formed through Organic Integration, with Unison and Harmonization

between the Internal Mechanism and the External Mechanism with Clear Purposes.
This is the highest and the best state of wholeness that the Chinese nation values.

Hunyuan-Integration:
It is the idealistic ultimate objective of perfection for human beings.
From Hunyuan things develop their varied natures. If it has to be described in
scientific terms, Hunyuan includes any and all crystallizations of the human
knowledge. It is also where the saying originates that To discourse in a way that
one deems appropriate in Buddhism.
For the same sake, it occurs that a given thing has to be explained in overly
complicated ways.

The Value of Yiquan

Huanjin Jin Transformation
The concept of Huanjin or Jin Transformation has been in the field of traditional
martial arts for a long period of time. When and by whom first raised the term
cannot be verified. So, the questions have to be left to historians. Hereby I will only
talk about what the Jin Transformation really is.
The so-called Jin Transformation means to change the habitual usage of strength or
moving mechanism that is formed in the physical labor of human beings (which is
known as the muddy Jin) into the habitual usage of strength or moving
mechanism that is needed by the martial art or any other special sport through
special training methods and processes.
In Yiquan the Jin Transformation is done through posts, which is an extremely
important part of the practice. Yiquan does not stay at such representations as the
framework of Kung Fu, stamina or Kung Fu, but goes on to study extensively the
essence in depth, intending to perfect both the internal and the external moving
mechanisms. Thus, it adds new and more varied contents to the traditional concept
of Jin Transformation.
So, on many occasions, I expressly tell everybody that the posts appeared a long
time ago and were not unique to Yiquan. However, it was Master Wang Xiangzhai

who rediscovered the posts and gave new, varied and particular contents.
Moreover, it was also he who elevated the posts into the primary place and
throughout the entire training process.

The Value of Posts

Body Frame Preparation:
The so-called Body Frame Preparation means to develop the optimal structure of
the human body according to the modern knowledge system.

In the understanding of the body structure, Yiquan was the first to establish the
three-combination rules
The combination between the physical structure of organs and their physical
functions;
The combination between the need to protect our life and the need to advance;
The combination of the structures formed from the above two combinations.
This optimal martial structure is consistent with the physiology of the human
beings, which helps improve the health and treat illnesses, and meets the needs for
one to protect himself and when necessary attack others. In the field of Yiquan, this
optimal structure is named as Hunyuan Posts that help people to find the Hunyuan
Power.

Testing:
In the testing practice of Yiquan the elementary structure that one obtains is put
into ones own movements or when there is any resistance. After being tested
constantly, it is corrected by feedbacks that one receives. As the saying goes, Find
it inside you and then go to rediscover it outside your body. In this way, the
structure is gradually improved to form a good moving mechanism. The process is
called Shili the testing of the power. The power originates from the standing post,
is known to you when you test it, and becomes owned by you when you use it.
The Understanding of Strength
Yiquan develops such views about strength as You are wrong as soon as you try to
use any strength or You are powerful when you feel comfortable with
yourself,which run counter to the preexisting ideas of practitioners. These views
are unimaginable or unacceptable to common people, not to mention martial art
practitioners. So, there are people who raise quite objective oppositions How can
I beat without any strength or You do not have the power if you feel comfortable,
and you have the power only when you feel uncomfortable.

The non-use of strength view of Yiquan has been put forward to oppose to the
power that one produces by tensioning or loosening his muscles, to people who
always play the tensioning or loosening game, and to the muddy Jin as mentioned
above.
On the basis of the traditional view that Those who have longer sinews are more
powerful, Yiquan goes deeper and develops understandings or methods that are
more effective in a shorter period of time. It expressly raised the pithy guiding
principle that the The power exists in the sinews and the spirit in the
bones.Compared with the power from the tensioning or loosening of the muscles,
the power of Yiquan is more penetrating, more destructive and more consistent with
the moving needs of the human body. The saying that You are powerful when you
feel comfortable with yourself means to establish a good and smooth moving
mechanism that provides no obstructions to the whole and complete release of the
power, so that the hitting force is effectively improved.

The Holistic View:

It is known by all that wholeness is of the utmost importance in Yiquan. Common
people usually tend to replace the Wholeness with the Power of Wholeness. They
cannot be more mistaken.
The Power of Wholeness is nothing more than an external representation that
Yiquan appears to one in an instant. In fact, the Wholeness of Yiquan means the
holistic view the overarching principle or measurement for ones judgments and
practicing which is the essence of the Chinese national culture. It runs through
ones understanding and practicing processes, meaning to never let go any
detail however minute it may be. It extends the connotation of Body Realization. It
is the one and the only way to the upper level that The spirit becomes more
complete when the movement is more minute, or Respond to it at the time you
feel it.
The Connection Between Theory and Practice:
In studying the activities of ideas and the body, Yiquan follows the traditional
doctrine that Knowledge and action are one.
It raised a pragmatic rule - Whether or not you get the feel about abstract theories
in your body. It opposes empty talks, or any fantastic exaggeration of the role of
the mind, or any training methods that try to force any ideas on ones body. As far
as I can see it, one who practices such methods may feel quite good during
exercise, but will loose all of them in a true fight. Moreover, the blind practice
should be opposed to. The blindness means that if he fails to achieve the expected
result, one often blames himself for not working hard enough, other than
reconsidering if there is any problem in what he has practiced. There are also many

other phenomenon that seem reasonable but are wrong, which I will not discuss at
this time.

The Unity of Opposites:

In Yiquan the traditional Yi Yang view is adopted in the study of the opposite
elements, commonly known as contradictions in the martial movement. In the
traditional culture, the relationships between the opposite elements are classified
into: the unity of opposites; the mutual rooting and dependence; and the
waxing/waning and conversion between yin and yang.
It inspires Yiquan to start with the particularity and the generality of things, proceed
to study the organic connections between opposite elements, and finally find
solutions to solve the contradictions. It makes it a truly feasible process or a natural
result for one to feel no resistance and beat the opponent in the combat, as is
always dreamed about by martial art practitioners. In this way, one enters the
supreme realm where he expresses himself fully and independently and fills his
movements with rich contents.
As Master Wang Xiangzhai said, The basic and fixed rules are that the internal
should flexible and agile, the external should be tall and straight, and you are
powerful when you feel comfortable with yourself. The references should also be
found in such pairs as the firm and the soft, the void and the solid, the active and
the inactive, the tense and the loose.

The Entry into the Realm of Necessity:

In the true Yiquan combat it often ends with just one punch. This spectacular
phenomenon is understood by many as a strike with all ones might or a
desperate strike or even the mad dogs move. How ignorant they are!
The occurrence is because Yiquan has moved from the realm of judgments and
contingencies to the realm of perfection and necessity. As Master Wang Xiangzhai
said, You feel like a great furnace that melts whatever that comes to you. You have
the endless power of the universe. You feel like walking on the water and move like
the mountain moving. In this, he has passed the stage that Bodhisattvas Fear
Causes, Sentient Beings Fear Effects.

Conclusion
Generally speaking, Yiquan builds on the traditional Chinese culture and studies the
martial practice. It inherits the traditional martial arts, as well as introduces new
human knowledge. After being rediscovered, re-practiced and re-verified repeatedly
in a complete and profound way, it has established its own principles and rules to
guide ones martial behaviors. It comes to be an independent system that covers
brand-new theories and unique training programs centered on practice. Here ends

this article, which I have written with whatever comes to my mind. I will go on to
discuss further details in another article.

By Han Jingchen in my apartment in Zhuhai, deep into the night of September 2,

1998
Han Jingchen 2015