A Brief History of Modern Qigong

Introduction:

Modern Qigong may be defined as methods of energetic self cultivation exercise which originated after 1950 as a result of the adoption of Qigong Science in public health as spearheaded by the Chinese Communist Party.

This page is a brief history of modern Qigong through its four stages of development:

• Nascent Stage,
• Developmental Stage,
• Flourishing Stage,
• Normalization Stage.

These four stages represent the development of Qigong until today, but the history of the practice is still being written in both East and West. Knowing the history of Qigong may help us better inform its future.

Nascent Stage: Before Qigong was Qigong

The first modern record of the term “Qigong” was used in the 1934 medical text 肺痨病特殊疗法 Fei Lao Bing Te Shu Liao Fa/Pulmonary Tuberculosis Special Therapies chapter 气功疗法 Qigong Liaofa/Qigong Therapy, however the development trajectory of modern Qigong has roots in late 19th and early 20th century Daoist Meditation, Chinese Medicine and Chinese Martial Arts Culture.

Below we will briefly touch on a few important primary texts which were used in the development of early Qigong thought:

1: Correcting Mistakes in Medicine:

The text 医林改错 Yi Lin Gai Cuo/Correcting Mistakes in Medicine written by 王请任 Wang Qingren was a late Qing Dynasty treatise written around 1830.

Although the text does not directly discuss Qigong it is, among other things, an exposition on the relationship of the circulatory and nervous systems in the mediation of consciousness.

The central argument is that the traditional supposition that the heart is directly responsible for the mediation of consciousness held by Chinese Medicine, Confucianism etc… was an incorrect theory forced by Confucian scholars on the Chinese Medical system.

Instead consciousness was related to the nervous system, which the author refers to as the 髓海 Sui Hai/Sea of Marrow, the traditional name of the brain and nervous system in Chinese Medicine.

Wang Qingren proposed the idea that the heart’s role in the mediation of consciousness it to supply oxygenated blood (Qi in the blood from respiration and nutrition) to the nerves, thus allowing the uninhibited flow of sensation and perception to be experienced by the brain.

This idea was based on the 黄帝内经 Huang Di Nei Jing/Yellow Emperor Internal Classic, a 2000 year old Medical canon which explains the anatomy and physiology of the body relative to Chinese Medical theory.

Wang’s theory of the relationship of nerves and blood has been extensively used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and modern Qigong theory to conceptualize the relationship of Qi, Blood, the Nervous System, and Cognition and serves as a standard element of Qigong theory today.

2: 易筋经/内功图说 Yi Jin Jing/Nei Gong Tu Zhu: Daoist, Buddhist and Martial Arts Dao Yin

The Yi Jin Jing/Sinew Changing Classic is a manuscript written by 紫凝道人 Zi Ning Dao Ren, a late Qing Dynasty Daoist priest who pseudonymously wrote the text under the name 达摩 Da Mo, a legendary monk who taught Buddhism in China, Japan and Korea around the 6th century AD.

The Yi Jin JIng was likely written in the 17th century and is a Daoist Style Dao Yin text which is paired with the 洗髓经 Xi Sui Jing/Classic of Washing the Marrow, a Meditation method based on Daoist 内丹 Neidan/Internal Alchemy and advocated as an original Buddhist method of the Shaolin temple.

The Yi Jin Jing was variously published under different names and in different editions throughout the 19th century with the most famous edition known as the 内功图说 Nei Gong Tu Shuo/Inner Work Illustrated Discussion by 王祖源 in 1881.

Wang Zuyuan claimed that he learned the method presented in the text as a result of studying with monks at the Shaolin temple, but an earlier edition of the text titled 卫生要术 had already been in circulation for decades before Wang’s edition and both books are based on Zi Ning Dao Ren’s Yi Jin Jing.

Regardless of the origin of the text, the Yi Jin Jing method has since been claimed by practitioners of Shaolin Martial Arts as the Neigong/Inner Skill methods practiced at the temple.

The Yi Jin Jing has been tremendously influential in Chiense Martial Arts and Qigong culture and the theory proposed in the Nei Gong Tu Shuo has formed a major part of modern Qigong theory.

The most important addition to Qigong theory in the text is the doctrine of 膜论 Mo Lun/Discussion of the Membranes which emphasizes the importance of connective tissues which are known today as tendons, ligaments and fascia surrounding the bones and joints.

This concept originated in the Chinese Medicine concept of 经筋 Jing Jin/Meridian Sinew, the layer of internal connective tissue following the course the meridians which may be today defined as the fascial sheath of the body.

The idea of 易筋 Yi Jin/Changing the Sinews became an essential aspect of both modern Qigong and Martial Arts theory and was broadly adopted in the arts of Xingyi Quan, Bagua Zhang, and Taiji Quan and is associated with the first level of 炼精化气 Lian Jing Hua Qi/Refining the Essence and Transforming Qi in those arts.

3: 因是子静坐法 Yin Shizi’s Meditation Method: New learning and Daoist Meditaiton

Master Yinshi’s Sitting in Stillness Method is a book written by 蒋维乔 Jiang Weiqiao in 1914 which revolutionized Daoist meditation by adding modern biomedical and theoretical science into traditional meditation practices.

The text teaches the 小周天 Xiao Zhoutian/Small Heavenly Orbit method of Daoist Internal Alchemy through the lens of modern knowledge of:

• the nervous system,
• respiratory system,
• circulatory system,
• physics,
• Pavlovian psychology,

among other things.

The text is an example of the Chinese New Learning movement which emphasized adoption of modern scientific ideas introduced to China from the West during Western imperial subjugation of China during the late Qing Dynasty.

Of course there are many other relevant texts and traditions which contributed to early Qigong, especially the development of the Internal Martial Art of Taijiquan.

The Popularity of Taijiquan in the Development of Modern Qigong

太极拳 Taijiquan is a Martial Art which began in Henan Province China sometime around 1600 in the Chen Jia Gou/Chen Village.

Chen Wanting was a retired general who taught Martial Arts techniques to the young people of his village to help protect against bandits.

In the late 19th century Yang Luchan carried Taijiquan from Henan to Beijing and became a popular teacher as he was famed for working with the Qing Dynasty royal court.

Although Taijiquan was originally reputed as a fighting art it became better known as a health practice during the 20th century.

The movements and posture of Taijiquan follow the Confucian principle of 中和 Zhong He/Central Harmony and can be studied by old and young, fit and weak alike.

During the Republic of China period (1911-1949) Taijiquan enjoyed promotion by the Chinese government and was further supported by the Communist government after the 1949 Revolution.

Although Taijiquan has a number of traditional styles which emphasize self defense a new routine was created during the Communist era called 简式太极拳 Jian Shi Taijiquan/Simplified Taijiquan which was created entirely for health and wellbeing.

This style of Taijiquan is simple, easy to learn, and especially focuses on strengthening and stretching the lower body, torso and arms.

Many elements of Taijiquan were added to modern Qigong systems and today it is possible to see this in the following aspects of practice:

• Feet standing parallel with toes straight at shoulder width,
• Tail Bone draped downward, lower back relaxed, chest relaxed and head drawn up by the crown with chin slightly tucked,
• Soft, flowing, continuous movements,
• Opening and closing of chest, back, and other parts of the body,

While these principles may have also been found in earlier systems but their use in modern Qigong follows the Taijiquan model closely and has become a standard feature of basic principles of most famous Qigong systems today.

Developmental Stage:

The developmental stage of modern Qigong is commonly considered to have begun in the mid 1950s.

The popular story of the genesis of Qigong during this period is that a Chinese Communist Official named Liu Guizhen was given a leave of absence from work when he was ill with Tuberculosis and during his time at home learned the art of 内养功 Nei Yang Gong/Inner Nurturing Skill from his uncle.

Nei Yang Gong is commonly believed to have been transmitted within family Buddhist traditions in North China with the Liu families being the official inheritors of the art.

When Liu Guizhen returned to his government work his compatriots were impressed by his return to health and a research committee was established to understand the utility of Qigong as a medical paradigm.

As a result of this research a group of folk practitioners, Chinese and Western Medicine Doctors, Daoists and others were charged with the task of developing Qigong as a national health program.

During this period people like 陈樱宁 Chen Yingning and 李少波 Li Shaobo began to develop unique practices designed to assist in recovery from illness and prevention.

It was during this time that Chen Yingning and other Daoist representatives established the China Daoist Research Association in Beijing and that the Chinese Communist Government began to invest effort in developing Traditional Chinese Medicine as an official academic discipline in Chinese Universities.

This period also saw significant development in the Martial Arts, but upon the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966 the development of Qigong was put on hold as a result of social chaos.

Liu Guizhen was named by the Red Guard as an “Internal Demon,” (another way of saying a negative force against Chinese Socialism) and he was imprisoned until the end of the Cultural Revolution and no longer played a major role in the development of Qigong until his death in 1986.

Thus it can be understood that the developmental period of Qigong achieved its peak between 1956 and 1966. This can also be considered to be the first of the two peaks of Qigong study in the 20th century.

Flourishing Stage:

The Flourishing Stage of Qigong began after the Cultural Revolution and was the time when many major masters began to become famous under China’s new Capitalist economic system.

As a result of government recognition of mistakes made during the Culture War period the Chinese government began to invest resources in the development of Chinese traditional culture.

It was at this time that styles such as 大雁气功 Da Yan Qigong and 郭琳气功 Guo Lin Qigong began to become popular.

These styles were usually a combination of traditional Daoist and Buddhist practices with Chinese Medicine and modern scientific theory and represent the second peak of modern Qigong culture.

The proliferation of new styles continued into the late 1980s and early 1990s with students of Da Yan Qigong founder Yang Meijun founding their own styles such as 智能气功 Zhi Neng Qigong among others.

Outside of these styles there were also hundreds of other popular Qigong methods which ranged from medical to spiritual and even fitness based.

Masters such as Lin Housheng created the Taiji Eighteen Postures Qigong and during the mid 1980s the first Masters’ degree cohort of Chinese Medicine Qigong was also organized in Northern China (the author of this article had the benefit of studying with one of the graduates of this first cohort during his time working in Chinese Medicine education).

This period of flourishing had many positive aspects but by the end of the 1980s there were also many problems appearing.

Qigong masters often began to embellish the medical benefits of their practice such as claiming to be able to use electromagnetic energy to heal cancer among other ridiculous claims.

Although many new achievements such as the theory of a Universal Qi Field began to be treated as serious scientific possibilities in Chinese Universities, the scientific inquiry was also rife with pseudoscience and quackery with many unverifiable claims being published in academic texts.

The development of Qigong cults also became a serious problem and multiple religious cults began to use Qigong as a means to indoctrinate and control their students.

This phenomenon actually has deep roots in Chinese history and is not strictly a modern problem.

Less than 150 years before Hong Xiuquan, the self proclaimed brother of Jesus Christ had led the Tai Ping Rebellion against the Mancurian Qing dynasty in which upward of 30 Million people perished.

Cult claims to rightful inheritance of government has nearly 2000 years of history in China and Chinese dynasties have been seriously degraded and totally destroyed by magical cults many times throughout Chinese history.

As such when members of one of the largest Qigong cults surrounded the presidential mansion Zhong Nan Hai in protest in 1999 the Chinese government immediately cracked down on what they viewed as a dangerous cult.

During the crackdowns tens of thousands of people were imprisoned and many more Chinese households were raided to check for educational materials of the cult.

Ultimately this resulted in the Chinese government effectively banning Qigong and the practice becoming taboo overnight.

Because another function of the flourishing stage of Qigong was that it moved to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and overseas, ultimately there came to be a disparity where Qigong became more popular outside of its place of origin than it was in China as a result of it being frowned upon by the CCP Government.

As such today it can be difficult to understand the origin of Qigong since the major periods of progress represented by the development of the art in the 1950s and 1980s has been deemphasized in China while the practice has become wildly popular in other Chinese diaspora countries such as Taiwan.

Sometimes this leads to erroneous claims that traditional Chinese culture was lost during the Cultural Revolution and that Taiwan is the inheritor of Chinese culture, but these claims are more related to ongoing disputes between Taiwan and the Mainland as well as Taiwanese media campaigns such as the 中华文化复兴运动总会 Zhong Hua Wen Hua Fu Xing Yun Dong Zong Hui/Chinese Cultural Revitalization Movement Committee which sought to establish Taiwan as a culture leader during the Cultural Revolution.

The actual truth is much more complex than the narrative commonly argued by either side of the debate.

Normalization Stage:

The normalization stage occurred in the 2000s when Qigong began to be rehabilitated under the leadership of the Chinese department of Sport.

It was during this time that Spiritual practice in Qigong was deemphasized and sport practice was placed at the forefront.

Today Qigong in China is a competitive sport based on the movements of famous Dao Yin routines such as the Eight Silk Brocades, Sinew Changing Classic and Five Animal Frolics among other styles.

Today spiritual Qigong practice is largely the domain of Daoist temples and some styles such as Wudang Qigong are a synthesis of traditional Daoist styles and Modern era Qigong practices.

Today the situation surrounding Qigong is substantially more relaxed than in the early 2000s and it knowledge about the Modern Qigong movement is freely available on the Chinese internet with many students quietly practicing but not at the fever pitch of the 1980s and 90s.

It has also become fashionable for University Researchers to reconstruct old systems of Dao Yin such as the famous Dao Yin Diagram, a Han Dynasty text discovered in an Archaeological dig in Hunan province.

The author of this article contends that these efforts are largely a matter of novelty and have little substance compared to the profound development Qigong saw during its earlier three stages, but it is nonetheless a powerful part of the current Zeitgeist.

There is also a strong interest in the Chinese public in the arts of 养生 Yang Sheng/Nourishing Life and Modern Qigong has been rebranded to a certain extent as Yang Sheng, removing the negative implications pushed on it by its unsteady development during the Flourishing Stage.

Conclusion: The Future Of Qigong

Today Qigong is just as much an international art as it is the domain of the People’s Republic of China.

Many important changes continue to happen in Qigong and Qigong research and although Qigong in the West is not as well understood as it is in China there is strong interest from many new corners such as the Yoga community which have caused the practice to develop in new directions in recent years.

Where this new fifth epoch of Qigong will go is not currently known, but today all of us who practice have some small say in the direction of the art so it is our job as Qigong researchers, teachers and students to try our best to research and understand the art on a deep level, reject superficial and superstitious interpretations, and continue to grow and improve the art without leaving behind its cultural and theoretical roots.

What does the future hold for Qigong?

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