Hero Mountain Xingyi Quan

Hero Mountain Xingyi Quan traces its roots to Li Jingzhai, one of the famous students of Li Luoneng, who is credited with bringing xingyi out of obscurity. One of Li Jingzhai’s students, Li Yingxun (Xiangzuo) settled in Ji’nan in 1932 and began a successful teaching career and his direct lineage holders continue teaching his style in Ji’nan to this day. Hero Mountain Xingyi is an orthodox style, which heavily emphasizes tightly coiled stance-work, combined with crisp and precise fajin (explosive power) expressions of the forms. The system centers on the five elements and twelve animals, and has an extensive curriculum of solo and two-person weapons forms.

Li Jingxuan and his son, Li Cang

The success and proliferation of Hero Mountain Xingyi Quan in Ji’nan can be attributed to Li Jingxuan, who founded the Hero Mountain Xingyi Quan main training site in 1980.

Li Jingxuan did not start his xingyi training until his 30s. He had worked hard in business at the expense of his health. He studied xingyi diligently and lived until the age of 106. His son, Li Cang, continues his legacy.

Li Cang became a formal disciple of Liu Fengcai in 1984 to study bagua. It was through this connection that Li Cang became friends with Liu Shuhang, who introduced him to the North American Tang Shou Tao Association in 2013. Li Cang has been teaching association members ever since and formally took American and Canadian disciples in 2018.

Taiji 128

The Hero Mountain curriculum also includes a unique taiji quan form said to be created by Yang Luchan. This form, called the Taiji 128, puts emphasis on the practical techniques of Yang style Taiji. It is an obscure form not practiced by many people outside the Hero Mountain Xingyi family. Li Jingxuan is a fourth generation inheritor of the form.

Posture and Form

This style emphasizes correct posture and short forms before proceeding to longer forms, and the results are impressive. Large groups move in concert, encouraging practitioners to tune in to the energy of their training partners and also refine their movement and timing. What begins as a student’s attention to detail evolves into a much greater understanding of the body’s mechanics.

Application

Hero Mountain Xingyi puts special emphasis on the direct application of movements in the forms. Quite often a question about a form’s movement is answered by demonstrating a specific application that clarifies the movement’s intent. The curriculum’s two-person forms provide an opportunity for students to test their posture and movement in simulated combat.

Weapons

As a student progresses through the system they begin training on the major Chinese weapons, such as spear, staff, straight sword and saber. The same crisp movements from the empty-hand forms are used, allowing the student to extend their focus beyond the limit of their physical body and validate the benefits gained from posture work and empty-hand form training.

Taiji 128

The Hero Mountain curriculum also includes a unique taiji form created by Yang Luchan. This form, called the Taiji 128, puts emphasis on the practical techniques of Yang style Taiji. It is an obscure form with few practitioners and with even fewer people who know the applications. Li Jingxuan is a fourth generation inheritor of the form, and his son Li Cang is a fifth generation inheritor.

The North American Tang Shou Tao Association is a 501c3 organization dedicated to the research and cultivation of internal Chinese martial arts and medicine.