Biographies of famous He Style exponents

竹林风

He Zhaoyuan was born into a family with a tradition in Chinese Medicine, and he went on to study literature and medicine. In 1825, he began learning martial arts from Chen Qingping. He was later given the military post of Wuxinlang in the capital, where he continued studying  martial with great diligence, even modifying and creating new forms. He created a new empty-hand form based on traditional forms, which he called “Playing Boxing With Amusement”. This was characterized by movements that were soft and swift, smooth and natural.

During his time in this posting, He Zhaoyuan travelled to both the far north, and to the south on many occasions. When he encountered bandits and robbers, he used his skills to fight them off, leading to many legendary stories of his victories, which are still popular in Zhaobao Town today.

In his old age, He Zhaoyuan returned to his home town, and passed his time in the study of Taiji, passing it on to the younger generations. He wrote ‘Taijiquan Performing Theory’, and other texts, and taught his skills to his sons Runzhi and Jingzhi, as well as his eldest grandson Qingxi.

He Qingxi (1857-1936) learned Taijiquan from both his father, and also directly from his grandfather. He was a kindly man, earning universal respect and prestige. He had unique skills, but was never boastful or exhibitionist. Because of the turbulent social conditions at the time, he was unable to pass on his skills until 1928, when the government began to recognise the value of traditional martial arts. Keen to allow Taijiquan to grow and develop, He Qingxi immediately began teaching, even at the advanced age of 71. He adjusted his teaching to suit each students level, and his students quickly developed impressive ability. He Qingxi was an outstanding character who inherited the past, and ensured his inheritance would continue into the future. One of his achievements was to teach an apprentice in just 3 years, the skills required to win the “High-Level Taijiquan Skills” award in the Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Contest in Kaifeng, 1931. He Qingxi wrote ‘Taijiquan Performing Songs’ (Xi Quan Ge), ‘Explanation for the Book’ (Shua Quan Jie), ‘Playing Taijiquan for Amusement’, and other Taijiquan theoretical texts.

In 1963 He Youlu was born into a family with a strong tradition in Chinese Medicine and Taijiquan. At the age of 9 he started learning Taijiquan from his father, and for over 30 years has been dedicated to practising and researching the theory of Taijiquan. He is the current primary representative of He Style Taijiquan.

In 1988, after transferring from the army, He Youlu attended many Taijiquan contests at local, provincial, and national levels, achieving great success individually, and with his team. In the new millennium, he has been invited to referee Taijiquan and martial arts contests many times, in addition to teaching in Henan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Shandong, amongst other places. In 2003 he was invited to teach He Style in the national Taijiquan Training Course, organized by the Chinese Martial Arts Association. Now he is the President of the He Style Taijiquan Institute in Wenxian County, Henan; the Dean of the He Style Taijiquan Promotion Centre in Luohu City; the Honorary President of the He Style Taijiquan Association in Jiaozuo City, and the Vice-President of the Taijiquan Research Institute in Jiaozuo City. He has written ‘The He Style Taijiquan Manual’, and ‘Thirteen Postures of He Style Taijiquan’. He has also made a teaching VCD of the He Style empty hand form, sword form, pole form, and also pushing hands.

Name:    和有禄（He Youlu）主任（Director)

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