The Origins of Yiquan &
The Legendary Wang Xiangzhai
In 2026, Yiquan Park founder Song Gao completed an in-depth video study of Grandmaster Wang Xiangzhai and the stories of his life. If you would like to learn more, please visit:
Wang Xiangzhai: His Life and Yiquan
The videos are narrated in Mandarin Chinese and include English subtitles.
Yiquan is built upon an ancient foundation, namely, Zhanzhuang. Zhanzhuang comes to us from prehistoric times. A 7,000-year-old Neolithic pottery vessel from China’s Majiayao culture, unearthed in 1975, shows a figure performing Zhanzhuang.
Written between 2690-2590 BCE, The Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor (Huang-ti Nei Ching 黄帝内经) records one of the first literary references to Zhanzhuang-like exercise – “The ancient sages would support Heaven and Earth, holding Yin and Yang, breathing the air of vitality standing alone guarding their spirit with muscles as one.”
The text also contains diagrams of standing postures.
Zhanzhuang, traditionally practiced and transmitted secretly in martial arts circles for millennia, was openly revealed during the 20th century thanks to Wang Xiangzhai, the legendary martial arts master and creator of Yiquan.
Born in 1886, at eight-years-old, the sickly Wang Xiangzhai began studying Xingyiquan’s Zhanzhuang under his master, Guo Yun Shen. Over years of intense practice, the young man developed robust health and formidable martial ability.
After Guo Yun Shen’s death, Wang journeyed for over ten years throughout China, studying under the great masters of his era, and many fantastic stories gathered around Wang Xiangzhai’s name.
In the mid-1940’s, Wang Xiangzhai set forth a new style of boxing widely acknowledged as effective for health and self-defense. Strictly speaking, Yiquan is reformed Xingyiquan. Master Wang stripped Xingyiquan’s already minimalistic style down to its essential component – the ancient practice of Zhanzhuang. He then composed training drills (known as Yiquan’s seven steps) for expressing Zhanzhuang’s martial power without the limitations of formwork. The result was Yiquan – a lean, streamlined quan that proved competitive and often superior to other styles.
Master Wang’s best combat-oriented students were Zhao Daoxin, Han Xingyuan, Bu Enfu, You Pengxi, Dou Shiming, Zhang Entong, and Yao Zongxun, whose son, Yao Chengrong, taught Zhang Yongmou, of whom Yiquan Park’s Song Gao is a disciple.
The last twenty years of Wang Xiangzhai’s life were focused on the healing aspects of Yiquan and Zhanzhuang. Prior to this, emphasis was placed on Yiquan’s martial power, and Master Wang and his disciples proved the art’s martial value under a variety of documented conditions. In 1944, a young dentist named Yu Yongnian began studying Zhanzhuang with Master Wang in Beijing, and, by 1953, Yu began using Zhanzhuang to cure chronic diseases at the Beijing Railways Hospital. Yu was Song Gao‘s Master Zhang Yongmou’s second Yiquan teacher.
Grandmaster Wang Xiangzhai passed on in July of 1963, leaving behind a monumental legacy of power and healing. As Zhanzhuang and Yiquan continue to grow in public awareness, we can expect this legacy to continue its expanding influence for many generations to come.
Yiquan Park Popular Courses
Zhanzhuang is the foundation of Yiquan, and the two should not be viewed as separate practices. They are listed under different sections on this course page simply to make them easier to find for people who are not yet familiar with Yiquan.
Course Level: Beginner
This is a systematic self-study Zhanzhuang (Standing Meditation) course to develop your body and mind to a greater level. Your health condition can be improved quickly.
Course Level: Intermediate
This course will challenge you but provide with you a new horizon of Zhanzhuang. You may obtain quicker and further health improvement.
Course Level: Advanced
The Tiger Stance, Dragon Stance, and One-Legged Stance are known as special stances—demanding postures that cultivate internal power, balance, and rootedness.
They require a profound grasp of body mechanics, relaxation, and the harmonious integration of mind and body.
Practicing these stances can elevate leg strength, whole-body balance, and coordination to extraordinary levels.
Course Level: Beginner
This course is designed for older adults, people who are physically weak, and those living with disabilities or limited mobility.
This course may also be suitable for people recovering from an injury or major surgery, as well as those experiencing reduced strength or mobility after illness or an extended period of inactivity.
Course Level: Beginner
As an interesting exercise that can be applied to health development, Shili (force testing) prepares basic movements for self-defense skills from Yiquan martial art system. This online course introduces 10 kinds of Shili training on the Parallel Step.
It’s a crucial step in Yiquan, bridging the static posture practice of Zhanzhuang to more dynamic applications.
Course Level: Beginner
This training introduces the fundamental & essential footwork of traditional Chinese martial arts—skills that can be seamlessly applied in real combat situations.
Friction Stepping can be practiced as an effective leg-strengthening exercise, building powerful legs while improving balance and footstep alignment.
Course Level: Intermediate
This course completes the first three steps of Yiquan. You will learn how to blend Combat Shili with Friction Stepping. This powerful integration will unlock whole-body coordination and bring your practice to a new level.
Course Level: Intermediate
Fali is the fourth step of the Yiquan system and focuses on generating power for real combat. After achieving a high level of whole-body integration through Zhanzhuang, Shili, and Friction Stepping, training shifts toward releasing that unified force in a split second.
Course Level: Advanced
In Yiquan, Fali is trained as the expression of explosive power for practical combat. In this course, the basic Fali movements are developed into functional striking methods. You will systematically study punches, kicks, palm strikes, as well as knee, elbow, and head strikes. These striking methods are practical combat techniques built upon the foundation of whole-body power.
Course Level: Advanced
Whole-body integration lies at the core of Yiquan training. Staff and sword practice brings together Zhanzhuang, Shili, footwork (Friction Stepping), Fali, and sound testing. Through this process, the body and the weapon become unified, allowing practitioners to refine and enhance whole-body power—even when without the weapons.