Song Gao's Yiquan Story
“Yiquan is to seek combat skills in health preservation, and to seek health in combat training.”
01
First Contact
I went to Canada for a master’s education in 2012. My first roommate(魏然)was a student of Yiquan Master Yao Chengguang(姚承光). I was highly impressed by his power and was so convinced that Yiquan was the real Kungfu. It was then I started to learn Yiquan from him. I got super interested but stopped the practice after he moved to another city 6 months later. In my heart, I knew I would find a better chance to practice Yiquan in a professional way.
02
Professional Training
In early 2016, I enrolled in Master Zhang Yongmou’s Yiquan School located in Xi’an, China. My hard training and fast learning impressed Master Zhang and he agreed to take me as a formal disciple in the same year. I became an official 5th-generation Yiquan inheritor on May 8, 2016.
I began to be a teaching assistant in the school the next year.
I did not know the incredible health effect of Zhanzhuang & Yiquan until I have done a complete study with my master.
03
National Yiquan Tournament
In Oct. 2017, I competed in the Pushing-hands contest in the Fifth National Yiquan Tournament and obtained the Silver Medal in my weight class.
04
Book Publishing
I began to write an instruction book of Zhanzhuang(health purposes) with my master in 2018; the book was published one year later. The third edition of the book has been published and over 10,000 copies have been sold in total so far.
The book is only in Chinese.
05
Spread Yiquan & Zhanzhuang
Later, I tried to bring Zhanzhuang and Yiquan to people at every place I traveled from 2017 to 2019.
Zhanzhuang exercise is usually known as “Post Standing”, “Pile Standing”, “Standing Pole”, “Standing Practice”, “Standing Meditation”, “Stand like a tree”, etc.
06
Teach Yiquan &Zhanzhuang
I moved to Tokyo, Japan and began teaching Yiquan on YouTube by posting instructional videos in 2020, and started to offer online courses in 2021.
I have created a method whereby through videos and texts (Online Courses), one may develop their body and mind as close as possible to training directly with me.
07
USA Tour
I visited San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Bisbee(AZ), New York City, Audubon(PA) to teach in 2024. I went to the US again in 2025.
