- TAI CHI MASTER PROFILE -

ZHANG QINLIN

Down through the centuries China has produced many outstanding tai chi chuan masters, though few could claim the sort of accomplishments reached by Zhang Qinlin. He was man of great achievements though he had a challenging life and a quiet and humble nature.

Zhang was born in 1888 in Xingtai County, Hebei Province, China to a very poor family. When he was quite young both of this parents died. He developed an interest in martial arts and at the age of 14 he went out into the world to seek martial arts training. As it happened, the Yang Family, legendary tai chi martial artists, lived not far away.

Zhang approached Yang Cheng Fu and asked him to be his teacher. Yang got permission to teach him from his father, Yang Chien Hou, with the stipulation that he oversee the instruction. Zhang was a hard working though quiet student who took everything in stride and became devoted to his teachers. He progressed rapidly in his training and soon surpassed his fellow students.

Yang Chen Fu and Zhang Qinlin

Zhang had been training for a while when a martial artist from Southern China began making waves in the martial arts community. His name was Wan Mou and he was well advanced in the internal martial art, Zhi Ran Men, Natural Boxing. Wan had been visiting martial arts schools in the northern regions of the country, knocking on doors and politely challenging advanced students. He had defeated all whom he had challenged and was eager to take on the famous Yang Family’s Yang Chen Fu. When he visited the Yang household he was disappointed to learn that Yang Cheng Fu wasn’t at home and the advanced students weren’t available either. He decided to challenge whoever was around, defeat them, and have a chance to challenge the more advanced Yang students.

When the students heard of his arrival, they were very concerned. They could handle the average challenger but Wan was known for his skills and extreme speed. They didn’t know what to do. Zhang Qinlin came forward and said that he would go see what the visitor wanted. When Zhang presented himself, Wan was again disappointed. Zhang was no one special. Wan was confident that he would beat the young man and then move on up the ranks of Yang students. Zhang was very calm and told Wan that he wasn’t capable of taking on higher level Yang students.

The two men gave their traditional bows and Wan immediately attacked from his bowing. Zhang brushed aside the attack and anticipated Wan’s famed lightning-fast punch. Zhang positioned his fist to intercept Wan’s expected punch. Their fists met and Wan stopped. He then bowed to Zhang saying, “Gaoming, gaoming.” (Great! Great!) The challenge was concluded and Wan left.

Zhang returned to the household and the other students were perplexed. “What happened? Didn’t you fight him?” they asked. Zhang hadn't been gone very long and they had expected to hear fight sounds from a prolonged encounter. Zhang said, “One punch... one punch and he left. I held up my fist, his fist hit mine, and his wrist broke.” The others were amazed and word of the brief engagement spread. News of the event got to Yang Chien Hou and he asked to speak privately with Zhang.
 
Yang Chien Hou was impressed with the student’s skills and made him an extremely rare offer. He offered to teach Zhang the Yang Family’s secret teachings, Yangjia Michuan. Zhang was to keep this teaching in absolute secrecy. He was to go to Yang Chien Hou’s quarters at 3 am each morning and train until 5 am, before the rest of the household had awakened. Zhang agreed to the conditions and became a very loyal, and devout student, never letting on about the honor he had been given.

After years of training, Zhang completed his study and moved on to Shanxi Province in 1925 where he worked as a merchant, selling furs and skins. He eventually married and he and his wife had a daughter. Zhang was very interested in Taoism and in time joined the Gold Mountain School of Taoism in the area. 

In 1929 Zhang entered local competition for a position at the All China Fighting Championship. He won his matches at the provincial level and became the Shanxi representative in the unarmed category. He then went on to the national competition in Nanjing (then China’s capital), facing fighters of different martial systems from all over China. And he won, becoming the national champion for 1929.

 Zhang Qinlin 

Over the years Zhang had only ten tai chi students. Of them only one was to receive the Yangjia Michuan teaching. That student was Wang Yen-nien (1914-2008). Wang trained with Zhang from 1945 to 1949 when the communist takeover occurred. Wang had belonged to the nationalist military and, like many, had to flee communist China for Taiwan in 1949. He lived there until his passing in 2008. Wang passed on the secret Yang tradition to several students including Scott M. Rodell and Julia Fairchild.

There are some variations in accounts about Zhang Qinlin’s later years. According to Wang Yen-nien, the harsh years of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) in China were very hard on Zhang and his circumstances were very poor. Wang claimed that Zhang passed away around the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976.

Zhang Qinlin began life in poverty and disadvantage but rose above his circumstances to achieve great status and national recognition. Yet tai chi chuan and Taosim were likely his greatest treasures in a life of challenges and challenges answered.  - TCJ