a time of opposition to foreign Manchu rule are boxing styles attributed to
Yue Fei. The earliest reference is in a xinyiquan(now more commonly
known as xingyiquan [hsing i ch’uan], form and mind boxing) manual
dated 1751. The preface explains that Yue Fei developed yiquan (mind
boxing) from his spear techniques. In fact, key xingyiquan forms do have
an affinity to spear techniques, but this is not necessarily unusual, since
boxing and weapons techniques were intimately related. Cheng Zongyou,
in his Elucidation of Shaolin Staff Methods(ca. 1621), emphasizes this
point by describing a number of interrelated boxing and weapons forms.
Local legends attempt to extend the legend to regional figures, thus
providing a credible lineage for specific styles of xingyi. For example, nar-
ratives of the origin of the Hebei style (also known as the Shanxi-Hebei
school) continue to circulate orally as well as in printed form. One narra-
tive, the biography of Li Luoneng (Li Lao Nan), maintains that he origi-
nally brought xingyi back to Hebei. Subsequently, the Li Luoneng’s xing-
yiquan was combined with baguazhang(pa kua ch’uan) to become the
Hebei style. Kevin Menard observes that, within the Hebei system, two ex-
planations of the synthesis exist. More probable is that “many masters of
both systems lived in this province, and many became friends—especially
bagua’s Cheng Tinghua and xingyi’s Li Cunyi. From these friendships,
cross-training occurred, and the Hebei style developed.” More dramatic yet
less likely is the legend of an epic three-day battle between Dong Haichuan,
who according to tradition founded baguazhang, and Li Luoneng’s top stu-
dent, Guo (Kuo) Yunshen. According to xingyi tradition the fight ended in
a stalemate (Menard). Other versions (circulated primarily among bagua
practitioners) end in a decisive victory by Dong on the third day. In either
case, each was so impressed with the other’s fighting skills that a pact of
brotherhood was sworn between the two systems, which resulted in stu-
dents of either art being required to learn the other.
During the Qing period, because of its potential anti-Manchu impli-
cations, the popular novel Complete Biography of Yue Feiwas banned by
Emperor Qianlong’s (given name Hong Li) literary inquisition. When the
Manchus came to power, they initially called their dynasty the Later Jin, af-
ter their ancestors, whom Yue Fei had opposed. Thus, here is another ex-
ample of the relationship between martial arts practice, patriotism, and re-
bellion. However, it is not until after Qing rule collapsed in the early
twentieth century that styles of boxing actually named after Yue Fei appear.
Another interesting possible allusion to Yue Fei can be found (ca.
1789) in the name of the enigmatic Wang Zongyue (potentially translated
as “Wang who honors Yue”), to whom the famous Taijiquan Theoryis at-
tributed. Whether or not Wang Zongyue actually wrote this short treatise
or whether Wang was the invention of Wu Yuxiang (1812–1880?), whose130 Folklore in the Martial Arts