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Q: Can you please tell us a little about master Pei and his background?
A: I met master Pei in the summer of 1965. Master Pei Xi-Rong was born in RaoYang in Hebei Province in 1913. His father was a Chinese doctor and practiced martial arts as well. Master Pei studied Shaolin Quan from his uncle when he was young. When he grew up, he traveled around, like most martial artists did, to seek different styles and learn from different masters.

He mainly studied with Fu Jian-Qiu who specialized in internal martial arts and was a martial arts brother of Sun Lu-Tang and Shang Yun-Xiang. But master Pei also studied Baguazhang with Huang Bo-Nian and Jiang Rong-Qiao, and got instructions from Xinyi master Bao Xian-Ting and master Lu Song-Gao. He was also introduced by Li Jing-Lin (famous for his Wudang sword skill, general and director of several martial arts institutes) to the head of Wudang mountain, Xu Ben-Shan, and became the official disciple of the 17th generation of Wudang Long Men (Wudang Dragon Gate sect).

After studying in Wudang mountain, Li Jing-Lin recommended the Central Martial Arts Academy in Nanjing to accept master Pei as a student. After 1949, he settled down in Shanghai and also became a martial arts coach in Shanghai Fu Dan University. He founded Shanghai Wudang Quan Fa Institute, Qigong Study Institute and set up Shanghai Qigong Scientific Study Institute. He also published more than twenty books, such as “Wudang Gong Fu”, “Wudang Qigong Study”, “Chinese Martial Arts Dictionary”, “Series books of Chinese Traditional Martial Arts”, etc.

Q: Can you tell us more about master Pei’s practice?
A: Master Pei devoted his entire life to Chinese Martial Arts and his knowledge was vast and profound. He mastered Shaolin Wu Xing Quan (Shaolin five animals style–dragon, tiger, leopard ,crane, chicken); Ying Zhua Quan (eagle claw fist); Mi Zong Quan (lost track boxing); Ba Ji Quan (eight ultimate fist) and many weapons. He was a very kind and sincere person, and always very open to talk with other masters about their styles and genres. He mainly practiced Wudang Neijia (Wudang internal style) and Xingyi, Bagua and Taiji.

Master Pei believed Wudang to be the original source of internal martial arts since it combines gang jin (hard power) of Xingyi, heng jin (horizontal power) of Bagua and hua jin (converting power) of Taiji. Wudang martial art is a classical and very important part of Chinese martial arts.

Master Pei’s Xingyi was hard but not stiff; his Taiji was soft but not floppy, just like the orchid leaf—tender but with the leaf spine holding. I remember when I practiced push-hands with master; you almost couldn’t bend his arm at all. His body and arms weren’t even slightly stiff, his force and energy wasn’t as old as his age, you could feel the jin (power) from his body and no matter how you moved he would suppress you before you could do anything.

In his late years, he focused on studying Wudang daoist theory and how meditation and Nei Dan Gong (internal practice) enhance both the immune system as well as the spiritual well being. He promoted the idea that a martial artist should cultivate himself according to daoist ideals, from aspects such as virtue, mind, character, thoughts and behaviour. That should be the real and most important part of Chinese martial arts.

Q: Can you tell us something about master Pei’s Wudang practice?
A: Master Pei’s Wudang practice came from the chief of Wudang mountain, Xu Ben Shan. One part of this is Wudang Taiji Yuan Gong, focusing on neigong (internal practice) by practicing zhan zhuang (standing static stances) and qigong. The practitioner exchanges the qi of yin and yang, and keeps qi continuously running around the body to enhance the flexibility of inner organs. Another part is Wudang Taijiquan. It embodies 3-dimensional entwining jin as well as the whole taiji theory. The movements are also good for self-defence by suppressing hard attacks using its soft movements.

The most attractive part of those two styles is that they contain the complete combination of yin and yang, hard and soft, mobile and still, open and close, up and down, breathe-in and out, inner-organ practice and body fitness. They are also very precise on how to use and cooperate jin (power) and li (strength).