Qi Family Ape-Stype Boxing

The History of Qi Family Tongbiquan (祁家通臂拳)

Origins and Early Development (18th–19th Century)

The history of Qi Family Tongbiquan begins in the late 18th century with two martial brothers from Zhejiang, Qi Laowei (祁老威) and Qi Laoqing (祁老清), who settled in Daguo village, Hebei province. Renowned for their mastery of Shaolin Liuhequan (六合拳) and the Six Harmonies Long Spear (六合大槍), they worked as bodyguards and martial arts specialists.

Qi Laowei later traveled through Shandong, where he studied the Yang family Pear-flower Spear (楊氏梨花槍) and Luo family spear (羅家槍), before synthesizing these with his earlier training into his own spear system. His son, Qi Xin (祁信), inherited this martial legacy.

Qi Xin became famous during his service as a bodyguard for the wealthy Gu family in Gu’an. In a dramatic confrontation, he defeated a brigand known as “Black Horse” and his gang using only a spear shaft (杆子). This earned him the nickname “Qi the Pole” (杆子祁). Qi Xin married into the Gu family, passed on his art to students like Chen Qing (陳慶), and died in 1845.

The exact introduction of Tongbiquan (通臂拳, “Through-the-Arms Boxing”) or Ape-Style Boxing into the Qi family remains uncertain. Some accounts credit Master Qie (郄師, “Qie the Savage”), while others cite Lu Yunqing (魯雲清). By the 1830s–1840s, Qi Xin and his son Qi Taichang (祁太昌) had incorporated Tongbiquan into the family system, blending spear principles with Shaolin methods. This produced later two main different styles; the “Old Qi school,” (Lao Qipai 老祁派) or Qi Family Tongbiquan and the “Small Qi branch" (Shao Qipai 少祁派) or Five Elements Tongbiquan.

Expansion and Consolidation (Mid–Late 19th Century)

After Qi Taichang’s death in 1850, leadership passed to Qi Shun (祁順, ?–1895) and the talented disciple Chen Qing (陳慶), nicknamed “Flying Knives” (飛刀) for his skill in knife throwing. Chen Qing spread the art widely and trained a strong third generation, including:

• Quan Lu (全祿), “Divine Fist” (神拳)

• Cui Min (崔敏, 1844–1893), “Divine Spear” (神槍)

• Wang Zhanchun (王占春, 1836–1900)

• Zhang Yuchun (張玉春, 1836–1900)

• Xu Tianhe (許天和) and Li Qinhai (李慶海, “Flying Kick”)

These masters propagated Qi Family Tongbiquan in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, often working as imperial bodyguards or professional martial artists.

The fourth generation (late 19th–early 20th century) produced many important figures, such as Qi Quan, Zhang Ce, Liu Peng, Jin Xiaoxuan, Gu Wen, Tan Wurui, and others, who refined the system and kept alive twelve key spear techniques. They also engaged in cross-school exchanges, helping Tongbiquan evolve in response to the martial environment.

The Professional Teachers: Liu Yueting and Xiu Jianchi

Two great fourth-generation masters systematized Qi Family Tongbiquan and spread it widely:

• Liu Yueting (劉月亭, 1870–1934): Trained under Chen Qing and Wang Zhanchun, Liu opened the Strong Wushu State Association (國強武術社) in Beijing. He taught both Shaolin and Qi Family Tongbiquan, emphasizing realistic combat skills with weapons such as spear, sword, staff, and chain whip. Known as one of Beijing’s “Ten Great Wushu Masters,” Liu also demonstrated abroad and taught police and military units.

• Xiu Jianchi (修劍痴, 1883–1959): A Manchu from Gu’an, he studied under Xu Tianhe and spread Tongbiquan in Manchuria (Shenyang, Dalian). Open-minded and versed in Taijiquan, Baguazhang, and Shaolin boxing, he cultivated a large following. After 1949, as martial arts were reoriented toward health and performance, his students developed modernized forms, derived from the “Five Elements Tongbiquan” (五行通背拳) and used in competition Wushu.

Other notable branches also emerged, such as Zhang Ce’s Taiji Tongbiquan, blending Tongbi principles with Taijiquan, and the dissemination of Qi Family Tongbiquan to Japan through Takeda Hiroshi.

20th Century Transmission and Modernization

During the Republican and wartime period, Qi Family Tongbiquan became well established in Beijing and Manchuria. Practitioners like Dr. Wang Rongbiao connected Tongbiquan with other martial traditions, including Eagle Claw and Piguaquan, while figures such as Wang Xialin (王侠林, 1911–1994) gained fame for feats of bravery during the Japanese occupation.

The fifth generation was represented by Yang Guilin (楊桂林, 1887–1969), a disciple of Liu Yueting. He compiled the style into 108 techniques, standardizing the curriculum and writing explanatory poems. His manuscripts became foundational for later generations.

Ji Yulin and the Contemporary Lineage

Ji Yulin (季玉林, b. 1931), from a family of Shaolin Luohan practitioners, studied Tongbiquan from 1963 under Yang Guilin. He became the sixth generation master, training alongside Zhong Guolin, Cheng Dekun, and Cai Min. Ji emphasized international transmission and accepted foreign disciples.

Among his main students was Zhang Zhicheng (張志誠, 1946–2001), the seventh generation, who came from a Hebei family and had trained in Sanda before devoting himself to Qi Family Tongbiquan. Known for testing his skills in street fights and challenges, Zhang preserved the combative spirit of the system and transmitted the 108 techniques. His students, including Wang Yuetao and Yun Luxia (Lucas Christopoulos), represent the eighth generation.

Characteristics of Qi Family Tongbiquan

Qi Family Tongbiquan is rooted in the imagery of the ape and tiger, stressing mobility, agility, and whole-body power. Training begins with the 24 fixed forms, progressing to the 108 techniques. The system emphasizes:

• Body mechanics: Shoulders extended, elbows inward, chest slightly hollowed, waist as axis, feet rooted.

• Power generation: Force originates from the dantian and feet, coordinated through relaxation and sudden release.

• Movement qualities: Sudden, fast, hidden, fierce, light, and agile.

• Structure: Body like a bow, hands like arrows, waist like a screw, feet like drills.

• Fighting mindset: Three levels of training—conscious technique, semi-spontaneous response, and natural, unselfconscious action.

• Weapons: Historically spear-centered, but also broadsword.

• Supplementary practices: Qigong, iron-sand palm, forearm conditioning, partner drills, and “turning around the six poles” for multidirectional combat.

Lineage Overview

1. Qi Xin (祁信)

2. Chen Qing (陳慶)

3. Wang Zhanchun (王占春)

4. Liu Yueting (劉月亭)

5. Yang Guilin (楊桂林)

6. Ji Yulin (季玉林)

7. Zhang Zhicheng (張志誠)

8. Yun Luxia (Lucas Christopoulos, 雲露俠) 

Conclusion

The evolution of Qi Family Tongbiquan reflects the broader history of Chinese martial arts: from rural spear-fighting families in the late Qing, to professional schools in Republican Beijing, to the modern adaptation of Wushu under state sponsorship. Despite changes, the core of the style—its ape-inspired agility, spear-derived mechanics, and emphasis on whole-body coordination—remains intact. Today, through dedicated masters and international disciples, Qi Family Tongbiquan continues to adapt while preserving its distinctive lineage and combative tradition.