The Man Who Invented Qigong-1

8/12/2019 The Man Who Invented Qigong-1

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28 QIThe Journal of Traditional Eastern Health & Fitness

He defined qigong as the integration of body, breathand mind. This established the norm that influ-

enced all subsequent research and most qigongmethods. [David Palmer. Qigong Fever, p. 32]

LIU GUIZHEN

In the war-torn China of 1947, a twen-

ty-seven year old clerk working for theCommunist Party was sent home on sick-

leave to the village of Dasizhuang in HebeiProvence. His name was Liu Guizhen (

) and he had been suffering from nervousdisorders, tuberculosis, and severe gastric ulcersfor years. He weighed less than eighty poundsand was expected to soon be dead.

As luck would have it, his paternal uncle LiuDuzhou (), who claimed to be the fifth

successor of a secret Buddhist tradition calledNeiyang gong (Discipline of Inner Cul-tivation ), offered to help. Uncle Liu was also

experienced in Chinese traditional medicine.[Palmer, p. 30-32]

If there ever were a qigong boot-camp

nephew Liu was about to experience it. Train-ing was for one hundred days, no visitors, noconversations(although at times whispering

was allowed). Women were excluded, alongwith any sexual activity. There were no dietary

restrictions (it was wartime and food was hard

to get anyway), but it was necessary to drinkfour to five thermos bottles of water daily, andtwo of these should be filled with boiled water.

There was no bathing, no hair cutting, no cut-

ting of finger or toe nails. Uncle Liu Duzhousaid this is the way it was taught to him by his

teacher, the 5th successor of Neiyang gong, andthat was just the way it wasnothing could be

changed.Apart from eating, sleeping, and going to

the toilet, Liu Guizhen was to practice Nei-

yang gong every other waking hour of the day!Central to this intense practice were breathingexercises. In addition there were various pos-

tures, and a lot of mantra chanting. If Liu Gui-zhen wanted to change or modify anything, his

uncle told him, You do only what you are toldto do. Nothing else. Only what you are taught.[http://qigong.arkoo.com]

After 102 days Liu regained his health (andthirty pounds). He returned to work. Surprisedby his unexpected recovery, Communist offi-

cials wanted to know how this happened.Perhaps some answers might be found in thepractices that healed Liu Guizhen which might

help heal others. (After so many years of warChina was in shambles. Many were sick or

B Y J O H N V O I G T

THE MAN WHO INVENTED

QIGONG
http://qigong.arkoo.com/http://qigong.arkoo.com/


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was proposed as the new name. After furtherdiscussions, on March 3, 1949 Qigongwas

proclaimed as the official name for the healthexercises that Liu Guizhen and the group haddeveloped. [Palmer 30-32].

(Note: Over many thousands of years neverhad qigong been used to describe the life pre-serving energy practices of breath-body-mind

which today is called Qigong. Many otherterms were used instead, most notably dao-yin

meaning leading and guiding.)

THE POPULARIZATION ANDGROWTH OF QIGONG

The methods elaborated by Liu Guizhen becamethe model of qigong organization and practice, andwas reproduced in medical institutions throughout

China. [Palmer p. 43]All was not over with just the creation of a

name, for outside of a handful of official healthbureaucrats, no one had ever heard of this new

Qigong. Because of his knowledge and experi-ence, Liu Guizhen took on the role of leader,pace-setter, and standard bearer. He joined

the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and forfour years moved about Hebei province teach-ing and healing with his Qigong. [Palmer,

pgs. 31, 34 ]. The results were impressive: the

techniques promoted prevention and heal-ing, especially from illnesses of the respiratory,

digestive, and nervous systems. Also significantwas the strengthening of the immune system,

reduced hypertension, and improvements with

diabetes and heart conditions. (Liu Guizhen

was reticent about using the techniques aloneto cure cancer, but he believed they helped

speed recovery after cancer treatments.) [Taka-hashi, p.50]

In 1954 he helped create the TangshanQigong Clinic, the first such institution in his-tory, and became its Director. His uncle and

teacher, Liu Duzhou, was put in charge ofqigong coaching(not for the former twelve-plus hours a day but now only [sic.] for seven

hours a day). [Palmer 34]. According to therecords, 365 patients (most suffering from

ulcers and nervous disorders) were treated.100% of the patients showed improvement and95% were cured. [see Qinhuangdao City

listed in web sites at end of article.]One year after the founding of the clinic, Liu

Guizhen was sent to Beijing to demonstrate his

healing qigong. Chairman Mao Zedong namedLiu Guizhen an Advanced Worker, and dur-ing this same year (1955) he was summoned for

more personal interviews with leading govern-ment officials.Liu Guizhen sending healing qi to a patient.

Liu Guizhen conducting a scientific experiment on thesending of external qi.


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AUTUMN 2013 QI31

The Tangshan Clinic was too small, so in1956 Liu Guizhen became vice-president, thenPresident of the larger Beidaihe Qigong Sanato-

rium. Up until 1964, 3,000 patients were treatedthere including many high ranking members

of the CCP; the Sanatorium also trained 700workers. It was considered the most importantqigong institution in China until 1965. [Palmer

36-37].(Note: Another major figure in the history of

Qigong during this time was Hu Yaozhen who

in 1956 became the director of a qigong hos-pital in Beijing. (See http://hunyuaninstitute.com/huandhunyuan.pdf). Hu Yaozhen is some-

times called The Father of Modern Qigong.Liu Guizhen is sometimes called The Father of

Modern Medical Qigong. Others instrumen-tal in the popularization of qigong are GuoLin, Chen Tao, Chengyu Lin, Duan Hui Xuan,

Huang Yueting, Jiang Weiqiao, Lin Housheng,and Zhou Qianchuan.)

In September 1957, Liu Guizhens QigongTherapy Practice was published. It was the firstbook of its kind to appear in modern times, and

quickly became the standard for the many sub-sequent books about qigong to appear in thenext forty years. In 1982 an expanded edition

appeared. The total of both editions printed wastwo million copies. Lius book made Qigonga household word in China. [Palmer, p. 38].

Then all the successes of Qigong began toshatter. In 1964 the government controlled

Qigong Therapy Practice - cover Qigong Therapy Practice meditation postures

Qigong Therapy Practice - binding Qigong Therapy Practice movements and massages

This is an 1958 edition of Liu Guizhens book. For the Red Guards of the Cultural Revolution it was a prime target forfinding and burning. Interestingly the cover and pages were bound so tightly that the book often refused to catchfire(although it had caught fire ten years before to become a major vehicle to bring the modern practice of qigongto millions of people in China, and subsequently to the world.
http://hunyuaninstitute.com/huandhunyuan.pdfhttp://hunyuaninstitute.com/huandhunyuan.pdfhttp://hunyuaninstitute.com/huandhunyuan.pdfhttp://hunyuaninstitute.com/huandhunyuan.pdf


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press condemned Qigong as a thing that: Pro-

motes superstitious concepts of tranquility andharmony which are completely contrary to our

active physical training.Qigong was called, arotten relic of feudalism and the rubbish of his-

tory. Those who practice qigong become mon-sters.Finally the absurdly vicious,Qigong isat the bottom of hell.

(Note: In his book, Qigong Fever (p. 42), DavidPalmer suggests this sudden change in gov-

ernment policies was part of Chairman Maosaggressive campaign against Party leaders,many of whom were supporters, practitioners,

and clients of qigong.)Next, Liu Guizhen became a target of the

attack. First, he was denounced as The creatorof the poisonous weed of qigong and a class

enemy. In 1965 he was expelled from the Chi-nese Communist Party, dismissed from Beid-

aihe Sanatorium, and incarcerated at the Shan-haiguan farm for political reeducation.

During the years of his imprisonment, underthe threat of torture, even death, he continuedto treat and teach qigong to his fellow prison-

ers. His wife pleaded with him to stop. But herefused, telling her: The future will confirm[ourwork]. One day the science that we call qigongwill be known and judged as a precious legacy

and treasure benefiting all humanity. [see Qin-huangdao City listed in web sites and end

of article.]In 1969 Lius comrades at the Tangshan

Qigong Clinic were sent to clean public toilets.The Qigong Sanatorium in the city of Beidaihewas finally closed and its staff were ordered to

condemn and denounce all their former work.[Palmer, p.43]. In 1976 with the death of Maoand the end of the Cultural Revolution the Bei-

daihe Qigong Sanatorium was reopened.(Note: The paradox of the Beidaihe Sana-

torium being open for three years during thedevastating chaos of the Cultural Revolution(1966-1976) may be partially explained in that

Chairman Mao Zedong along with many high-level cadres still wanted to utilize its resourcesfor their own personal health. After Maos sec-

ond wife Jiang Qing contracted uterine cancer,Mao indicated that Jiang should practice Taiji-quanin Beidaihe. The incongruity between the

formal party line and the actual pro-qigongbeliefs of many its key leaders may be a partial

reason for the rapid revival of Qigong startingin 1978. [Kupfer, p.9]

On the 28thof October, 1980, Liu Guizhenonce again became the Director at Beidaihe.

But the long years of political abuse had takentheir toll. He died in 1983 at the age of 63,much too early a death for a master of qigong.

After Lu Guizhens death his daughter LiuYafei, continuing in the traditional ways,became the 7thsuccessor of Neiyang gong Qigong,

and was appointed Vice Director of the formerBeidaihe Sanatorium, now called The National

Medical Qigong Hospital and Training Center,or Beidaihe Qigong Hospital for short. Its cur-riculum expanded to include Taijiquan, Tradi-

tional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and even somewestern medicine. Liu Yafei remains a dynamichealer and teacher in 2013. [see http://www.

chinaqigong.net/english/2.htm [and] http://www.Neiyanggong.us/teachers.html ].

Just as Liu Guizhen predicted during the

dark days of his incarceration and persecutions,One day the science that we call qigong will be


Madam Liu Yafei, Liu Guizhens daughter and 7thsuccessor of Neiyang gong, Vice Director of the BeidaiheQigong Hospital.
http://www.chinaqigong.net/english/2.htmhttp://www.chinaqigong.net/english/2.htmhttp://www.neiyanggong.us/teachers.htmlhttp://www.neiyanggong.us/teachers.htmlhttp://www.chinaqigong.net/english/2.htm


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known and judged as a precious legacy and treasurebenefiting all humanity. Thanks to the work ofLiu Guizhen many millions of people through-out the world now have a better, healthier and

happier life.The author teaches qigong in the Boston area. Con-tact: .

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Books in EnglishKenneth S. Cohen. The Way of Qigong. Ballantine,

1997.Kristin Kupfer. Emergence and Development of Spir-

itual-Religious Groups in the Peoples Republic ofChina after 1978Dissertation. [at] http://www-brs.ub.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/netahtml/HSS/Diss/

KupferKristin/diss.pdf .David A. Palmer. Qigong Fever: Body, Science and

Utopia in China. Columbia University Press, 2007.[This is the most important source for this article].

Masaru Takahashi & Stephen Brown. Qigong forHealth: Chinese Traditional Exercise for Cure andPrevention. Japan Publications, 1986. [an outstand-ing comprehensive presentation of Liu GuizhensQigong. The only book of its kind in English.]

Books in Chinese 1957/1981-2. [Liu Guizhen.

Qigong Therapy Practice.] [a pdf of the 1957 edition

is at http://ishare.iask.sina.com.cn/download/explain.php?fileid=7026210 ]

Books in GermanLiu Yafei. Innen Nhrendes QigongNeiyanggong.

Urban & Fischer, 2012. (Kindle edition availableat Amazon.)

Web Sites

Beidaihe Qigong Rehabilitation Hospital of HebeiProvince [at] http://www.chinaqigong.net/

english/2.htmHistoire du Qi Gong [at] http://www.yiquan78.org/

historeqigong.htm

The History of Nei Yang Gong Qigong http://www.Neiyanggong.us/nei-yang-gong-his-tory.html

Nei Yang Gong and Tai Ji Quan [at] http://www.Neiyanggong.us/index.html [This extensive siteoffers an outline-syllabus of the 21st century ver-sion of Liu Guizhens qigong. There is informationabout the National Medical Qigong Hospital andTraining Centre at Beidaihe, and a list teachers inChina and the USA.]

MovementsQigong de la Femme par MadameLiu Ya Fei [at] http://mouvements.unblog.fr/2012/04/07/qi-gong-de-la-femme.

Web Sites in Chinese2050-80 [ The20th century qigong therapy 50-80 years ][at]http://qigong.arkoo.com/sf_789C03E80D7E43B8AC08392B88565EE0_17_zhangtiange.html

[Qinhuangdao City, Chi Sec-tion X] [at] http://www.qhddfz.com/dfzpdf/.pdf

Chinese Qigong the Historical early Series [text inChinese] [at] http://www.chinaqigong.net/qgb/wrbz/history1.htm [and] http://www.chinaq-igong.net/qgb/wrbz/history2.htm.

Picture Sources1. Liu Guizhen sending healing qito a patient.2. Liu Guizhen sending qito his temples [ both from

http://www.yiquan78.org/historeqigong.htm ].3. Liu Guizhen conducting a scientific experiment

on the sending of external qi. [cover of] [Qigong and Science, premier edition], 1982.

4. Qigong Therapy Practice cover.5. Qigong Therapy Practice binding.6. Qigong Therapy Practice meditation postures.7. Qigong Therapy Practice movements and mas-

sages. [All Qigong Therapy Practice pictures fromhttp://www.kongfz.cn/item_pic_9623364 ].

8. Madam Liu Yafei, Liu Guizhens daughter and7thsuccessor of Neiyang gong, Vice Director of theBeidaihe Qigong Hospital. [from] http://web.com-hem.se/qigong

9. Liu Yafei teaching Neiyang gongto students fromJapan. [at] http://www.lotusqigong.com/Lotus_Qigong/What_is_Qigong.html

Liu Yafei teaching Neiyang gong to students from Japan.
mailto:[email protected]://www.brs.ub.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/netahtml/HSS/Diss/kupferkristin/diss.pdfhttp://www.brs.ub.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/netahtml/HSS/Diss/kupferkristin/diss.pdfhttp://ishare.iask.sina.com.cn/download/explain.php?fileid=7026210http://ishare.iask.sina.com.cn/download/explain.php?fileid=7026210http://www.chinaqigong.net/english/2.htmhttp://www.chinaqigong.net/english/2.htmhttp://www.chinaqigong.net/english/2.htmhttp://www.chinaqigong.net/english/2.htmhttp://www.chinaqigong.net/english/2.htmhttp://www.yiquan78.org/historeqigong.htmhttp://www.yiquan78.org/historeqigong.htmhttp://www.yiquan78.org/historeqigong.htmhttp://www.yiquan78.org/historeqigong.htmhttp://www.yiquan78.org/historeqigong.htmhttp://www.neiyanggong.us/nei-yang-gong-history.htmlhttp://www.neiyanggong.us/nei-yang-gong-history.htmlhttp://www.neiyanggong.us/nei-yang-gong-history.htmlhttp://www.neiyanggong.us/nei-yang-gong-history.htmlhttp://www.neiyanggong.us/index.htmlhttp://www.neiyanggong.us/index.htmlhttp://www.neiyanggong.us/index.htmlhttp://www.neiyanggong.us/index.htmlhttp://mouvements.unblog.fr/2012/04/07/qi-gong-de-la-femmehttp://mouvements.unblog.fr/2012/04/07/qi-gong-de-la-femmehttp://mouvements.unblog.fr/2012/04/07/qi-gong-de-la-femmehttp://mouvements.unblog.fr/2012/04/07/qi-gong-de-la-femmehttp://qigong.arkoo.com/sf_789C03E80D7E43B8AC08392B88565EE0_17_zhangtiange.htmlhttp://qigong.arkoo.com/sf_789C03E80D7E43B8AC08392B88565EE0_17_zhangtiange.htmlhttp://www.qhddfz.com/dfzpdf/%E7%A7%A6%E7%9A%87%E5%B2%9B%E5%B8%82%E5%BF%97%E7%AC%AC%E5%8D%81%E5%8D%B7.pdfhttp://www.qhddfz.com/dfzpdf/%E7%A7%A6%E7%9A%87%E5%B2%9B%E5%B8%82%E5%BF%97%E7%AC%AC%E5%8D%81%E5%8D%B7.pdfhttp://www.qhddfz.com/dfzpdf/%E7%A7%A6%E7%9A%87%E5%B2%9B%E5%B8%82%E5%BF%97%E7%AC%AC%E5%8D%81%E5%8D%B7.pdfhttp://www.qhddfz.com/dfzpdf/%E7%A7%A6%E7%9A%87%E5%B2%9B%E5%B8%82%E5%BF%97%E7%AC%AC%E5%8D%81%E5%8D%B7.pdfhttp://www.qhddfz.com/dfzpdf/%E7%A7%A6%E7%9A%87%E5%B2%9B%E5%B8%82%E5%BF%97%E7%AC%AC%E5%8D%81%E5%8D%B7.pdfhttp://www.chinaqigong.net/qgb/wrbz/history1.htmhttp://www.chinaqigong.net/qgb/wrbz/history1.htmhttp://www.chinaq-igong.net/qgb/wrbz/history2.htmhttp://www.chinaq-igong.net/qgb/wrbz/history2.htmhttp://www.yiquan78.org/historeqigong.htmhttp://www.yiquan78.org/historeqigong.htmhttp://www.yiquan78.org/historeqigong.htmhttp://www.kongfz.cn/item_pic_9623364http://www.kongfz.cn/item_pic_9623364http://www.kongfz.cn/item_pic_9623364http://www.kongfz.cn/item_pic_9623364http://web.comhem.se/qigonghttp://web.comhem.se/qigonghttp://web.comhem.se/qigonghttp://web.comhem.se/qigonghttp://web.comhem.se/qigonghttp://web.comhem.se/qigonghttp://www.lotusqigong.com/Lotus_Qigong/What_is_Qigong.htmlhttp://www.lotusqigong.com/Lotus_Qigong/What_is_Qigong.htmlhttp://www.lotusqigong.com/Lotus_Qigong/What_is_Qigong.htmlhttp://www.lotusqigong.com/Lotus_Qigong/What_is_Qigong.htmlhttp://www.lotusqigong.com/Lotus_Qigong/What_is_Qigong.htmlhttp://web.comhem.se/qigonghttp://www.kongfz.cn/item_pic_9623364http://www.yiquan78.org/historeqigong.htmhttp://www.chinaq-igong.net/qgb/wrbz/history2.htmhttp://www.chinaq-igong.net/qgb/wrbz/history2.htmhttp://www.chinaqigong.net/qgb/wrbz/history1.htmhttp://www.qhddfz.com/dfzpdf/%E7%A7%A6%E7%9A%87%E5%B2%9B%E5%B8%82%E5%BF%97%E7%AC%AC%E5%8D%81%E5%8D%B7.pdfhttp://qigong.arkoo.com/sf_789C03E80D7E43B8AC08392B88565EE0_17_zhangtiange.htmlhttp://mouvements.unblog.fr/2012/04/07/qi-gong-de-la-femmehttp://www.neiyanggong.us/index.htmlhttp://www.neiyanggong.us/nei-yang-gong-history.htmlhttp://www.yiquan78.org/historeqigong.htmhttp://www.chinaqigong.net/english/2.htmhttp://ishare.iask.sina.com.cn/download/explain.php?fileid=7026210http://www.brs.ub.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/netahtml/HSS/Diss/kupferkristin/diss.pdfmailto:[email protected]

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