Hsu Hung-Chi - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Hsu Hung-Chi or Xu Hongji (1934-1984) was a Taiwanese martial artist

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

who specialized in the internal Chinese arts

Neijia

Nèijiā is a term in Chinese martial arts, grouping those styles that practice nèijìng , usually translated as internal martial arts, occupied with spiritual, mental or qi-related aspects, as opposed to an "external" approach focused on physiological aspects...

of xingyiquan

Xingyiquan

Xingyiquan is one of the major "internal" or Wudang styles of Chinese martial arts. The word translates approximately to "Form/Intention Boxing", or "Shape/Will Boxing", and is characterized by aggressive, seemingly linear movements and explosive power...

, baguazhang

Baguazhang

Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...

and taijiquan.

Hsu was born in Taibei, Taiwan

Taiwan Province

Taiwan Province is one of the two administrative divisions referred to as provinces and is controlled by the Republic of China . The province covers approximately 73% of the territory controlled by the Republic of China...

in 1934 to a family of six brothers. In school, he was very athletic and participated in swimming, soccer and judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

. He began his study of Shaolin kung fu

Shaolin kung fu

Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...

with his father at an early age. He also learned boxing and became a skilled street fighter. After studying the external styles of shaolin for many years, he discovered the unique effectiveness of the internal martial arts

Neijia

and began training with Hung I-Hsiang

Hung I-Hsiang

Hung I-Hsiang or Hong Yixiang was a Taiwanese martial artist who specialized in the internal Chinese styles of xingyiquan, baguazhang and taijiquan....

, a master of all three of the major Chinese internal arts, xingyiquan

Xingyiquan

, baguazhang

Baguazhang

Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...

and taijiquan.

After many years of training, Hsu opened his own martial arts school. Hsu's school used a modified version of the Tang Shou Tao

Tang Shou Tao

Tang Shou Tao is a system of Chinese internal martial arts training founded in the 1950s and 1960s by Hung I-Hsiang , a well-known Taiwanese internal martial artist...

(唐手道; lit. Chinese Hand Way) system developed by his teacher Hung I-Hsiang. Hsu named his school Shen Long Tang Shou Tao (神龙唐手道; lit. Spirit Dragon Chinese Hand Way). Tang Shou Tao is not a separate style of martial art, but rather a practical, step-by-step, systematic approach to learning internal martial arts and developing highly refined levels of skill.

It incorporates elements of all three of the internal arts (xingyi, bagua, taiji) as well as Shaolin kung fu

Shaolin kung fu

and qigong

Qigong

Qigong or chi kung is a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise, healing, and meditation...

. Although he incorporated elements learned from other teachers, Hsu's Tang Shou Tao curriculum was very similar to Hung's.

Hsu felt that if a person, no matter what their race or nationality, sincerely wanted to learn and was willing to work hard, then he would teach them. In the late 1960s he began teaching American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

and Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese students in Taiwan. This led to his falling out of grace with many of his fellow Chinese, including his teacher Hung I-Hsiang, even though Hsu was one of Hung's senior students at the time.

For many years, Hsu went to teach in Japan every year and several of his Japanese students opened schools there. He also went to the U.S. several times and taught a number of long-term American students in Taiwan. Many of his students now have schools in the United States, including Mike Patterson, Harold Bellamy, James McNeil, Steven Baugh, Mike Bingo, Tom Bisio, John Price, Thomas Snowden, Dale Shigenaga and Vince Black

Vince Black

Vince Black is a martial artist and doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He specializes in the internal Chinese styles of xingyiquan and baguazhang.- Biography :...

, among others.

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Links to Websites of Hsu Hung-Chi's Students