“I seek not to know the answers, but to understand the questions.”
Yi Quan, also known as Dacheng Quan, was created by Wang Xiangzhai in the late 1800s. Wang Xiangzhai combined the concept of Xing
Yi Quan, the suppleness of Taiji Quan, and the agility of Bagua Zhang to create the style known as Yi Quan. Yi Quan centers on standing
stances and uses the mind to guide the movements and actions in order to achieve the coordination and cooperation between the mind,
the body, and the external world.
The Yi Quan practitioner believes that looseness and tightness form the basic contradiction of the movements of the human body. The
physical qualities such as power, speed, agility, coordination, and endurance are all conditioned by the looseness and tightness of the
muscles. Yi Quan, therefore, is intended to achieve the questions of how to correctly control and use looseness and tightness through
practice.
The major features of Yi Quan lie in the fact that it does not have fixed forms and that it stresses mental function. It requires relaxation,
concentration, and calmness. Its movements are like running water, while its standstills are like floating air.
Yi Quan is effective both as an art of combat and a system of health cultivation. It is a very subtle and refined art, but at the same time
quite simple. Yi Quan can be practiced by everybody, regardless of sex, physical fitness or health.
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