Hsing-I

Hsing-I Chuan is known as mind form fist or boxing, and is of Chinese origin. A Chinese General named Yueh Fei (1103-1141) is credited for being the founder of Hsing-I during the Sung Dynasty (960-1276). Yueh Fei’s actual life was very short from 1103 to 1142 because he was imprisoned and executed at age 39 after falling in disfavor with the emperor. One story has it that Yueh Fei was so popular that the emperor and his court may have felt threatened.

The component make up of Hsing-I Chuan is The Five Elements Form, Five Elements Two People Form, Five Elements Linking Form, and Twelve Animal Forms. The component number of animals (12 or 10) depends on the geographic area that practice of Hsing-I comes from. Hsing-I practitioners use 12 or 10 animal forms. The Aibukan Dojo uses the 12 animal forms and that comes from the Shangxi area style. Hsing-I has a technical base that is primarily noted for linear explosive power. However, there are dynamic aspects of circles and angles as well. Hsing-I is known to be one of three primary China Hand Internal Systems. The two others are PaKua and Tai Chi Chuan. The practice of Hsing-I has technical overlaps of PaKua and Tai Chi. Snowden Sensei, founder of Aibukan Dojo studied his Hsing-I directly from Hsu Hong Chi (1934-1984) of Taipei Taiwan. Snowden Sensei was one of several foreign students who received the masters teaching license (1974) directly from Grand Master Hsu Hong Chi and his Shen Lung Tang Shou Tao school. The Aibukan Dojo includes the practice of Hsing-I Chuan as a China Hand (Karate).