Beijiang Xingyiquan - North River Shape Intention Fist
A Mysterious Gem of a Lineage
Our line of Hebei Xingyiquan primarily descends from the teachings of Kenny Gong who settled in New York City. Gong Ack Fei grew up in Guangdong province outside of Guangzhou near the North River. As a child his family sheltered a Guomindang general in the rear of their home after the Chinese civil war post-World War II. While staying there, he was referred to by the pseudonym General Anhui because he was from the Yellow Mountain area. Initially, Kenny Gong learned Hung Ga Kuen and some Ditang Quan before learning the Northern Chinese martial art of Xingyiquan in private from the general in his home.
General Anhui was unable to speak Guangdonghua (Cantonese) or Putonghua (Mandarin) well and had to communicate with his hosts and student via writing. Grandmaster stated that prior to learning any choreography his Xingyiquan instructor made him study and understand Chinese classics. I personally believe the General's lineage was influenced by both Guo Yunshen and Zhang Zhaodong's lines. Gong's grandmother was a Chinese medicine practitioner and while he did not learn from her, she inspired him to pursue Zheng Gu Tuina - he was an expert in post-traumatic bone setting. Jiang Baguazhang was the other art that Kenny Gong taught and its body method influenced his Xingyiquan significantly.
In New York City Kenny Gong was known for his Chinese medicine clinic and was acquainted with Zheng Manqing. When Zheng was in Taiwan, Kenny would accept challenges in tuishou on Zheng's behalf. While I do not know if it is true, my teachers said that anyone who wanted to teach Taijiquan in New York went to Zheng's school to prove themselves first. Grandmaster Gong was very handsome and wore a pink silk suit that his wife made for him by hand. Not many speak about it but he had plenty of opportunity to use his martial arts due to his nightly exploits running a gambling hall in his clinic. Collecting gambling debts was one of the duties he had to perform. Sadly, Gong passed away in the 1990s from liver cancer. He was a two pack a day cigarette smoker like many people of that time.
My primary teacher in this style was Lloyd Day, I started training with him in 2014. Lloyd was from New York City and was of Afro-Caribbean descent. He started learning with Grandmaster Gong in the late 1980s and moved to Arizona in the early 1990s. There he continued to train with his senior gong fu brother, Tom Morrissey. He was certified to teach the art by Tom and had traveled around the United States to learn the entirety of the system. When I met Lloyd he was already paralyzed from the solar plexus down and confined to a wheelchair. Even paralyzed and in a wheelchair, Sifu Lloyd was one of the most competent static push hands players I've encountered. His mastery of ribcage power was unparalleled and he had an uncanny ability to softly penetrate the flesh with his hands. Shawnee, his oldest son, was often my training partner in the art and I learned much of the Linking Set from him. Sadly, Sifu Lloyd passed at the end of the summer of 2022.
Tom Morrissey passed on the energetic lineage empowerment to me in a 5 Element and 9 Palaces ritual in 2018. Afterward he gave me permission to teach the foundations of the art as I had built a solid one for myself with the help of my instructors. From 2018 to 2023 I had a chance to exchange with Rob Williams who had over two decades of experience learning from Tom. In 2024 I continued my study of this style with Jesse Lee Parker via Zoom for deeper aspects of the Neigong.
Henry Look's Xingyi and Yiquan Expertise
Two Names for One Art
Guo Yunshen (1829-1898) was a student of the founder of Xingyiquan. A martial arts genius, Guo learned Bajiquan and Monkey style prior to Xingyiquan. He was famous for his Half Step Crushing Fist that was very similar to the Baji Beng Chui in use. There was an official who had issue with a Qing nobleman and Guo killed this Qing lord in a duel. As a result the execution normally offered for such an offense was commuted to three years imprisonment. During that time, Guo created new practice methods for himself that worked around being shackled. The oral history states that Guo punched down a brick wall after his release, proving that his incarceration did not diminish his skill.
Wang Xiangzhai (1885-1963) was Guo Yunshen's nephew but was primarily taught by his elder brother-in-law Li Bao. Wang was known for traveling and fighting. After years of testing himself and his Xingyiquan, Wang created a new art called Yiquan. That art took the intention of the 5 Elements of Xingyiquan and expanded it. The Xing were dropped and the essence of their movements were turned into single movement drills. While many think of the standing meditation training method as Yiquan's sole practice, there are quite a few moving, walking, and partner exercises as well.
Han Xing Yuan's (1915-1983) expression of Yiquan retained the flavor of his extensive training in Xingyiquan. Famous for fighting, Han Xing Yuan was an enforcer for a triad organization in Shanghai until he was severely beaten and left for dead. Rescued by Christian missionaries and sent to Hong Kong for medical care, Xing Yuan settled there and converted to Christianity later in life. While not known to be a particularly kind person, the younger Han was quite martially effective.
Henry Look was born in Sacramento, California in 1927 and started learning judo during his training as a soldier in World War II. He began learning Chinese martial arts from Kuo Lien-Ying (1895-1984) starting in 1968. Grandmaster Look pursued other instructors, most likely due to Kuo's alcoholism. Han Xing Yuan came to the United States in the 1970s and Henry Look was first introduced to him then. As an architect for Benihana, Look would regularly travel to Japan on business. During those trips he made a point to visit Han Xing Yuan in Hong Kong as he was nearby and could fly there more easily than from San Francisco directly. Other famous instructors who trained with Han at that time include Fong Ha who also did Dong Family Taijiquan and Sam Tam who was known for his Eagle Claw and Taijiquan as well. These gentlemen both trained with Yu Pengxi as well.
Yu Pengxi was brought to the United States in 1981 or shortly thereafter by Martin Lee and Grandmaster Look began to train with him. From Yu he learned some Baguazhang, Xingyiquan, and Yiquan Fajin. Additionally, he learned the Vajrayana material that Yu offered for empty force. Between 1983 and 1984 all three of Grandmaster's teachers passed away. Shortly afterward he visited Han Xing Qiao (1909-2004) for a week long period of clarification and received some instruction from him. Grandmaster continued to train with Yu's wife Min Ouyang after he passed.
Henry Look founded the Tri Internal Martial Arts Association in Northern California. Grandmaster Look suffered a stroke, recovered and continued to teach. After his second stroke he stopped teaching and passed away in 2016. His students still practice his martial arts to this day.