Ji Jike (; 1588–1662) was a highly accomplished

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

from Yongji,

Shanxi Province Shanxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is ...

. He was also known as Ji Longfeng (). According to accepted theory, he is widely considered to be the originator of the

internal Internal may refer to: *Internality as a concept in behavioural economics *Neijia, internal styles of Chinese martial arts *Neigong or "internal skills", a type of exercise in meditation associated with Daoism *''Internal (album)'' by Safia, 2016 ...

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

Xingyiquan Xing Yi Quan is classified as one of the internal styles of Chinese martial arts. The name of the art translates approximately to "Form-Intention Fist", or "Shape-Will Fist". Xing Yi is characterized by aggressive, seemingly linear movements ...

. (Other, less credible, theories consider

Bodhidharma Bodhidharma was a semi-legendary Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China, and regarded as its first Chinese patriarch. According to a 17th century apo ...

Yue Fei Yue Fei ( zh, t=岳飛; March 24, 1103 – January 28, 1142), courtesy name Pengju (), was a Chinese military general who lived during the Song dynasty, Southern Song dynasty and a national hero of China, known for leading Southern Song force ...

as the originators of this art.) Ji Jike created the martial art of Xinyiquan (Heart and Intention Boxing), which is the precursor of Xingyiquan (Form and Intention Boxing). He based the fundamentals of Xinyi on the spear techniques for which he was also famous. It was

Li Luo Neng Li Luoneng () (1807–1888) was a Chinese martial artist from Hebei province. He was also known as Li Feiyu, Li Nengran, Li Laonong, and Li Neng Jang, and was nicknamed "Divine Fist Li". He learned the internal martial art of Xinyiquan (Heart a ...

, a most famous descendant of Ji Jike, who modified Xinyi and called it Xingyi.

Biography

During Ji Jike's lifetime,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

was taken over by the

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

(1644–1912), descendants of the

Jurchen tribes Jurchen (Manchu: ''Jušen'', ; zh, 女真, ''Nǚzhēn'', ) is a term used to collectively describe a number of East Asian Tungusic-speaking peoples, descended from the Donghu people. They lived in the northeast of China, later known as Manchu ...

's time. Ji Jike began his classical studies when he was seven years old, and Wushu training at 13. After sitting for the imperial examination, he passed with honors, which earned him a position as a court official in Shanxi. However, he was disillusioned in this position because of the corruption he encountered, and was eventually forced out of office. After leaving, he traveled throughout China to refine his martial art. He eventually made his way to the

Shaolin temple Shaolin Monastery (少林寺 ''Shàolínsì''), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a renowned monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak of the So ...

Henan province Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

to study Shaolin Wushu. At the temple, the monks were all amazed at his skill with the spear as well as his unarmed fighting skills. Welcomed by the monks, he stayed at the Temple, where he spent more than 10 years. It was here where he created Xinyi. Legend has it that during his time at the Temple, Ji once observed two cocks fighting, and was inspired to complete his development of the art of Xinyi. He taught his art to the monks, who passed it on as Xinyi Ba (). It was also during this time that he was suspected of being involved with the resistance opposing the

. Later, after leaving the temple, he taught in the region to others from Henan. The most prominent of his students was

Cao Jiwu Cao Ji Wu (), (1662-1722), was a Chinese master of the internal martial art of Xinyi (Heart and Intention Boxing), precursor of Xingyi (Form and Intention Boxing). According to accepted theory, he is probably the second lineage holder of the a ...

and the other, Ma Xueli. When Ji returned home to

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

, he taught Xinyi to family members. He was nicknamed "Divine Spear" () for his exemplary skill, and was respected like a guardian deity, for he single-handedly defeated a band of bandits raiding his village when he was of old age.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ji, Jike Chinese xingyiquan practitioners Neijia Ming dynasty Taoists Qing dynasty Taoists 1588 births 1662 deaths People from Yuncheng Sportspeople from Shanxi