Zhang Qinlin
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Zhang Qinlin (1888–1967) was an influential martial artist,
teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, and lineage holder of the Yangjia Michuan (Yang family hidden tradition) style of t’ai chi ch’uan. In 1929, Zhang won the All China Fighting Championship in the unarmed division.


Early life and training

Zhang was born in
Xingtai Xingtai (), formerly known as Xingzhou and Shunde, is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It has a total area of and administers 4 districts, 2 county-level cities and 12 counties. At the 2020 censu ...
County,
Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...
province, China in 1888, the son of a poor family. After his parents died while he was still young, Zhang ventured out at the age of 14 to find a martial arts teacher. He eventually sought out the nearby Yang family household to learn
Yang-style taijiquan Yang family-style () T‘ai-Chi Ch‘üan (Taijiquan) in its many variations is the most popular and widely practised style in the world today and the second in terms of seniority among the primary five family styles of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. History ...
. There he began his martial arts studies with
Yang Chengfu Yang Chengfu or Yang Ch'eng-fu (1883–1936) is historically considered the best known teacher of the soft style martial art of Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan (Yang-style Taijiquan). Biography Yang Chengfu was born into the famous Yang Taijiquan ...
under the supervision of his father,
Yang Jianhou Yang Jianhou (1839–1917), or Yang Chien-hou, was the younger son of the founder of Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan, Yang Luchan, and a well known teacher of the soft style martial art of t'ai chi ch'uan ( taijiquan). Yang's older brother, Ya ...
. During the initial years of Zhang’s training with Chengfu, he was only taught the publicly known elements of the Yang style disseminated to students outside the Yang family. After Zhang successful fought a challenge match against a famous martial artist from southern China, Wan Mou, the elder Yang decided the young student had earned the right to learn the Yangjia Michuan teachings. Thereafter, Jianhou had Zhang report to his personal quarters every night between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. while the rest of the compound slept. It was then that Jianhou taught Zhang the
Yangjia Michuan Taiji Quan Yangjia Michuan Taiji Quan ({{zh, t=楊家秘傳太極拳, s=杨家秘传太极拳, p=yángjiā mìchuán tàijíquán), the Yang Family Secret Tradition is a t'ai chi ch'uan style created by Yang Luchan Yang Lu-ch'an or Yang Luchan, also kno ...
system in addition to his regular daily training.


Competition and teaching

In 1929, the central Chinese government sponsored the All China Fighting Championship, a general competition in Chinese boxing. Each province was to send two participants – one for the armed division, one for the unarmed division—to
Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
, the then capitol of China, to compete. Zhang, whose occupation as a fur merchant had required that he move to Shanxi in 1925, entered and won the regional competition for that province. According to the history provided by his student, Wang Yen-nien, Zhang went on to win the national championship in the unarmed division later that year. However, there is no written record of Zhang having competed in any national tournament, let alone win one. After Zhang moved to Shanxi, he began search for a student to whom he could pass on the Yang family teachings. In all, Zhang is known to have taught ten students, although only a subset of those was taught anything beyond the publicly known Yang style. Wang Yen-nien, who moved to
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
in 1949 where he lived until his death in May 2008, was the second and last student of Zhang’s to receive the entirety of the
Yangjia Michuan Taiji Quan Yangjia Michuan Taiji Quan ({{zh, t=楊家秘傳太極拳, s=杨家秘传太极拳, p=yángjiā mìchuán tàijíquán), the Yang Family Secret Tradition is a t'ai chi ch'uan style created by Yang Luchan Yang Lu-ch'an or Yang Luchan, also kno ...
system.Wang, Yen-nien. "Yang Family Hidden Tradition of Taiji Quan, Illustrated and Explained." Vol. 2. Taipei, Taiwan: Hsin Hwa Publishing Co., Inc., 1997. pg. 37.


T'ai chi ch'uan lineage tree with Yang-style focus


References


External links


Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan - Wang Yen-nien Daoguan

Great River Taoist Center

American Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan Association

Elemental Tai Chi (Houston, TX)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Qinlin 1888 births 1967 deaths Chinese tai chi practitioners Sportspeople from Hebei People from Xingtai