Liu Yunqiao (劉雲樵, 1909 - January 24, 1992) was a
Chinese Army
Colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
and a
martial artist
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...
from the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. He was born in Jibeitou Village, Cangzhou,
Hebei
Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
Province and is most famous for his martial arts prowess. He was a closed-door disciple of martial artist
Li Shuwen and was proficient in various martial arts, mainly
Bajiquan.
He established the Wutan Martial Arts Promotion Center (武壇國術推廣中心, also referred to simply as "Wutan"), the
Bajiquan Association (八極拳協會), "
Jianyi Association" (劍藝協會), and a few other martial arts institutions. The associated groups have spread all over the world and contributed a lot to the promotion of
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...
.
Biography
Early life
Born into a family of scholars, there were more than 20 scholars in the Liu family during the
Qing Dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
, and they were famous in the local area. His grandfather, Liu Zijing, once served as the prefect of
Hanzhong
Hanzhong ( zh, s= , t= , l=middle of the Han River (Hubei), Han River; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in Southern Shaanxi, the southwest of Shaanxi, Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gans ...
,
Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
. His father Liu Zhiyi and uncle Liu Zhijie were both generals of the Beiyang Army. Because of this, everyone in his hometown called their home "General Liu's Mansion".
Liu Yunqiao was born in Jibeitou Village, Cangzhou County, Hebei Province. He was in poor health since he was a child. In 1914, when he was five years old, his servant Zhang Yaoting taught him ''
mizongquan'' in order to strengthen his body.
The famed ''
bajiquan'' master
Li Shuwen served as a teacher in Yunqiao's father's army. In 1916, when Liu Yunqiao was 8 years old, his father invited Li Shuwen to teach at his house and Yunqiao became Li Shuwen's closed-door disciple.
At the age of 19, his father wanted him to study in the Law Department of Chaoyang University. Instead, Liu Yunqiao chose to follow master Li Shuwen in his travels. In 1931, by the invitation of Li Jinglin, Li Shuwen went to Shandong Guoshu Museum as the chief instructor, accompanied by Liu Yunqiao. At that time, Zhang Xiangwu, another disciple of Li Shuwen, was in charge of maintaining law and order, eliminating bandits and tobacco and drug distributors in Huangxian County, Shandong Province. Li Shuwen took Liu Yunqiao to visit him. At this time, Liu Yunqiao began to show his prowess, defeating several warriors who came to challenge him and earned the title/nickname of "Xiǎo bàwáng" (小霸王, Eng. "little overlord").
When Li Shuwen lived in Huangxian County, martial artist Zhang Xiangwu asked him to help him correct his Kunwu swordsmanship. Liu Yunqiao followed Zhang Xiangwu and learned
Yang-style tai chi
Yang-style tai chi ( zh, s=楊氏太极拳, p=Yángshì tàijíquán) is one of the five primary families of tai chi. Including its variations, it is the most popular and widely practised style of tai chi in the world today. It is second in term ...
,
Wudang Sword
Wudang Sword is a body of Chinese straight sword (''jian'') techniques—famous in China—encompassed by the '' Wudangquan'' or internal martial arts.
The oldest reputable accounts of Wudang Sword begin with Grandmaster Song Weiyi around the tur ...
, Qingping sword and Kunwu sword. At the end of 1931, when Li Jinglin passed away, Li Shuwen asked Liu Yunqiao to follow Zhang Xiangwu and continue wandering by himself. Liu Yunqiao spent more than two years with Zhang Xiangwu, during which time he learned
Liuhe Tanglang from the famous local martial artist Ding Zicheng. In 1933, when Gong Baotian visited Zhang Xiangwu as a guest, and from Gong, Liu also learned ''
baguazhang
''Baguazhang'' () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the '' Wudang'' school, the other two being tai chi and '' xingyiquan''. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or ''neijia''). ''Baguazhang'' literally means "eigh ...
''.
In 1933, Li Shuwen went to Jinan to participate in the province's national martial arts examination presided over by the chairman of Shandong Province
Han Fuju and served as a referee. According to Liu Yunqiao, on the way back to Tianjin, Li Shuwen was poisoned and died in Weixian, Shandong. Zhang Xiangwu informed Liu Yunqiao that he could not arrest the murderer in Weixian. After escorting Li Shuwen's coffin to his hometown, Liu Yunqiao returned to Tianjin. According to Li Zikun and Li Zifang, Li Shuwen returned to Tianjin Xiaozhan's adopted son Li Dongtang's home in 1933. He once instructed his grandchildren Li Zikun and Li Zifang to practice martial arts. He died in Li Dongtang's home due to a cerebral hemorrhage in 1934.
In 1936, Liu defeated the
Kwantung Army
The Kwantung Army (Japanese language, Japanese: 関東軍, ''Kantō-gun'') was a Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army, general army of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1919 to 1945.
The Kwantung Army was formed in 1906 as a security force for th ...
Kendo
is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship ex ...
teacher Fan Ota Tokusaburo in Tianjin and appeared in the newspapers. As a result, he got the attention of the
Kuomintang Central Bureau and recruited him as an intelligence officer responsible for assassination.
While in Tianjin, Liu Yunqiao wanted to learn ''
bafanquan'' (八番拳) from a Wang Yunzhang, but Wang disagreed. Liu Yunqiao entered Wang's
kwoon
The word (Cantonese) or ( Mandarin) is a cultural term that is common in spoken and written Chinese. In Cantonese, it is sometimes also transliterated as . This term may carry different meanings, depending on the local culture and the geogr ...
, Liu was suddenly scalded Wang Yunzhang with boiling water, and beat him. When his disciples came to protect him, Wang declared that Liu was a KMT Central Union spy and an "''
hanjian
In China, the word ''hanjian'' () is a pejorative term for those seen as traitors to the Chinese state and, to a lesser extent, Han Chinese ethnicity. The word ''hanjian'' is distinct from the general word for traitor, which could be used for a ...
''" (collaborator/race traitor). Regardless, Wang ended up agreeing to teach Liu ''bafanquan'' and after that, Wang closed his kwoon and went to Shanghai to make a living.
Military service period
In 1936, the Kuomintang Central Bureau of Statistics sent Liu Yunqiao to Shaanxi. In 1937, Liu applied for the fifteenth period of the Seventh Branch of the
Huangpu Military Academy
The Republic of China Military Academy ( zh, t=中華民國陸軍軍官學校, p=Zhōnghúa Mīngúo Lùjūn Jūnguān Xúexiào, poj=Tiong-hôa Bîn-kok Lio̍k-kun Kun-koaⁿ Ha̍k-hāu), also known as the Chinese Military Academy (CMA), is ...
in Fengxiang, Shaanxi. After graduating in 1939, while waiting for distribution, he was arrested and imprisoned for accidentally wounding the principal of the military school because of an accident that occurred during a hunting trip. After being interrogated by General
Hu Zongnan
Hu Zongnan (; 16 May 1896 – 14 February 1962), courtesy name Shoushan (壽山), was a Chinese general in the National Revolutionary Army and then the Republic of China Army. Together with Chen Cheng and Tang Enbo, Hu, a native of Zhe ...
, the governor of the Northwest, Liu was
pardoned. He was awarded the rank of second lieutenant and went to the Taihang Mountains to fight against the Japanese army. He was injured many times.
In 1940, Liu Yunqiao was injured and taken prisoner, and was locked up in a prisoner of war camp in Yuncheng, Shanxi. Liu Yunqiao managed to escape, swam across the Yellow River and fled back to the back, where he was recuperating in Xi'an. After that, he joined the intelligence unit and went deep behind enemy lines for assassinations. In 1941, he served as the captain of the Northwest Detective Team. In 1943, he was transferred to the Chief of Staff of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Line District Command.
In 1949, he retreated to Taiwan with the Nationalist Government, and was at the rank of high school. He served as the captain of the training brigade in Hukou, Hsinchu County, and later as the head of the personnel section of the staff of the Paratrooper Command. In 1955, he served as the director of the Northern District Center of the Joint Logistics Service. After the expiration of his service, Liu Yunqiao retired from the military and spent two or three years at Jingmei's home in Taipei.
Veteran life
In 1967, the guard room of the Presidential Palace was reorganized, and his classmate
Chiang Kai-shek was in charge. In 1968, Liu Yunqiao visited Malaysia. After returning to China, he was recommended by Kong Lingsheng and summoned by Chiang Kai-shek. He served as a security consultant and taught Bajiquan in the guard room of the Presidential Palace.
In 1970, he visited
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, and opened classes in tai chi, ''baguazhang'', and Kunwu Sword in Manila. In 1971, he founded "Wu Tan" magazine and the "Wu Tan Guoshu Promotion Center". The magazine ceased publication in 1973.
In 1978, Liu served as a coach in the "''Lianzhibu'' Boxing Teacher Training Class" (聯指部拳術師資訓練班) organized by
Chiang Ching-kuo
Chiang Ching-kuo (, 27 April 1910 – 13 January 1988) was a politician of the Republic of China. The eldest and only biological son of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, he held numerous posts in the government of the Republic of China and ended ...
and trained four trainees, including the "Seven Seas Guards" that formed the Presidential guard for Chiang Ching-kuo.
In 1982, he opened a martial arts coaching class and taught in person. In the same year, he visited the American branch. In 1983, he visited the Japanese branch. In 1987, the "Bajiquan Committee" was established. In 1991, the "Swordsmanship Committee" was established.
Liu Yunqiao died at the Cathay General Hospital in Taipei City on January 24, 1992, at the age of 84.
Family
Liu Yunqiao had a partner in his hometown, and they had a son and two daughters after marriage. During the Anti-Japanese War in 1941, he married Zhu Jianxia in Baoji County. Ms. Liu Zhu Jianxia finally settled in Taiwan with Liu Yunqiao.
Bibliography
* ''Bajiquan'' (八極拳), 1985
* ''Kunwujianpu'' (昆吾劍譜), 1990
In 1989, Liu was invited by the Chinese National Art Association to compile textbooks on Chinese martial arts.
Disciples
Liu Yunqiao's disciples are divided into two major systems. One is Wutan disciples. They are ranked according to their generations.
* Wu Zibei (武字輩):
**Liang Jici,
Adam Hsu,
Su Yu-chang, Dai Shizhe, Zhou gaoshan, Cheng Zhishun, Huang Yinan, Wu Songfa, Xi Jiajun, Huang Ximing, Chen Guoqin, Huang Weizhe, Lin Deyu,
Tsai Hong-tu, Chen Zhanglin, Ji Zhaohua
* Tan Zibei (壇字輩):
**Guo Xiaobo, Sun Qingyu, Ceng Qizhuang, Zou Jiaxiang, Weng Zhongliang, Ye Qili, Lu Zhanggui, Wang Jinzhong, Ceng Qixiang, Liu Mingzong, Lin Zhongxi, Xu Qiude, Zhang Guanghong, Lin Songxian, Guan Feng-zhong, Zheng Shaokang, Xu Yonghong, Wang Xingguo.
*Guang Zibei (光字輩):
**Shi Guoyingzhe, Chen Baicheng, Ceng Fengshu, Zhao Zhi, Chen Qiwen.
In addition, it is the military and police system, such as Jiang Zhitai, deputy leader of the first group of Seven Seas Guards
Department of Military Information System: Jin Liyan, Guo Gantai, Liu Daxin.
In popular culture
In manga series
Kenji, the protagonist's Bajiquan teacher Liu Yuexia (劉月俠) is based on Liu Yunqiao.
Notes
References
External links
Wutan Martial Arts Promotion Center Official websiteWutan Japan branchBaji men
Bajiquan Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Yun Qiao
1909 births
1992 deaths
Chinese male martial artists
Martial arts school founders
Martial arts writers
People from Cangzhou
Taiwanese male martial artists
Chinese people of World War II
Chinese bajiquan practitioners
Chinese baguazhang practitioners
Chinese piguaquan practitioners