The contradictive aspects of motion and stillness according to

Wang Xiangzhai
By Yu Yongnian

I Introduction of this unorthodox boxing system

Wang Xiangzhai mentioned in his Theory of Dachengquan: The practice of

an authentic martial can answer to the demanding needs of all mankind of a new
vital spark, paving all states with a solid learning approach, building necessary
philosophical foundations and helping its practitioners to draw properly their
social life line.

After several decades of studies in martial arts, pursuing and exploring the
embedded meanings, through principles exposed, validating as scientifically as
possible all significant parameters, dispelling artifices and tricks, revealing
hidden and secret knowledge, privileging the overall transparency, digesting
existing practices, reformulating them through a more explicit angle, this leads
him to create an unorthodox method of combat. Now increasing appraisals are
exulting from all martial arts circles, while this method allows reducing
dramatically the learning curve, as a result it has even being renamed
Dachengquan or Greatest Achievement Boxing, from its original name of
Yiquan.

II. Specificities of this unorthodox boxing

Why unorthodox boxing? According to what criteria is it unorthodox? How

does it differ from others martial arts?

After many decades of personal theoretical research but also practical

exchanges, this special or unorthodox character is in fact related to the
Chinese traditional concept of stillness, looking for the internal objects,
internal movements as described as The way through stillness by Guan Zi
Internal Arts Chapter 36, this can also find in the characteristics of Chinese
Daoist doctrines. Precisely from this unorthodox approach of generating
stillness dynamics system. This leads me to reformulate as theSecond auto
kinetic movement: contraction/relaxation of resting muscles in opposition with
First auto kinetic movement where only working muscles are involved in the
contraction/relaxation process.

Based on my studies on Searching the object materialized by this specific

training of resting muscles in this Second auto kinetic movement, we can divide
in three main parts and nine segments relating contradictive martial and
philosophical aspects.

First the contradictive aspect of dynamic and static, which leads us to the aspect
of movement and stillness, which can be viewed as form and intention, in other
words the contradictive aspect of postural execution and mental activity, which is
in fact the contradiction of cause and effect. These three basic contradictive
aspects between central nervous system and muscles, constitute the first
contradictive aspect that we need first to understand in this specific method of
searching object.

Bottom versus up, the contradiction between upper limbs and lower limbs.
Contraction versus relaxation, contradiction between stiffening and releasing.
Essential and artificial, contradiction between root segments and artificial
segments.

These three last contradictions are involving the contradiction between parts of
the body and the whole internal body. This constitutes the second segment of
contradiction necessary to understand.

Qi and Wu, the contraction between sensation of Qi and apparition of

Wu.
Local and global, the contradiction between parts of the body and whole body.

Internal and external, the contradiction between internal and external body.
This constitutes the third segment to understand.

What we have briefly described above are called the three segments/nine sub-
segments of contradiction which are permanently present in the progression of
in combat abilities and the way most generally.

In fact these three main contradiction segments constitute the basic three
segments in mastering the stillness of movement and stillness, which is also
defined in traditional Chinese martial art as form and intention, in Daoist
concept as effect and cause, etc In other words the very specific of Chinese
ancient art.
According to the Daoist doctrine: concerning the relation between movement and
stillness, stillness should be the origin of all, stillness preceding movement and
within stillness seeking the object. Concerning intention and body, intention
should be the origin of all and cause precedes effect as it should always be the
real way.
During Qing Dynasty, the practitioners where among this large majority of
people who were not looking physical training not for prestige or label but rather
in something really useful to build up their health and develop their physical
potential, gathering strength and healing specially in these times where the
average life span was much shorter than nowadays.
This method of healing inherited from ancient Chinese Taoist culture and based
on stillness has unbelievable positive results in curing chronic diseases and
rebuilding health domains where conventional medicine has so limited effects.
It materializes all the good virtues of the concept of weak using the practical of
Dao (described in Lao Zi Chapter 40), we should radically pay attention for
rational method of healing such as Zhan zhuang even for the benefit of the largest
part of mankind.

In Ancient China, as early as Guan Zi, are already mentioned as mental

disciplines, not martial arts, or boxing, Qigong or anything else which
came much later. With Lao Zi, it was revealed under the name of Way or
which leads to the Way now in our scientific era it refers to a better use of
human brain.
In Mental discipline mentioned previously, it is in fact through a relevant
training of muscles develop and boost further mental abilities.
Now we prefer to use the concept of second kinetic movement of
contraction/relaxation of resting muscles. Using brain abilities to cure diseases
or strengthen body in addition to a physical training is an essential curing
approach which should gain more and more interest in medical circles.

Most of people are just realizing the aspect of speed and amount of powering
movement, as Galloping horse, Flying Bird, upper and lower limbs are
animated by incoherent movements, ignoring or underestimating Holy man
assumes the holding position, he maintains his posture, refraining any
slightest movement in his posture, using only the angular adjustments in posture
and mental activity to progress and explore all the invaluable treasures of the
stillness healing method, using the brain as the regenerative and strengthening
motor to inspect your own disease and strengthen your body. As early as 2700
years ago, Guan Zi has mentioned the Origin of all objects movements, the
way of causal stillness. Lao Zi has also mentioned in his way as Holy man
assumes the holding position, he maintains his posture
In Neijing the traditional Classic of Chinese Medicine, it is mentioned also He can introspect deeply,
all muscles interconnected as oneThe traditional Chinese Daoist method versus Conventional
western medicine, suffers from the same conceptual distance than zhan zhuang versus the modern
Chinese martial arts based on frames (taolu). Therefore for the well being of all mankind, I sincerely
hope that such healing method will gain increasingly interest from a larger audience of practitioners in
the same way that TCM among the medical circles.