Li Laoneng (1783-1867), the founder of Xing Yi (forming and minding) Quan (boxing), was born in Douwangzhuang Village, Shenzhou City, Hebei Province in the forties under Emperor Qian Long's rule, and died in the sixth year under Emperor Tong Zhi's ruling.
According to the information and writings provided by some disciples In Li Laoneng's hometown, Master Li Laoneng had conducted his business going to Shanxi Province when he was 37. Then he studied Xin Yi Liu He Quan as one of the prentices of Dai Longbang(about 1766-1831), who was a renowned master of the Quan. Studying the Quan for ten years, Li fully mastered the quintessence of Dai's Xin Yi Liu He Quan. Afterwards, he was employed as a Hu Yuan(protecting the school)Jiao Shi(master) in Taigu. According to the descriptions issued by Li's disciples in Shenzhou, when Mr. Li had mastered Xin Yi Quan, he taught them pugilism and researched the skills and arts of boxing in Taigu, Shanxi Province. He also began to create Xing Yi Quan then
After founding Xing Yi Quan, Li Laoneng began to accept disciples and spread the Quan out socially. Among his disciples, the famous ones were Che Yizhai, Song Shirong, Li Taihe (Laoneng's son), Liu Qilan, Guo Yunshen, and so forth. They had been causing the wide spread of Xing Yi Quan then. Li Taihe, Liu Qilan and Guo Yunshen promoted the Quan around Li Laoneng's hometown, Shenzhou, Heibei Province while Che Yizhai and Song Shirong had been spreading the Quan widely over Taigu, Shanxi Province.
According to the disciples of Xing Yi Quan in Tai gu. After Li Laoneng returned to his hometown from Shanxi and founded Xing Yi Quan, he went to Shanxi again and imparted Xing Yi Quan there. His disciples Such as Che Yiqi and Song Shirong of Shandong Province became famous with their Xing Yi Quan there then.
Li Laoneng’s hometown, Douwangzhuang Village, located in the plain area, is 20 kilometers or more away from Shenzhou. People residing there primarily have been living by farming in recent years. They are not very rich. During the period of Qing Dynasty, the economic condition might be worse over there. According to the saying issued by those people being in martial art circle nowadays, practicing martial arts was very popular then around Shenzhou. So there were many distinguished martial artists and Kung-fu masters having their activities around Shenzhou during the time from the middQing Dynasty to the early era of the Republic of China. Besides Li Laoneng's son Li Taihe, and two of his grandsons, Li Wenxi and Li Xishun, there were some other martial artists living around Shenzhou including Liu Qilan, Guo Yunshen and some other martial artists belonged to the second generation of Xing Yi Quan while Li Cunyi, Zhang Zhankui, Wang Fuyuan, Gao Laoji, Ma Yaonan and so on belonged to the third. Song Yuanqiao, the founder of Chuo Jiao (kicking by jabbing foot) and San Huang Pao Chui (three emperors' cannon fists), also lived in Shenzhou area then.
Many Xing Yi Quan disciples have appeared in the forms of various Pai (schools) in many places in China as the Quan developed forward till now. They are Che Pai (Che school) and Song Pai (Song school) in Shanxi Province, Shang Pai (Shang school) in the northeastern area, Zhu Pai (Zhu school) in Shanghai and so on. The existences of so many Jia Pai (school or group) have been attributable to the development of the marked individualities (personal understanding of their practice, personal skills, styles and different characteristics) of Li Laoneng's continuators in those years.
There was no Jia Pai of Xing Yi Quan within the early period in its developing process. According to the principle regarding the imparting and inheriting relationships with Chinese traditional martial arts and traditional cultural characteristics, all the prentices of any masters would not or dared not easily establish brand new schools or groups themselves in the very past. Schools or groups were categorized and established by later generations. If the categorization and establishment of schools or groups did merely reflect the imparting and inheriting relationships, they would be only kinds of pure cultural representations but lacking in those special characteristics of senior masters' martial arts and the elites and souls of their Kung-fu, those said new schools or groups will be restricted to formalized systems or artistic ones.
