I. COURSE OF ZHANG YULIN PRACTISING XINGYI QUAN
Mr. Zhang was tightly bound to Xing Yi Quan in his boyhood. His first teacher was a man in his hometown called Zhang Kuijin, who was not only good at Kung-fu but also storytelling. When he was telling stories, he could describe the Kung-fu warriors vividly. Zhang Yulin was greatly touched by these stories, and gradually got interested in the marvelous Chinese Kung-fu. When Zhang Yulin was fourteen years old, Zhang Kuijin acknowledged him as his disciple. Thanks to his talent and diligence, Zhang Yulin learnt Kung-fu quickly and thoroughly from his teacher. Meanwhile, Zhang Yulin also acknowledged Mr. Wang Zhendong as his teacher. Directed by the two teachers with utmost care, he practiced hard no matter in cold winter or hot summer, and made great progress in the field of Chinese Kung-fu.{youtube}-elVjq2A1fg{/youtube}
In 1971, Zhang Yulin got a job in a restaurant in Shen County. And he requested to be assigned to a working position to mix and blend flour for steamed bread. He blended about five hundred kg of flour each day. From kneading, beating, squeezing and pressing the flour he experienced the strength and force of Xing Yi Quan. He practiced Xing Yi Quan everywhere in his daily life. After work, he widely visited Xing Yi Quan boxers of the folks to compare notes with them and learn from others' strong points to offset his own weakness. Back home, he digested and maneged to figure out all those. Several years later, he made terrific progress in Kung-fu and became a prominent figure in the field of Chinese Kung-fu. Since mid-1970s, he has been ranked the top at all Wu-shu contests held in Shenzhen.
II. ZHANG YULIN AND HIS COMBATING SKILL OF XING YI QUAN
The first man led Zhang to realize the profound art of Xing Yi Quan was his brother-in-law Niu Guoshuan. A morning in 1967 when Niu came back home after practicing Xing Yi Quan outside the village he lived in, Zhang feverishly asked to compete with his brother-in-law. After only three rounds, he was defeated. He felt ashamed and irritated, and turned to his teacher Wang Zhendong for advice. Wang calmed him down and told him Kung-fu should be accumulated. Since then, he put more stress on the combating consciousness and skills in his practice. He learnt thirstily from the old-timers and ancient Xing Yi Quan manuals combining with his own experience, and formed his own style of Xing Yi Quan.
Three years later, Zhang was reputable for Xing Yi Quan combating skill in Shenzhen Kung-fu circle. In 1970, he competed with his brother-in-law Niu again. After two rounds of fighting, Niu was pushed four meters away from his standing point. Niu sighed that the young man was to be regarded with awe.
Since the end of 1980s, Zhang, as a Xing Yi Quan master in Shenzhen, was invited many times by overseas Kung-fu organizations to exchange with peers and popularize Xing Yi Quan. Once a gentleman named Mr. Liu from the US learnt Xing Yi Quan from Zhang for some time, and he insisted on competing with Zhang before he was going back home. Mr. Liu completely prostrated himself in admiration after Zhang pushed him away from the east wall to the west one of the room as easy as blowing away dust. Whenever competing with others, Zhang did not seek to prevail over them. In opposition, he drew lessons from other schools of Chinese boxing to digest and use for reference with an open and containing mind. He believes that all systems and genres of Kung-fu all over the world are of the same origin. No matter what genres of Chinese boxing, they have the same nature and functions when progressed to a superior stage. Xing Yi Quan could be embodied all over one's mind and body at a superior stage that even the hair on one’s body can hurt people.
III. DEVELOPING XING YI QUAN IS A PART OF HIS LIFE
Zhang Yulin is wholly devoted himself to the spreading and development of Xing Yi Quan. In order to strengthen the exchange between Xing Yi Quan in Shenzhen and different genres of Xing Yi Quan nationwide and worldwide, and promoting the development of Xing Yi Quan, he successfully initiated two international XingYi Quan exchange conventions, which greatly expanded the recognition of Shenzhen. In 1999, he raised funds by himself establishing a Kung-fu school in Shenzhen, and plunged himself with all his heart into the teaching, development and research of his beloved Xing Yi Quan.
While popularizing Xing Yi Quan, Zhang always keeps in mind to excavate, inherit and preserve "Shenzhen Xing Yi Quan culture". In July 1986, he found and preserved the tombstone of Mr. Guo Yunshen--a Xing Yi Quan master. And also he tried his best to preserve master Li Cunyi's former residence in Nanxiaoying Village. In 2004, he will complete two major tasks. One is to produce a TV drama with master Li Luoneng as the prototype; the other is to invite representatives of all genres of Xing Yi Quan to Shenzhen to attend the monument erectingceremony for Mr. Li Luoneng and his eight favorite disciples. This will be a grand event in the history of Xing Yi Quan and in the field of Chinese Kung-fu.
