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Making sense of Qi Gong

Making Sense of Qi Gong

Traditional practices were being examined for their medical value — not out of cultural reverence, but out of desperation.

The term “Qi Gong” emerged in 1950s China to describe a form of therapeutic exercise — traditional practices of all kinds were being examined for their medical value, not out of cultural reverence, but out of desperation.

China was in crisis. The health infrastructure had collapsed, the economy was in freefall, and the country was approaching what would become the worst famine in recorded history. Between 1958 and 1961, an estimated 63 million people were affected — 30 million from starvation, and 33 million births that never happened. Traditional medicine, which had been suppressed during the Maoist years, suddenly found itself back in favour.

The Pioneers  The man most responsible for integrating traditional body cultivation into this new national medicine was Liu Guizhen (1902–1983). Drawing from both secular practices and the traditions of Daoism and Buddhism, he helped lay the foundation for what we now call modern Qi Gong. Notably, Liu credited his own recovery from illness not to any government programme, but to exercises taught to him by a peasant — a detail worth remembering.

The name “Qi Gong” gained wider recognition after the Tangshan Small Group on Qigong Therapy received its award in 1955. By 1956, government-supported sanatoriums had opened across the country, including major centres in Beidaihe and Shanghai. Another key figure was Hu Yao Zhen (1897–1973), who opened the first Qi Gong clinic in Beijing that same year. A master of internal martial arts, Qi Gong and meditation, he brought deep practical knowledge of therapeutic movement to the forefront of this emerging field.

Two Traditions, Two Approaches. Historically, the practices that fed into modern Qi Gong came from two distinct traditions.

Buddhist  ·  Outside In

Works from the outside in. Emphasises breath retention, visualisation and muscular contraction — a dynamic tension that, when released, allows blood and vital fluids to circulate deeply. Powerful, but dependent on the psychological stability of the practitioner and the quality of the teacher.

Daoist  ·  Inside Out

Circular, flowing and mentally driven — built on the principle that genuine strength arises from a relaxed, unforced state. Actively discourages strain and ego-driven effort, insisting that one should not damage body or mind in the pursuit of development.

In practice, neither tradition exists in isolation. A skilled practitioner learns to draw on each — a more yielding, Yin approach at certain times, a more active, Yang approach at others. A method adapted to the individual’s constitution and psychology will almost always prove more effective than rigid adherence to either school.

Finding a Genuine Practice
This is where things get complicated. Broken and fabricated lineages are common. Many systems taught today are reconstructions — reinterpreted, diluted, or in some cases invented entirely. The Six Healing Sounds, for example, is an ancient system whose original lineage cannot be verified. The version I learned comes from the lineage of Ma Li Tang, a physician and martial artist from Hunan who openly acknowledged that the original system had died out and rebuilt it from his own experience. That honesty is rare, and it does not diminish the practice’s value — but it is an important distinction.

When choosing a Qi Gong system, it is worth asking whether it traces back through several generations of teachers, and whether it adheres to genuine principles of mind, body and energy development — not whether it has been approved or sanitised by a government body. Authentic Daoist Qi Gong tends to include both still and moving practice, flows in circular patterns, uses natural breathing and is performed without strain.

An experienced teacher — ideally one connected to a pre-twentieth century lineage — is genuinely valuable, not merely helpful. Incorrect practice can cause real problems. These are not abstract concerns.

What Has Been Lost China’s cultural and political history has taken a heavy toll on these traditions. Decades of purges, famine and economic turmoil destroyed many lineages entirely. Those who survived have lived and taught under constant surveillance, and what gets displayed publicly often reflects what the state finds acceptable — which is rarely the full picture. This is especially true of Tai Chi Chuan.

Modern Qi Gong has increasingly attempted to medicalise energy work — reframing it in scientific language that strips away any reference to spirituality or inner experience. In some respects this has helped it reach a wider audience. In others, it has hollowed it out.

A Closing Thought The classical methods from which Qi Gong has arisen can still offer something genuinely valuable — a counterweight to ego-driven, high-stress exercise culture, and a practical means of nurturing mental, physical and emotional health.

Anything that wakes you up to your own capacity to heal — yourself and others — is good Qi Gong. No institution owns your life force, though many would like to. A practice that genuinely liberates you as a human being is worth more than its reputation or its certificate of origin.

Remember where these teachings came from: meditators, healers and martial artists who learned through direct experience and passed knowledge hand to hand across generations. Be inspired by that.