History of NO. 5 Health Boosting  Chi ( Qi ) Gong  Exercise

Preface

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​N0. 5 Health Boosting Chi Gong ( Qi Gong ) Exercise ( Five -Animal Exercise ) imitating the movements of animals and birds, is a group of physical and breathing exercise for health care with a uniquely Chinese national flavor. The system was designed by Hua Tuo, a leading physician of the eastern Dynasty ( 25-220 AD ) . He developed his system based on existing ancient Chinese traditional physical exercises following theories of the functions of the internal organs and meridians as well as the principles of the circulation of QI and blood in the  human body. His inspiration came from careful observation and study of the characteristic behavior activities of tigers, deer, bears, monkeys and birds. He came to the conclusion that wild creatures regularly performed certain exercises to build up their constitution and improve their life skills. This NO. 5 Health Boosting Chi Gong ( Qi Gong ) is the new health Chi Gong ( Qi Gong ) exercise series was edited by the Chinese Health Chi Gong ( Qi Gong ) Association. In this exercise, the physical movements and spiritual expressions of those creatures are vividly described, and the principles of traditional Chi Gong ( Qi Gong ) exercise are used as guidance for students. During practice of the exercise, they are asked to coordinate their mind with the movements , and combine internal exercises with external exercise. NO. 5 exercise is not designed only for superficial imitation of the outer attitudes of those animals, because this may discourage the students, diminish their enthusiasm and reduce the efficiency of practice. The postures and movements of the exercises are elegant, so as to stimulate enthusiasm for learning and practicing the exercise. The movements are comparatively simple, and easy to remember. They are also very safe, as the physical exertion required will not tax  even old people. The technical requirements are not very complicated, and so they are not difficult to master, and can be exercised by people of different age groups and stages of practice.

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Experience has proved that after a certain period of practice, both the physical and the mental health are improved. Indeed, physical and psychological tests of people who practice NO. 5 exercise give high scores to their overall constitution, the functions of the various organs, mental attitude and power of perception, as well as physical fitness. In addition, the waistline and ratio between waist and buttocks in female practitioners are reduced, the cardiovascular and respiratory functions are markedly improved, and the grip strength is reinforced. Subjective appraisal about the effectiveness of these exercises by the practitioners have found enhancement of bodily strength, improvement of flexibility of joints, and enhancement of spiritual vitality and psychological confidence.

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Origins and Development

According to LU’S CHRONICLE, NO. 5 Health Boosting Chi Gong ( Qi Gong ) exercises can be traced back to remote antiquity, as a treatment for swollen legs. A type of “ dance” was devise for this purpose, which can be regarded as the embryo of the physical and breathing exercises developed in later ages in China. In Zhuang Zi, we find, “ Exhaling to get rid of waste and inhaling fresh air, imitating the gait of a bear and the way a bird spreads its wings will prolong the life span”. This is the earliest reference to the idea of health care by imitating the movements of wild creatures. In 1973, a wall painting titled , Diagrams of Physical and Breathing Exercise was excavated form an ancient tomb at Mawangdui in Changsha, Hunan Province. It shows people adopting dragon, snipe, bear, monkey, cat, dog, crane, swallow, and even tiger and leopard postures. This is clear , although some captions are difficult to read.

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The formation of NO.5 exercise is first mentioned in the Biography of Hua Tuo in History of the Three Kingdoms, written by Chen Shou of the Western Jin Dynasty ( 265-316 ). In this exercise, the author writes, “ Hua Tuo developed a set of exercises called NO. 5 exercise ( Wu Qin Xi ), namely, first tiger, second deer, third bear, fourth monkey and fifth bird, as physical and breathing exercises to cure disease and strengthen the feet for walking”. In the Southern and Northern Dynasties period ( 420-589, Fan Ye, the author of the Chronicle of the Later Han Dynasty, made a similar statement. Unfortunately , no illustrations or diagrams showing how to practice the original exercise as devised by Hua Tuo can be found in the ancient literature.

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However, Tao Hongjing of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, in this On Caring for the Health of the Mind and prolonging the Life Span, describes the exercises invented by Hua Tuo, and as he lived only about 300 years after the latter it is assumed that Tao’s account is accurate. But as Tao Hongjing’s explanations are not accompanied by illustrations, the exercises are difficult to practice. This deficiency is made up for somewhat the Ming Dynasty ( 1368-1644 ) works, such as the marrow of the Red Phoenix by Zhou Lujing, and in the Qing Dynasy ( 1644-1911 ) works of the Miraculous book of Longevity by Cao Wuji and Diagrammatic Illustrations for the NO. 5 exercise ( Five animal Dance ) by XI XIFAN, where the practical movements of the exercise are described in details, with diagrams and drawing. These movements are much modified from those in Tao Hongjing’s work in that besides the physical movements, the mental attitudes, concentration, etc., are also described.

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The practice of NO. 5 exercise can be divided into two types:
1. emphasizes the physical exercises of the trunk and limbs to strengthen the bodily constitution. This is called “ external exercise”.
2. emphasized mental exercises which are supposed to imitate the spiritual activities and expressions of animals to stimulate mental activity, this is called “ internal exercise”.
The former division be further divided into two groups
1. Vigorous practice mainly for self-defense is called “ Five-Animal Boxing”, which can also be used for treating illness by means of pounding or massage.
2. When performed gently and gracefully, with that aim of strengthening the body construction and improving the spiritual mood, it is called “ Five-Animal Dance”.

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NO. 5 exercise is easy to practice, especially by middle-aged and elderly people, through integrating exercises of the body, mind and QI. The basic materials were selectively collected from ancient works on the subject, and enriched with contributions from the modern sciences of human kinematics and physical aesthetics, as well as the basic theories of the internal organs and meridians in traditional Chinese medicine.

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The physical movements are designed to show the courage and robustness of the tiger, the serenity and poise of the deer, the steadiness and solidity of the bear, the nimbleness and dexterity of the monkey and the swiftness and  grace of the bird. The external physical movements are at all times integrated with accompanying exercises of the mental faculties.

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