Biography of Shen Hongxun (沈洪勳)
Shen Hongxun (沈洪勳, 1939–2011) was a Chinese teacher of Taijiquan and Qigong, active in both China and Europe. He is known for combining Taijiquan structure with therapeutic and spontaneous-movement Qigong and for founding systems later grouped under the Buqi Institute. Shen passed away in Belgium in 2011
Training and Teachers
Born in Shanghai in 1939, Shen Hongxun first studied Taijiquan with his grandfather Shen Baotai (沈寶泰) and continued his training under:
- Yao Huanzhi (姚煥之) — Yang-style Taijiquan and internal structure.
- Tian Zhaoling (田兆齡) — Taiji applications and internal coordination.
- Lu Songpao (盧松苞) — Qigong breathing and energy circulation.
- He Jingqing (何景清) — Tuina massage and energy emission.
- Lama Fahai (法海喇嘛) — meditation and contemplative practice.
In-House Students and Early European Connection
Between 1985 and 1987, Prof. Dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen trained as an in-house student of Shen Hongxun, first in China, later in Belgium. During this period Vercammen assisted Shen in teaching, served as translator, and supported workshop organization and public demonstrations.
Invitation to Europe and Settlement in Belgium
In 1987, Prof. dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen invited Shen Hongxun (沈洪勳) to Belgium through Ghent University, where Vercammen was conducting doctoral research.
Shen settled in Belgium the same year and lived in Vercammen’s home during his initial stay.
Because Shen spoke only Chinese, Vercammen acted as his translator, assistant, and liaison at workshops, lectures, and academic events.
He introduced Shen to Taijiquan and Qigong communities in Belgium and the Netherlands, laying the foundation for Shen’s later independent teaching career and the creation of the Buqi Institute in Ghent.
Development of the Buqi System and Related Practices
After arriving in Europe, Shen Hongxun formulated his main teaching systems:
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Buqi (補氣) — a therapeutic Qigong method focused on posture, emotion, and the release of stagnant energy (bin qi).
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Taijiwuxigong (太極無息功) — self-healing Qigong combining spontaneous movement with Taiji principles.
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Taiji 37 (太極三十七式) — a structured series of thirty-seven Taijiquan postures emphasizing internal alignment.
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Wuxi Meditation (無息禪修) — a meditation system centered on stillness and breath regulation.
These systems became core methods of the Buqi Institute and were taught throughout Europe in seminars and teacher-training programs.
Academic and Research Context — Monica Esposito (艾蘭) and Dan K.J. Vercammen
During 1985 and 1986, Prof. Dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen and Dr. Monica Esposito, 1962–2011) were both affiliated with Fudan University in Shanghai. During this period, they trained together under Shen Hongxun (沈洪勳) and studied Taijiquan, Qigong, and Neidan (內丹). Prof. Dr. Vercammen assisted Dr. Esposito with her thesis research for the University of Venice (Ca’ Foscari), which focused on Taoist internal-alchemy sources. After 1987, Dr. Esposito continued her academic work in Europe and later completed her doctoral dissertation on the Longmen (Dragon Gate) school of Taoist internal alchemy.
Connection to Taoist Internal Alchemy (Neidan 內丹)
According to the oral transmission within the Fu Qinglong (傅青龍) lineage, both Fu and Shen Hongxun studied elements of Taoist internal alchemy (Neidan) under a shared teacher in China.
Their paths later diverged: Fu Qinglong completed the Neidan curriculum and later taught Prof. dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen, while Shen developed public Qigong and Taijiquan systems for therapeutic use.
This distinction reflects two directions within modern Taoist practice — classical internal alchemy and modern applied Qigong.
Historical Context — The 1985 Discussion and Later Encounter with Fu Qinglong (傅青龍)
In 1985, while Prof. dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen was training as an in-house student of Shen Hongxun, he witnessed a meeting in a Shanghai park between Shen Hongxun and Fu Qinglong.
Both men shared a background in Taoist Internal Alchemy (Neidan 內丹) under the same teacher.
Vercammen observed the discussion from a distance while continuing his training but was too far to hear the conversation.
Afterwards Shen appeared visibly upset yet gave no explanation.
In 1987, following differences of opinion concerning interpretation and teaching, Vercammen returned to China seeking deeper understanding of the classical Neidan lineage.
He visited the same park and, on the final day of his stay, encountered Fu Qinglong there.
During later training sessions, Fu Qinglong confirmed that the earlier exchange with Shen had concerned the appropriate transmission of Neidan and his concern about public demonstration and commercial presentation of internal-alchemy methods.
Following these discussions, Fu Qinglong accepted Dan Vercammen as an in-house student, transmitting to him the continuation of the Southern-School Neidan lineage.
Classical Lineage Background — Taoist-Lifestyle Transmission
The internal-alchemy line maintained within the Taoist-Lifestyle program descends through the Southern School of Neidan (內丹) and its modern continuation:
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Zhang Boduan (張伯端, 11th cent.) — author of Wuzhen Pian (Awakening to Reality).
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Liu Huayang (劉華陽, 12th–13th cent.) — author of Huiming Jing (Mirror of Returning the Light).
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Wu Chongxu (吳沖虛, 14th–15th cent.) — transmitter of Southern-School fire-and-water methods.
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Chen Yingning (陳攖寧, 1880–1969) — modern reformer of Neidan study and leading figure in twentieth-century Taoist scholarship.
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Fu Qinglong (傅青龍, 20th cent.) — modern inheritor who transmitted the Southern-School Neidan teachings to Prof. dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen.
This lineage emphasizes meditation, refinement of jing-qi-shen, and internal transformation, distinct from the therapeutic Qigong systems later developed by Shen Hongxun.
Expansion in Europe and Later Work
From 1987 onward, Shen Hongxun’s Buqi and Taijiwuxigong teachings expanded through seminars in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Scandinavia.
He established the Buqi Institute (Ghent) and the Shen Hongxun College (Bristol) for teacher training and research.
After his death in 2011, his daughter Shen Jin continued the instruction within the same institutional framework.
Acknowledgment of Gratitude
With respect and gratitude, Taoist-Lifestyle.Com acknowledges the life-changing influence of Shen Hongxun (沈洪勳).
His teaching during the years 1985–1987 profoundly contributed to the formation and development of Prof. Dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen’s understanding of internal energy cultivation, Taijiquan, and Qigong.
The encounter with Shen’s work marked an essential stage in the evolution that would later lead to the foundation of Taoist-Lifestyle.Com, guiding its ongoing dedication to authentic Taoist practice, inner transformation, and balanced living.