Biography of Yue Huanzhi (樂奐之)
Yue Huanzhi (樂奐之, c. 1900–1960) was a Taijiquan master, university professor, and Buddhist and Taoist practitioner from Henan Province who became known in Shanghai for his exceptional internal forces (taiji forces) and his pioneering use of these forces in healing. Trained in Chen-style Taijiquan and Yang-style Taijiquan under Dong Yingjie, he later integrated his martial practice with Taoist Alchemy, Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism, developing a distinctive approach to Taiji that deeply influenced Dr. Shen Hongxun and, through him and Dr. Fu Qinglong, the Taoist-Lifestyle lineage.
Training and Teachers — Henan Roots, Dong Yingjie and Li-style
Yue was born in Henan Province, into a traditional martial family. From childhood he trained in Chen-style Taijiquan, typical for that region.
Later, during his university and teaching career, he studied:
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Yang-style Taijiquan with Master Dong Yingjie (董英傑) — multiple independent Western and European sources agree that Dong was his main Taiji teacher, giving him a strong grounding in the Yang family tradition as transmitted through Dong.
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Li-style / Li Xiangyuan–related form — a shorter, powerful form derived from Yang which he also studied.
Some modern lineages have later claimed additional connections (such as formal disciple status under Yang Chengfu), but these assertions are not supported by earlier documentary materials and are not adopted in the Taoist-Lifestyle presentation of his life.
Academic Career — Professor of Chinese Thought and Taijiquan
Yue Huanzhi received a solid academic education:
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He studied at Xiamen University (Fujian).
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He later taught at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, where he served as a professor of Chinese thought and Taijiquan.
Shortly before the Second World War, he moved to Shanghai, where he taught at Zhendan University (震旦大學, a Catholic university in Shanghai). After 1949, Zhendan became Fudan University, where Prof. Dr. Dan KJ Vercammen studied classical Chinese philosophy in 1985-1986.
In all these roles he combined:
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classical education in Chinese literature, philosophy, and calligraphy
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with the teaching of Taijiquan as an internal martial and contemplative art.
Integration of Taiji and Buddhism — Empty Force (Linkongzhi jin)
In Shanghai and Hangzhou, Yue came into close contact with Chen Yingning's Taoist circle and Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism, especially Vajrayana:
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He studied with the lay Vajrayana teacher Chen Guanhuan (often called Master Wang), a disciple of Norlha / Nuona Tulku, connected to the Six Yogas tradition.
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Through this training, he integrated:
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Beipai Taijiquan (Northern / Yang-based methods),
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Chan and Vajrayana practice.
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By combining these elements, he developed a very strong Empty Force (臨空之勁, linkongzhi jin) and became famous in Shanghai for his ability to use taiji forces to prevent others from touching or even approaching him.
According to the Shen Hongxun Foundation, Yue was the first known master to systematically apply taiji forces therapeutically, treating patients during class using these internal forces.
After the Chinese revolution of 1949, Yue left his academic post and devoted himself fully to teaching Taijiquan and using taiji forces in healing work.
Students and Lineages
Yue Huanzhi taught a relatively small number of students, but his influence has been far-reaching.
Shen Hongxun (1939–2011)
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Shen began Taiji at age 11 and was taken as a student by Professor Yao/Yue, who became his main Taijiquan teacher and a decisive influence on his development.
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Shen inherited and developed Yue’s concepts of taiji forces and their therapeutic use, integrating them with his own medical training to create the Buqi system, Taijiwuxigong, and related methods.
Other Lineages
Yue’s teachings also entered several other Taijiquan streams:
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Gu Meisheng and Xie Rongkang — Chinese students who transmitted Yue’s Yang- and Li-based curriculum, later reaching Roger Gouraud and European practitioners of the “Grand Enchaînement Yang” (108 form).
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Kao Tao and related lines — some modern lineages mention Yue as a key teacher in their Yang-style heritage, particularly for internal methods, but may be historically wrong.
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Shanghai Dong/Yang circles — Yue is also listed in some Yang-family and Dong-line family trees, reflecting his place in the broader Shanghai Yang/Nanpai Taiji network.
Within Taoist-Lifestyle.Com’s understanding, Dr. Fu Qinglong was a student of Yue Huanzhi, and an older fellow student of Shen Hongxun in Shanghai. This shared background forms an important bridge between Yue’s internal methods and the alchemical Taijiquan later transmitted to Prof. dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen.
Role in the Taoist-Lifestyle Lineage
For Taoist-Lifestyle, Yue Huanzhi represents:
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a key Shanghai internal master connecting Yang-style (via Dong Yingjie) and Taoist and Buddhist internal cultivation,
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the primary Taiji teacher of Dr. Shen Hongxun, whose teachings intersected with those of Dr. Fu Qinglong,
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and a major reference point in the Shanghai “taiji forces” culture of the mid-20th century.
While Yue is not presented here as a formal disciple of Yang Chengfu, his close connection to the Dong / Yang environment and his integration of internal, martial, and spiritual methods place him at the heart of the Taiji world that shaped both Shen and Fu — and thus indirectly the Taoist-Lifestyle lineage.
Acknowledgment of Gratitude
Taoist-Lifestyle.com respectfully acknowledges Yue Huanzhi (樂奐之) as an important historical and spiritual figure in the evolution of modern Taijiquan. His pioneering work with internal forces, his integration of Taiji and Buddhism, and his influence on Dr. Shen Hongxun and Dr. Fu Qinglong have contributed significantly to the depth and character of the teachings now preserved and developed within the Taoist-Lifestyle Academy.