Master Wang Qihe(1889-1936),from Huanshui village, Ren County, Xingtai City in Hebei Province, had founded a style of Tai Ji Quan on his own. He was interested in Kung-fu even in his childhood and had mastered well-knit external Quan at his young age. Having learned Kung-fu from several famous teachers from different schools and mastered it well, Wang seldom met his matching adversaries. But in one Kung-fu challenge, he was completely defeated by one of the disciples of Mr. Hao Weizhen, a famous Tai Ji Quan master. After that, Wang had great interest in Tai Ji Quan. With a good chance, he had the opportunity to learn Tai Ji Quan from Hao Weizhen for six years.
In 1914, Wang Qihe followed Master Hao visiting Master Yang Chengfu in Beijing. He was agreeably accepted by Yang as his apprentice for his Quan skills and achievement. Afterward, Yang's disciples Dong Yingjie, Cui Yishi, Jiang Tingxuan etc. followed Yang going south without Wang Qihe, as he was suddenly afflicted with intestine diseases. Wang went back to his hometown then. With no more intention in fame and gain, he stayed where he was born from then on till his death. Nevertheless, he had persisted in digesting and researching Tai Ji Quan especially striving for the assimilation and amalgamation between Yang's and Wu's Tai Ji Kung-fu with his whole vigor. Based on Wu's Tai Ji Quan, he took advantage of Yang's and associated them together in one. Stretching with grace, getting deft in elegance, combining the merits in various schools with his unique understanding, Wang had finally worked out a special set of Tai Ji Quan not only good in forms and spirit but also practical for exercise and fight. This set of the Quan is agile in footwork, easy in movement conversion and prudent in one's footwall as well as springy and stout. It requires the player stretching his upper part gracefully, smoothly and gently. Since its being, Wang Qihe's Tai Ji Quan had been spreading wide more and more both in the neighborhood and farther areas. Currently it has been flourishing in many provinces of China as its 3rd and 4th generations of successors making effort for its prevalence.
In the formation and development of Wang Qihe's Tai Ji Quan, one of his apprentices, Master Liu Renhai, and Wang's son, Wang Jingfang, had made enormous contribution, especially in the promotion work while Liu was more influential. The most remarkable feature of Wang Qihe's Tai Ji Quan is combining skills and movements two in one. The Quan routine developed by Master Wang Qihe that combined Wu's and Yang's Quan movements had integrated all the essences of Tai Ji Gong Fa. Each generation of successors had laid great stress on practice, claiming that real Kung-fu come from long-term of hard practicing of movements. All the disciples therefore have been required to make painstaking effort in movement and Quan frame practicing as basic training, rather than practical use ahead.
During the long processes in practicing the Quan and its refinement, those successors playing Wang Qihe's Tai Ji Quan had formed numerous assistant Gong Fa with various characteristics further developed into individual systems, such as reverse practice, pace-down practice, pace-up practice, free practice and interior practice etc. These Gong Fa and Quan frame practicing supplement each other in achieving skills and movements two in one. Reverse practice means doing practicing the movements in a reverse direction. Pace-down practice means to practice the Quan much slower than usual speed. Pace-up practice is practicing quicker but not mixing up any movements. Pacing-up rhythmically alternates with pacing-down. Free practice is letting you go with your movements regardless of any speed or form fixed but just to be natural. Interior practice is to practice through your volition and minding.
