Wudang Academy
Traditional Sanfeng Cultural Heritage
Welcome to the Wudang Academy
Our Wudang Academy website is dedicated to the Wudang arts and the continuity of the traditions. Always carry the Wudang teachings in your heart. If this is your first time here make sure to read the links in the top header navigation to understand more of what this website is about.
We found many new friends and a lot of new impressions. I want to share a few pictures of our most important moments
The standard stretching routines in the traditional Wudang schools demand high flexibility to improve ones internal power. Being flexible puts less strain on the body and relaxation becomes more efficient. This will prevent injury and establishes freedom in the mind. Freeing oneself from physical and mental blockades to prevent stagnation of energy.
Between all of the politics and competitions, deep in the valleys of the Wudang mountains is the last refuge. The purpose is to live in the mountains and practice the internal arts. Deep in the Yiren valley is a circle of seekers and believers of the truth.
Baguazhang is derived from the philosophy of I Ching. Practitioners move in eight directions represented by eight trigrams: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun and Dui. Practitioners should keep walking in circles with swinging and hooking steps, and strike with different palm positions.
The swordsmanship is one of the features of the Wudang school,” says Chen Shiyu, inheritor of the Taoist kung fu in Wudang style. “The sword is considered as ‘king of weapons’. It has a sense of elegance.
The vast mountain range of Wudang has been since a long time a place for inspiration and Daoist beliefs. Those who work on improving oneself find a deep bond with the spirits in this area. This post is all about my impressions when I visited the Wudang Mountain area. If you like a picture you can click on it for purchasing a license, nice prints for your wall or a postcard for your friends!
Every Wednesday is a performance day at Yuan Xiu Gang’s school, the performances were going till 11am and the rest of the day is basically free. So that is a nice opportunity to go to the city and check things out! (click on the images to buy a license, print or postcard!)
The suburban district of Wudangshan is within the town Shiyan. In the past, it consisted of bumpy roads and walking paths. The shopping street used to be a crowded marketplace for the locals, now it is closed for vendors and became a western-style shopping street with official restaurants and stores.
Master Yuan Xiu Gang (Daoist Name: Shi Mao) is a disciple of the 15th generation of Wudang San Feng Pai and the direct Master of Michael Weichhard (Master Ziji). You can find more information about Master Yuan Xiu Gang on his website here!
After a long and enduring flight, we finally arrived at the Beijing airport. From there on we decided to go by Airport Express to the subway system of China.
Xuan Wu Quan is also known as Liang Yi Quan in Taoist language. It is the simplest form that has a distinct Wudang feeling, but the form is one of the more advanced contents and requires years of training.
We had two glorious days of sunshine during our workshop. The weather was excellent and we had summer temperatures with slightly cold breezes in the evening. Our German friends from Shaolin Wahnam also came visiting. The fundamental principles of Taiji drive the understanding of the internal arts and so the understanding of these principles stood in the foreground of this workshop.