Che Yonghong (1833-1914), also called Che Yizhai was born in Taigu in Shanxi Province. Coming from a poor family he first worked as a carter. In 1848 started his martial arts studies of Shaolin boxing under Wu Hongpu and Wang Changdong.
Taigu county in Shanxi province occupies an important place in the history of Chinese martial arts. Taigu is known as the’ birth place of Xingyi’. Taigu xingyi is not just an integral part of the history of the ‘Jin Shang’ (Shanxi merchant class), it also forms part of the development of China’s physical education in the early Republican period.
In 1856 Che was accepted by Li Laoneng as a student and learnt Xingyiquan.It is in Taigu that Xingyi was born from Xinyi.
The common story is that it was Li Laoneng that felt the name Xinyi Quan only covered and focused most on the internal training, wheras Xingyi Quan focused on the inner and outer methods and balance of yin and yang. After long study of the Tao and debating the name change Che Yizhai and his students agreed that the new name covered both the internal and external aspects of training in a more complete way. Li luoneng had many students, but Che Yizhai was the one he sent to go and complete his training with Dai Family ,as Che was his first and closest disciple.
With Li Laonengs permission, Che continually refined and improved upon Xingyi Quan adding and subtracting things that he and his students felt worked best for actual combat. Che had much experience in real fighting while working as a bodyguard for over 30 years. He and his students were very serious about developing a system that was for practical usage. Che was even recognzied by the Chinese Govt and given a very high honor after defearting a Japanese Martial Artist in a challenge match. Che system maintains the inner teachings of Dai Style, and this part of the system is mainly taught to indoor disciples, wheras a quicker more combat immediate version is taught to laymen and bodyguards. Of all the modern Xingyi Quan, it is only within Che style that we see the Dai Style methods and body structure. Many Che branches that have formed do not even have these methods and use the more extended postures and body methods similar to Hebei Xing Yi. But from within Che Yizhai disciples and their disciples in Taigu remains the foundation of Squatting monkey posture and other key elements of Dai Style within Che's Xing Yi Quan.
