“When the wind and cloud blow and the lotus dances, you can come to Qingcheng mountain for the essence of Tai Chi.” Situated in Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province, Qingcheng Mountain is one of the famous bases of Taoism. It has developed a kung fu style called Qingcheng style.

Liu Suibin is the 36th leader of Qingcheng Tai Chi. He started to learn Qingcheng-style kung fu at the age of 6 with his grandfather as he was prone to illness and it was thought that practicing kung fu would help him keep fit.

In his teenage years, Liu became a pupil of Wang Shutian, one of the rule makers of modern Chinese kickboxing. “I learned kickboxing because I didn't want to be bullied. I needed to fight in order to win,” Liu said.

He earned a reputation in kickboxing. But he often got injured and developed a quick temper. Later, he worked in kung fu studios and was hired as a security officer by several institutions.

In 1997, Master Yu Guoyong, the representative figure of Qingcheng kung fu, decided to cultivate Liu as the next leader. Since then Liu began to learn Qingcheng Tai Chi systematically.

Qingcheng Tai Chi is different from other Tai Chi styles, “There are several principles in other Tai Chi styles," Liu said. "The practitioner's neck should be erect, the lower jaw should be held, and the eyes should look straight ahead. But in Qingcheng Tai Chi, there will be head-up and head-down movements. Also, other Tai Chi styles require the practitioner to sink the shoulders and drop their elbows. But we do have the movements of lifting the elbow, lifting the shoulder and raising the palm.” 

Qingcheng Tai Chi has three special pieces of training required by the Dragon Gate Taoism. “The first one is mudra. We believe that it's our way to communicate with the heaven and the earth. The second one is ‘the surge of Qi', which massages our organs and keeps us healthy. The third one is stretching that can prolong practitioners' life. That's the reason people feel pain after practicing Qingcheng Tai Chi,” explained Liu.

After practicing Tai Chi for three years, he found himself much more peaceful and more people support his efforts to promote Qingcheng-style kung fu.

Liu believes that Tai Chi changed his life. With the permission of his master, he began to teach the first 36 moves of Qingcheng Tai Chi to the public. Normally the Tai Chi can only be passed on from leader to leader.

Now, supported by all walks of life, Qingcheng Tai Chi has been promoted among the citizens of Dujiangyan, thus became a popular sport that's beneficial for everyone.