THE NEW TREND OF QIGONG IN CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES Prof. Tinqyu Fang Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 100029, Beijing, China I. Evolution of Qigong The origin of qigong is not so clear. There is no commonly agreed chronology or exact line of development But it has been said that people came to know treatment of diseases by ”dancing” in the prehistoric period. A legend goes that the sun was often shut off by heavy clouds and it rained all the time;water overflowed the banks. People lived a gloomy and dull life, suffering rigidity of joints. Dancing was thus recommended as a remedy. From the long experience for existence, the ancients gradually realized that body movements, various ways of breathing and exclamations could help readjust some functions of the body, e.g. imitating animal movements could promote flow of qi, then the Five Animal Frolics were invented. Pronuncing ”Hi” could drcrease or increase strength, ”Ha” could disperse heat, ”XU” could relieve pain, and in this way, the so-called Six Healing Sounds were developed. And the ancient primitive qigong was brought into being. During the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Periods ( 770--221 B,C.), there was a rise in swarms of various schools and thoughs, by virtue of whose work the experiences of their predecessors were summed up, knowledge about nature, society and life was distilled and rationalized and raised to the level of theory. Qigong found its way to systematization and became an independent theoretical setup. Vasious concepts were raised by scholars and qigong instructors, such as ”The essence of life is the essence of qi”, ”The heart is to the body as an emperor to his prone” , ”Preserving the innocent heart and cultivating the disposition”, ”Keeping the mind blank to get tranquilized”. The various schools came to hold their own theories on health preservation and brought about the concept of life essence, qi and mental faculties—the three treasures of the human body. ”Exhale and inhale, to expel the stale end take in the fresh; a bear twists its neck, or a bird stretches its wings”, is also a qigong method for health preservation and treatment of disease through limb movements in coorperation with breathing. Then, various forms have been passed down and have withstood the test of time. Such practice as the Five Animal Frolics, the Eight Pieces of Brocade, Iron Shirt Qigong, Bone Marrow Washing and various styles of Taijiquan, the Six Healing Sounds and the Microcosmic Orbit come through as complete practice sets. There are also a range of practices of more recently origin, such as Wild Goose Qigong, Soaring Grade Qigong, Swimming Dragon Qigong, Gulin Qigong, Zhineng Qigong, Dragon Flying Qigong, Shaolin Keeping Fit Qigong, Fragrant Qigong, etc. which have been created by individual practitioners. In history, there were a large number of different long-established styles, forms, traditions and approaches for working with qi, which included practices with such names as Nei Dan, Wai Dan, Dao Yin, Taiji, Gong Fu, Wu Shu, Tu Gu Naxin and Daoyin. In 1955 to answer the question ”What is Qi ?” qigong was invented by a research group, which included Master Liu Guizhen, the late head of the Beidaihe Qigong Sanitorium. After much discussion and consideration they took the word ”Qigong” from Gong Fu (martial art) , which can be interpreted as meaning ”work/developing/cultivating, and added to it qi to create the totally new term ”qigong ”. So qigong is a modern term based on ancient theories and practice. Trough the 1960`s and 1970´s periods qigong was nearly stopped to develop in China. But since 1980´s the research and teaching of qigong has been resumed. With the ”open policy” all manners and instructors at every level appeared. Every style of qigong was taught. Books on qigong theory and skills were written and published. People flocked to qigong by millions, men and women, old and young could be found in parks in early morning doing qigong exercises, no matter what condition they were, sick or healthy . Since then scientific study of qigong is being conducted in universities and institutes throughout the country, especially in big cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai. International conferences on qigong are taking place. In 1989 the World Academic Society of Medical Qigong was founded, sponsored by 23 countries. It hosted three world conferences on medical qigong from 1989-1996.Some of the technical researches has resulted in the creation of instruments. Dr.Richard Lee, a physicist of the United States has created a machine to test emitted qi. The study of emitted qi has revealed that it contains infrared, subaudible and magnetic messages , which is the scientific ground of the effectiveness in treatment. Another recent development in China is the creation of qigong sanitoriums, where people can stay and undergo intensive qigong therapy and training, together with administration of herbal medicins to deal with gastric and heart problems. According to reports, qigong sanitoriums can be found in other countriess, for example, in Canada there is a ”Silent Ground ”, which is located in a remote and quiet place where they devote their energy to The Healing Tao. II. The term of ”medical qigong ” emerged in 1980`s. After a long-term investigation, it is defined as follows. Medical qigong involves three aspects: direct healing, self-controlled therapy, and hand-on therapy. At first directed healing appears fake to many Westerners. Even within China there is some skepticism despite an impressive research body to support. The direct healing method refers to an experienced qigong instructor to direct his qi into specific acupoints or meridians on the patient`s body so that various circulation can be encouraged to dispel evil qi and to strengthen the circulation itself. The hand-on healing refers to tuina or to acupressure.It means the instructor places his hands on certain acupoints, muscle groups, joints or soft tissues and give pressure and movement to relax the body areas to make qi more easily flow. The most popular medical qigong style is self-controlled therapy. After learning from a teacher, the patient regulary practices certain movements for some particular problems. Prevention and cure can be achieved, so millions of people use these forms to prolong their life, or treat a specific condition. III. Scientific Research In recent years scientific researches are ever-increasing in the qigong field. Study involves not only the subjective feelings, but also biology, electronics, electrochemistry, magnetism, enzymology, microwave and many others. Qigong is now a science of hi the. Here is a list of a few research topics. Spectrum Analysis Effect of the Emitted Qi on EEG of Normal Subjects Clinical Observation on 30 Cases of Chronic Hepatitis B Treated by Huichungong Qigong`s Curative Effect on Lambago and Joint Pain Paralytic Patients Treated by Hand-on Qigong Therapy Increase the Immune System Naturally Computer Evaluation of Thermographic Differences before and after Therapy of Qigong Qigong and Medical Psychology Qigong and Immune System Recently, a research paper on ”Personality and Meditation ” arouses wide interest. It says people of different personality should do different qigong forms to enhance the effect. People of introversion and stable mentality are easy to enter meditation, while extroversion and unstable mentality affect meditation. So before qigong therapy personality should be tested to find out the best indications and evaluate prognosis. IV. Qigong Outside the Border of China Qigong craze has spread to many countries as people want to live longer and healthier. For those who have suffered from some critical cnoditions want to find a cure from qigong therapy. People would travel a long way, wait for hours to get treatment from skillful qigong masters or learn qigong exercises from them. In North America there are several qigong associations in the west, middle and east parts in U.S.A. In San Francisco two international qigong conferences were held in 1990`s, and in Minniapolis-St. Paul a qigong conference was held in 1997. Several hundred people took part in these conferences. Qigong training in classes and medical treatment are carried out. Medical insurance companies encourage their clients to learn qigong to prevent diseases. Each one only pays one dollar for the training and the salary of the qigong instructor is covered by the medical insurance company. In Canada the Natural Medicine Association is in charge of qigong training and treatment. ”What Is Qi? ”, the publication in the US by Dr.David Eisenberg is the first book on qigong in the West. He is the pioneer to explain what qi and qigong is to his fellow countrymen and to the West. Since then there are about 40 books and 20 video tapes on qigong made by the Westerners. Qigong organizations have published many qigong journals too, such as Qi, The Journal of Eastern Health and Fitness. In addition, a computerized qigong database has been developed by Dr.Kenneth Sancier.Because it is a new technique to help as to look into the qigong information, I have to touch it in more space. 1. The database provides the only information in English on the vast clinical and experimental research on qigong, performed mainly in China. The Qigong Database version 4.0, has been enlarged to a total of 1287 citations in English, an increase of 30% over the previous version. The Database contaians abstracts from eleven international qigong conferences and 225 from scientific journals. Abstracts in the database range in length from a paragraph to several pages summarized in tables, and statistical analysis. Using any keyword, you can search all the chronic conditions such as hypertension, aging, asthma and cardiovascular diseases. The considerable research on qigong and the favorable results suggest that there are many ways that qigong can complement Western healthcare.The Database has been used as source material for at least five books, four dissertations, and several research studies. Medical practitioners, scientists and the public also find it informative. 2. In Europé qigong associations are found in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Danmark and Poland.Recently, he teaches pupils at a teenger sport school and he intends to popularize it to public schools. In this summer he will teach elementary school pupils his specific qigong forms for teengers designed by him in California at the invitation of schools in California. The First European Conference on Medical Qigong was held in the summer of 1996, and the 2nd European Conference on Medical Qigong will be convened from June 6-7 1998 in Poznań Poland .The World Academic Society of Medical Qigong will send a delegation to the conference. Two magazines have been published by the Swedish Qigong Society and Academy of Medi-Qi. Each year people of different organizations are sent to China to study qigong. In November this year, the First Spanish Medical Qigong Congress will be held in Spain. In Germany Jiao Guorui`s Yangsheng Qigong is widely popularized by his German students. A book about Jiao`s qigong is printed. In France Dr. Liu Dong has organized a qigong school to teach his special qigong form. 3. In Japan industry is funding qigong programs. An article in the American journal Business Week (Jan. 1995) reported that in Japan senior executives of major companies such as Sony, Mitsubishi, Electric., NEC and Casio Computers are training with ”qi masters”. They say that it increases their vitality and efficiency, and consequently their profit margins. It keeps them young. One executive stated, ”I think qi treatment has helped me grow this company from Y70 million a year to Y600 million”. Japan´s Ministry of Inernational Trade and Industry has formed a committee to look into practical uses of qi energy. More than 190 major companies are funding research at Tokyo`s University of Electro-Communications. The Obitsu Sankei Hospital, is using qigong to treat various diseases, including cancer to improve QOL. Untill 1996 seven sessions of qigong conferences were held in Japan sponsored by the Japan Qigong Association. About 100000 people joined such events. Now a parallel development is taking place in the West: Qigong, this ancient treasure of the Chinese people is loved more and more by people all over the world. Letters and inquiries from various countries frequently come to my desk. What we hope is that people will benefit from learning qigong and people will lead a long and healthy life, and enjoy the world happiness God give to them.
