Tanxianping
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Tanxianping, Male, Zhuang, from Shiyan, Hubei, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Wudang Martial Arts (Ⅵ-8). The tradition is documented in Shiyan, Hubei. Within the regional tradition and school record of Wudang Martial Arts in Shiyan, Hubei: Wudang martial arts take Wudang Mountain in Shiyan, Hubei, as their root dojo. Since the Yuan and Ming dynasties they have spread down the mountain together with the Daoists and gradually extended to Junzhou, Yunyang, Gucheng and Fangxian in northwestern Hubei, and been introduced into Henan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang; in modern times they were propagated further outward through institutions such as the Wudang Mountain Daoist Martial Arts Academy and the Jianying (Sword Hero) Martial Arts Academy. The birthplace of Wudang martial arts is Wudang Mountain in Hubei; its founder was the Wudang Daoist Zhang Sanfeng of the late Yuan and early Ming periods.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Tanxianping is anchored in the documented technical standards of Wudang Martial Arts in Shiyan, Hubei. Within the documented technical tradition of Wudang Martial Arts in Shiyan, Hubei: Wudang martial arts have distinctive Daoist cultural characteristics and are a natural combination of martial skill and health-preserving methods, possessing both a profound traditional martial arts cultural foundation and exquisite scientific principles. Taijiquan stresses "first using the mind to direct the body" and afterwards "the body follows the mind"; Xingyiquan holds that "one uses intention rather than strength; when the intention arrives the breath arrives, and when the breath arrives the power arrives"; Bagua palm requires the turning circle of walking and pivoting to "transform so that the intention is complete". All of these express the Daoist fitness purpose of "encompassing the ultimate Dao" so as to attain "Where, after all, does the intent that thinks and pushes reside? It prolongs life and defies age, an everlasting spring", and conform to the concept of exercise that combines inner cultivation with outer training by uniting physical training with mental training. Wudang martial arts originally took Wudang Mountain as their cultural space. Historically, countless eminent recluses and ranks of professional ascetics lived on Wudang Mountain; through their cultivation and dissemination, the techniques of Wudang martial arts grew ever more refined and their reputation ever greater, until they finally spread throughout the Chinese land. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The twenty-three Taiji Five-Element grappling forms": Originally called the twenty-three grappling forms of Taiji's five elements, it follows the mutual generation and overcoming of the elements, valuing intent over force and deflection over resistance. "The three canonical texts": The system's theory and technique are gathered in Zhang Sanfeng's three classics, grounded in a holistic cosmology and the unity of heaven and humanity. "Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua as the core": Blending the Yijing and Daodejing into martial technique produced a system built on taiji, xingyi and bagua boxing, each with its own maxim on intent, energy and power. "Zhao Jianying and the Jianying academy": An eighteenth-generation Quanzhen Longmen disciple, Zhao Jianying taught martial arts in the anti-Japanese war effort and spent decades publishing on and promoting the taiji five-element boxing.
The twenty-three Taiji Five-Element grappling forms
Originally called the twenty-three grappling forms of Taiji's five elements, it follows the mutual generation and overcoming of the elements, valuing intent over force and deflection over resistance.
The three canonical texts
The system's theory and technique are gathered in Zhang Sanfeng's three classics, grounded in a holistic cosmology and the unity of heaven and humanity.
Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua as the core
Blending the Yijing and Daodejing into martial technique produced a system built on taiji, xingyi and bagua boxing, each with its own maxim on intent, energy and power.
Zhao Jianying and the Jianying academy
An eighteenth-generation Quanzhen Longmen disciple, Zhao Jianying taught martial arts in the anti-Japanese war effort and spent decades publishing on and promoting the taiji five-element boxing.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Tanxianping was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Wudang Martial Arts, with Shiyan, Hubei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Wudang Martial Arts in Shiyan, Hubei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Shiyan, Hubei as its declared area, and Shiyan Mass Art Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
The birthplace of Wudang martial arts is Wudang Mountain in Hubei; its founder was the Wudang Daoist Zhang Sanfeng of the late Yuan and early Ming periods.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhao Jianying | Shiyan, Hubei | 01-0038 | Same declared area |
| Tanxianping | Shiyan, Hubei | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。