Li Zhanhua
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Li Zhanhua, Male, Han, from Xicheng, Beijing, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Tongbei Boxing (Ⅵ-73). The tradition is documented in Xicheng, Beijing. Within the regional tradition and school record of Tongbei Boxing in Xicheng, Beijing: In the course of its transmission and development, tongbeiquan has formed many schools; the most influential are Baiyuan (White Ape) Tongbeiquan, Qi-family Tongbeiquan and Wuxing (Five Phase) Tongbeiquan. Baiyuan Tongbeiquan was transmitted from Lu Yunqing of Shandong to Shi Hongsheng of Beijing, and then on to Ma Xiaohe, Zhang Wencheng and others; it has been transmitted mainly in the Niujie and Guang'anmen area of Beijing for eight generations. Wuxing Tongbeiquan was passed by Zhang Ce to Ma Xichun, Dong Xiusheng and others, and is transmitted in the Haidian and Fengtai area of Beijing, with five generations of inheritors to date. Tongbeiquan, also known as "tongbiquan," is a mimic-style (animal-imitation) school of boxing, named for the form and intent of the long arms and quickness of the ape. Its techniques derive from northern boxing methods of the Ming and Qing periods, emphasizing extended long-range striking and issuing force on light contact, with free-hand single drills as the mainstay and set routines as supplementary. After being introduced into Beijing in the late Qing and early Republican period, tongbeiquan established teaching grounds in Niujie, Guang'anmen, Tianqiao, Dongsi, Haidian, Fengtai and elsewhere, gradually differentiating into influential schools such as Baiyuan (White Ape) Tongbeiquan, Qi-family Tongbeiquan and Wuxing (Five Phase) Tongbeiquan, each differing from the others in stance, method of issuing force and weaponry.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Li Zhanhua is anchored in the documented technical standards of Tongbei Boxing in Xicheng, Beijing. Within the documented technical tradition of Tongbei Boxing in Xicheng, Beijing: Tongbeiquan, also called "tongbiquan," is an important component of traditional Chinese martial arts and is widely practiced in the Beijing area. Tongbeiquan takes the ape's long arms as its form and the ape's quickness as its intent; its striking methods are distinctive, chiefly targeting acupoints, the ligaments of the bone seams and the joints, giving it strong combative effectiveness. Tongbeiquan has 108 free-hand techniques, 24 forms, six routes of general hand methods, six routes of stepping-palm, six rounds of breakdown routines, 24 cannon strikes, and 24 forms of moving-stance internal training. Its weapons include the duanmen spear, tiangang sabre, tiangang sword, twelve-section staff, eight-step thirteen-sabre set, qili staff, ganzi whip and dengkerpi. Tongbeiquan takes free-hand single drills as the core and set routines as supplementary, with post-and-sandbag drilling and armored sparring as its main training methods. Tongbeiquan is characterized by swift hand work, deep, extended, cool and crisp power, issuing force on light contact, extended long-range striking, the blending of hardness and softness, nimble ingenuity and ready transitions between attack and defense. A mnemonic verse describes the state of training: "Eye sees and mind intends, and hand and foot arrive; neither grasping nor seizing, yet still as if empty; ten fingers grip the ground as power pierces the crown; when the hand goes out, the body shakes like a bell and bends like a bow; qi resides in the elixir field, intent dwells at the crown, and the moment of issuing power is always in the waist." Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The 108 loose hands and 24 forms": The body of the style, loose-hand drills rather than set forms: 108 loose hands, 24 forms, six sets of palms, splittings and cannon strikes. "Breaking-gate spear, Tiangang sabre and sword": The weapons of the style, the breaking-gate spear, Tiangang sabre and sword, twelve poles, thirteen cuts and others. "Stake-and-bag drills and armoured sparring": The training methods of the style, post-and-bag work for long reach and armoured sparring to test strikes to joints and sinews. "Eight generations of the white-ape school": One of the major branches, passed from Lu Yunqing of Shandong to Shi Hongsheng of Beijing and on for eight generations.
The 108 loose hands and 24 forms
The body of the style, loose-hand drills rather than set forms: 108 loose hands, 24 forms, six sets of palms, splittings and cannon strikes.
Breaking-gate spear, Tiangang sabre and sword
The weapons of the style, the breaking-gate spear, Tiangang sabre and sword, twelve poles, thirteen cuts and others.
Stake-and-bag drills and armoured sparring
The training methods of the style, post-and-bag work for long reach and armoured sparring to test strikes to joints and sinews.
Eight generations of the white-ape school
One of the major branches, passed from Lu Yunqing of Shandong to Shi Hongsheng of Beijing and on for eight generations.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Li Zhanhua was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Tongbei Boxing, with Xicheng, Beijing as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Tongbei Boxing in Xicheng, Beijing: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2014 (batch 4), with Xicheng, Beijing as its declared area, and Beijing Wu ShuYunDong Association 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
Tongbeiquan, also known as "tongbiquan," is a mimic-style (animal-imitation) school of boxing, named for the form and intent of the long arms and quickness of the ape. Its techniques derive from northern boxing methods of the Ming and Qing periods, emphasizing extended long-range striking and issuing force on light contact, with free-hand single drills as the mainstay and set routines as supplementary. After being introduced into Beijing in the late Qing and early Republican period, tongbeiquan established teaching grounds in Niujie, Guang'anmen, Tianqiao, Dongsi, Haidian, Fengtai and elsewhere, gradually differentiating into influential schools such as Baiyuan (White Ape) Tongbeiquan, Qi-family Tongbeiquan and Wuxing (Five Phase) Tongbeiquan, each differing from the others in stance, method of issuing force and weaponry.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Li Zhanhua | Xicheng, Beijing | — | 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。