Song Shuming

Song Shuming [宋書銘] lived in Beijing during the early years of the 20th Century. He practiced an ancient Daoist martial art said to have been passed down through his family from one of his ancestors called Song Yuanqiao who had been a disciple of Xu Xuanping during the Tang Dynasty. Song Shuming was an enigma in the Beijing martial arts world at that time, and reputed to have considerable martial ability, making him a formidable opponent.

It is said that the martial art he practiced was somewhat similar to Yang style Taijiquan, but had not been passed down via Chen Changxing. This made his style quite unique and also gives credibility to the stories that suggest modern Taijiquan has evolved from a very ancient Daoist martial arts system.

It is also said that many famous martial artists of the day sought out Song Shuming for challenges and instruction, and that both Wu Jianquan and Xu Yusheng (one of the founder members of the Beijing Physical Exercise Research Institute), both visited Song Shuming and studied with him.