Chang Chun-Feng



Chang Chun-Feng (Wade-Giles), or Zhang Junfeng (Hanyu Pinyin) (張俊峰, 1902-1974) was a well-known Chinese martial artist who specialized in the internal styles of baguazhang, xingyiquan and taijiquan.

Chang Chun-Feng was born around 1902 in Shandong Province. At the age of nine he moved to Tianjin to apprentice in the fruit wholesaling business. At the age of 16, Chang became interested in martial arts. He studied Gao Style Baguazhang with founder Gao Yisheng (高義盛, Wade-Giles: Kao I-Sheng) daily at the sports field located in the English concession in Tianjin. Because Chang was busy working all day, he studied with Gao privately in the early morning and at night. Since he was making good money, he helped support Gao. Gao often taught classes at Chang's home. Because Gao worked with Chang privately, his progress was fast. He improved rapidly and gained a reputation in Tianjin.

Chang studied and later taught martial arts in Tianjin from around 1920 until he left in 1948. During that time, Tianjin was a hotbed of internal martial arts activity. Chang also studied xingyiquan (形意拳) with Li Cunyi (李存義, Wade-Giles: Li Tsun-I)but only in name. At this time Li was old and Zhang studied with Li’s son Li Bin Tang. He also studied Hao Wei-chen style taijiquan (太极拳). In Tianjin Chang also became a follower of I-Kuan Tao (Yi Guan Dao).

When Chang was around 36 years old he began teaching in Tianjin and later became the chairman of the Tianjin City Martial Arts Association.

In 1948, with the political situation in Mainland China deteriorating rapidly, Chang moved to Taiwan. Financially, Chang had a difficult time making a living in Taiwan. Fortunately, people started to become interested in his martial arts skills. He practiced martial arts in his spare time near the Round Mountain area in the northern part of Taibei. The arts he was practicing were unlike any that the Taiwanese were accustomed to seeing and he would frequently draw a crowd when he was practicing. Local martial artists began coming around to see what he could do. He easily defeated many who tried to test his skill and thereby began to acquire students.

Chang's first group of core students on Round Mountain included the three Hong brothers: Hong Yixiang (洪懿祥, Wade-Giles: Hung I-Hsiang), Hong Yiwen (洪懿文) and Hong Yimian (洪懿棉).

Around 1950, Chang began teaching martial arts full time. He held classes in several locations around Taibei. At this time, he also founded the I Tzung (易宗, Hanyu Pinyin: Yi Zong) Martial Arts School. When Chang started to teach openly there was a lot of opposition to what he was doing. The mainlanders did not want him teaching these arts to the Taiwanese.

Chang was also good friends with Wang Shujin (王树金, Wade-Giles: Wang Shu-Chin), another master of internal martial arts who immigrated from mainland China to Taiwan. Wang was also a follower of Zhang's religion, I-Kuan Tao. Wang and Chang practiced and researched baguazhang and xingyiquan together quite often.

In the late 1950's, after performing in a martial arts demonstration at the presidential building, Chang was invited by President Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to teach him internal martial arts and qigong. Shortly after Chang began teaching Chiang Kai-Chek, he was also invited to teach the staff at the Presidential Building, at the Air Force headquarters, at the Police Headquarters, at the Central Investigation Bureau, and the Intelligence Bureau. In 1961 he began training officers in the Department of Defense and taught a number of famous Generals.

Chang Junfeng's internal arts training program included xingyiquan, baguazhang, Wu (Hao) style Taijiquan, qigong and weapons. Generally, Zhang's students were required to start out in xingyiquan before learning baguazhang and then after learning baguazhang they could learn taijiquan. Zhang's student Hong Yixiang (Hung I Hsiang) later continued this traditional teaching sequence in his own Tang Shou Tao (唐手道) school. According to Hung, if the student starts out in taijiquan it is very difficult to develop and understand internal power. Following his teacher, he suggests that students learn Shaolin kung fu when they are very young, progress to xingyiquan to learn how to develop internal power and then progress to baguazhang and taijiquan to learn how to refine the power.

Chang had an extensive knowledge of bone setting, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese herbs for traumatology. He knew that in the practice of martial arts, injuries were unavoidable and thought that students should have fundamental training in how to heal injuries.

Chang Chun-Feng died on the 16th day of the 5th lunar month in 1974. On the day Chang was buried there were more than 3000 people in attendance, many were high ranking government officials.