A fortunate meeting
I met Di Guoyong in 2001 when I first saw his videos and asked permission to translate them. We had a real meeting of the minds right away, and I decided to start training with him as soon as I could. I started to train Xingyiquan with him on my next trip to Beijing in April 2003, until Beijing got shut down with SARS. I trained with him again for a few months in 2004, and whenever possible since then, a few weeks or a month every year or every couple of years at least, until 2019. He was caught in Australia, visiting family, during the pandemic shutdown, and we have unfortunately not been able to meet since. He is in Melbourne, and still teaching, so if you can, go along to train with him.
I have introduced many people to him, and they have immediately recognised his quality and taken to training with him. He is great to train with, a mix of modern and traditional ideas and methods, with a good eye for your mistakes. He is a very giving teacher, one of the best I have ever known. I have translated his two volume book on xingyi into English, and I interpret for him on occasions while teaching, too. We are a team that knows what the other will say before they say it.
I learned pretty much all his xingyi, barehand and weapons. Around 2010 I added his Liang bagua to my sessions with him, as I had noticed his bagua students off to the side and was drawn to the strict circle walking. Since then I have learned pretty much his whole bare-hand bagua, but no weapons.
A short biography of Di Guoyong
The web page for Di Guoyong linked above is really good, so no need for me to repeat his biography and palmares. Come back here after you read it, for more personal reminiscences and photos.
Di Guoyong’s books and videos
Xingyi books
A two volume set published in Chinese in 2002. This became a three volume set published in English in 2005, 2007, and 2008. This is an extraordinarily clear and thorough explanation of the whole system of Hebei xingyi.
Xingyi videos
A ten disc set made around 2000. Simply the clearest ever done on xingyi. He is perfect every time, and explains the actions extraordinarily clearly, as if he were teaching you right there. He shows the moves, repeats the actions, shows the other side, and explains the applications (the video company did not want him to show applications, which didn’t make him happy, but it was the boss) I translated the video series to book form, as the subtitles in the DVDs were pretty poor. All ten videos were made in one day, which shows just how good and how fit he is.
Links to online resources
China from Inside interview around 2003
Inside Kungfu interview
Xing Yi Quan documentary (English) – master Di Guoyong and Byron Jacobs on youtube (no longer available, but you can perhaps search for it)
Xingyi Quan Shi Di Guoyong documentary on youtube (no longer available, but you can perhaps search for it)
The Xingyi instructional videos are all available for free on youtube. Di Guoyong doesn’t mind. The video company paid him a one-time fee for the day’s work, so he isn’t fussed about sales. He has made available instructional videos on Bagua as well, on youtube.
There is a cool video of him playing with a bagua sabre, just messing about.
2001, 2003, 2004
We met in 2001, tried for training in 2003. We finally got going with solid training in 2004, when I stayed for quite a long time. It seems like I have introduced someone to him each time I went to Beijng. For over twenty years I have taken friends to train with him, and sent along people with an introduction, and he has welcomed them all.
2005, 2006
I remember lerning Anshenpao on one of these trips. Di is one of the rare Chinese teachers that will do partner routines and applications on women. Doing Anshenpao with him, his arms felt like carbon fibre – solid but with shock. It seems like I have introduced someone to him each time I went to Beijng. Hannah and Aleyn had found him on their own, and were great to train with. I swear Hannah was actually trying to get me in Anshenpao.
His classes are usually a mix of locals and visitors. Sometimes you might find yourself in a more private setting, but in most cases you are training with your brothers and sisters. He can’t stand seeing errors, so everyone can do their own thing and be sure of being corrected.
2007, 2009
More visitors but he always had time for everyone. He is a skilled teacher, always seeing what everyone is doing, and loathe to watch someone do something badly. One of the rare teachers with complete honesty, he brought in Wang Heling, his senior brother in Chuijiao Fanzi, to teach when asked for Chuojiao.
2010, 2013
I finally started Baguazhang. I had seen him teaching it, but had focussed on Xingyiquan.
2016, 2018, 2019
I learned the sixty-four hands, which is way more fun than we should be allowed to have in martial arts! He had a good gang of foreigners on those trips, which means daily sessions, every morning. Byron was there for daily training, so we could work on the partner drill of the 64 hands. Shimu was in good form, giving us another feast.
