Eight Pieces: Background and history

Yue Fei was a Chinese military general who lived during the 12th Century and who created Eight Pieces of Silk Brocade Qigong. In China he is considered as a patriot and a folk hero, a paragon of loyalty.

Yue created the Eight Pieces of Silk Brocade set (Baduanjin 八段錦) and taught this Qigong to his soldiers to help keep their bodies strong and well-prepared for battle in harsh conditions against a formidable opponent.

Yue Fei was the student of Zhou Tong, a famous martial skills master, and developed legendary strength and unparalleled skill with spear and bow, before he joined the army aged 19. His reputation and successful campaigns attracted the attention of the court and he rose to the rank of General.

Yue loved his country and had the phrase “serve the country with the utmost loyalty” tattooed across his back (four Chinese characters jin zhong bao guo; traditional Chinese: 盡忠報國; simplified Chinese: 尽忠报国; pinyin: jìn zhōng bào guó). He modelled his life on famous Chinese heroes and succeeded in this endeavor since later “official mythology” placed him on the same level as Guan Yu. Yue was careful to conduct himself as the ideal Confucian gentleman at all times.

After a long and successful campaign against Jurchen, the Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou recalled Yue to the capital and sued for peace. When Yue arrived to the capital, he was imprisoned and the chancellor Qin Hui would eventually arrange for him to be executed on false charges. After his death, a prison officer who admired Yue’s character, stole his body and secretly buried it at the Nine Song Cong Temple outside the Song capital.

Decades later, Yue’s grandson, Yue Ke, had retrieved documentary evidence of his grandfather’s achievements, and published an adulatory biography of him. In 1162 Emperor Xiaozong of Song posthumously pardoned and rehabilitated his honours. Yue Fei’s tomb is located by the West Lake, Hangzhou.

Yue Fei’s stature in Chinese history rose to that of a national folk hero after his execution. Qin Hui, and in some cases Emperor Gaozong, were blamed by later historians for their supposed role in Yue Fei’s execution and conciliatory stance with the Jin dynasty. Temples and shrines devoted to Yue Fei were constructed in the Ming dynasty.

The Eight Pieces of Silk Brocade set that Yue created lives on and is now one of the most popular Qigong exercises in the world, mostly practised in order to invigorate the whole body.