Zhang Sanfeng

Zhang Sanfeng was a semi-mythical priest who is believed by some to have achieved immortality, said variously to date from either the late Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty or Ming Dynasty. His name is said to have been Zhang Junbao 張君寶 before he became a Taoist.

A legendary culture hero, Zhang Sanfeng is credited by modern practitioners as having originated the concepts of neijia ; soft, internal martial arts, specifically T'ai Chi Ch'uan, as a result of a Neo-Confucian syncretism of Chán Buddhist with his mastery of Taoist Tao Yin principles. He is also associated in legend with the Taoist monasteries at Wudang Mountains in Hubei province.

Stories from the 17th century onward give him credit for the internal martial arts. 19th century and later stories give him credit for T'ai Chi Ch'uan.

Zhang Sanfeng is also said to have been expert in the and styles of Chinese martial arts as well as in the use of the Chinese straight sword or jian. According to relatively late documents preserved within the and family's archives, the name of Zhang Sanfeng's master was Xu Xuanping , said to be a Tang dynasty hermit poet and Taoist Tao Yin expert.

The Tai Chi Chuan families who ascribe the foundation of their art to Zhang traditionally celebrate his birthdate as the 9th day of the 3rd Chinese lunar month.

Traditional folktales

Much of the written material about him is mythical, contradictory, or otherwise suspect. For instance, he is reported by different people to have been born either in 960, 1247, or in 1279. He has at times been described as being seven-feet tall, with the bones of a crane and the posture of a pine tree, having shaped like a spear, and being able to cover 1000 li in a day . He is reputed to have worn a straw hat, and is usually depicted with one slung on his back, but two villages are reported in the 19th century ''Wu-yang Gazeteer'' to have believed that his hat was actually a cymbal, which only residents of the villages had permission to sound upon meeting him.

Some sources record two Chinese emperors sending missions to Zhang Sanfeng to ask for his advice, although neither mission is reported to have found him.

Owing to his legendary status, his name frequently appears in Chinese novels and Wuxia films of swordsmen as a spiritual teacher and master of martial arts.

Today, Chinese readers and general public are most acquainted with Jin Yong's version of Zhang Sanfeng, thanks to the popularity of his Wuxia novels. In his book ''The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber'', Zhang Sanfeng was a former Shaolin disciple in the late Song Dynasty, and born on April 9, 1247 at midnight . He later left Shaolin Temple and established the Taoist monasteries in Wudang Mountains. In the book he had seven disciples, and was alive until the late Yuan Dynasty.