What is Zhineng Qigong?
Zhineng Qigong — "wisdom capability" Qigong — is the most widely practiced Qigong system in China, created by Prof. Dr. Pang Ming. It is an open-style practice of focused movements and meditations, based on Western Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and traditional Qigong forms.
The meaning of "Zhineng"
The word Zhineng translates to "wisdom capability" or "intelligence ability," and it is made of two characters:
Zhì means intelligence or wisdom — the ability of the cerebral cortex to deal with various external affairs. Néng means competencies, abilities, and potential, including brain functions and physical abilities. Together they reflect a practice that cultivates both the body and the consciousness.
While Zhineng Qigong is used to activate the body's self-healing abilities — normalizing functions and preventing illness within the body — its focus on full human potential has been known to increase the overall quality of life. Through regular practice, one can develop intelligence, improve competencies and abilities, develop paranormal intelligence, and achieve holistic health.
What happens when you practice Zhineng Qigong?
According to traditional Chinese medicine, meridians — a system of energy channels — exist parallel to our blood, nervous, and lymphatic systems. The Qi (vital life force energy) runs through these meridians, but the flow of Qi can be blocked by stress or anxiety. This Qigong form has the ability to remove these Qi blockages and allow Qi to flow freely again.
When you practice Zhineng Qigong, the Qi in your entire body activates and runs through your meridians. This flow of Qi removes blockages causing illnesses. It affects all systems in your body, boosting mental and physical well-being, while the practice itself fosters creativity, focus, inner strength, and balance. It's no wonder Zhineng Qigong is the world's most widely practiced form of Qigong, with over 20 million global practitioners.
The core methods
The foundational practices include Hold Qi Up and Pour Qi Down (also known as Lift Qi Up, Pour Qi Down), Three Centers Merge, and La Qi — methods taught at the Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Clinic and Training Center, the medicineless hospital near Beijing. Zhineng Qigong Level 1 focuses mainly on the Lift Qi Up, Pour Qi Down method, providing the perfect foundation for understanding both Zhineng Qigong and Hunyuan Qi Therapy.
What is Qi?
The Chinese character "Qi" combines the symbols for rice and steam, indicating the nourishing characteristic of Qi. It is often translated as "life force energy" or simply "energy." According to Zhineng Qigong Science, there are three forms of Qi: physical matter, energy, and information. The concept of Qi as information highlights the interconnectedness between mind, body, and the external environment, recognizing the potential for conscious influence over physical reality.
There are also two sources of Qi: the Qi of nature (external Qi) and the human body Qi (internal Qi). The internal and external Qi always exchange with each other, transform, balance, and benefit each other, representing the evolution and regeneration of life.
Zhineng Qigong views Qi as a form of information capable of effecting physical changes in specified targets during Qi Therapy and external Qi treatment — and views human consciousness (intention, thoughts) as capable of generating such effective information.
The three levels of Qi, according to Dr. Pang Ming
Dr. Pang Ming subdivided Qi into three groups:
Primeval Hunyuan Qi
The most fundamental substrate of the universe; everything in the universe evolved from this.
Hunyuan Qi
The information content of all objects in the universe. Everything in the universe has its own form of nonlocal, holistic information substructure.
Yi Yuan Ti
The Qi of the central nervous system of humans. This is the fundamental nature of human consciousness. In comparison to the two other levels of Qi, it has initiative and selectivity. A person who learns to stay mindful and focused (as taught in Qigong training) has the ability to impose Qi (or information) on chosen targets, to bring about the desired outcome.
What is Qigong?
Built on the holistic concept of life, Qigong is a practical approach to improve and strengthen vital functions of the human body and turn natural instincts into conscious intelligence through regulating the mind, the body, and breathing.
The theoretical basis — the holistic concept of life
The holistic concept of life encompasses the following points:
- Universal nature is a whole entity, comprising countless material levels, which can tolerate and transform each other.
- The human body is a whole entity. In the view of traditional Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine, this whole entity integrates body and mind and is dominated by the mind, centred on vital organs, and maintained by the Qi and energy contained in the meridian system. From the perspective of Zhineng Qigong, this whole entity is the Hunyuan entity that integrates body, Qi, and mind.
- The integration of humans and nature. Specifically, humans and nature constitute a whole entity. Today, scientists from Europe and America are also conducting research into this holistic theory.
The benefits of Qigong practice
Qigong practice offers remarkable, well-documented benefits. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qigongology believe that diseases arise from Qi and blood deficiencies, disorders of Qi and blood circulation, and the consequent imbalance of various vital functions. The practice not only increases Qi and blood to sufficient levels, but also dredges them. As the saying goes, "A person will never fall sick if his/her Qi and blood are circulating smoothly," and "If there is sufficient intracorporeal Qi, a person will never be invaded or troubled by pathogens."
Improve Fitness
Qigong practice helps practitioners regulate their Yin and Yang, makes their Qi and blood circulation gentle and pleasant, dredges their meridian systems, cultivates their genuine Qi, and strengthens their vital energy. In other words, this practice makes weak people strong, rehabilitates patients, and rejuvenates the elderly.
Prolonging Life
There are many Zhineng Qigong practitioners in the sixty to seventy age range. Before practising, most of them were pre-senile and weak. Taking it up rejuvenated them. The Beijing Qigong Research Society once conducted an experiment on "fluid intelligence" involving 300 elderly people aged 60–72 who practiced Qigong and 300 people of the same age who didn’t. Results showed that the degeneration of the mental capacities of the former group was obviously proceeding at a slower pace than in the latter, while a few members of the first group showed no signs of degeneration at all.
Preventing and Curing Illness
Preventing and curing various diseases is one of the most remarkable effects of Qigong practice. It has a good curative effect not only upon common and frequently occurring illnesses, but also stubborn diseases. Among the 130,000 Qigong learners enrolled at the Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Training Centre — the first medicineless hospital — from November 1988 to July 1994, sick people accounted for at least 80 per cent. These people were afflicted with up to 180 types of diseases, including some intractable to both Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The average cure rate was 85 per cent during that period.
Zhineng Qigong Healing Stories
Healing Stories is an initiative that relates to the potential of Zhineng Qigong. This platform shares the awe-inspiring experiences of practitioners who successfully recover from illnesses and diseases. With Zhineng Qigong and the Hunyuan Qi Therapy program, they successfully transform cancer, mental illness, infectious diseases, autoimmune and genetic diseases, alongside various others.
The practice offers the following benefits that aid in holistic healing:
- Stress Reduction
- Enhanced Flexibility and Balance
- Boosted Immune System
- Increased Mind-Body Awareness
- Promotion of Relaxation and Calmness
- Pain Management
- Enhanced Concentration and Mental Clarity
A science, not only a tradition
What sets Zhineng Qigong apart is its scientific foundation. More than 3,000 research papers have been published in China documenting its effects — on human health, on the yield of agricultural crops, and on the nature of Qi itself. It is this marriage of ancient wisdom and rigorous inquiry that forms the basis of Hunyuan Qi Therapy today.
Start the practice
This accredited online course, based on methods and theory from the world's first medicineless hospital, marks the very beginning of your journey to true health. With Zhineng Qigong Level 1, you mainly learn and discuss the infamous Lift Qi Up, Pour Qi Down method. These in-depth teachings from the Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Training Center provide the perfect foundation for understanding Zhineng Qigong and Hunyuan Qi Therapy — while you learn, you may find that you gain understanding of far more than that, due to its holistic nature.
In the process, you can also decide to become a certified health & well-being coach, proficient in Qigong Healing and Qi Therapy. Learn more about the certification.