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Li Cun Yi was born in 1847 in Hebei province, Shen county. He was from a poor family, becoming a cart driver as a young boy and later opening his own bodyguard service which protected caravan's from bandits.

Li was one of Liu Qi Lan's four most famous Xingyi students. He was also the first high-level Xingyiquan practitioner to study Baguazhang, learning the art directly from creator Dong Hai Chuan's disciple Cheng Ting Hua.

Li, also known as "Jeweler Li" and "Single Saber Li" for his expertise with the broadsword, fought in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, killing many American and English foreigners. After the boxers lost the war, Li was forced to flee Beijing because the foreigners put a price on his head. This also caused many corrupt Chinese martial artists to try and hunt him down. He went to Taigu, where famous Xingyi teacher Che Yi Zhai helped hide him and sent his student Li Fu Zhen to act as a bodyguard. Li Fu Zhen killed went and killed them all.

Li Cun Yi believed that up until the time of famous Xingyi master Guo Yun Shen, no practitioners used a double weighted or 50/50 stance in Xingyi - that it was used to make the forms easier to practice.

Li died in 1922 at the age of 86.

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