Drawing of Huatuo worshipped as a god of healing

Huatuo was a famous physician born at the end of the Later Han Dynasty period in Qiao of Peiguo (沛國譙縣 - today called Haoxian). He was called Yuanhua (元化), and together with the famous doctors Dongfeng (董奉) and Zhang, Zhongjing (張仲景) were considered the three physician gods (神醫) of their generation. With superb skills in medicine he was able to cure many diseases, and was known to be capable of surgery at a time going back from the modern era by 1,800 years.

According to≪Hou han shu≫ (★1)ㆍ< Huatuo > contains the following. “Human body wills to move, but must not move excessively. Movement brings good digestion and blood circulation to prevent disease. The principle of a door knob not rusting is the same. Xiongjingchigu (熊經鴟顧, (★2) the Daoyin performed by ancient sages involves bending of waist and body, pulling them together to stretch all joints to prevent easy onset of aging. To me there is a training discipline called the Five Animals Qigong. One is tiger, two deer, three bear, four monkey, and five, a bird, as Daoyin to remove many ills and strengthen the legs. When the body feels unpleasant, doing the movement of one animal causes perspiration, improves the skin, makes the body light and stirs appetite.”

Huatuo’s Five Animals Qigong use the movements of five types of animals to apply the elements of Wood Fire Earth Metal & Water (木火土金水) as an exercise, and is considered to be the earnest roots of Daoyin. Through it, we can know the Five Animals Qigong is an exercise method to have been made from observing the principle of the five primary substance (五行) in space.

Old house of Huatuo in Anhui Province.

In the story of three kingdoms,≪San Guo Shi≫ < Huatuo > the following is recorded on the efficacy of the Five Animals Qigong. Huatuo "exercise routine can dissipate adverse energy in the body, to normalize circulation of blood and pulse rate in preventing disease", and instructed the Five Ainmals Qigong of disciplining the body, whereby it is told that Wu Pu, a disciple of Huatuo thus trained his body to always maintain lightness, so that even past the age of 90 his ears, eyes, and teeth were not weakened and he enjoyed long healthy years of life.

Illustration of Huatuo treating Guan Yu from the San Guo Shi

Huatuo's Five Animals Qigong was born more than 1,800 years ago, so Qi Gong being practiced today is diverse in kinds, with wide range of differences to the motions. So it is not feasible to say which one is authentic. The oldest Five Animals Qigong on record is found in the writings of a poet physician, Tao Hongjing (陶弘景) of the WeiJinNanBeiChao (魏晉男北朝) period, in his book, Yang Sheng Yan Ming Lu (養生延命錄) (★3). They are very close to the direct movements of animals.

From << Yang Sheng Yan Ming Lu>> Recreated Map of the Five Animals Qigong.

In the periods spanning the Song & Ming, Ching Dynasties there are records of the Five Animal Qi Gong, all the way into modern times where there exist truly large numbers of presentations on the Five Animals Qigong. Since 2002 in China, the many Five Animals Qigong have been integrated and organized into ten independent movements called ‘Five Animals Qigong for Health’for simplification and presentation, with the Taiwanese Five Animals Qigong being distinctive for their connecting movements consisting of many set stages.