Zhang Yongyi (Zhang Yongyi 张永义)—a highly respected Shanxi practitioner whose life story embodies the evolution, resilience, and transmission of traditional Xingyi Quan through periods of profound national upheaval.

Among the great figures of Xingyi Quan, few names stand out as prominently as Guo Yunshen (1822–1898), famed for his devastating half-step Beng Quan. His legacy is surrounded by legends, stories, and in some cases—controversies. One of the most enduring debates in recent decades centers on a supposed photograph of Guo Yunshen together with fellow master Che Yizhai and their disciples.