This photo shows a set of reproduced Yi Jin Jing course books in the traditional format. [Photo/kongfz.com]

In ancient times, average people did the Yi Jin Jing exercise for health and longevity. But kung fu practitioners do it in different and more difficult ways, hoping to hugely enhance their martial capabilities.

For example, when it comes to breathing, a normal practitioner, especially a beginner, would be advised to take a safe and comfortable approach: relax the body and limbs, and breathe naturally during the whole exercise.

But kung fu practitioners would use a reverse deep breathing technique when doing Yi Jin Jing. They would inhale deeply, then hold their breath while trying to stretch certain muscles and tendons, and in the end they would relax and exhale very slowly.

If a normal person does the exercise properly, he or she feels refreshed and energized afterwards. If one feels tired or exhausted, or even uncomfortable, he or she must stop practicing immediately or consult with a qualified coach.

In recent years, the Yi Jin Jing exercise has gained traction among Chinese of all ages, thanks to Jin Yong’s wuxia novels and the Shaolin Temple in Central China’s Henan province, which has promoted Buddhist kung fu techniques，including Yi Jin Jing, vigorously at home and abroad.

There are more than 60 types of Yi Jin Jing exercises circulating in contemporary China, differing in lengths, stances and postures. Thousands of health and fitness clubs in the country have been teaching classical techniques，Yi Jin Jing being the most favored course.

In 2016, the Tiantai county people’s government in East China’s Zhejiang province officially declared Pingqiao, a mountainous town under its jurisdiction, a “YiJin Jing Township”, with Zhangjiajing village at its center.

It is widely believed that Zong Heng, a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Taoist priest, invented the Taoist version of the Yi Jin Jing qigong exercise while he lived in a cave on Mt. Zining, where Zhangjiajing village is located.

At least 30,000 local residents in and around the “Yi Jin Jing Township” have learned to perform the so-called Zining Yi Jin Jing qigong exercise. They put on massive performances for tourists.

Yi Jin Jing training courses, coupled with hillside camping and sightseeing and local delicacies, have brought prosperity to the previously poverty-stricken county, local newspapers reported.