A very effective combat skill is to catch your opponent's finger and bend it. The finger is one of the weakest points of the body and does not bear much strength.

That is not the case, though, with Yang Songquan, a professional coach of qigong and taichi boxing. In fact, Yang has often asked people to bend one of two of his fingers, so as to show them the benefit of practicing.

After repeated encouragement, I bent Yang's finger (the index finger, and later the little finger) with all my strength. Yang's finger felt like a hard piece of rubber. It bent backward a lot, but then further force could not make it bend further, or bring forth any response from the master. Also, if Yang wishes, he can produce such a force from that finger that it actually pushed me back.

Standing 174 centimeters, and weighing 69 kilograms, the 56-year-old does not look very strong. He attributes that magical force and strength to a life-long practice of taichi and qigong.

Yang is originally from Chenjiagou Village in Wenxian, Henan Province, a village known for practicing taichi boxing. His ancestor Chen Wangting (1600-1680) is the founder of Chen-style taichi boxing. Yang learned taichi boxing from his grandfather Chen Zhaopi, the 10th generation of taichi boxing master in the family.

Every weekend, Yang teaches more than 200 students qigong and taichi boxing at Beihai Park.

He is among thousands of people who practice qigong at Beijing's parks. Recently, Beijing Sports Bureau announced the start of a series of qigong demonstration activities in 10 parks such as the Temple of Heaven, The Altar of Earth, and Chaoyang Park. There are more than 120 qigong practicing stations in Beijing, with more than 5,000 regular practitioners.

Yang defines qi as a vital life force, and qigong a method to strengthen that force.

"Qigong can help that vital energy to enlarge itself and develop the potential of internal organs," said Yang. "The more that original life force expands, the better your physical condition. On the other hand, the more that life force declines, the worse one's health condition."

Yang believes that taichi boxing is essentially a motional form of qigong. Many other practices, such as xingyi boxing, bagua, and yoga, also involve the practice of internal force. He said: "any form that nurtures qi in dantian is a good form of qigong." Dantian refers to an acupoint near the belly that is believed to store vital energy. On the other hand, without practicing the internal flow of vital energy, taichi boxing would have become physical jerks.

Qigong practice strengthens vital energy, and therefore helps to clear different channels of the body, and prevent people from becoming ill. Yang compares qigong to an atom bomb that can help kill any kind of virus. There are channels for water, blood and vital energy in the body. When people have practiced to such a point that all three channels are clear and smooth, they don't normally feel thirsty or tired.

"Practicing qigong can help cure high blood pressure, diabetes, improve sleep, and strengthen immunity in general," said Yang.

The problem with many people is that they are too busy with their work and often get tired after work, so that they think they are not ready for any physical practice.

"There are two common fallacies about busy working and practicing qigong," said Yang. "First, moving about a lot at work cannot replace practice with ease. Then, it should be understood that qigong or taichi practice is relaxing, but not tiring."

While working consumes energy, qigong and taichi practice accumulates energy, according to the master.

As for those who really think they don't have time for practice, Yang thinks it is really a matter of priority to make some time for practice. He said to his students: "When one person has to go through an operation and lie in a bed in the hospital, he will then have plenty of free time."

People who are interested can visit Tianwang Palace inside Beihai Park (north gate) during weekends. Yang teaches from 9-11am, 3-5pm on Saturday and Sunday. He is available for one-to-one coaching on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Tel: 010-6657-2122.