Born in Jiangsu Province in 1889, Xiong Yanghe grew up on his family's estate. His early decades were marked by warfare among various factions within China and devastating encroachments by foreign powers as well. The worldview gave great impetus for his career choice and set him on a course that would affect all around him.
Like many other well-to-do landowners at the time, Xiong's father made sure his sons received excellent education in areas such as law, security, police administration, military theory and skills training. This included the study of martial arts. The best available masters were hired to instruct the children.
Xiong was well-prepared to deal with peacekeeping duties, a spectrum of criminal activities, and combat in the field. After Mao Zidong and Communist Party came to power in 1949, Xiong resigned as high-ranking military officer and migrated with over a million others to Taiwan with the Nationalist Party.
Xiong devoted himself to the study of Buddhism and taijiquan, writing books and teaching until his passing at age 94. With a vast experience in Chinese martial traditions, he became recognized for his embodiment of one of the most encompassing taiji systems known, including special training rarely seen in the People's Republic of China. Although his family and military history provided remarkable anecdotes, Grandmaster Xiong represents a high watermark in the history of Yang-style Taijiquan whose life's story continues to inspire generations of the more serious practitioners.
