In 1988 an unusual form of Qigong, called Aromatic or Fragrant Qigong (Xiang Gong), kept secret by the monks for centuries, began to be taught openly in China.  It is so named because of the fragrances that appear from nowhere as the form is practiced.  The bigger the group the stronger the scent.  Even passers-by have smelt it.

An old man, called Tian Ruisheng was responsible for teaching it publicly.  Due to its simplicity and incredible healing effects, Fragrant Qigong very quickly spread all over China and in less than 2 years it became the biggest style of Qigong ever taught by anyone, despite the fact that it had never been advertised.  And Master Tian became one of China's instant celebrities. 

Today Fragrant Qigong is practiced by millions throughout China.  It is claimed that the form brings enormous therapeutic results, especially with asthma, diabetes, stroke, deafness, arthritis, skin diseases, circulatory problems, obesity, hormonal imbalances, digestive problems, kidney and gall stones and is very good for reducing stress. There are even many cases of deafness who regained their hearing through practicing Fragrant Qigong. The list is so long that they normally mention what it does not cover and who should not practice it rather than what it does cover (because it is much shorter), primarily sufferers of serious acute diseases needing immediate attention such as:

- acute coronary infarction

 (severe heart condition)

- acute appendicitis

- rabies

- poisonous bites from snakes, spiders and the like,

but also:

- sufferers of schizophrenia

- late stages of cancer and

- hyperactive children*

Apart from smelling fragrances, during practice, some people might experience itchiness, tingling, yawning, feeling hot or cold, heavy, sleepy, energised and similar.  These are all good signs.  Itchiness is a sign of rebalancing blocked meridians.  Yawning is a sign of energy going through and clearing the central meridians known as the Small Universe.  If you get a cold feeling come over you, that means the disease is leaving the body (it can make you freeze in the middle of summer).

In some cases, the symptoms temporarily appear to be getting worse, however, this is a sign of energy attacking disease. By keeping up the practice it will eventually eliminate the disease.

Tian Ruisheng had known the form for 50 years but never taught outsiders.  At age 12 he had been cured of a serious illness by a visiting Buddhist monk.  The monk taught him Fragrant Qigong on the proviso that he keep the form secret for 50 years.  He obeyed the instruction.  For centuries Fragrant Qigong was preserved by one person of each generation, who would eventually teach the form to another of the succeeding generation.

The wide-reaching, beneficial results of Fragrant Qigong, and the simplicity of its requirements to perform, encouraged countless Chinese institutions, such as schools, universities and factories, to make it part of their working day.  The heads of these institutions not only provide time for this practice, they themselves join the staff and employees, or students and attend the practice regularly.  It's claimed that workers and staff are not only healthier but happier as a result.  There is less sick leave taken, increased production and better results achieved all-round.

*Fragrant Qigong is very easy to learn and practice, however it needs to be taught properly and taken seriously. It still is a commitment and if done wrongly can cause the damage. It is not a game and, for that reason, is contraindicated to hyperactive children. Nor is it a good idea to simply show the movements to a friend during a chat or follow some chart without being properly explained and supervised.   If really pressed with time it could be taught in say an hour or two but cutting it down to 5-10 minutes would really DO ONE MORE HARM THAN GOOD! We've come across some websites offering animated Fragrant Qigong movements for visitors to follow but they were not only wrong but in wrong order as well. How irresponsible and how damaging it can become both to the practitioners' health as well to Qigong reputation.

Master Tian Ruisheng

The Last Living Secret Master of Fragrant Qigong (Xiang Gong)

Prior to May 1988, Master Tian Ruisheng lived an ordinary life, always happy and keen to help others. No-one would have ever imagined that behind the face that looked just like any other was a very extraordinary man, one of the most powerful living healers and Qigong masters in the world.

Tian Ruisheng was born in the late 1920's in East China and at the age of 12, had developed an incurable skin disease.  His parents tried everything they could, but nothing helped as they saw him literally dying.  One night, there was a passing Buddhist monk who knocked on the door asking if he could stay the night.  They let him stay, but explained that they were too distressed to attend to him properly.  When the monk realised what was distressing them, he asked if he could try something to help cure their child.  They agreed without expecting any miracles.  The monk used special hand positions and made sounds in order to heal the boy (ie. the high level Fragrant Qigong) and in no time, the boy was completely cured.

What joy it brought the Tian family!  It was like a fairytale. The monk then chose to make the boy his successor of the style, he taught him Fragrant Qigong and told him to live a normal life but to keep the style secret.  Then after half a century he should publicly come out and help the needy.  Unlike many other Qigong styles, to reach a high level, one has to commit years of lengthy daily practice, often forcing them to quit what we call a "normal" life and go to the mountains or temples; Fragrant Qigong however, takes little time, is simple, easy to perform and can enable one to become a grand master without anyone ever knowing.

And so, for years, day after day, Tian Ruisheng secretly practiced Xianggong throughout the different phases of his life, through the war, throughout his marriage and he still continues the practice today.  He was employed as a miner, a tough and dangerous job, but never complained.  He retired many years later and was admired as one of the best miners that ever worked for the company.

Then, in the late 80's when many other secret styles of Qigong were publicly introduced, he decided to make his contribution.  For the first time in China's history, there was a period of peace, stability, the living standards of the average person had improved immensely and there was genuine interest and enthusiasm in society towards their traditional disciplines. 

In his city - Luo Yang (the old capital of China and the closest major city to the world renown Shaolin Temple), Tian Ruisheng gathered about 200 people, mostly sufferers of chronic diseases and showed them how to do Fragrant Qigong.  For 2 weeks day after day they came and learnt Fragrant Qigong and he performed his amazing healing powers on them.  As he stood on stage, he would first ask everybody to relax, not lean back, put their hands on their knees with their palms facing up and then he'd talk about Fragrant Qigong.  Occasionally he would do some special movements with his arms or would use a special fan that he'd wave at them.

Most people smelt strong fragrances, some felt a stream of energy in different parts of their body, tingling or itchiness. Even on the very first day many people were completely healed while many felt much better.  People who could not walk for years stood and walked.  Out of 17 deaf people (most of them born that way) 15 regained their hearing.   A cancer patient was rid of his cancer completely.  Diabetics, sufferers of asthma, hepatitis, gall stones were cured too.  It was like something out of the movies, such as Steve Martin's "Leap of Faith" only not as glamorous but with plenty of genuine cases. And master Tian was not surprised at the results of those who were cured. He taught his first group of students, then they taught others, which then created a snowball effect that spread right across China.

There are three levels of Fragrant Qigong.  Each level has 15 movements, takes about 10-15 minutes to execute, and the first level needs to be done twice a day.  For sufferers of diseases, all they need is level one.  After they get better or completely get rid of their disease, they can learn level two.  For others, after practicing level one for at least 3 months they can learn level two.  Level two is more for longevity and beauty (one may lose weight or improve skin or hair quality) as well as being a preparation for level three, which is the highest level one may reach.

It can take many years of practicing level two to be eligible for level three and Master Tian is very strict about who he teaches.  Reason: strong powers that can be developed by practicing level three can be manipulated and misused if they end up in the wrong hands.  Among others (are you ready for this?) the Ban Yun technique which in the west is known as teleporting (ie. the ability to transport physical objects from one place to another by using the mind) is used a lot in Fragrant Qigong to remove diseases from patients' bodies.  If misused, it could be very effectively used to say transport all the money from a bank to a private safe and there is nobody who could stop it.  Or if they hate someone they could say, put a pen in their brain.

To Master Tian Ruisheng money is not of much importance.  After the initial few healing sessions, his reputation skyrocketed and all of a sudden everybody wanted him to come and do his unusual treatments.  And he did.  But not as much as the demand.  On average, once or twice a month he would go to one of the cities he'd been invited to. He would always demand a minimum of 1,500 people to attend and the ticket prices to be very reasonable. They arranged the biggest halls or stadiums in those cities and they would always fill.  The tickets would be around 5 yuan (equivalent to $1) but on the black market they would sometimes reach thousands (ie. up to or even more than 200 times the value).  Well, he could not do much about that.  But what he did do was give hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities while he kept living in a 250 year old house.

The biggest groups he addressed were at football stadiums with up to 50,000 people.  Very impressive!  Many could hardly even see him but they could definitely sense his presence.  Every time he waved the fan at them, a massive "xiang", meaning "fragrance", was called out by the audience, because they smelt fragrances coming from the fan.

For seven years Master Tian Ruisheng gave mass healing sessions along with supporting scientists with their studies of Fragrant Qigong.  In 1995 he vanished.  Nobody except his closest family knows where he is.  This is also not unusual.  Many great Qigong masters did the same thing. They would appear, perform their miracles and then disappear again.  What he did leave behind and was always stressing is that, if we want, we can all treat and prevent our diseases from manifesting themselves by regularly practicing Fragrant Qigong. Plus his son and three daughters are all high level masters of Fragrant Qigong that have mass healing sessions from time to time.  But, many believe he'll be back.  When we least expect it.

Some people estimated that, during the nineties, Fragrant Qigong saved China approx. 15 billion yuan per year which is more than three billion dollars, otherwise spent on medical expenses.  No wonder it has been officially announced as the "Best Qigong in China" by the Qigong authorities in the late 90's (considering its effectiveness, the range of diseases it covers, degree of safety, degree of difficulty or rather simplicity, and its practicality).  While Master Tian Ruisheng has been recognised as one of the 100 most influential people on the planet in a very reputable publication.

My Experience with Fragrant Qigong

By John Dolic

Has it ever occurred to you that, just when you thought you've seen the best of something and you don't expect anything more to happen, something better comes along?  Well, it happened to me many times in China.  In my search for Kung Fu, I ended up in Beijing when I was 20.  I stayed there for eight years, discovered some great Kung Fu styles I never knew existed.  Discovered Chinese medicine and embarked on a six-year full time course, discovered Qigong and learnt some of the best styles and then, like a "happy little vegemite", went back home.

I thought to myself: I've learnt enough, I can treat people with Chinese medicine, I can teach them Kung Fu and Qigong, I have enough knowledge to practice both by myself for the next hundred years.  But then, only four years later, when I found myself back in Beijing, all of a sudden I realized that there's lot more to be learned. For one, when it comes to Qigong, it seemed that the whole nation was doing Fragrant Qigong.

"What the .... is Fragrant Qigong?" I asked myself.  I had never heard of it.  So, I did some enquiries.  "Well, it's this new and easy style of Qigong where you don't have to concentrate or focus your mind while you practice" they said.

"Ah ha," I thought to myself, "It must be one of those things the Chinese government is trying to introduce to the masses.  No thank you, I'm not interested.  I am happy with my good old styles that are longer and harder to practice but at least I know they work. Who cares if one needs not focus their mind."

What I didn't know at the time though (however have soon realised) is that, on the contrary, the popularity of Fragrant Qigong had nothing to do with the Chinese government, but with the fact that it can treat a wide range of diseases in a relatively short period of time.  As a matter of fact, it has never been advertised yet it became the biggest style of Qigong ever, spreading across nation like a fire in the bush purely by word of mouth.  What I also did not know is that it was not a new style at all.  It has been around for almost 2,000 years but, due to the fact that it was secret, almost no one knew it existed.

Well, that's it, I had heard enough, nobody would keep anything unworthy secret.  Surely not for 2,000 years anyway.  The next day, I was there learning my probably 20th style of Qigong.  Now, I'd heard it was easy, but this easy, I certainly didn't expect.  Fifteen simple movements, each repeated for less than a minute and you can do it while you sit and chat.  It looked more like a game, something like "Simon Says".  And the weirdest thing is that it can take effect the moment you start practicing it.

It can also make you smell non-existent fragrances, yawn, burp, feel itchy or tingly, cold, experience burning soles, feel glued to the ground - all great signs of rebalancing chi energy.  In big groups the fragrances are much stronger and everybody can smell them, while in small groups it is an individual thing.  The first time I ever practiced Fragrant Qigong I experienced fragrances several times during exercise.  But after I finished, I got busy with other things and completely forgot that I had practiced it.  I felt as though my jumper hadn't been rinsed properly after the wash and it smelt very strong and soapy.  So I changed it, but that did not help.  At one stage I felt as though someone had dispersed detergent around the place.  And then it came to me. "Wait a minute! Indoors maybe, but who could spill so much detergent outdoors? Oh, I remember, it's got to be the Fragrant Qigong."  I had to laugh to myself. 

I stayed in China for another year, learnt few more things and then came to Australia (somehow, I always end up learning more, each time I go to China, no matter how much I've already learned in the past - it's just crazy! and I love it!).  I opened the Centre for Chinese medicine and Kung Fu and started teaching Sydneysiders. 

It's amazing how we (or is it only me) easily get excited about some things when we first hear about them and then, once we get used to them, we forget them.

Well, I almost forgot about Fragrant Qigong.  For one year I taught Tai Chi, Kung Fu and many Qigong styles that I learnt prior to Fragrant Qigong, until some of my students complained about having difficulty trying to concentrate during practice.  "Wait a second" I remarked, "I'll teach you a style of Qigong that requires NO concentration."  Therefore, I pulled Fragrant Qigong "out of my hat" and the miracle occurred.  Not only did they love it, but they were receiving excellent results from it.  So then "word of mouth" started doing its thing in Australia too.  In less than half a year, with almost no advertising, I had more students learning Fragrant Qigong than all the other styles put together that I had taught for the past year and a half (using plenty of advertising).  I gave myself a slap thinking, "Why hadn't I done this from the very beginning?"  Still, it wasn't too late.  As the list of students grew (from 50 to 100, then 200, 300....) so did the number of successful cases. 

Of course, not everybody got better, but the success rate was quite high.  My own rough estimate was over 90% (Chinese official estimate 97%)*.  Now, since there are far too many successful cases to mention I will only briefly touch on the following few. However, for those interested, there are more than a dozen of additional Fragrant Qigong cases listed in the Benefit/Testimonials section of the site.

- A gentleman who suffered from severe blood pressure, was under constant monitoring, took loads of strong pills that did not have much effect on him and took sick leave for supposedly one year, went back to work after three months practice of Fragrant Qigong with normalised blood pressure and his medication reduced by 90%. 

- A lady after suffering a mild stroke, not only recovered but also got rid of constipation, period pain and hearing problems.

- A film producer who came about his tennis elbow, also got rid of a rare case of glaucoma.

- A lady who suffered for years from diarrhoea caused by a wheat allergy, not only stopped taking pills (that did not work anyway) but got rid of the problem altogether.

- A retired doctor who had a dry cough for 30 years had tried everything, but nothing helped.  After only a few sessions of Fragrant Qigong, the cough stopped (She noticed that when she missed days of practicing Fragrant Qigong the cough would return. Therefore Fragrant Qigong is now a part of her life and the cough a distant memory).

- A diabetic who did Fragrant Qigong for the first time, immediately needed to take some sugar because his sugar levels dropped. 

- A lady who had cysts on both ovaries that her doctor urged to get operated on, got rid of them without an operation, which was confirmed by the same doctor who made the initial diagnosis.

- A doctor who suffered from high blood pressure stopped needing to take his pills.  Later, had an injury to his eye, caused by a wire that went through his lid to his eye ball.  After being hospitalised, was told he would probably lose his eye.  However, the first day he was allowed to get up from his bed he did Fragrant Qigong.  During practice, an enormous amount of tears came pouring out of his injured eye.  A few days later he was discharged from hospital with a fully recovered eye and sight.

- A few patients who came to me about hardcore drug addictions also received excellent results, turning a new page in their life, which made their family very happy and grateful.

Here is a more detailed case history of one of the patients:

Vesna came to me with one of the worst cases of hives I'd ever seen.  I remember she looked like she'd been burned with hot water, her face, neck, arms and legs ... and she looked pale, swollen, overweight and wearing strong glasses.  She was only thirty, but she looked a whole lot older.  As it happened, Vesna had consulted her doctor a month and a half before.  To treat her hives, the doctor had prescribed an intensive (and expensive) course of anti-histamines.  One month into the course and not only had Vesna's hives not improved, she had developed allergic reaction to a whole host of new foods and substances.

When she asked me to help her, the first thing I explained was that the incredible healing powers are contained within each and every patient and all I was going to do was show her how she could help herself.

Though Vesna found it hard to accept that the responsibility for healing came ultimately to her, she had heard stories about Chinese medicine and its abilities and she went along with this new idea.  She later confessed that she was secretly hoping I would do some "proper" treatment, like acupuncture or Chinese massage, on her later.

During the first session of Fragrant Qigong she smelled strong fragrances but then in the middle of the exercises she felt as if she was going to faint so, quite worried, she wanted to stop. "Good!" said I excitedly, "Don't stop!  Sit and keep practicing!" Well, she did not expect that, but when I explained that that was one of the good signs she felt relieved and continued her practice.  One week into Qigong Vesna was a different person.  She stopped taking the anti-histamines - despite protestations from her doctor.  Her daily practice of Qigong continued for a month, until all her hives had disappeared.  By this time further allergy tests showed that she was no longer allergic to anything.  Her body was no longer pale nor swollen, plus she stopped wearing glasses she'd worn fifteen years - to the bewilderment of her optometrists.  Vesna recalls the story "He checked my eyes 5 times because he couldn't believe it was true".  I told her I believe her.  My optometrist had been equally puzzled when I stopped wearing my glasses that I'd worn for seven years before discovering Qigong.

But that wasn't the end of story.  In the following four months that she daily practiced Fragrant Qigong she lost seven kilos and, to me, she looked ten years younger.

For Fragrant Qigong Class times in Sydney, Australia click here or call 02 9546 6749 for more details.

* Here the 'success rate' does not mean that 97% of people who practiced Fragrant Qigong were cured.  It only means that in less than 3% of all cases it did not work at all which is still very high and much better than the average doctor's success rate (minus negative side effects).  Out of those 90% quite a percentage (around a half) were cured and at least another quarter significantly improved.

Further reading:

Fragrant Qigong Successful Case Histories

The Science of Fragrant Qigong  (by Professor Jia-li Yuan)

Fragrant Qigong and the Energy Lines

Fragrant Qigong & Spontaneous Fasting

Teleporting Diseases

Fragrant Qigong - Mystic Healing Powers? (by Shiney Mehrotra)

Fragrant Qigong Beats Smoking

Whatever Happened To Master Tian Ruisheng?