Yang Sen (1884–1977)

Yang Sen (20 February 1884 – 15 May 1977) was a Sichuan warlord and general who excelled himself in his long military career in both China and Taiwan. Although he was a provincial warlord, he served President Chiang Kai Shek and the Chinese nationalist government with faith and honor. After the Kuomintang defeat in the Chinese Civil War, he left China for Taiwan. He was also known as a Taoist master and had numerous wives, concubines and children.

Biography

 * 1924–24  Governor of Sichuan Province
 * 1924–25—Military-Governor of Sichuan Province
 * 1933–38—General Officer Commanding XX Corps
 * 1938–44—Commander in Chief 27th Army Group
 * 1939–40—Deputy Commander in Chief 6th War Area
 * 1940–45—Deputy Commander in Chief 9th War Area
 * 1945–48—Chairman of the Government of Guizhou Province
 * 1949—moved to Taiwan during the Nationalist exodus from the mainland
 * 1950s—An avid sports person, he was the Republic of China's Olympic Committee Chairman and at the Olympic Games in Mexico carried the national flag of Taiwan, Republic of China in the opening ceremony. He was a well-known mountaineer and the Chairman of the Taiwan Mountain Climbing Association as well.

Meeting Master Li Ching Yuen
Daniel Reid reports in his book "Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity", that the Chinese general Yang Sen knew the Taoist Master Li Ching-yuen, who was supposedly born in 1677, and personally and became his disciple, practicing his teaching until the end of his life.

In 1927 he invited him to his residence in Wann Hsien, Szechuan province. After his master's death General Yang wrote the report "A Factual Account of the 250 Year-Old Good-Luck Man.", where he described Li Ching Yuen's appearance: "He has good eyesight and a brisk stride; Li stands seven feet tall, has very long fingernails, and a ruddy complexion."

The Tai Chi Chuan Master T. T. Liang (Liang Tung Tsai) learned from the General Yang Sen the practice of the "Eight Brocade Qigong". His student Stuart Alve Olson wrote in 2002 the book "Qigong Teachings of a Taoist Immortal: The Eight Essential Exercises of Master Li Ching-Yun", taking General Yang's report as reference.