Originator of the Chinese Soaring Crane Qigong system, Master Zhao Jin-xiang recovered from pleurisy at the age of 16 through a meditative qigong practice. All of the routines and forms came to him, but he had to study the theories of Chinese medicine and gain insights from various qigong masters in order to complete the forms.

Following the Culture Revolution in China, Master Zhao was the first to come out to teach qigong to the general public. He started with nine seriously ill students in 1979 at a park in Beijing. All nine recovered their health and Master Zhao certified them as his first teachers. Later having certified teachers all over China, millions of people got their health back. Annually, the dedicated teachers would travel to Beijing for recertification where they spent ten days learning advanced theories and receiving corrections to their forms by Master Zhao.

Soaring Crane Qigong earned one of the highest rankings in qigong forms for all of China. It has remained in the top three of the thousands of forms and is currently ranked #2 behind Guo Lin Qigong (a form specifically for cancer patients).

Master Zhao no longer actively teaches in Beijing, having returned to his hometown. Soaring Crane Qigong is carried on by his certified teachers, as it continues to benefit over 30 million people who practice all over the world.

Recovering from late stage breast cancer through her practice of Soaring Crane Qigong, Professor Chen, Hui-xian was a student of one of Master Zhao's original nine students in 1982. Later she served as a disciple of Master Zhao for eight years as she reached the level of a master teacher.

Professor Chen had graduated from the English Department of Beijing Institute of Foreign Languages and served as a translator for the Ministry of Foreign Trade for six years. At the University of International Business & Economics in Beijing, she was a highly regarded professor of English.

Together, Professor Chen and Master Zhao started China's first qigong department at her university. Master Zhao encouraged her to use her English to teach qigong worldwide as he authorized her to carry the lineage and to certify teachers of all levels.

In 1986, she came to the United States to teach Chinese and provide instruction in Soaring Crane Qigong. In 1988 she organized workshops in America for Master Zhao as well. In 1993, Professor Chen founded the qigong program at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in Portland and trained over 300 teachers there before her retirement in 2001.

All of the Soaring Crane Qigong materials have been translated into English by Professor Chen. Her own contributions to the material include those as a practitioner and experiences through teaching. She continues to update them as the forms are improved in China. She now lives in Vacaville, CA with her daughter, Ping Ping Li, and teaches at their Wisdom and Peace Wellness Center.

In seeking a master's degree in Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture, Teri Applegate chose the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine primarily for its unique qigong teacher training program. During her studies with Professor Chen, Teri became a certified instructor and had the privilege of serving as her head teaching assistant for 6 years. Upon her retirement, Professor Chen requested that Teri take over the role of Soaring Crane Qigong instructor at the college, where Teri taught both graduate students and the general public.

Having been certified by Professor Chen to teach Levels II & III, in 2002 Teri was authorized as the first Westerner to certify Level I instructors by the master teachers of Soaring Crane Qigong. Named by Professor Chen as her lineage successor, Teri now enjoys training and certifying all levels of teachers. She continues to assist in updating the Soaring Crane Qigong materials and publishes new teaching materials.

Teri has focused much of her qigong teaching on those living with chronic illness (such as cancer, ALS and chronic fatigue) at hospital settings in Oregon and Washington. Combining qigong and Chinese medicine, she has a private acupuncture practice in Seattle, WA.