While the title is Zhineng Qigong, I believe this book is a good reference for many other forms. What is qi? Ancient qigong masters propounded that there is a finest matter in the universe with no shape or form, that cannot be seen by the naked eyes and that was found at the very beginning of the universe. Some called it dao, some taiji, some yuan qi; we call this finest element primeval hunyuan qi. From this finest element of matter everything in the universe is formed.

Take a look at modern physics. High school students now learn that at the molecular level all matter is made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. In university study, they learn that in protons and neutrons there are quarks and within quarks there is a smaller element - the top quark. In 1998 a group of astrophysicists conducted research in Japan and confirmed that neutrinos are an even smaller element of matter in the universe, much smaller than an electron. In September 2008 the underground collider in Switzerland tried to recreate the Big Bang, to hunt for the particle that gave the universe its form. With the emergence of Big Bang theory, we now know that everything in the universe comes from the same source, built up from the same fundamental unit. This fits with the findings of the ancient qigong masters.

Imagine primeval hunyuan qi as the smallest building blocks in a Lego set. Accumulation of the units will form all types of shapes and sizes. The model can then be broken up into the smallest units again. (Of course, unlike Lego, primeval qi is invisible and indivisibly small.) Beyond the molecular level, everything in this world can be disintegrated down to protons, neutrons and electrons, and then, quarks, top quarks and finally... primeval qi, indicating that everything has evolved from the same unit. Albert Einstein's E=mc² can probably help you better understand that matter, energy and information are interchangeable.