The History of Tai Chi.
Yang Style History
Yang style Tai Chi Chuan originated during the 19th century in the Tao Kuang Period of the
Qing Dynasty. Up to the present day, the style has had a history of only
approximately
150 years; however, Yang style Tai Chi Chuan has already spread throughout
the world and
is practiced by millions of people each day.
Yang Lu Chan - The Chen Village Years
The founder of Yang style Tai Chi Chuan was Yang Fu
Kui (1799-1872), also known as
Yang Lu Chan. Lu Chan was born of a peasant family in the village of Nan
Guan in the
county of Yong Nian which is a part of the Guang Ping Prefecture of Hebei
Province. The
martial arts history of the Yong Nian county area was very rich and
prosperous, and as a
young boy, Lu Chan studied Shaolin boxing skills.
Yang Lu Chan
One day while Lu Chan was working in a local grain
store, a rude man came into the Tai
He pharmacy next to where Lu Chan was working. The man wanted to buy some
expensive herbs, but was only willing to pay a cheap price. The man shouted
and waved
his fists. The next thing Lu Chan saw was the man being thrown into the
street without
any effort by the pharmacy owner. Lu Chan felt this was quite odd for a
person to be able
to do such a feat without the use of force. The name of the pharmacy owner
was Chen De
Hu. After a few days had passed, Lu Chan built up enough courage and went to
Chen De
Hu to ask to become his student. Chen was at first fairly cautious, but
after seeing that
Lu Chan was upright and honest, he told Lu Chan he was from the Chen Village
(Chen
Jia Gou) in Wen Xian County of Henan Province. He said there were many
people who
studied Tai Chi Chuan in the village. He also explained that his teacher was
the famous
Tai Chi Chuan master, Chen Chang Xing. Upon hearing this, Lu Chan was very
excited
and immediately wanted Chen De Hu to introduce him to Chen Chang Xing.
The Chen Village Tai Chi Chuan style was created
between the end of the Ming Dynasty
and beginning of the Qing Dynasty. The basic standardization of Chen style
Tai Chi
Chuan was by the 9th generation ancestor of the Chen Village, Chen Wang
Ting. Chen
De Hu agreed upon the introduction to his teacher. Upon the acceptance of
the
introduction, Lu Chan immediately left Yong Nian to go to the Chen Village.
While Lu
Chan was under the tutelage of Chen Chang Xing, he trained continuously
without any
interruption no matter if it was winter or summer. After six years of
training, Lu Chan
finally returned to his home town. During the period in which Lu Chan was
gone, many
people in the village practiced martial arts and wanted to test Lu Chan's
newly acquired
skills. Lu Chan was challenged to a duel in which he was defeated. Even
though he had
lost the duel, he did not lose hope. He returned to the Chen Village to
train for an
additional six years. The second time he returned home was during the
Chinese New
Year. The people were excited that Lu Chan had returned and thought he would
be
unbeatable. In the same area there was a martial artist who had connections
with the
Chen Village and who had studied many styles of martial arts. He also heard
that Lu
Chan had returned home and wanted to test his skills. The result of the
match was a
draw. Yang Lu Chan felt his skill level was not completely proficient even
though he was
able to hold his own against such a highly skilled martial artist; therefore
he decided to
return to his teacher a third time. The third trip to the Chen Village moved
Chen Chang
Xing so much that he began to teach Lu Chan everything he knew. After two
years of
study, Chen Chang Xing said that when Lu Chan returned home this time, there
would be
no one who could defeat him. Subsequently, Lu Chan returned home and was
never
defeated again.
Yang Lu Chan studied at the Chen Village for a
total of 18 years. Although he obtained
the true teachings of Chen Chang Xing's Tai Chi Chuan style, he still was
not satisfied
with his own abilities. Lu Chan constantly researched every aspect of his
style until he
achieved an enlightened level of skill and his fame was known to all.
Yang Lu Chan - The Beijing Years
Not long after, Lu Chan was invited by Wu Lu Ching,
a distant relative, to teach his
martial arts in the capital of Beijing. Wu Lu Ching was a government
official of Emperor
Tao Kuang. Upon arriving in the capital, Lu Chan was a guest at the home of
a wealthy
businessman named Mr. Zhang. Mr. Zhang's business was small at first, but
later
became very large and prosperous. Their organization also included
instruction in
various types of martial arts training. The first occasion to meet the Zhang
family was
during a banquet in which everyone was to perform his respective martial
art. One of the
heads of the Zhang family saw the thin body of Yang Lu Chan, and as an
insult, placed
Lu Chan behind an ordinary martial artist preparing to demonstrate. After
Yang Lu Chan
performed his style, Mr. Zhang asked if the 'Cotton Fist' of Yang Lu Chan
could
actually defeat an opponent. Lu Chan replied by saying that except for
bronze, iron, and
rock, his fist could defeat anything with flesh and blood. Consequently, the
man asked if
Lu Chan would take a challenge from him. Lu Chan agreed without hesitation
not only to
take a challenge from this man but also from anyone else at the banquet.
Following, the
guests went out into the garden court to witness the contest. When the
contest first
began, a martial arts master came running toward Lu Chan as fierce as a
tiger. As the
two met, Lu Chan raised his arms and the man flew back several meters
through the air.
Immediately following, another master came up and challenged Lu Chan.
Without
completing one technique, the man was thrown back several meters onto the
ground.
After seeing this, the others did not dare challenge the skills of Yang Lu
Chan. Upon
returning to the banquet hall, Lu Chan was seated at the head table and was
toasted by
everyone. From that day on, Lu Chan began teaching Tai Chi Chuan at the
Zhang
residence.
After the martial contest at the Zhang residence,
people from everywhere came to
challenge Yang Lu Chan; however, all who challenged Lu Chan fell beneath his
fist.
From that point onward, Yang Lu Chan was given the title of 'Yang the
Invincible'. Wu
Lu Qing introduced Lu Chan to many people within the royal Qing government
to whom
he taught Tai Chi Chuan. This allowed the art of Tai Chi Chuan to become
very popular
in the capital; moreover, the royal family invited Yang Lu Chan to their
residence to live
and teach. Subsequently, Lu Chan brought his two sons to the capital to
teach Tai Chi
Chuan at the palace.
Yang Pan Hou
Yang pan Hou (1837-1892) was the second child of
Yang Lu Chan. pan Hou had practiced
Tai Chi Chuan from childhood under the supervision of his father. His skill
level was
very high. His character was very firm even though he had a very hot temper.
There was
one time when a martial arts master nicknamed 'Man with 10,000 Pounds of
Strength'
came to Beijing to challenge Yang Lu Chan. After the Yang family heard of
the news,
Yang Lu Chan did not pay much attention to the matter. However, Yang Pan Hou
said to
his father that "if our store has something to sell and people want to buy
it, why don't we
sell?" What Pan Hou meant was that his family had true martial ability, so
why not take
the challenge. Consequently, Pan Hou went by himself to take the challenge
from the
man. When the contest began, the man threw his shirt off and showed his
muscles to the
crowd. Yang Pan Hou with his skinny body just stood waiting for the man to
attack. When
the fight commenced, the only image seen was the man pouncing toward Pan Hou.
Pan
Hou evaded the attack. The man immediately attacked with continuous strikes
to Pan
Hou's face. The crowd heard a yell and immediately following, the man went
flying
through the air several meters into the distance. When everyone was able to
see clearly,
they realized that Pan Hou used 'Separate Heel Kick' to the man's groin
area. While
the crowd was still cheering and admiring Pan Hou's skill, he returned
silently back to
the palace.
Yang Jian Hou and His Children
Yang Lu Chan's third child was Yang Jian Hou
(1839-1917). His Tai Chi Chuan skills
were a harmonious blend of hard and soft. He was especially talented at
issuing internal
energy and the practice of broadsword, straightsword, and spear. His
character was very
warm-hearted. Whenever Jian Hou competed and trained with others, he never
looked
light-heartedly upon anyone; therefore, he too was never defeated.
The third generation of Yang style martial artists
consisted of Yang Ling Xiao
(1872-1930), also known as Yang Zhao Peng, who was Yang Pan Hou�s son. He
studied
with Chen Xiu Feng who was one of Pan Hou's disciples. The first son of Yang
Jian Hou
was Yang Zhao Xiong (1862-1930), also known as Yang Shao Hou. Shao Hou
studied Tai
Chi Chuan from his youth and was very good at sparring. His movements were
fast and
his posture was rooted. The Yang style small frame was transmitted by Shao
Hou. There
are very few people who know the small frame style. Some people see the
style as
strictly for fighting and do not wish to teach others. Therefore, this may
be the reason
why practitioners of this style are becoming fewer and fewer. Yang style
small frame
leans more toward the fighting aspect rather than health. Because it is
performed with
quick motions, the style is sometimes called Tai Chi Fast Frame or the Fast
Small Frame.
The small frame style was researched extensively by
Yang Lu Chan for many years
whereby he took the essence of Tai Chi Chuan and the various fighting
methods and
combined it to form a routine which incorporates qigong, massage, and the
theory of the
meridian systems. The small frame style allows the entire body to receive
maximum
benefits from small lively movements. The main points of the style are as
follows: There
are over 200 postures in the routine which are performed in less than two
minutes. The
practitioner must maintain a low stance whereby the head does not rise
higher than four
feet above the ground. The fighting applications must be regularly practiced
and
combined with internal energy. The small frame style is practiced mainly by
younger
people and is quite different from what most people would consider Tai Chi
Chuan. Small
frame Tai Chi Chuan not only incorporates speed, vitality, and lightness,
but also
maintains the essence of relaxation, quiescence, roundness, and softness.
Yang Cheng Fu
The third son of Yang Jian Hou was Yang Zhao Qing
(1883-1936), also known as Yang
Cheng Fu. Cheng Fu was a very warm-hearted, intelligent person. He trained
under the
tutelage of his father in the deepest way. His Tai Chi Chuan skills were
like an "iron
needle hidden in cotton". The characteristics of his postures were large,
relaxed, and full
of vitality. The postures of Yang Cheng Fu's large frame style can be
divided into high,
medium, and low. The postures can be selected based upon the practitioners
age, sex,
strength of body, and other various demands. Because of this, Yang style Tai
Chi Chuan
is not only used to cure illness and to maintain health, but also is used to
strengthen the
body and to develop a high level of martial combat skills. Consequently,
many people
have found his Tai Chi Chuan most suitable.
Yang Chengfu
Yang Cheng Fu was born on July 7, 1883 and passed
away on March 3, 1936. He studied
the art continuously in Beijing under the instructions of his father. Not
until after the
passing of his father did Cheng Fu travel to southern China to teach. He
taught in
various cities throughout China in such places as Wuhan, Hankou, Nanjing,
Hangzhou
etc.
Some of Yang Cheng Fu's students were Yang Sau
Chung, Tung Ying Chieh, Fu Zhong
Wen, Yang Zhao Xin, Tian Zhao Ling, Chen Wei Ming, Zhang Qing Lin, Wang Ting
Xing
In 1925, Yang Cheng Fu published the book, 'The Art
of Tai Chi Chuan', using actual
photographs of Yang. Later in 1931, he published 'The Applications of Tai
Chi Chuan'
using new photographs. In 1928, he was invited to be the head of the Wudang
section of
the Nanjing Central Guo Shu Academy. Later he was also invited to be the
head of the
Zhejiang Provincial Guo Shu Academy in Hangzhou. In 1930, Cheng Fu settled
in
Shanghai where he published the book entitled 'The Complete Principle and
Theory of
Tai Chi Chuan'. In 1932, he was invited by Chen Ji Tang and Li Zong Ren to
teach in
the city of Guangzhou. Two years later he returned to Shanghai. After Yang
Cheng Fu
traveled to southern China, he gradually moved away from the martial aspect
of Tai Chi
Chuan to more of the health aspects. When Yang Cheng Fu first arrived in
Shanghai, he
was invited to demonstrate at the 'Soft Fist' Society. When Yang performed
'Separate
Heel Kick' he issued much power causing a loud sound to be heard. Later, he
changed
the kick to a slow and even movement. 'Fist to Groin' originally issued much
power at
the last moment of execution, but this was also changed to a slow and even
motion. His
method of practice gradually changed to slow and continuous movements
without any
breaks.
Yang Cheng Fu was a very large person whose push
hand skills were tremendous. His
sensitivity was very keen and agile. When he issued power, he was precisely
on target;
his speed was lightning fast; and his striking distance was short so that he
could throw a
person several meters through the air without harming his opponent. In fact,
according to
some of his students, the feeling of being pushed by him was actually
comfortable and
invigorating.
The Story of a Cotton Thread
In the year 1932, Master Yang Cheng Fu and his
disciple, Fu Zhong Wen, traveled south
to the city of Guang Zhou in Guang Dong Province to teach the art of Tai Chi
Chuan.
One day, a martial arts teacher by the name of Liu and his disciples went to
the
residence of Master Yang. Upon observing the way in which Liu was dressed
and the
manner in which he held himself, Master Yang knew that this man�s talents in
fighting
were extraordinary. Upon meeting Yang Cheng Fu, Liu raised his hands,
saluted Master
Yang and said: "It is well known that your skills in Tai Chi are superior
and for three
generations your family has been without equals. I have especially come here
to see
your skills." Master Yang realized Liu was challenging him to a duel and
that the conflict
would be unavoidable. Master Yang suddenly thought of an idea to prevent a
fight but to
maintain the code of the martial world (Wu Lin). He told his disciple, Fu
Zhong Wen, to
go and get out a one foot piece of cotton thread. Young Fu was shocked when
he heard
this because the cotton thread was used as a training tool only among the
indoor
disciples of the Yang style. It was never before shown to outsiders.
Master Yang warmed up by performing 'Grasp
Sparrow's Tail' and 'Cloud Hands';
thereupon, he took the cotton thread between his thumb and index finger and
asked:
"Who has the strength of a thousand pounds to tear this piece of thread in
half?" Upon
hearing this, Liu sneered at Master Yang while sending one of his disciples
out to take
the challenge. The disciple grabbed the other end of the cotton thread and
asked: "When
shall we begin?" Master Yang replied by saying: "It is completely up to
you." Following,
the disciple fiercely pulled at the thread. Master Yang adhered to his every
move.
Suddenly the disciple reversed the direction of motion, however, Master
Yang, without
hesitation, also moved in the same manner.
This went on for several rounds without the
disciple being able to tear the thread in two.
While the thread was being pulled it remained straight no matter which
direction the
force was being applied. Liu saw what was occurring and summoned his
disciple to step
back. After Liu performed several exercises to warm up, he jumped into the
air and
performed several tornado kicks. Immediately following this, he jumped
toward Master
Yang as agile as a rabbit and grabbed the other end of the thread. Master
Yang was just
as agile and moved in the same manner. Without hesitation, Liu jumped back
in a
retreating maneuver while trying to break the thread; in the same instance,
Master Yang
followed in Liu's footsteps preventing the thread from being broken.
Afterwards, Liu
shot forward as fast as an arrow, then darted to the left and then to the
right, moving in
all directions. Within all of this motion, both Liu and Master Yang never
made contact
with each other. The way in which the two moved was similar to a dragon
lantern moving
in the night. Spectators witnessing the event were astonished by the skill
of Yang Cheng
Fu. The entire time this was occurring the thread was never broken nor was
it even bent.
The thread remained straight during the entire match. After a long period of
trying to
break the thread, Liu was completely out of breath and covered with sweat.
Master
Yang, on the other hand, was very calm and relaxed without any signs of
exhaustion.
When the match was over, Liu realized that the
skill level of Master Yang was very
extraordinary and therefore held a grand Panquet in honor of Master Yang.
From that
day forth, both Liu and Master Yang became very good friends. In the same
way as
Master Yang's grandfather and father did before him, Yang Cheng Fu had
developed his
skills of understanding energy (Dong Jin) and listening to energy (Ting Jin)
to an
outstanding skill level. He was able to adhere and yield to every single
move his
opponent performed and did not expend any energy. Even to this day, the
story of how a
piece of thread can demonstrate martial skills is told in the martial arts
community near
the Guang Zhou region.
Yang Lu Chan was able to build upon the basics of
Chen style old frame Tai Chi Chuan
and make it more compatible for the common person to learn no matter what
his age. At
that moment, people termed his style 'Yang family Tai Chi Chuan'. The Yang
style
passed through reform and constant improvement during the first two
generations of
father and son. The formal standardization of the style finally occurred
when it came into
Yang Cheng Fu's hands. The postures became wide and comfortable; the
structure was
strict and demanding; the body was upright and erect; and the movements were
harmoniously flowing, light, agile, and rooted.
Tai Chi Chuan Blossoms
It was because of the hard work of the third
generation inheritor that Tai Chi Chuan
became popular and developed into what it is today. Moreover, this allowed
the onset of
many other styles to flourish. An example of this was Wu Yu Xiang, a
disciple of Wu Lu
Qing, who created Wu style Tai Chi Chuan. Wu Yu Xiang transmitted his style
to Hao
Wei Zhen who later developed Hao style Tai Chi Chuan. Hao Wei Zhen passed
his style
to Sun Lu Tang who created Sun style Tai Chi Chuan. Yang Pan Hou taught
Chuan You
who then transmitted the art to his son, Wu Jian Chuan, thereby creating the
other Wu
style Tai Chi Chuan.
In summation, it can be said that Yang style Tai Chi Chuan is the root of
Wu, Hao
(partially), Sun, and Wu style Tai Chi Chuan. In 1956, the National Chinese
Sports
Association extracted postures from Yang style Tai Chi Chuan to create a
simplified
version of Tai Chi Chuan. Afterwards, the 88 posture and the 48 posture Tai
Chi Chuan
routines were created.
Yang style Tai Chi Chuan has developed and advanced
tremendously over a very short
historical time frame. This testifies to the importance Tai Chi Chuan has in
the
prevention and healing of illnesses and the promotion of health and
longevity. It is
possible that after the mutual exchange of ideas and knowledge between all
Tai Chi
Chuan practitioners, Yang style Tai Chi Chuan can become internationally
ranked and
can make great contributions to the health and well-being of the world.
n the sixth century A.D. Bodihdharma (called Ta Mo in China) came to the Shaolin Monastery and seeing that the monks there were in poor physical condition from too much meditation and not enough movement, he introduced his Eighteen Form Lohan Exercise. Over time these grew to be the precursors of the Wei Chia (outer-extrinsic) school of exercise, by which is meant all the schools of kung-fu and other martial art forms which take an 'external' approach. This is in contrast to the Nei Chia (internal-intrinsic) school of which Tai Chi is a member, that take a fundamentally 'internal' approach. In the eighth century AD (the Tang dynasty) philosophers like Hsu Hsuan- p'ing developed a 'Long Kung-fu' of 37 forms. Of these certain ones such as:
- Play the Pi'pa
Painting
of Bodihdharma by Feng Tien: - Single Whip
- Step up to Seven Stars
- Jade Lady Works the Shuttles,
- High Pat on Horse; and
- White Crane (originally Phoenix) Cools Wing
