The Origins of Tai Chi

The Origins of Tai ChiYang Lu-Chan found work in the householdof
The principles of Tai Chi were establishedbyChen Chang-xing and secretly spied on Tai Chi
Taoist hermits and evolved as a martial fightingSessions of his master.
art called Tai Chi Chuan.Oneday he offered to fight a stranger in front of
Theearly Tai Chi teachers were mystical figuresChen, who was unaware of hisfighting skills.
however; the exception was ChangChen was so impressed by his performance that
San-Feng, who was the first major figure in Taihe accepted
Chi history.Yang as a student, Yang then travelled
The Mingthroughout China as Chen's representativeand in
Dynasty places his date of birth at 1247 and he isany fights he took part in legend has it he was
credited with being the founderof the fighting artnever beaten.
called Wudang Kung fu.Yangadapted the Chen style to be a gentler
He is believed to have studiedunder a Taoistversion of Tai Chi. Today, Chen is
recluse living in the mountains of Northwest China;acknowledgedas the oldest of the three Tai Chi
he then studiedat a Shaolin temple.styles but it is Yang's style is more popular.
The Shaolin temple is credited as the originatorofWu
fighting martial arts such as Shaolin temple boxingYu Hsiang Style
and Kung Fu.The third major style of Tai Chi was developed
Afterwatching a fight between a bird and aby Wu
snake, Chang was impressed by the abilityof theYu-Hsiang, who studied with Yang and Chen.
snake to dodge and counter attack the largerHis style incorporates featuresof both styles and
crane.these three styles form the base from which
Chang observedthis ability to defend and countermany other styleshave flourished.
attack and then modified his Kung FuModern Developments
fightingtechnique.The government in Pekingin 1949 established the
From this point on the soft or internal ChineseWushu Council to formulate a style that would
marshal artswere born including: Ba Gua, Hsingi andpopularise
Tai Chi Chan.Tai Chi, improve people's health and make it a
Chen Stylecompetitive sport.
TheThe
17th century in China was a time of war and TaiWushu style is responsible for popularising Tai Chi
Chi was developed as a fightingdiscipline. The mostand bringing it to a greateraudience than ever
famous of these was the Chen style of Tai Chibefore.
founded byA new style called the Beijing 24 step formcame
Chen Wang T'ing who served under general Chifrom this research and has become popular
Chi-Guang.worldwide.
General Chi Chi-Guangis credited with writing theThe most famousof the Tai Chi masters of the
"classic of Kung Fu" which, set out theprinciples of20th century was Chen Man-Ching; he
what has now become the Cheng style of Taisimplifiedthe Yang style big form of 108 postures
Chi.cutting it to just 37.
T'ing iscredited as being the first person to referThis styleis easier to learn and established Chan
to Tai Chi Chuan rather than Wudangkung fu.Man Ching as the most influential Tai
Yang StyleChi master of the 20th Century.