 |
Home | Syllabus | Classes | Adam Wallace | News |
 |
|
Taijiquan (T'ai Chi Ch'uan) is one of the major branches of the Chinese martial arts. 'Taiji' is the universal principle, or concept, of yin and yang, upon which the Ba Gua (Eight situations) and Yijing (Book of Change) are based, and 'Quan' means 'fist'. Taijiquan was created over 360 years ago in Chen village (Chenjiagou), Wen County, Henan province, by combining the effective combat techniques from General Qi Jiguang's 'The Canons of Boxing' (which encompassed sixteen schools of martial arts) as well as special combat skills from renowned contemporary masters, with Chinese medical knowledge, internal training (Qigong) for health, and the Daoist principles of yin and yang (i.e. hard and soft, firm and yielding, solid and empty, expanding and contracting, etc.) It was developed as a means of training warriors in a healthy well-rounded manner. Historically, the Chen family boxers were bodyguards, hired to protect valuables and transport them across bandit country, and often had to protect their village from would-be invaders. With the advent of firearms, Taijiquan became obsolete on the battlefield, and martial arts masters concluded that its future lay in health promotion and keeping fit. In China, Taijiquan has proven successful as a curative for neurasthenia, neuralgia, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, tuberculosis, arthritis among others. It improves the functions of the skeleton and muscles, and digestive and lymphatic systems, toning the body and balancing weight. Practice develops internal strength, issuing power, awareness, inner calm, and a powerful self-defense capability. |
|
Chen Taijiquan is the root of all the popular styles of Taijiquan. It is distinguished by its low stances, changes in tempo, explosiveness, and 'silk-reeling' energy. 'Silk-reeling' develops spiraling movement for the primary purpose of opening the acupuncture channels, promoting the flow of vital energy and cultivating health, but also to unify the body in movement for striking, applying and escaping joint locks, and developing relaxed, explosive power.
The founder of Taijiquan was Chen Wangting (9th generation ancestor),
a born warrior, master martial artist and chief of the civil troops towards
the end of the Ming dynasty around 1640. He reputedly killed 1,000 bandits,
and in retirement, following a lifetime of researching, developing, and
experiencing martial arts, and influenced by Daoism, he began creating
Taijiquan. From the 'Canons of Boxing' he created five sets of taiji boxing,
one set of Longboxing (108 forms) and one set of Paocui combat boxing.
The skill was kept within Chen village for five generations until Chen
Changxing (the 14th generation patriarch), who created the Old Frame as
a synthesis of the original sets, taught 'outsider' Yang Luchan. Yang
then created Yang Style Taijiquan, which he introduced to Beijing. He
simplified many difficult movements and omitted the explosive power and
changes in tempo, rendering the art easier to learn and perform. Hence,
his Taijiquan became highly popular with the masses (who were unaware
of the Chen Style at this time) and led to the popular image of Taijiquan
as 'the gentle martial art'. Later the other major styles of Taijiquan,
namely Sun and Wu, evolved and Yang Taijiquan also underwent revisions
through the following generations.
In 1928, Chen Style was brought to Beijing by the legendary Chen Fake
(17th generation), Chen Changxing's great grandson and creator of the
New Frame, and its popularity spread across the major cities of China.
Today there is a greatly increasing interest in Chen Taijiquan worldwide
as it retains its martial essence and has seen the least amount of change
since its conception.
The current inheritor and standard-bearer of the family skill is Grandmaster
Chen Xiaowang (19th generation), grandson of Chen Fake, who learned from
his father, Chen Zhaoxu, and his uncles, Zhaokui and Zhaopei. Grandmaster
Chen travels the world promoting his family's original skill and is regarded
in China as a national hero and one of the top martial arts coaches.
