Zhang San Feng’s Wudang Quan
Tai Chi Chuan (or Taiji Quan) means “Supreme Ultimate Fist”. Supreme Ultimate refers to the Tao or the cosmos (so Tai Chi Chuan can also be translated as “cosmos boxing”). Tai Chi Chuan is based on the Taoist principles of yin and yang. Practitioners of Tai Chi Chuan are taught for example to divert a destructive force such as a kick or punch (Yang) away from the body or into the void (Yin). Tai Chi Chuan practice includes routines of techniques called forms, a type of sparring called pushing hands or Tui Shou, weapons forms (sword or Jian, sabre or Dao and the spear or Qiang), as well as self defence applications.
Tai Chi Chuan was created by the Taoist monk Zhang San Feng. After graduating from the Shaolin Temple, Zhang San Feng witnessed a fight between a snake and a crane on Wudang mountain. This inspired him to modify the comparatively hard Shaolin Kung Fu into a softer style, which was called Wudang Kung Fu. Zhang San Feng discarded the hard external training methods (such as hitting bags) and began to emphasise soft internal methods (such as breathing and visualisation). By the end of the Ming dynasty Wudang Kung Fu had spread to secular disciplies. One such desciple was Wong Zong Xue who was the first to use the term Tai Chi Chuan. Wong Zong Xue spent time in the Chen Jia Gou (Chen family village) in Wenxian County in the Henan Province. Here Tai Chi Chuan was passed on to Chen Wang Ting.
Yang Lu Chan, the founder of Yang style Tai Chi Chuan, was born in Yongnian Hsein in Hebei Province. His family was poor and Yang Lu Chan had to leave home to go out and earn a living. Yang Lu Chan served as an attendant to the Chen family. Yang Lu Chan learnt the Chen family “lao jia” (old frame) style of Tai Chi Chuan from Chen Shing Xing (1771-1863).
Yang Lu Chan came to teach Tai Chi Chuan in the ancient capital city of Beijing where many nobles of the Qing Dynasty learned martial art from him. In the house of one of the royal families in the capital a large number of boxing masters and wrestlers were employed and many were keen to challenge Yang Lu Chan. In such contests, Yang Lu Chan would throw the challenger to the ground without injuring him. Yang Lu Chan earned great respect and fame was called “Yang the Invincible”.
Tai Chi Chuan became very popular and as the number of people wishing to learn increased Yang Lu Chan began to remove the difficult movements such as jumps and leaps, explosions of strength and vigorous foot stomping from the form. Yang Lu Chan’s son, Yang Jian Hou (1837-1917), made further revisions and the form and it became known as “zhong jia” (medium frame). Yang Jian Hou’s son, Yang Cheng Fu (1883-1936), revised the form again which finally developed into the “da jia” (large frame) style which is the most popular Yang style of Tai Chi Chuan. Yang Cheng Fu taught Yang Zhen Ming who in turn taught Ou Rong Ju, and who then taught Leslie James Reed Sifu.
Unlike the Chen style, the Yang style of Tai Chi Chuan is more relaxed and graceful. The movements are naturally combined with breathing which should be deep and should “sink to the dan tian” (the point in the lower belly slightly below the navel). Yang style Tai Chi Chuan is more even paced with steady movements that follow a circular path. Within each posture there are techniques for countering and overpowering the adversary. Yang Chen Fu cautioned students to always keep roundness and relaxation in their movements which must be gentle, natural, flexible and smooth and also synchronized with the mind.
“Tai Chi Chuan is an art with strength concealed in the gentle movements,
like ‘an iron hand in a velvet glove’ or ‘a needle concealed in cotton‘”.
Yang Cheng Fu
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Sep 25th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Philip,
I’m surprised that you would say that Zhang San Feng created tai chi when historians now say this is only a legend. Tai Chi cannot be traced farther back than Chen Wangting — the Chen family, where Yang Luchan learned the art, as you discuss in your article. There are many legends surrounding the martial arts, and most people now realize that they’re not really true. It’s time to move into the 21st Century and discard the fantasies.
I believe that–for some Yang stylists–it’s hard to admit that the Chen family created the art. I studied Yang style for more than a decade, and when I discovered Chen, and met members of the Chen family and their disciples, I understood that I really didn’t know much about tai chi. And talk about graceful — I completely disagree with the statement that Yang style is more graceful. It’s actually much more stiff and dead — at least what passes for tai chi in most of America. For proof, look at Chen Xiaowang when he was younger. You’ve never seen such grace and explosive power: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnhE0B-ro9U.
Unfortunately, most of the Yang style taught in America is very weak, and most teachers and students know nothing about the martial aspects, which is why it was created in the first place. They usually have no real concept of silk-reeling, which is one of the cornerstones of tai chi. Most students don’t even know what the ground path is, and think peng is part of Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail. They’ve turned tai chi into slow motion meditation. When I was introduced to Chen, I realized in an hour that I had to start over and discard almost everything I had learned. That’s the reality of real tai chi. And that isn’t what most people are learning.
Sep 28th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Hi Ken,
Thanks for your comments. Before I respond let me say that while I said Zhang San Feng created Tai Chi Chuan, I also said that it was Wong Zong Xue who was the first to use the term Tai Chi Chuan.
Yes, there are historians who say that Zhang San Feng had nothing to do with the creation of Tai Chi Chuan, or any internal arts for that matter. I feel there are many more scholars who acknowledge that there is no conclusive proof that Zhang San Feng created the predecessor of Tai Chi Chuan, and would agree that it can neither be proved or disproved, and yet others who are happy to accept the legend as historical. As they say, the lack of something does not disprove its existence.
As to whether Tai Chi Chuan was created in the Chen Jia Gou, that is another matter, for there are some who dispute this claim too. Of course, history is the reward of the victorious.
When I said Yang style was more graceful, I did not mean to disparage Chen style. Perhaps graceful was not the most appropriate description. Yang Cheng Fu’s revised form was larger, smoother, more even paced, and lacking in the more explosive “fa jin” that is more readily seen in Chen style (and quite clearly evident in the video you suggested).
Sadly, one has to agree that the state of Tai Chi Chuan instruction worldwide leaves much to be desired. The focus on health and relaxation has result in “Tai Chi” and not “Tai Chi Chuan”. One could argue that the popularity of Tai Chi Chuan, both as recreational art and martial art, can be attributed to Yang Cheng Fu’s decision to teach Tai Chi Chuan to the general public – and to do so he had to make it more accessible.
Like it or not, Yang style has contributed much to the growth of Tai Chi Chuan, and perhaps for some Chen stylists is hard to swallow that Yang style is more popular.
Sep 28th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I’m not sure if the centuries old (pre 21st century) argument ‘my martial art is better than your martial art’ is improved much by the ‘my taiji is better than your taiji’ argument?
Most martial arts are started in obscurity, attributed to a few, challenged and contradicted by many, and ultimately developed by all practitioners: for better or worse.
Knowledge shared too wide can indeed be knowledge diluted, but only with the consent of teacher/student. What was hidden in China 60 years ago is now practised on the shores of Africa and America. This is a good thing, and the travelling/defecting Shaolin monks knew this and were prepared to risk everything to share this knowledge.
Find a good teacher, commit yourself to your studies:- the kung fu heritage relies on good students surpassing those that come before them.
Oct 15th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Brett, Nicely put my man. I am so sick and tired of this “competition” between different martial arts.The school I train with (South Africa) gets their lineage from Shaolin and Wudang, who are also direct decendants from the Chen family and Wudang masters. My Sifo studies with them directly in China.(P.S. is the Yang style as we know if now not a watered down version of the true style as taught to the emperial family? Nothing wrong with the Chen or Yang style, both are beautiful and strong.