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Tai Chi History and Culture
What began as an obscure martial arts system has blossomed in recent years to become a worldwide exercise phenomenon. Tai Chi Chuan classes are now found in community centers, senior centers, parks and recreation programs and health education classes in many countries.
Let’s examine the nature of Tai Chi Chuan to understand why this exercise appeals to so many people worldwide. Tai Chi Chuan is a series of movements, based on offensive and defensive martial techniques, performed as a sequenced set. Some early observers call this Chinese “shadow boxing,” as some punches and kicks were recognizable. It is the slow, deliberate pace of these motions during practice that is so special.
Recent scientific research indicates that many of the health benefits of practicing Tai Chi Chuan can be traced to this slowness and attention to physical detail. The steps are graceful; the body’s motion is circular, fluid and relaxed. There is elegance, a sense of ease and balance in the movements and an ineffable calm expressed by the players. There is serenity in the exercises that can be seen by even the most casual observer.
Tai Chi Chuan is an exercise that can be practiced well into one’s eighties, nineties and beyond. It has become one of China’s most recognizable cultural art forms, and has deep roots in traditional Chinese philosophy and self-cultivation exercises.
The origins of Tai Chi Chuan are obscured by history and legend. One legend has it that the semi-mythical Chinese Taoist priest Zhang Sanfeng, said to have been born either in 960, 1247 or in 1279, created the concept of internal martial arts, and created Tai Chi Chuan. According to legend, he observed a crane attacking a snake on Wudang Mountain and was greatly inspired by the snake’s defensive tactics. The snake remained still and alert in face of the crane’s onslaught until it made a lunge and fatally bit its attacker. This inspired him to create a 72-movement Tai Chi Chaun set.
The Taoist philosophy and teachings of Wudang Mountain were passed down through many generations. No verifiable historical records can be found until about 300 years ago. These earliest records indicate that Tai Chi Chuan can be traced to Chenjiagou, a small village in Henan Province, home of the Chen clan. Since that time, 19 generations of Chen style players have maintained their strict training and high standards. Until the end of the 19th century, this was a closely held family technique.
In the 1820’s Yang Luchan began studying Chen style, and did so for over 10 years. His fighting skills earned him the nickname, “Yang the Invincible,” eventually land him a job in the Forbidden City teaching the Manchu Imperial Guard. He developed Yang Family Tai Chi Chaun, which began to attract the attention of the aristocracy and as a result he and Wu Yuxiang began to slow the motions down, making them more evenly paced and reserved, suitable for more contemplative players.
From the 1840’s, the Yang Family began to teach publicly, hoping that the daily practice of Tai Chi Chuan could restore the health and downtrodden spirits of their fellow citizens. In the 1950’s, the Chinese government created the popular Simplified Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan 24 Form and propagated it widely to the masses as a health exercise. Today, estimates of Tai Chi Chuan players worldwide range in the tens of millions. Traditional Tai Chi Chuan has 5 basic styles: Chen Style is the most martial, with explosive strikes and coiling sinuous motions. Yang Style is the most widely practiced, with large open postures and slow, evenly paced motions. Two other styles developed from the early Yang style: one developed by Wu Yuxiang and Li Yiyu and spread by Hao Weizhen; the other created by Quan You and Wu Jianquan. They are known as the Wu/Hao style and the Wu style, respectively. Finally, Sun Lutang combined his experience in Baguazhang and Xingyiquan with Tai Chi Chuan to create the Sun style.
~ Text from; International Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Association Instructor Study Guide