About T'ai chi ch'uan
Exercise disciplines have always been practised in China, but T'ai Chi Ch'uan may be regarded as a relatively modern form of 'Chi Kung' (Qigong) , an energy exercise system which goes back thousands of years in Chinese history.
Chinese martial traditions seem to date back to the feudal period between 402-221 BC (i.e. 'The Warring States period'), during which time potential warriors were obliged to learn combative skills such as archery and swordsmanship.
In the sixth century AD the monks of the Shaolin Temple at Henan were instructed in a type of yoga-meditation by an Indian mystic whom they called Ta Mo (Bodhidharma). The monks were well versed in the fighting arts, but their bodies and minds were unable to withstand long periods of sitting meditation. This new system of exercise, which may well have been the precursor to what eventually became T'ai Chi Ch'uan, allowed the monks to become more 'complete', that is, they were able to develop their spiritual or inner lives along with their more physical attributes.
T'ai Chi Ch'uan was originally a fighting system quite different from what it is now, but information concerning its actual origin has been lost in the turbulent history of China.
The legendary founder of T'ai Chi Ch'uan is reputed to have been Chang San-Feng, a 13th century Taoist mystic, who was described as being over seven feet tall with immense strength, unkempt in appearance, yet wise and agile. He supposedly learned his martial arts at the Shaolin Temple at Henan and later went to train at a Taoist retreat at Wu-Tang. Whilst there it is said he had a dream-encounter with a Warrior-God or Immortal, who taught him in a vision a new 'soft' style of martial arts. This system was very much influenced by the teachings of Lao Tzu - The Founder of Taoism.
The first evidence of a familiar style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan dates from the 18th century. The Chen family of Henan Province seem to have had a particular system they kept secret, and what this early style was like is impossible to say. However, the secrets of the Chen T'ai Chi passed into the hands of Yang Lu-Ch'an a Chen family servant who, it was said, initially spied on the instruction given to Chen family members and, because he became so competent in the art, was allowed to learn the style in its entirety.
Yang Lu-Ch'an, regarded as the founder of the Yang style T'ai Chi Ch'uan, became a famous T'ai Chi fighter and was nicknamed 'Yang The Unconquerable'. He taught at the Imperial Court and also trained his two sons, thereby founding a family dynasty. His grandson, Yang Chen-Fu, redeveloped the T'ai Chi martial system into a more health-oriented way and taught the famous 'Cheng Man-Ching' for seven years.
Master Cheng was one of the first noted teachers to bring T'ai Chi to the Western world, and taught students in New York from 1965 until his death in 1975.
Professor Cheng Man-Ching devised a shortened version of the traditional Yang Style Long Form during the 1940s, which consists of 37 postures. This proved easier for westerners who found the original style of 108 postures too difficult to learn and remember. This short 'Cheng Man-Ching Form' is now the most commonly taught style of Tai Chi in the west and is seen as the foundation for further studies.
There are also a number of other well known styles of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, such as the simplified 24 Step Beijing Form, Wu Style, Sun Style and Wudang, among others.
