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History of Tai Chi Chuan – The Forms Emerge
Another figure, Qi Ji
Guang (1528-1587),
a general of the Ming Dynasty, is said to have absorbed 16 kinds of famous
folk kung fu actions and created the 32 Form Fist Techniques for training
his soldiers (though these could have been taken from a southern martial
art Sung Tai Zhu Quan). Half a century later, Chen Wang Ting (1600-1680),
the 9th offspring of Chen Family, combined 29 forms of 32 Form Fist
Techniques by Qi Ji Guang with the form handed down from his ancestors, and
also brought Chinese Qi Gong and Chinese Medicine Theory into the art. As a
child he studied hard, learning the family’s martial art in the
mornings and literature in the afternoons. Later he was to serve as an
officer in Shandong
province, and during the reign of Ming Dynasty emperor Chongzhen
(1628-1644) he rose to the rank of garrison leader in Wi county. He
eventually returned to the Chen village, where he taught his martial art.
Some scholars believe this to be the first style of Tai Chi Chuan, however
others believe evidence suggest that the Chen family’s martial art
developed into Tai Chi later. However the Chen family’s martial arts
were kept a strictly guarded secret within the family for over the next 150
years.
 One of
Chang San Feng's descendants students taught Wang Tsung Yueh (1736-1795)
who wrote The Great Pole Boxing Theory, which further develops the ideas
contained in Chang San Feng’s Treatise on The Qi Disruption Forms.
Wang Tsung Yueh is credited with linking Chang San Feng’s thirteen
postures into a continuous form that resembles modern Tai Chi.
Zhiang Fa, whose fighting
ability became legendary, studied under Wang Tsung Yueh. He traveled far
and wide across China
and carried with him The Great Pole Boxing Theory. On his journey he passed
through the Chen Family village in Chen Jar Gao, in the Huo Nan province where
they practiced their own family style Pao Choi (“Cannon
Pounding”). While many scholars believe that Zhiang Fa discovered the
Chen villagers practicing their Tai Chi, others maintain that it was he
that brought Tai Chi to them and that Pao Choi was a distinct martial art.
Either way, Zhiang Fa’s teaching marked a significant step in the
development of the Chen Style of Tai Chi Chuan.
A contemporary of Zhiang
Fa, who also studied under Wang Tsung Yueh, was Chen Chou-t'ung. The two
quarreled, however, and while Zhiang Fa continued with the Chen family,
Chen Chou-t’ung moved to establish the Sourthern School of Tai Chi.
This style subsequently disappeared.
Traditionally, the teaching of any
martial system was tightly restricted to relatives and people of the same
surname. Very rarely were non-related people allowed to learn the deeper
aspects of a family martial art style.
At the start of the 19th century, combining Zhiang
Fa’s techniques with those of the Chen family, Chen Chang Hsing
(1771-1853) taught his particular style of Chen Tai Chi Chuan.
It happened that at this time a man
named Yang Lu-Chan (1799-1873) wanted to learn Tai Chi Chuan. Because he
was not a member of Chen Chang Hsing’s family he had difficulty
gaining entrance. This he eventually did though by joining the family as a
servant, getting a job as an assistant in a Herbal Medicine store. As a
member of the household, Chen Chang Hsing taught Yang Lu-Chan the basics of
Tai Chi. For a long time Yang Lu Chan was disappointed that he was not
learning the key martial aspects of the system. Nevertheless he faithfully
and diligently practised what he was taught.
Yang Lu-chan’s progress in
mastering Tai Chi was painfully slow until one fateful night. On that
particular night, Yang Lu-Chan was awakened by faint shouting sounds from a
distance. Getting up to investigate, he followed the shouts until he came
upon Chen Chang Hsing with a group of students. Yang Lu-Shan carefully hid
and observed the all the martial secrets that Chen was teaching. Among the
secrets Yang learned were the Hun and Ha methods of shouting to generate
power for martial purposes. He also learned how to apply the techniques
from the bare-hand sequence. Although Chen Chang Hsing taught Yang Lu-Chan
the forms, he did not teach the application of techniques. From this moment
on Yang Lu-Chan secretly observed the midnight session and then practised
all he observed.
One story has it that on one
occasion Chen Chang Hsing discovered the spying of Yang Lu-Chan and asked
him to spar with the students that had practised each night. To Chen Chang
Hsing’s surprise not even his best students could overcome Yang
Lu-Chan. A variation tells that Chen Chang’s students were challenged
by visitors. They were subsequently bettered. Yang Lu-Chan stepped forward
to defend the Chen family’s honour and bettered the visitors.
Whatever the true events were, from the moment Yang Lu-Chan proved himself
better at Tai Chi than Chen Chang Hsing’s own students, Chen Chang
Hsing formally accepted and adopted him, training him in earnest.
 Yang Lu
Chan became so good that he to was able to defeat even the Chen masters.
This is because Zhiang Fa gave Yang Lu Chan a copy of Wang Tsung Yueh's
Great Pole Boxing Theory and explained it, which enabled him to take his
ability to a higher standard.
What Yang Lu Chan then did
was to combine all his existing knowledge and eventually invented his own
system it was known in China
as the pinnacle of all fighting systems at that time, he called it Hao
Chuan - Loose Boxing. It was dynamic and fast and furious in action with
leaps and explosive punches and palm strikes. And every movement was a
devastating Fa jin Dim Mak strike.
Yang Lu Chan then set out
to find a better fighter than himself, he travelled around northern China
with a bag over his shoulder and a spear in his hand. Whenever he heard of
a martial artist in the area he was passing through he would challenge
them. Often he fought with several people at once but was never beaten.
Eventually Yang's reputation was so great that when he arrived in Beijing he was asked
to be Instructor Of The Royal Flags Battalion and became known as Yang of
No Equal. Here he taught his three sons and a number of pupils. His
oldest son died quiet young, but his other two sons continued to study and
master the style their father had learnt from Chen Chang Hsing. From these
two, Tai Chi was to branch into distinctive styles whilst gaining
popularity for the system as a whole.
In Beijing he was challenged by the
countries top fighters, on one occasion a champion of Tiger Boxing called Liu
said to him, Your style looks to soft to defeat anyone. Yang Lu Chan
replied Men are not made of wood or iron, they can all be defeated. Liu
suddenly attacked Yang, leaping at him and roaring like a tiger. Yang
counter attack towards Liu instantly with a very small Fa jin movement
known as 'Double Palm Circle'.
Liu was knocked unconscious with such severity that he hit the ground as if
he had fallen from a great height. According to Fu Zhongwen, Yang Lu Chan's
ability to become an unequalled fighter was a result of his fanatical
single mindedness.
Yang Lu Chan was
exceptionally harsh when he taught his sons, both Yang Pan Hou (1837-1892)
and Yang Chien Hou (1839-1917) tried to run away on many occasions but were
always caught and brought back.
Yang Lu Chan insisted on
incredibly high standards, on one occasion when Yang Pan Hou was attacked
by a renowned wrestler and defeated him, his father would give him no
praise. Yang Pan Hou describes how as the wrestler attacked he had leaped
forwards with a Fa jin movement and struck at several Dim mak points on the
opponent, defeating him in an instant. Yang Lu Chan had shaken his head in
a dismissive and disappointed way and drew Yang Pan Hou's attention to a
small tear in his sleeve caused by the wrestler. “He should not have
been able to grab you, you must train harder”, he said.
Yang Lu
Chan was a short man of slight build but because of his continuous
dedicated training his spiritual force was so great that he could defeat
seasoned fighters twice his size. He died at the age of 73, his tomb is in
his family village Yong Nian in Henan
province.
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bend is to become straight. To empty oneself is to become full.
To wear oneself out is to be
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