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History of Tai Chi Chuan – the Foundations
The origins of Tai
Chi Chuan are the subject of much debate with different branches holding
beliefs of versions of events. Added to the difficulty of a lack of
consistent records is that figures may have been known by different names
in their time, and in the west this
is compounded by various transliterations. The history presented here, then,
is just one interpretation, but one based upon our school’s
understanding and the works of respected scholars. What is certain though
is that China
has a rich history of martial arts that are associated with health and
philosophy. All of this cultural background and study of the martial arts
though the centuries can be seen as contributing to the foundations of Tai
Chi Chuan. From the very origins of Taoism in the
sixth century BC, sages like Lao Tsu wrote in the Tao Te Ching:
“Yield and Overcome; Bend and be
straight.” and
“He who stands of tiptoe is not steady. He
who strides cannot maintain the pace.”
Throughout his writings Lao Tsu reflects the
central philosophical underpinnings of Tai Chi Chuan.
During the period of the Three Kingdoms (224 to 265 AD) there was a
physician Hua-tu'o who relied not only on medicine but also taught the
'movements of the five creatures' - tiger, deer, bear, ape and birds - a
system he called “Wu-chi chih hsi". He believed that the body needed to be regularly exercised to
help with digestion and circulation and only by doing so could a long and
healthy live be achieved. He advocated a system of imitating the movements
of these animals to help exercise every joint in the body. His teaching,
and its connection with the movements of animals, is probably the earliest
precursor of Tai Chi.
In the
6th century A.D. Bodihdharma (called Ta
Mo in China) came to the Shaolin
Monastery. Seeing that the monks there were in poor physical condition from
too much meditation and not enough movement he taught them his
“Eighteen Form Lohan Exercise”. Over time these grew to be the precursors of the “Wei
Chia” (outer-extrinsic)
school of exercise (as epitomized by Kung-fu). By contrast Tai Chi Chuan
belongs to the “Nei Chia”
(internal intrinsic) school.
In the
eighth century AD (the Tang dynasty) such forms as “Heavenly-Inborn
Style”, “Nine Small Heavens Style” and “Acquired
Kung-fu” were taught from which the origins of Tai Chi were
developed. Philosophers like Hsu Hsuan- p'ing developed a 'Long Kung-fu' of
37 postures. Certain ones of these still survive in contemporary Tai Chi
forms, such as:
·
Play the Pi'pa
(Chinese guitar)
·
Single Whip
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Step to the Seven
Stars
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Jade Lady Works
the Shuttles
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High Pat on Horse,
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White Crane Cools
Wing
 The origins of Tai Chi Chuan, as known
today, are often debated. One popular legend credits the origination of Tai
Chi Chuan to a Taoist priest of the Wu Dang temple Chang San Feng, during
the earlier Yuan dynasty. (Some scholars doubt his
historical existence, viewing him as a literary construct on the lines of
Lao Tzu. Others, though, cite research and records of the Ming-shih, the
official chronicles of the Ming dynasty.) Various dates and
longevity are ascribed, though records from the Ming dynasty suggest he
lived from 1391 to 1459. He may have been born earlier
and lived later: these are simply some dates associated with him.
Chang San Feng
learned his martial art in the Shaolin temple. One day he sat next to a
window pondering the thought that most martial arts used too much strength
and heavy breathing which was not good when combined with Taoist practice.
As he sat thinking, he noticed a bird and a snake engaged in a fight to the
death, outside his widow. Chang was impressed with how relaxed both the
creatures were; how the bird was sometimes soft and gentle, sometimes soft
and hard, but always quick. He observed the snake was similar; sometimes
slow, sometimes quick, but always a combination of soft and hard power with
light relaxed breathing. From this observation Chang San Feng developed Tai
Chi Chuan.
Chang San Feng is credited with
creating the thirteen principles of Tai Chi from the eight trigrams of the
I-Ching and the five elements; combining the Taoist idea of yin and yang and
internal aspects with martial arts forms. These ideas he took back to Wu
Dang and form the basis of the Wu Dang style. Here he met a Taoist called The Fire Dragon Hermit. Chang San Feng
spent ten years with him learning more Martial Arts, Chi Kung and Acupuncture.
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Ward Off
Roll Back
Press
Push
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Pull
Split
Elbow
Strike
Shoulder
Strike
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Advance
Retreat
Look left
Gaze
Right
Central
Equilibrium
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Eight Postures
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Five Elements
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Chang
San Feng felt he now had all the pieces of the puzzle so spent many years
combining all his knowledge of Martial Arts and Chi Kung and Acupuncture to
develop his own system now known as The Chi Disruption Forms. Many bandits
and outlaws used to hide from government troops in the Wu Dang mountain
range so Chang San Feng had plenty of opportunity to test out his system.
He had four main students who he taught his system to before he died. His
exercises stressed suppleness and elasticity and were opposed to hardness
and force. They incorporated philosophy, physiology, psychology, geometry
and the laws of dynamics.
Chang San Feng's Treatise on The Chi Disruption Forms still exists
today and is a great source of information for the correct practice of any
of the internal martial arts. It is possible that many of the internal arts
of China
have been influenced by The Chi Disruption Forms or are derived from them.
In his Treatise on The Chi Disruption Forms Chang San Feng explains not
only correct structure and movement but also Fa jin - Exploding Energy
Movements and Dim mak - Acupuncture Point Striking and how to apply them
effectively in combat.
(There is a clan who are the direct lineage descendants of Chang San
Feng and to this day still continue to practice The Chi Disruption Forms
and still live in the Wudang mountain range in western China. In 1973 their then
leader, Dong Kit Yung, in his last contact with the outside world told a
reporter from Beijing
that the Wudang village was secretive about their style and was reluctant
to teach outsiders The Chi Disruption Forms or their applications.)
Chang San Feng’s theories, writings and practices were
elaborated sometime later by Wang Chung-yueh and a student of his, Chiang
Fa. Wang apparently took the thirteen postures of Chang San-feng and linked
them together into continuous sequences, thus creating something which
resembles the contemporary Tai Chi Chuan form. Chiang Fa taught Tai Chi to
the villagers of a town in northern China,
Huo Nan (almost all of whom were called Chen) and thus began the first
family school
of Tai Chi Chuan.
Other historians
credit the beginnings of the art to the Chen family of the Chen village
around the end of the Sung dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan dynasty. They
believe that Tai Chi was taught to the residents of the Chen village only
and kept a closely guarded secret by the Chen family. What is certain
though is that all surviving Tai Chi styles can be traced back to the Chen
village, where the art was first referred to as Tai Chi.
 Next: Later History
Lower age limit for Tai Chi Chuan training
is 18 years.
Click Here for information on our Introduction Courses and class fees
"To yield is to preserve unity. To
bend is to become straight. To empty oneself is to become full.
To wear oneself out is to be
renewed. To have little is to be content. To have abundance is to be
troubled." - Lao zu
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