太極拳 TAI CHI CHUAN
The Origins of Tai-Chi Boxing
Tai-Chi boxing comes from a kind of Taoist cultivation. In the Ming Dynasty, there was a Taoist cultivator named Zhang Sanfeng (born in the 12th century AD). He cultivated on Wudang mountain achieving immortality, yet only left the techniques and theories of his Taiqi boxing art to later generations and not the law of the heart. In the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911), in the Chen family village in Wen county, Henan province, from the founder of the Chen clan style of Tai Chi, Chen Wangting and Wang Zongyue from Shanxi etc… sprang numerous different styles and theories of Tai Chi Boxing. Today many different styles of Tai Chi have developed from the Chen style and given rise to many masters. The many styles include the Yang style, the Wu style, the Wu (different character to the other Wu) style, and the Sun style. These styles generally place largest importance on developing the body and self-defense.
There are three aspects to the origins of Tai-chi.
1. It is said that the enlightened Taoist Zhang Sanfeng, during his cultivation process, witnessed a fight between a crane and a snake and enlightened to some fighting techniques. From this he then created a fighting system and later Chen Wangtingattracted the masters of various fighting systems to learn this Tai-chi boxing. Of particular note is the 32 stanceLongfist system of Qi Jiguang. Other Tai-chi systems thendeveloped based on the Experience of martial artists.
2. An integration of ancient Taoist internal exercises. Tai-chi boxing emphasizes using mind-intent to sink the qi to the Dan Tian, emphasizing a tranquil heart, a relaxed body and internal strength, so it is referred to as one of the internal arts.
3. Tai-chi contains the ancient Chinese Taoist theory of Yin and Yang as well as Chinese medicine’s theories of guiding Qi and opening the two energy channels of Ren and Du (down the front center of the body and up the center back), to create the large and small Heavenly Circuits. Tai-chi uses the theories of Yin and Yang and the five elements to explain the different types of attacks and counters and changes in the fighting system.
Tai-Chi uses “Peng, Luo (rubbing one’s hands along something), ji (to push, squeeze), an (to press), cai (to pick), lie (?), zhou (the elbow), kao (following), jin (advancing), tui (retreating), gu, pan, and ding” as the basic techniques. The movements are slow and free, one is required when practicing to keep an upright waist, chin in, straight back, sunken shoulders and a feeling of floating. The Tai-Chi masters of the Qing dynasty said: “The fist is like the great ocean, an unceasing torrent.” At the same time, Tai-Chi boxing places importance on developing the essential Qi, summoning the spirit and returning to emptiness. The so called “essence, Qi and spirit” is fundamental to cultivating the human body, this is one of the characteristics of Tai-Chi boxing as an internal style of Kung Fu. Because in practice Tai-Chi combines intention, Qi, form and strength, it allows the spirit, the QI and blood, internal organs, the muscles, tendons and bones to be equally nourished and exercised, and to obt
ain a balance of Yin and Yang.
The practice of Tai-Chi boxing has been tested over a long period of time.Through medical, physiological, biochemical, dissection, psychological, and mechanical research, Tai-Chi has been proven to be very effective in countering aging, trips and falls, high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, hepatitis, joint problems, stomach and intestine illnesses, weakening of the nervous system as well as other chronic illnesses. So it can achieve the effect healing where there is illness and strengthening the body where there is no illness as well as lengthening one’s life.
Tai-Chi is also an art of self defense, it’s characteristics include: “Going from formless to form, using the soft to restrain the hard, making use of tranquility in dealing with attacks, using roundedness to deflect the straight, using the small to defeat the big, using the weak to defeat the strong.” It is an organic combination of martial art and the principles laid out in Sun Zi’sArt of War. Thus, Tai-Chi boxing, especially the Yang style has been popularized. The stances are simple, it is easy to study and practice, it’s unique charm has been happily accepted by the people of the world.