Tai Chi Chuan Martial Power. Jwing-Ming Yang

styles are Taijiquan (太極拳), Bagua (八卦掌), Xingyi (形意拳), and Liu He Ba Fa (六合八法). These are considered “internal” styles (nei gong, 內功 or nei jar, 內家 in Chinese), as opposed to “external” styles like Shaolin because they emphasize working with qi. The best-known nonmartial styles, which emphasize the enhancement of qi circulation to improve health, are Five Animal Sport (Wu Qin Xi, 五禽戲), Eight Pieces Of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin, 八段錦), Da Mo’s Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic (Yi Jin Jing, 易筋經), and twelve postures (shi er zhuang, 十二庄.

      Taijiquan, which is said to have been created by Chang, San-feng (張三豐) in the twelfth century, is now the most popular qigong style in the world, even though it was shrouded in secrecy until the beginning of the twentieth century. At present, it is widely practiced not only in China and the East but also in the Western world.

      There are several reasons for the rapid spread of this art. The most important, perhaps, is that the practice of taiji can help to calm the mind and relax the body, which are becoming survival skills in today’s hectic and stress-filled world. Secondly, since guns are so effective and easy to acquire, taiji has been considered less vital for personal self-defense than it used to be. For this reason, more taiji masters are willing to share their knowledge with the public. Thirdly, ever since taiji was created, it has been proven not only effective for defense, but also useful for improving health and curing a number of illnesses.

      Unfortunately, because of this healthful aspect, the deeper theory and practice of taijiquan, especially the martial applications, are being widely ignored. Most people today think that taiji is not practical for self-defense. To approach the deeper aspects requires much time and patience, and there are very few people willing to make the necessary sacrifices. In addition, some taiji experts are still withholding the secrets of the deeper aspects of the training, and not passing down the complete art.

      Anyone who practices this art correctly for a number of years will realize that taiji is not just an exercise for calmness and relaxation—it is a complex and highly developed art. It gives the practitioner a feeling of enjoyment and satisfaction that seems to go beyond that of any other art. This is because taiji is smooth, refined, and elegant, internally as well as externally. The practitioner can sense the energy (qi) circulating within his body, and can achieve the peaceful mind of meditation. Qi circulation can bring good health and may even help you to reach enlightenment. Furthermore, when a taiji practitioner has achieved grand circulation, he can use this qi in self-defense. The principles that taiji uses for fighting are quite different from those of most other martial styles, which rely on muscular force. Taiji uses the soft to defend against the hard, and weakness to defeat strength. The more you practice, the better you will become, and this defensive capability will grow with age instead of weaken. However, because the martial theory of taijiquan is much more profound than that of most other systems, it is much harder to learn and takes a longer time to approach a high level of martial capability. A knowledgeable instructor is very important, for guidance from an experienced master can save many years of wandering and useless practice.

      Today there are still a number of interested practitioners who are researching and practicing the deeper aspects of taijiquan with the help of the very few qualified experts and the limited number of in-depth publications. Many questions have arisen. Which is a good style of taijiquan? How can I tell who is a qualified taiji instructor? What is the historical background of the different styles? Which styles can be applied effectively? How do I generate qi? How do I coordinate my breathing with the qi circulation? How do I use qi in self-defense? What is jing (power) and is there more than one kind? How do I train my jing correctly? How does the fighting strategy of taiji differ from that of other styles? All these questions puzzle people even in China.

      This book will describe the deeper aspects of taiji training and is written mainly for the reader who has practiced taiji for a few years. Beginning taiji practitioners should also refer to the author’s books Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style and Qigong for Health and Martial Arts, published by YMAA.

1-2. General History of Taijiquan

      Many people have learned Yang Style Taijiquan, but few really understand the history, background, and variations of the style. Often a person who has learned Yang Style Taijiquan will see forms that claim to be Yang Style, but that look different from what he has learned. This sometimes causes consternation and doubt about which form, if any, is the correct Yang Style. A knowledge of the history can help to explain this discrepancy.

      It is said that taijiquan was created by Chang, San-feng in the Song Hui Zong era (宋徽宗)(c. AD 1101). It is also said that techniques and forms with the same basic principles as taiji were already in existence during the Liang dynasty (梁代) (AD 502–557), and were being taught by Han, Gong-yue (韓拱月), Cheng, Ling-xi (程靈洗), and Cheng, Bi (程珌). Later, in the Tang dynasty (唐代) (AD 713–905), it was found that Xu, Xuan-ping (許宣平), Li, Dao-zi (李道子), and Yin, Li-heng (殷利亨) were teaching similar martial techniques. They were called thirty-seven postures (san shi qi shi, 三十七勢), post-heaven techniques (hou tian fa, 後天法), or small nine heaven (xiao jiu tian, 小九天), which had seventeen postures. The accuracy of these accounts is sometimes questionable, so it is not really known when and by whom taijiquan was created. Because there is more formal history recorded about Chang, San-feng, he has received most of the credit.

       Chang, San-feng.

      According to the historical record Nan Lei Ji Wang Zheng Nan Mu Zhi Ming (南雷集王征南墓誌銘): “Chang, San-feng, in the Song dynasty, was a Wudang Daoist. Hui Zong (a Song emperor, 宋徽宗) summoned him, but the road was blocked and he couldn’t come. At night, Hui Zong dreamed Emperor Yuan (元帝), the first Jin emperor, taught him martial techniques. At dawn, he killed a hundred enemies by himself.” Also recorded in the Ming history Ming Shi Fang Ji Zhuan (明史方技傳): “Chang, San-feng, from Liao Dong Yi County (遼東懿州). Named Quan-yi (全一). Also named Jun-bao (君寶). San-feng was his nickname. Because he did not keep himself neat and clean, also called Sloppy Chang, (Chang, La-ta, 張邋遢). He was tall and big, shaped like a turtle, and had a crane’s back. Large ears and round eyes. Beard long like a spear tassel. Wears only a priest’s robe winter or summer. Will eat a bushel of food, or won’t eat for several days or a few months. Can travel a thousand miles. Likes to have fun with people. Behaves as if nobody is around. Used to travel to Wudang mountain (武當山) with his disciples. Built a simple cottage and lived inside. In the twenty-fourth year of Hong Wu (洪武) (c. AD 1392), Ming Tai Zu (明太祖), the first Ming emperor, heard of his name and sent a messenger to look for him but he couldn’t be found.” It was also recorded in the Ming dynasty in Ming Lang Ying Qi Xiu Lei Gao (明郎瑛七修類稿): “Chang the Immortal, named Jun-bao, also named Quan-yi, nicknamed Xuan-xuan (玄玄), also called Chang, La-ta. In the third year of Tian Shun (天順) (AD 1460), he visited Emperor Ming Ying Zong (明英宗). A picture was drawn. The beard and mustache were straight; the back of the head had a tuft. Purple face and big stomach, with a bamboo hat in his hand. On the top of the picture was an inscription from the emperor honoring Chang as ‘tong wei xian hua zhen ren’ (a genuine Daoist who finely discriminates and clearly understands much, 通微顯化真人). This record is suspect, because if it were true, Chang, San-feng would have been at least five hundred years old at that time. Other records state that Chang, San-feng’s techniques were learned from the Daoist Feng, Yi-yuan (馮一元). Another story tells that Chang, San-feng was an ancient hermit meditator. He saw a magpie fighting against a snake, had a sudden understanding, and created taijiquan.

      After Chang, San-feng, there were Wang, Zong (王宗) in Shanxi Province (陝西), Chen, Tong-zhou (陳同州) in Wen County (溫州), Zhang, Song-xi (張松溪) in Hai Yan (海鹽), Ye, Ji-mei (葉繼美) in Si Ming (四明), Wang, Zong-yue (王宗岳)