In China today, there are two major sects of Chinese martial arts, namely Wudang (named after the Wudang Mountains) and Shaolin (named after the Shaolin Monastery). Many great masters have developed and enhanced these forms for generations. Therefore, there are numerous schools, lineages, and sects teaching a variety of forms using the name “Wudang”. Wudang “boxing” includes Tai Chi, Xingy, Bagua, weapon arts (spear, sword, and many other forms including deep breathing exercises for health.
Like other legends, martial arts legends develop and evolve throughout time as they are passed down from one generation to the next. Accuracy is not always the goal! When researching Wudang Tai Chi, it’s hard to separate what is true from what is legend. Let’s look at some of the popular (or unpopular) legends surrounding Wudang Tai Chi!
Wudang Taoists, like most Tai Chi masters and practitioners, give Zhang San Feng credit for creating Tai Chi Chuan. Some sects today claim to be direct descendants of Zhang San Feng and claim that they learned Wudang Tai Chi in the Wudang Mountains in the 20th Century. Overall, Wudang Mountain is usually accepted as the birthplace of Tai Chi. However, not by everyone!
Others assert that the name Wudang incorrectly suggests that these martial arts originated in the Wudang Mountains and were created by Zhang San Feng. In their “version” the major lineages of Wudang Chuan were passed down from Li Jinglin to Fu Chen Sung and Yang Kui-Shan. This rendition credits the 1928 national martial arts tournaments in Beijing and Nanjing to be the point when the name Wudang became prevalent across China for internal martial arts.
Wudang Tai Chi style still exists today and is not to be mistaken for the Wu style of Chen Ting-Hung in Hong Kong who has assumed this name. Ting-Hung’s form was known as “Practical Tai Chi Chuan” because of it’s usefulness as a form of self-defense. Two of Tinhung’s disciples are said to be currently teaching this system in Europe and Hong Kong. According, the name Wudang Tai Chi is used to acknowledge Zhang San Feng’s reputation as the founder of Tai Chi Chuan.
A bit confusing, isn’t it? We can only be sure of two things: Wudang Tai Chi is named after the Wudang Mountains and Wudang Mountain is still a very popular place to study Tai Chi!
Wudang theories are based on the Dao De Jing, while Wudang Principles are based on the harmony between our mental and energetic bodies and nature. Early in the history of Tai Chi, legend has it that it was practiced to circulate Qi and blood, as well as to protect the body from robbers and animals. The Wudang Principles are, however, practiced in order to keep your body from aging, getting weak, and preventing stagnation of Qi. Wudang Tai Chi and Yang Tai Chi have many common principles in that they are both Tai Chi systems. However, the movements and execution are very different.
Wudang Tai Chi is the main component of Wudang martial arts. The system originally started with 13 postures (Tai Chi 13), five elements and eight methods. As stated earlier, today there are many different forms. The goal of Wudang Tai Chi is to move with awareness, alignment, and grace, while possessing stillness within. We are talking here about being aware that our external movements reflect our inner consciousness. In Wudang styles, the waist and body are controlled by the focused mind. In this way it is both passive and defensive. It does, however, require that one accepts softness and hardness as an integral whole, just as in the Yin and Yang. Some consider Wudang Tai Chi as a dual cultivation of innate character and life destiny through moving postures. This is a hard theory to comprehend.
“Use stillness to create movement; Use weakness to defeat strength; Use softness to overcome hardness”
As in all Tai Chi, and Qigong, whether you are practicing to achieve health, self-defense, or a long life, it requires commitment in order to achieve your goals!
In a future blog, I will discuss Tai Chi 13 - the original Wudang Tai Chi.
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