We’ve looked at the history of Tai Chi, now let’s take a look at Chen Tai Chi (also known as Taijiquan), the ancestor of all the styles. Out of respect for the Chen family, it is often known as Chen Shi Taijiquan. As you would expect, there are many contradictory legends and stories.
The Chen family were originally from Hong Dong, Shanxi and moved to Wen County, Henan in 1374. There were so many Chens in the new village that it became known as the Chen Village. The Chen Village was known for its martial arts and some historians credit Chen Bu (the founder of the Chen Village) as the person who began the martial arts tradition. Other historians assert that Wang Zongyue, a disciple of Zhang Sanfeng, taught the Chen family the form. And still others credit Jiang Fa, a monk from the Wodang mountain, for emphasizing the internal fighting practice.
Most historians believe that Tai Chi Chuan (I will use this spelling) can be attributed to a Royal Guard named Chen Wangting (9th generation Chen family). Chen Wangting developed the Chen Style Tai Chi around 1670 as a family art with the intention of passing it on to his descendants. Chen was influenced by the schools of boxing, particularly those of General Qi Jiguang (Ch’l Chi Kuang) a Ming Dynasty general. General Chi wrote an important textbook on military training called Boxing in 32 Forms, also know as the “Boxing Classic.” Many of the movements were included in the Chen family martial arts system, which is still practiced today.
Chen’s martial arts routine used the ancient philosophical techniques of Daoyin and Tuna. Daoyin is the concentrated exertion of inner force, while Tuna consists of deep breathing exercises, which eventually evolved into Qigong. These techniques, added to clarity of consciousness, became the practice of Taoism (Daoism). Next, Chen added the core of philosophical understanding to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Subsequently, Tai Chi became a unified system of mental concentration, breathing and action
Chen style was kept a secret in the Chen Village for two reasons. First, it was a combat art and teachers did not want to reveal its secrets. Secondly, teachers did not want to waste their time teaching individuals they felt incapable of comprehending or appreciating the art, or would not maintain the self-discipline to practice. In Chen Village, Tai Chi was only taught to daughters-in-law, not daughters. Seems like gender bias, right? To a certain degree, there was definitely gender bias, however, the rationale was that daughters would eventually marry outside the family, leaving the village and taking their knowledge of the Chen family form with them.
Later years, Chen Xin (16th generation Chen family) wrote and illustrated a detailed book about Chen Tai Chi, including postures, movements and the philosophical and medical background of the routines. This book was not published until 1932, when Chen Changxing’s great grandson, Chen Fake, taught Chen-style outside the village. Many feel that Chen Fake was the foremost leader of Chen style, and he taught thousands of students until his death in 1957.
Chen style can be characterized by the following:
Movements are slow and soft, intermixed with fast and hard
Stances are low
It contains explosive power
Emphasis is placed on spiral force or supple whole body twining/coiling movements
It included Silk reeling and stomping movements
As with all styles of Tai Chi, there are many variations and lineages. Keep in mind that the Chen form is strong in martial and health applications, but may not be suitable for some physical conditions.
Starting in January, we will be offering Tai Chi for Energy classes. This form combines both Chen and Sun forms. Together they create a powerful synergy. Start the new year with a new form that is also fun to learn!