The Dirty History of Tai Chi

ByRandyBrown 2008

ThehistoryofTaiChi,correctlycalledTaiJiQuan,disseminatedtothemasses,isoftena mythicalstorythatinvolvesanartformthousandsofyearsoldwithTaoistimmortals, monks,andfairies.Commonlyitispropagatedthatanonexistenttypeofmagicalenergy, willhealthepractitionersbodyand/orthrowopponentswithoutevertouchingthem.Thisis afictionalportrayalthatintheWestwecallafairytaleandintheEasttheycallWuXia.

Thenotionthatonecanachieveunequivocalpowerwithouteverhavingtoperformadayof rigoroustrainingorhardworkiscertainlythestuffofmoviesandlegend.Incontrast,the truthisfarlessenchantingandinvolveshardwork,physicalexercise,redundantpractice, mentalendurance,commitment,perseverance,andahistoryfullofviolence,bloodshed, andoppression.Incomparisononecanseewhythetruthislessenchantingandthe fantasyismoreamenabletothegeneralpublic.

TheversionclosertohistoricalaccuracyshowsthatTaiChiwasdevelopedroughly400 yearsagoinChenVillage,HenanProvince,China,andwasknownasCannonBoxing. YangstyleTaiChi,wascreatedasrecentlyasthemid1800'sbyfounderYangLuChan. WholivedandstudiedinChenVillageduringhisyoungeryears.Helaterwentontocreate hisownsystemofTaijiquanoriginallycalled'SmallCottonBoxing',andnowknownasYang StyleTaiChi.

YangLuChantaughthisarttotheguardsoftheImperialCourtaswellaspassingthestyle ontohisdescendants.Aroundtheturnofthe20thCentury,theChinesebecame disenchantedwiththeirmartialartsafterrepeatedembarrassingincidentsinvolving unarmedcombatantsversusfirearms.Arguablythemostfamousoftheseisknownasthe 'BoxerRebellion'.ItisimportanttorecognizethatthegeneralpopulationofChinadidnotat

thistime,orpreviously,holdMartialArtsinhighesteem.

MartialArtswasconsideredbeneaththescholarclass,andtotheaveragepersonits highestreferencewasasoldierstaskatitslowest,andmorecommonlyknown,itwas associatedwithcriminals,gangsters,ruffians,orcharlatans.Thesefirearmincidentsfurther cementedthegeneralpublicspooropinionoftheirMartialArts,consideringitarather fruitlessendeavororwasteoftime.

CoincidentallyatthistimetheChinesewerealsobeingcalledthe'sickmenofAsia'bythe InternationalCommunity.Aspartofamovementtochangethisview,andperhapsinan efforttokeeptheirartsfromdying,ChineseMartialArtsteachersbeganteachingtheir KungFuforhealthratherthanfighting.

Theearly1900'ssawthecreationoforganizationssuchastheNationalGuoshuInstitute andChinWooAthleticsAssociation,inanationalefforttocombatthe'sickmenofAsia' accusationsandaffectpositivenationalchange.WithintheYangFamily,YangChenFu (YangLuChan'sgrandson)decidedtoteachthefamilyarttothegeneralpublicforhealth purposes.Usingslowmotionpracticeandlongermovementsasthefocalpoint,and removingmuchoftheapplicationandfightingelements.Thuswasbornaformofexercise thatwasaccessibletotheyoung,old,weak,sick,andthoseofpoorphysicalcondition.

Priortothis,YangfamilyTaiJiQuanwastaughtasamartialartandinvolvedsuchtraining methodsasstriking,kicking,jointlocks,throws,sparring,fighting,weaponstraining,forms practiceandpushhands.FormspracticeandPushHands,incontrasttopresentday,were onlyasmallportionofthetraining.DuetoYangChenFu'sefforts,Yangstylewentonto becomeverypopularandismorewidelyproliferatedthananyotherstyleofTaiJiQuan albeitgrosslywatereddownfromtheoriginalfightingart.

GuLiuxinwritesofYangShaohao(YangChenFusolderbrother),ahighframewith livelysteps,movementsgatheredupsmall,alternatingbetweenfastandslow,hardand

crispfajin(power/energy),withsuddenshouts,eyesglaringbrightly,flashinglike lightning,acoldsmileandcunningexpression.Thereweresoundsofhengandha,and anintimidatingdemeanor.ThespecialcharacteristicsofShaohousartwere:usingsoftto overcomehard,utilizationofstickingandfollowing,victoriousfajin,andutilizationof shakingpushes.Amonghishandmethodswere:knocking,pecking,graspingand rending,dividingtendons,breakingbones,attackingvitalpoints,closingoff,pressingthe pulse,interruptingthepulse.Hismethodsofmovingenergywere:sticking/following, shaking,andconnecting.

Threedecadeslater,theCommunistPartytookcontrolofChinaandoutlawedthe instructionofmartialartsforfightingpurposes.DuringthisperiodmanyTraditionalMartial Artistsfledthecountry,orwerekilled.Notforfearsomeonewouldattackariflemanwitha spearorsword,becausetheyneededtocontrolthepopulace.Thistaskbecomes exponentiallymoredifficultwhenitinvolvesthosetraininginthefightingarts.Martialtraining empowersanindividual,andempoweredpeopledonotdowhattheyaretoldblindly followingcommands.

Afterthisperiodofunrest,Chinaformedacommitteeofmartialartsteacherswhostayed behindandusedtheirmartialartsforhealth,orwhohadreturnedtothemainlandfromtheir exile.ThiscommitteecreatedtheStandardizedWushuSetsthatsummarizedthebroad spectrumofChina'smartialartsintoafewsetsrepresentingthevariousstyles.Thesesets werethenpresentedtotherestofworldinaneatcleanpackagethatcouldbegovernment regulated.Themovementsleftbehindthefightingelementsofold,andreplacedthemwith sharpanatomicallines,cleancorners,fancyacrobatics,andgymnastics,ordancestyle 'timed'routines.

AspartofthisstandardizationtheYangTaiJiQuan24MovementForm(a.k.a.Beijing ShortForm)wascreated.ThiswastorepresentYangStyleTaiJiQuan(againstthe familiesapproval)andbecomeaNationalexercisethatChina'scitizenswouldpractice everymorninginlocalparksfordecades.

AsChinaopenedherdoorstotherestoftheworld,Westernersglimpsedthelarge organizedgatheringsofChinesecitizensperformingtheirbeautifulpracticeoftheshort formintheparksdayafterday.Foreignersbeganlearningthisartformwhilespending timeoverseasandtheWesternworld'sinterestwaspiqued.

ManyteacherswhohadfledChinaalsobeganmovingtotheWest,helpingfurtherspread thisart.Throughoutthe1960's,70's,andeventhe80'stherewasareluctancewith Chinesetoteachoutsiderstheirnationalorpersonalmartialarts.Thishelpedcontributeto thespreadofmisinformationorfalsedata,makingitdifficulttovalidatemuchofthe materialbeingpracticedoutsideofthestandardizedsets.

Withoutthetrialbyfirechecksandbalancesthatafightingsystemusestoholditsvalidity, suchas'failtodothistechniquecorrectlyandyougethit'anenvironmentwascreated thatwasripeforesotericpractices,toincludebutnotlimitedto:mysticism,numerology, archaicmedicine,fancylegends,mysticalenergy,andpseudoscience.

Evenstillthehealthbenefitsareclear.Therehavebeenmanystudiesbyqualifiedmedical professionalssubstantiatingthehealthbenefitsofTaiChi.Thesehealthbenefitsarenot uniquetoTaiChi,andcanbeattainedthroughmostformsofphysicalexerciselikerunning, swimming,cycling,orsports.However,theadvantageofTaiChiovertheseotherformsof exercise,isitsaccessibilitytothoseunabletoperformrigorousexercise.Thisis especiallyimportanttoSeniorsorthosewithdebilitatinginjuries.

TaiChiisamartialartandcanbetaughttopeopleofallages,andallowsthemtohavefun doingso.Whetheritbethoselookingtoimprovebalance,circulation,stressreduction,or thosewhoalwayswantedtostudymartialartsandneverhadthechance,orthosewho thinktheyaretooold,orthosewhothinktheyaretoooutofshapeallcanfindawelcome homeinstudyingthesoftstyleofTaiChiwhilehavingfunandnotworryingaboutbeing

injured.

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