Where It All Started？——Taichichuan

Where It All Started.

The Art stems back to Ch'eung Sam Feng (Mod: Zhangsanfeng), born April 9th, 1247. He had studied what are known as Hard Styles of Ch'uan-shu (Boxing Skills), but was looking for something suitable for anyone studying Tao, and which harmonised with the principles of the philosophy.

He was a highly regarded Government Officail/Clerk, of sorts, but was far from impressed with petty politics and the world of work related back-biting. He left to study. On his travels, he met a man they called Hu-Lung (Mod: Hulong; Fire Dragon). He was a Taoist and practised his flowing Form of Qigong. This he taught to Ch'eung.

Ch'eung continued his travels and headed to Wu Tang (Wudang), which is where the seat and source of Taoist (Daoist) studies was, and still is now. He stayed in Hermit Huts (basic shelters built from sticks and grasses), and every day he ventured out to find people who were practising their exercises, boxing or otherwise. Most Ch'uan-Fa (Boxing Methods) then were single techniques, first practised solo, then with a partner. There was no "flow".

Legend has it that one day, Ch'eung was woken by a loud screaming sound. He opened the hatch window and peered out. In the long grass he spotted a Crane. It had stumbled across a Snake, while searching for frogs or small mammals. He watched, intrigued, as the Crane made aggressive beak and wing attacks, occasionally using its foot. However, what he noticed most was the  Snake as it used coiling and lightning fast strikes. The Crane used bone (hard) while the Snake used muscle reactions (soft). This struck old Ch'eung as he had studied the basic Five Animals at what later became Shaolin Monastery. Based on this encounter, he worked on developing a method of Boxing Exercise, as much for health as self-defence, which used the snakes soft, rounded coiling actions. We believe this was called the Thirty Two Methods and may have included the "Thirteen Methods", the foundation of all modern Taijiquan styles.

Some time later, he taught others, one of whom taught the head of Chen Village. Chen then mixed the principles with Long Fist Boxing, to create a personalised Chen style. 

The Chen family kept this secret for many centuries. 

A man called Yang stayed at the Chen house for a while and "stole" the movements of the First Chen Form. That, in the 1800's, later became called that Yang Style. He taught his brother, including the applications for self-defence. But Yang Chengfu only taught older people in Peking/Beijing, who wanted to keep fit and be healthjy, so he leftout the applcations. Thus the Form gained a huge reputation as a method of general health upkeep.

From there the basic principles remained the same, as Ch'eung designed them, but the actual Form, including styles, became varied across many families; e.g. Chen, Yang, Li, Hao, Sun, etcetera. There are now too many styles of T'ai Chi Ch'uan to count! Which ever style is chosen though, the same 32 Methods should be found in all, otherwise, it is not T'ai Chi Boxing, but a mere simile and not based on the science of Tao and essential boxing principles. 

It is said that due to instability, Ch'eung passed his original teachings onto Song, Yangqiao, Southern Family Heaven & Earth Style in Korea. A more accurate Family Tree image is depicted here, despite the efforts of some to change it, or others who have changed information or deliberately given misinformation.