The
long name of the tai chi style we do is “Yang jia taiji quan” or “Yang family
tai chi boxing.” I’ll explain more about
the differences and spelling in a later post, but for now just work with me.
Traditionally, martial arts in China are based on lineages – passing the art
down from one Master or Grandmaster to the next, usually within a family. Frequently, someone may develop changes to
the original art which are different enough to be their own style, while still
in keeping with the original tradition.
So it is with tai chi. It began
as the common martial art in Chenjiagou (“Chen Family Village”), then branched
out into other styles. All these styles
have certain common elements and they all trace their lineages ultimately back
to “Chen style,” which is the oldest.
The oldest records anyone has of tai chi are from the Chen style and go back
about 300 years. If the Chen family has
documentation that’s older, they’ve kept it to themselves.
Yang family style – the style we teach – is the creation of one individual,
Yang Luchan. He learned Chen family
style and, after getting a position training the Imperial Palace Guards, went
on to create his own variation in the mid-1800s. From Yang, the styles of Wu/Hao, Wu and Sun
were developed. Each is distinct from
the other but each traces its lineage back to Chen style and the fundamentals
of each are similar.
Chen, the oldest style, is also considered the most “martial” – that is, it
looks the most like a martial art, with its dynamic punches and kicks, its
alternating between slow and fast, soft and hard. There have been several branches and lineages to come out of Chenjiagou, with the predictable result of debate over which lineage is more authentic than the others. In the end, though,
it doesn’t really matter all that much except to historians.
In the mid-1800s when Yang style was first developed, it started out looking a
lot like Chen; over the years its pace was made slower and more even, and
the movements were made somewhat "larger in frame” than Chen. The version of Yang style we would actually
recognize as such isn’t terribly old. It
dates back to around the 1920s and was formalized by Yang Chengfu, grandson of
the style’s founder. The present lineage
holder is Yang Jun, who at the time of writing is in his early 50s. Barring mishap, he should be around for a
very long time.
The question of “which family style is best” often comes up. There really is no answer to this
question. They are basically different
“flavors” of the same basic principles of rootedness, centeredness, balance and
awareness. Some are more outwardly
martial and some are less so. No one
style is better than any other. There
are many offshoots of the family styles.
Some are good, and some have only the most superficial connection to
tai chi or its principles. Just because
something is slow and graceful doesn’t mean it’s tai chi – ballet is slow and
graceful and no one thinks they’re the same thing.
I’m pleased to share Yang family tai chi with you, and grateful you’ve given me
the opportunity to do so.
