Page 44 - Simplifying T'ai Chi Rev3 2017

Chapter 14 A Potted History of T'ai Chi 145

CHAPTER 14

A POTTED HISTORY OF T'AI CHI

Many people starting their T'ai Chi journey are amazed when told that the “ancient”
art they are learning only came into prominence in China in the nineteenth century.
Most books about T'ai Chi contain a similar history of its evolution and so I'll
include my short summary based on various researched versions, but make no
claim for definitive accuracy. If you find controversy, blame it on 'Chinese
whispers'!
T'ai Chi has Taoist roots and T'iyu (Taoist Physical Culture) has been handed
down for over 10,000 years. The traditional origins of T'ai Chi are however
assumed to be based on the principles reputedly practised by Taoist monks around
1000 BC.
Research indicates that the next phase of the art may have begun in the Tang
dynasty (618 - 906 AD). However a Taoist monk named Chang San-Feng (born in
the Sung dynasty around 1247) is generally regarded as the initial founder of T'ai
Chi. It is said that he saw a crane attacking a snake and was inspired by the soft
and yielding movement as the supple snake out-manoeuvred and overcame the
hard-beaked crane.
This may be the accepted origination of 'soft' martial arts, but in reality the term
T'ai Chi and the forms that we practise today have their roots only a few centuries
ago in the Chen family, and its transfer outside the family to a man called Yang Lu-
Ch’an (1799-1872).
It is therefore more correct to say that our T'ai Chi originates from the Chen family
style which lost its secrecy around 170 years ago, and to say that today's other
traditional styles (Yang, the two Wu styles and Sun) owe their origins and key
disciplines to the original Chen style.

Over the past century the martial face of these traditional styles has been changed
through different teachers so that the practice disciplines now range from true
martial defensive forms to the modified forms practised for health and posture
control. Many masters and teachers have appeared, some directly lineaged from
respected Chinese masters or from those that spread the art from Asia in the
1950's, while others are indirectly taught, but all have contributed to ensuring that
T'ai Chi in all its guises now flourishes in most areas and communities around the
world.
We are lucky that many more respected teachers - modern Masters - now work
throughout the western world. Also many original highly respected Chinese
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