The Four Major Tai Chi Chuan Styles and the Men Who Founded Them

By Al Case

The history of the various Tai Chi Chuan styles is sometime murky, sometimes easily observed. What is of importance, however, is the way Tai Chi Chuan is changed by each generation of practitioners. One would think that the principles would never change, but change is the only constant in this world.

Mythically, Tai Chi Chuan was invented by a Zhang Sanfeng in the twelfth century. This is probably not true, as history does not support his existence in connection with Tai Chi. He is first mentioned in connection with the martial arts in the 17th century.

Actually, Tai Chi was probably created in Chen village. Chen Wangting was a retired general after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, and he is credited with creating the Grand Ultimate Art for the children of the village. Chen village exists to this day, and the idea that a retired general, tired from combat, would create a slow method for continuing his training in the fighting disciplines rings true.

Yang Lu Chan visited Chen village, and some people hold that he observed the Chen family training in secret, then came forth to defeat a challenge by a rival Kung Fu master. This sounds like the storyline from a kung fu movie, or maybe the rumor put forth by one martial arts school to elevate themselves. The real tale is probably that Yang saw the Chen family when they were training, trained with them, and then moved on.

Yang became an instructor of Tai Chi in Beijing during the latter half of the nineteenth century. He taught people who were wealthy (nothing wrong with that), but it is wondered if he tailored his art to retain old men with health problems, and who needed to be treated gently. At any rate, the low stances and sometimes explosive quality of the Chen training was converted to higher stances and more emphasis on 'emptying the body.'

The next master to significantly contribute to Tai Chi was Wu Chien Chuan. He was from a military family, and he learned the art from his father, who learned from Yang. Wu taught the public, and the stances became even higher, and the movements became softer and even more refined.

The last important person to contribute to the evolution of Tai Chi Chuan was Sun Lu Tang. Sun was expert in Pa Kua Chang and Hsing i, and learned Wu style and blended concepts to create his own style. This was in the early part of the twentieth century.

There have been many other people who have helped Tai Chi become the phenomenal art that it has become, and this article does not intend to slight them. However, the four masters listed here were the creators of distinct styles, and contributed to the growth of the martial art significantly. This should give you an outline of tai chi chuan, and a brief knowledge of how Tai Chi Chuan evolved.

About the Author:

The most significant contribution to Tai Chi Chuan is the introduction of matrixing theories, and the formation of Five Army Tai Chi Chuan. Head over on over over to Monster Martial Arts to find out more. Pick up a free ebook on the home page.