A Brief History of Tai Chi
Tai Chi Chuan (太極拳) means “Supreme Ultimate Fist,” and though this is not common knowledge even in China, Tai Chi Chuan is not an exercise, but a formidable martial art. As the name suggests. The cloud of mystery that surrounds its origins is thick, and most descriptions of its history rely on at least a hint of myth and legend. But it is clear the art has been heavily influenced by two things: traditional Chinese folk beliefs and Chinese philosophy, specifically Taoism, a mystical tradition that has existed for over two millennia and influenced countless martial arts, including Karatedo and Aikido.
The most important book in the Taoist canon is the Tao Te Ching, which begins with this sage advice: “The Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.” That is to say, words can only represent experience; they cannot truly convey its meaning. Lao Tzu then proceeds to elaborate—in 81 chapters of words—upon Taoist principles and ideas. It is a hilarious paradox that Lao Tzu, if he were indeed a real person, would certainly have laughed at. But like Bodhidharma, Lao Tzu was likely not a literal person, but a symbol of the teachings that were emerging in the 6th century B.C. His name simply means “Old Master.” It does not denote a specific person with a specific surname.
For centuries, Taoist monks and acolytes developed techniques derived from yin yang theory and the teachings of the Old Master. According to legend a Taoist named Zhang Sanfeng—master of dao yin, and practitioner of White Crane Kung Fu—was observing a bird attacking a snake and was struck by the snake’s ability to remain calm in the face of calamity. Thus was born the martial art of Tai Chi Chuan. According to legend. What is remarkable about the monk’s anecdote is that a snake does not have a consciousness to transcend, and therefore a snake is always in a state of mushin, or “no mind.” Whether the story is true or not, the influence is the same.
Zhang Sanfeng passed his knowledge on to Wang Zongyue, legendary martial arts instructor and author of the Tai Chi Treatise. Some historians claim that Wang was the teacher of Chen Wangting, Chen Family patriarch and founder of Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan. Others, including the Chen family, assert that Chen Wangting combined his own knowledge of dao yin with the teachings military general Qi Jiguang. This would naturally give Chen credit for conceiving the most integral and abstruse elements of Tai Chi Chuan, a plausible though spurious explanation.
Regardless of its origins, Chen Wangting’s family style of Tai Chi Chuan became one of the most widely practiced martial arts in the world. His style was initially kept secret, taught only to Chen family members in their village in Henan, China. In the 19th Century a servant of the Chen family named Yang Luchan secretly observed and learned the Chen style. Yang Luchan eventually became a master in his own right, developing what would become the most widely practiced style of Tai Chi Chuan in the world, the Yang Style. Yang Lu Chan eventually passed his art to his son Yang Jianhou, who taught Lu Chan’s grandson Yang Chengfu. Yang Chengfu was the teacher of Zheng Manqing.
Zheng Manqing was born in Zhejiang, China. He studied Tai Chi Chuan with Yang Chengfu from 1932 until Yang’s death in 1936. Zheng was also a doctor of Chinese medicine, so his extensive knowledge of Chinese folk beliefs regarding qi was a natural complement to his Tai Chi Chuan study. Zheng continued to train and study in China and eventually developed the 37-movement Tai Chi form which is still practiced widely today. In 1949, political upheaval forced Zheng Manqing—like Master Wei and so many others—to flee mainland China for the island of Taiwan.
In Taiwan, Zheng Manqing made quite a name for himself. He had many students, foreign and Taiwanese. He wrote many books and articles about Tai Chi Chuan and numerous other subjects. He produced several films about Tai Chi Chuan and recorded many hours of video demonstrating and teaching his art. One of his Taiwanese students was Gan Xiaozhou, instructor of Shifu Dong Zhengxiong, who still teaches Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Hokkon-ho Taikyokuken
Hokkon-ho Taikyokuken contains only a portion of the Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan taught by Shifu Dong. It includes the exercises and drills that lay the foundation for more advanced Tai Chi Chuan practice, as well as training in other martial arts. Hokkon-ho Taikyokuken focuses on
- developing a rooted structure through Tai Chi Qigong practice;
- testing this structure through Tai Chi Tuishou (pushing hands) and other exercises.
All training in Hokkon-ho Taikyokuken is founded upon four basic principles.
Four Basic Principles of Tai Chi Chuan
The following are the basic principles that apply to the practice of Tai Chi Chuan, as discussed by my teacher. They can be applied to the Karate Kihon and Aiki-taiso exercises as well. There is redundancy among the different sets of principles, which emphasizes the importance of those particular concepts.
- Practice mindful relaxation (fang song).
- Sink the hips and tuck the tailbone (luo kua).
- Use the ground to generate force (cheng ba).
- Listen (ting) and give (gei).
Taikyokuken Kiko
Taikyokuken Kiko or Tai Chi Qigong—like Karate Kihon and Aiki-taiso—are the foundation for Hokkon-ho Budo training. Taikyokuken Kiko should be performed regularly with proper intent and like any other martial art should be tested from time to time with resistance. The order of the exercises is important, though the number of repetitions can be adapted to suit your training time—these exercises can be done in 20 minutes or practiced for several hours. The following video is intended to support students of Hokkon-ho Budo and is not intended to be the sole source of instruction for the Taikyokuken Kiko.