Tai Chi Chuan

Traditionally, Tai Chi Chuan has had different names according to the preferences of local customs.  The names are:

  1. Tai Chi Chuan
  2. Shih Shan Shih
  3. Mei Chaun
  4. Chang Chuan

Tai Chi was referred to as Mei Chuan because the phrase means "Soft sequence," and it represents the relaxed and gentle way in which the forms are practiced. Chang Chuan, the last name used to refer to Tai Chi means, "Long sequence." The empty hand Tai Chi sequence takes much longer to perform than other martial art forms. The long form contains many more techniques-thus, the long sequence.

The early foundations of Tai Chi are rather vague. History really isn't very clear about Tai Chi until the eighteenth century when a man named Chen Chang Shen was teaching his family style of Tai Chi Chuan in the province of Huo Nan. During that time Kung Fu was highly guarded and rarely passed on to people outside of the family. Even then most people (unless they had the same surname) never received in-depth teaching into the style.

As it happened there was a man named Yang Lu Shann who wanted to learn Tai Chi. Because Yang Lu Shan was not a member of Chen Chang Shen's family, he had a problem in gaining entrance. He finally ended up gaining entrance as a servant.

Yang Lu Shan was having difficulty learning Tai Chi Chuan. Then one night, he was awakened at midnight by shouting. Following the sounds, he came to a fence that he hid behind. Chen Chang Shen was teaching his family. Yang Lu Shann quietly watched as Chen Chang Shen taught his students.

Yang Lu Shan went off the next day to practice what he had learned. From that time on he continued going behind the fence to learn more of the Martial aspect of Tai Chi. Chen Chang Shen had only taught him the forms not the application.

One day Chen Chang Shen asked Yang Lu Shann to spar with his students that studied at midnight. To his surprise he found that Yang Lu Shann beat every one of his pupils including his head student. After that he took Yang Lu Shann as a formal student teaching him the full style of Tai Chi.

Eventually Yang Lu Shann moved to Peeking where he taught his three sons and many other students.