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Taijiquan: A General Review

2003-11-27 15:21 COC

    Of the hundreds of kinds of traditional Chinese martial arts called wushu, taijiquan is the most popular.

    Origin

    The term of "taiji" first appeared in the Book of Changes compiled during the Zhou Dynasty (11th century-256 BC), upon which Confucianism is based. It means "the universe" and was first used by Wang Songyue, a wushu master in Shanxi Province during the 18th century, to explain the philosophical theories of the martial arts.

    As for the origin of taijiquan proper, some people claim that it was created by Zhang Sanfeng, a Taoist in Wudang Mountains in the 12th century, while others attribute it to Xu Xuanping in the eighth century. But many historians affirm that it was founded by Chen Wangting, a ninth-generation descendant of the Chen family which removed from Shanxi Province to Chenjiagou in Wenxian County, Henan Province, as early as the 14th century. He named his wushu routine "taiji" because most of its movements were circular and reminiscent of the symbol of the universe as conceived by the ancients -- a circle intersected by a curved line of "s", with one half in blank and the other in black, representing respectively yin and yang, the two opposing principles in nature, the former feminine, negative or void, and the other masculine, positive or solid. And the terms of "void" and "solid" are still used for some of the taijiquan movements today.

    Different Styles

    Down through the ages, taijiquan has developed into different styles, chiefly Chen, Wu (Chinese phonetic alphabet, pronounced in the second tone), Yang, Wu (Chinese phonetic alphabet, pronounced in the third tone) and Sun, each with its own distinctive features.

    The original Chen style is composed of "silk-weaving" movements punctuated with explosive actions such as stamping and leaping, thus combining "softness" and "hardness" in an organic whole.

    The Yang style, founded by Yang Luchan on the basis of the Chen style in the early 19th century and revised by his descendants until it was fixed into the present-day form by Yang Chengfu early this century, is characterized by simplicity, fluency, natural grace, relaxation and concentration of qi in the lower belly.

    The Wu style is a blend of the new and old frames of the Chen style and of the big and small movements of the Yang style, to be performed in a continuous flow, with the body kept erect and driven by the inner vital energy and the trunk always protected by one arm in a short range.

    The Sun style was derived from the Wu style by absorbing the elements of the form-and-will and eight-diagram schools. It is characterized by a higher body position, light footwork and swift changes in rhythm.

    The Wu style was evolved from the Yang style, with its soft, refined and closely-knit movements aimed mainly to counteract the effectiveness of the opponent's force.

    A Common Feature

    However, all the different styles of taijiquan have at least one thing in common, that is, they emphasize the mental aspect of the exercise. This means that the practitioner is required to reach a tranquil state of mind. In the first place, he must banish all stray thoughts from his mind and concentrate it on dantian, or the "elixir field" in the lower belly located in the upper 2/3 of the line joining the umbilicus and symphesis pubis. In the second place, he must keep calm and relax the whole body. In the third place, all the movements must be guided by consciousness and regulated by deep, even breathing. In the fourth place, he must move like a flying cloud or a flowing stream, or a silkworm producing a soft thread to form its cocoon.

    It is this mental tranquillity in the whole process of taijiquan exercise that will reduce the outside interference in the mind to the minimum and put most of the cerebral cells in inhibition, so that they will get an ample rest, thus producing a highly salubrious effect on body and mind.

    Take the late taijiquan master Wu Tunan for example. He used to be a sickly child and took fancy to the art by chance. Decades of regular practice made him so strong that he was still teaching taijiquan two years before he died in 1988, at the age of 108. Another example is Sun Jianyun, president of the Sun-Style Taijiquan Society, who goes from place to place on demonstration tours with her sprightly steps and graceful movements. It is hard to believe that she is 77 years of age.

    Millions of Followers

    It is due to its health-building value that taijiquan has become No.1 physical exercise in China, with a following that counts by the tens of millions. In Beijing alone, there are some 220 coaching stations and more than 100,000 people doing this exercise every day, which make them feel refreshed and energized and numerous cases can be cited about practitioners having recovered from chronic diseases.

    Taijiquan is also spreading quickly outside China. Nearly one million people arepractising it in Japan, where the National Wushu and Taijiquan Federation has become one of the most prestigious sports organizations. Since 1985, three international wushu invitationals have been held respectively in Xi'an, Tianjin and Hangzhou, featuring taijiquan as a major event, in which participants from various parts of the world demonstrated their skills in many routines, either barehanded or with such ancient weapons as sword and broadsword.

    For the first time wushu was included in the 1990 Asian Games held in Beijing, with taijiquan as one of the three events for both sexes. Besides, a group demonstration of taijiquan was given by 1,500 people -- half from Japan -- as a prelude to the opening ceremonies of the Games. They presented a grand spectacle and served as a stimulus to the advancement of this centuries-old form of wushu in Asia and elsewhere.

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