• GENERAL
  
• WUDANG SANFENG
  
• ZHAOBAO
  
• CHEN
  
• YANG
  
• WU (Wu Yuxiang)
  
• WU (Wu Jianquan)
  
• SUN
  
• HULEI
  
• OTHERS INTERNAL STYLES
  
  • XINGYI QUAN
  • BA GUA ZHANG
  • LIU HE BA FA
    
• WEAPONS
  
  • SWORD
  • SABER
  • SPEAR
  • STICK

YANG STYLE TAIJIQUAN

ORIGINS  |  LINEAGE  |  CHARACTERISTICS  |  ROUTINES  |  INTERNAL ROUTINE (of Wei Shuren)   |

ORIGINS

The founder of the Yang style of tai-chi chuan was Yáng Lù Chán (1799-1872), also named Yang Fu Kui. Yang was originally from Yong Nian, in Hebei, China.

From a poor family, since very young he started to train in martial arts. He heard of the martial skills of the Chen family and move to their town, Chen Jia Gou, to study with Chén Cháng Xìng, the head of the family.

As the Chen did not teach their art to outsiders, he only managed to work for them as servant. Once there, after quite a lot of time, one night he heard some weird noise and went to peep into the yard. He found out the members of the Chen clan practicing their boxing there. This way he had the chance to spy their training night after night and secretly practice it on his own.

Eventually, one day he was uncovered after accidentally showing his skills to a member of the family. Chén Cháng Xìng inquired him into his unexpected martial power and requested Yáng Lù Chán to fight against one of his students, who lose. Chén Cháng Xìng, instead of punishing Yang, appreciated his martial skills, spontaneity and sincerity, and exceptionally accepted him as a disciple. Yang spent many years practicing the whole day. Once returned to his home land, Yáng taught tai-chi chuan. Later on he moved to Beijing, where he became well known and ended up teaching his boxing to the imperial soldiers and also the court in the Forbidden City. His fame was spreading and he fought many boxers and masters with no defeat, reason why he was given the name Yang the Undefeated.

There are many legends and anecdotes about Yang Lu Chan, and it is difficult to know how much truth is in them. Maybe the more poetic of them is the one that says that one day he took a small bird and put it on his palm. The bird attempted to fly away without success, because every time that pushed with its legs to get thrust to fly, Yang, with his enormous sensitivity, perceived it and yielded to force exerted by the sparrow legs.

Yáng Lù Chán had three sons, but one of them, Yang Feng Hou, died young. The other sons, Yáng Bän Hoù and Yáng Jiàn Hoù, were also very skilled and famous. It is said that their father educated them very severely.

The most eminent personalities to mention in the Yang style are: Yang Lu Chan, Yang Jian Hou, Yang Ban Hou, Yang Shao Hou, Yang Chen Fu and Fu Zhong Wen.

NOTE:

I have attempted to present the more accepted view about the origins of this style. Obviously there is a variety of opinions and some controversy regarding certain aspects, like for instance the origins of Yang Lu Chan, or about the true sources of his tai chi chuan. For instance, there are certain reasons to think his style did not derive only from the Chen style. Lately, there have appeared some historical data in China that might relate Yang Lu Chan with some daoist monks, from whom he might have learnt also tai chi chuan. If these facts are true, then the Yang style would have developed not only from the Chen style.

But these deeper issues will be dealt with, hopefully, in the section ARTICLES.