The Tai Chi literacy tradition is a vibrant bridge between movement and meaning. Through carefully preserved writings, lineage records, and philosophical reflections, it empowers practitioners to deepen their practice with wisdom, history, and cultural richness. This tradition encourages learners to not only master forms but also embrace the spirit of Tai Chi—cultivating balance, resilience, and harmony in everyday life. By engaging with these texts, students connect to generations of insight, finding inspiration and motivation to grow with confidence and joy. It’s a living legacy that uplifts, guides, and strengthens the journey of every Tai Chi enthusiast.
This page shares some of the amazing informative articles on Tai Chi theory and history. Check regularly for article updates
The hard work is worthy of the penance.
By Fu Zhong Wen
A Japanese martial artist who made a special trip to China to teach Yang Style Tai Chi, Master Zhong Wenxuequan, he said that he wanted to learn Tai Chi Chuan well in two or three months.
Fu Zhong Wen listened and shook his head. He felt that this Japanese martial artist lacked a certain understanding of Tai Chi Chuan, and this kind of thinking is very representative among people who learn Tai Chi Chuan at home and abroad and thinks that learning Tai Chi Chuan has a quick practice method.
Fu Zhong Wen believes that it takes a long time to practice Tai Chi Chuan and there are certain procedures, which include many contents. Fu Zhong Wen has been practicing Tai Chi and teaching for more than 70 years and has accumulated rich experience. He has his own unique insights on Tai Chi, especially Yang Style Tai Chi.
Practicing Tai Chi must have the conditions.
Mr Fu Zhong Wen said that learning Tai Chi Chuan is not an easy task, because Tai Chi Chuan is an advanced art. Based on his observations and his lifelong experience of practicing Tai Chi Chuan, he said that in general, the following conditions must be met to practice Tai Chi Chuan well:
First, it is my hobby, knowing the functions of Tai Chi.
Second, is to have a master, that is, a teacher who really understands Tai Chi.
Third, there are places to practice Tai Chi.
Fourth, there is time to practice Tai Chi.
Fifth, be able to practice hard work, willing to endure hardship.
Sixth, perseverance.
These conditions are for practitioners who aim to improve the skill level of Tai Chi Chuan. Generally, those who aim for fitness do not have to be so strict, but they will gain more if they try hard.
Mr Fu Zhong Wen uses these conditions to observe the people who learn Tai Chi Chuan today and thinks that not many people have these conditions.
This is mainly because the times are different, the social environment is different, and the main function of Tai Chi has weakened. Some people who practice Tai Chi Chuan lack this condition or that condition, so the talents in the Tai Chi Chuan world are not as good as their predecessors.
He said that after Yang Shao Hou (3rd generation) and Yang Cheng Fu (3rd generation) in the Tai Chi world, there are very few people who really understand Tai Chi. If you have practiced the skills of Yang Shao Hou (3rd generation) and Yang Cheng Fu (3rd generation), you don’t have it today.
Manage several major issues
Mr Fu Zhong Wen in the 20 century, 60 years of teaching based on past Yang Cheng Fu (3rd generation), the preparation of the “Yang style Tai Chi Chuan”, a book to explain the Yang style tai chi shelves and training method. In 1989, he edited the book “Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Teaching Methods and Practice”, which described the teaching methods and practices of Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan in detail. In addition to describing the physical use and practice process of Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan, it also put forward more than 240 key points for training, more than 230 requirements for training, pointed out more than 220 easy faults, causes and correction methods, proposed more than 240 teaching methods and more than 110 technical analyses. These two books are nearly 300,000 words and are a guide for practicing Yang style Tai Chi.
In general, Mr Fu Zhong Wen believes that to practice Yang style Tai Chi Chuan well, there are several important points to be managed. If these points are well managed, it means that you have basically mastered the Yang style Tai Chi Chuan practice.
First of all, you must be conscious when practicing each movement, that is, consciousness must precede the movement. For example, “from the potential”, overlooking the palm of his hands slowly put on when I must have put on the consciousness, usually referred to shoulder, must first have a sense of falling, then hands and then slowly press down. Consciousness and action must be coordinated, every move and every style are like this. After practicing this kind of consciousness guided action for a long time, the practitioner will enter a state: at night, you are quietly around, you are fully engaged in Tai Chi, your consciousness and movements are coordinated, and your whole body feels very comfortable. There is no sound, and the whole body is light and fluttering, as if you don’t know for you and don’t know you are tired, except for the idea of Tai Chi Chuan, there are no other distracting thoughts.
He often sees some people who practice Tai Chi Chuan without consciousness leading, and the movement is separated from consciousness. He said that this will affect the quality of training.
Second, the belt has an arc movement.
Tai Chi Chuan should focus on the waist, which is often said by people who practice Tai Chi Chuan. Mr Fu Zhong Wen said that not only the waist is the main focus in Tai Chi training, but also the waist is the main focus in other Chinese martial arts, Western martial arts and other sports. For example, lifting weights doesn’t work just by relying on the strength of the two arms, but on the waist. However, the waist used in Tai Chi Chuan is different from the waist used in other martial arts and sports. In Tai Chi Chuan practice, the limbs and other parts of the body are slowly rotated along an arc by the waist. Instead of going straight back and forth, every movement is carried by the waist to make the waist. Linked with the movements of the feet and hands.
He took the “cloud hand” (wave hands like moving clouds) as an example to illustrate: the completion of the “cloud hand” movement is to move the arms and hands left and right, turning left and right in an arc, driving the legs to lift, retract, and extend. Under the control of the waist, the whole body, all parts are doing arc shaped exercises, and you can’t just move your limbs, don’t move your waist, or separate your waist and hands.
He took “moving, blocking and pounding” (step-up, parry and punch) as an example to illustrate: to move is to turn the belt with a right fist to the left, then the belt with a right hand to turn right, with the left hand to block, and then the belt with a right fist to strike forward. Move away from the rotation of the waist. In short, under the dominance of the waist, the upper and lower parts can run through.
When the waist is moving the limbs, Mr Fu Zhong Wen believes that the requirement of “storing more energy with music” must be implemented. The movements of Tai Chi Chuan are not straight forward, and the tunes are more than enough to be flexible when used. Straight, the energy will be used up, it will be stiff and vulnerable to human control.
Therefore, when practicing Tai Chi Chuan, the legs, arms, and hands should not be straight. They must have a certain curvature, but they are not soft. They are not implicit, not perfect, and have no momentum.
When practicing Tai Chi Chuan, the belt must rotate in an arc, and the speed must be uniform. A set of punches must be uniform from beginning to end, not just a certain movement or a group of movements. The movement is even, and there is no motion at all, and the up and down will follow.
Third, keep your eyes straight and see your hands, but you should not stare at your hands.
Mr Fu Zhong Wen believes that Tai Chi Chuan has the traditional requirements of hands, eyes, body skills, and steps, and eye skills are very important when practicing Tai Chi Chuan. Based on his teaching experience, he put forward requirements for students’ problems: when practicing Tai Chi Chuan, the eyes must see the hands, but not stare at the hands. Turn your eyes at will. When you see the hand, look straight out from the direction of the main hand, and avoid sluggishness and wildness.
He took the “Tiger Fighting Pose” (retreat to ride the tiger) as an example. When someone practiced this pose, the direction they looked at was inconsistent with the direction of the hand hitting. He thinks this is wrong, his eyes must be seen from the direction of the upper punch, and there is no reason for seeing this and that.
Mr Fu Zhong Wen believes that when practicing Yang style Tai Chi Chuan, you generally have to look straight. In the past, Tai Chi Chuan was called the “four level frame”, among which “one-level” means the eyes are level. Whether you turn left or right, or move forward or backward, your eyes must be level.
Fourth, distinguish between false and true (solid and empty).
Mr Fu Zhong Wen believes that when practicing Tai Chi Chuan, it is necessary to distinguish between the deficiency of Yin and Yang. In each style of Tai Chi Chuan, there are virtual and real, there is yin and yang, the real is yang, the deficiency is yin, and the yin and yang are alternately changed, which should run through the practice of Tai Chi Chuan.
Fifth, the actions should be infinite and moderate.
Mr Fu Zhong Wen believes that when Tai Chi is practiced, it is not right to pass or fail. He uses food as a metaphor: a person is hungry, and he should be full after eating 3 bowls of rice, but if he eats 5 bowls, he will be able to hold his stomach. Uncomfortable. If you only eat 1 bowl, it won’t work, it’s not enough. Practicing Tai Chi Chuan has to master the moderate degree in every move and style. How to master this degree depends on your own practice and guesswork.
Mr Fu Zhong Wen often quoted a seven sentence on the Quan Jue: “Lightness and vigour, seeking understanding”. He explained that lightness is not floatation, it requires composure, and the composure is not dull. If you pursue lightness, you don’t need any energy at all, this is wrong; if you pursue calmness, you don’t use dead energy, it’s not enough.
He believes that to practice Tai Chi Chuan, one must grasp the two levels of infallibility and inefficiency. Once these two levels are well mastered, the basic requirements of Tai Chi Chuan practice will be mastered.
Mr Fu Zhong Wen repeatedly explained that practicing Tai Chi Chuan is not a simple matter, and some requirements are not understood as soon as you listen, or you can practice as soon as you speak, but you must know how to do it. The wrong way to practice blindly will only make you get farther away from the realm of Tai Chi Chuan.
Under hard work training
Regarding Tai Chi Chuan practice, Mr Fu Zhong Wen repeatedly said: “The method is right, and you should work hard”. He added, “The method is the right method. Once you practice it, it’s fine. It’s not the case”.
Mr Fu Zhong Wen believes that in the past era, the hard work performed by the predecessors of Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan practice is not what contemporary people can imagine. In addition to practicing hard, Yang Lu Chan (1st generation), in order to allow his sons to pass on his own kung fu, when the Jian Hou (2nd generation) brothers were young, they drove them to practice with a big stick every day. It’s almost unbearable. Yang Ban Hou’s (2nd generation) invincible Kung Fu was trained hard under such strict supervision.
When Yang Jian Hou (2nd generation) was young, due to the daily supervision of Yang Lu Chan (1st generation), he practiced Tai Chi almost to the point where he could not bear his body and mind. Later he became one of the second-generation representatives of the Yang family. Yang Ban Hou (2nd generation) was born with a daughter and a son. His daughter couldn’t meet the requirements when she practiced Tai Chi. He missed and beat her to death.
Mr Fu Zhong Wen said that in the past, people who practiced martial arts relied on kung fu for food. Without good kung fu, fighting against others would be over as long as one loses for a lifetime, and even life is in danger, so they have to practice hard. Although the times are different now, to practice Tai Chi Kungfu, you have to work hard. There is no other way, and there is no shortcut.
When you start learning Tai Chi Chuan, the teacher dictates it by body. The teacher says and does it. Scholars understand it, and when they learn it, they will work hard to practice. After practicing for a while, the teacher will check and correct the action. Although the teacher dictates the body transmission, there will be deviations in the movements during the practice. This is not because the scholars deliberately deviated, but involuntarily. The teacher will show you how to change it, and if it is done, you will work hard to practice.
Practicing Tai Chi, after a period of time, there will be progress. But when there is progress, it is not clear. For example, I have practiced writing according to the rules for several years. I see it for myself and others. It is indeed better than in the past, but I can’t tell which day and year I improved. Kung fu is gradually increasing bit by bit. It’s the same with Tai Chi Chuan. It’s hard to learn at the beginning, either with wrong legs or shoulders, wrong wrists, and wrong eyes. After studying hard and getting home, the movements are right. It’s hard to tell which day is right.
Mr Fu Zhong Wen believes that if you really want to practice Tai Chi Kung Fu, you must practice it while you are young, at least four or five consecutive years of Kung Fu, every day. Spend 2 to 3 hours a day, practice Tai Chi seven or eight times at a time, without interruption in the middle, and finish it in one go. If you practice Tai Chi three times a day for 30 years, you still can’t improve your kung fu, you can’t keep your kung fu, you can only maintain your original skill, or even regress. Middle-aged practice Tai Chi, long-term kung fu is slower, but as long as you have perseverance and are willing to work hard, you can achieve something.
He often warned his students that they should be willing to work hard when practicing Tai Chi. Don’t be afraid of hard work. Don’t choose to practice Tai Chi if you are afraid of hard work.
It is impossible to practice Tai Chi Chuan without spending ten or twenty years of work, and it is very difficult to keep practicing.
Mr Fu Zhong Wen said that martial arts training is a chore. As for how hard it is, he said: “Practicing Tai Chi until you sit down and don’t want to get up, you don’t want to sit down when you get up. The whole body is as uncomfortable as torture. You must practice to this level
How Taijiquan was Introduced to Beijing introduction according to the Wu family narrative.
Author unknown
Verdict: Interesting read, but the narrative follows a one-sided account that promotes the Wu family and ignores the Yang family’s version of events. The history of dissemination of the art from the Yang family is complex and often distorted in a way that dramatically favours a long-winded propping up of the people that the author favours or promotes. It is common knowledge that the Yang family closely guarded the martial skills of their art and kept it in family for over a hundred years. This is truly noted as when they started teaching publicly most of the martial content was removed from their teachings. There was not handing down of the so-called secret skills to outsiders that were not blood. Being a Tuti disciple does not mean that you were taught the martial essence of the system, more often than not Tuti’s were only followers, friends, supporters of the family or people of noted influence.
This is evident today with the hundreds of versions of the art accredited to the Yang Family and the total confusion of what is real and true in practice and martial skills. As the saying goes “Always seek water closest to its source”
In the past, the history of martial arts has always lacked written records, with oral traditions being more prevalent. Although this “oral history” cannot be definitively regarded as factual, it preserves the viewpoints, expressions, and areas of interest of people at the time. This provides clues and information for later researchers and scholars. Ma Yueliang (1901-1998), the eldest son-in-law of Wu Jianquan, the master of Wu style Taijiquan, and his wife, Wu Yinghua, were both renowned Wu style Taijiquan practitioners of their time. Due to Ma Yueliang’s unique identity and the era and environment he lived in, his observations and experiences are likely to contain more historical information, making his accounts more valuable than mere hearsay. In May 1984, Wu Yinghua and Ma Yueliang, representatives of the Shanghai Wu style Taijiquan, came to Beijing to visit their daughter. On the morning of June 1, a welcome party was held in their honor at Zhongshan Park’s “Laijinyu Pavilion” by Wang Peisheng, Li Bingci, and Weng Fuqi, along with over 20 disciples of Beijing’s Wu style Taijiquan community. Also present was Wang Mengnan, the president of the Zhengzhou Wu style Taijiquan Research Association in Henan. During the event, everyone sought advice from the elders and asked old Ma to talk about how Taijiquan was introduced to Beijing. Old Ma gladly began his lecture, and this article is a compilation based on the recording. — — — That happened during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. Let’s start with Yang Luchan. He was a native of Yongnian County in Hebei Province, nicknamed “Third Master of the Spinning Pole” and had already made a name for himself, known as “Yang the Invincible.” There was another person in Yongnian County with the surname Wu, related to Wu Yuxiang, named Wu Ruqing. He passed the imperial examination and was later appointed as the magistrate of Wen County in Henan Province. Therefore, he was very familiar with the Taijiquan of Chenjiagou and his fellow townsman Yang Luchan’s martial arts skills. Later on, Wu Ruqing was frequently promoted, first to an editor in Beijing, and later to a vice minister, which is equivalent to a high-ranking official today. As a result, he had connections with princes and high-ranking officials. One of them was Prince Beile (the Sixth Lord), who was paralyzed on one side of his body and had never practiced martial arts. He wanted his son to learn martial arts and sought to hire a famous master to teach him. Wu Ruqing said, “If you want to hire someone, there’s someone from our hometown that I can invite for you.” Prince Beile agreed and asked him to make the arrangements. This is what I heard from the elders. So Yang Luchan was invited. When he arrived, Yang Luchan held Prince Beile’s hand and asked, “Why don’t you get out of bed, sir?” Prince Beile replied, “I haven’t been able to get out of bed for many years.” Yang Luchan said, “Bring his shoes and put them on him.” After putting on his shoes, Yang Luchan held Prince Beile’s hand and walked him around the room. Then they went back to the bed, and Prince Beile was very impressed (this was Yang Luchan’s first demonstration upon entering the house). Prince Beile said, “Your skills are extraordinary. I will have my son bow to you immediately and take you as his teacher to learn martial arts from you.” His son’s name was Shi Shaonan, and he was Yang Luchan’s first disciple after arriving in Beijing, taught right in the prince’s mansion. In addition, there was someone in the court named Yue Zhuchen, who was a martial champion and had achieved the rank of general. He was a descendant of Yue Fei and was from Henan Province. Knowing about Yang Luchan’s skills, he also wanted to take him as a teacher. Yang Luchan was hesitant because Yue Zhuchen was not only a martial champion but also a general, on equal footing with the princes. However, Yue Zhuchen insisted on taking Yang Luchan as his teacher. Aside from these two, later on, various officials, princes, and nobles in the royal court came to learn a few techniques from Yang Luchan. The number of these people was quite large, but they were not formal disciples. Eventually, Yang Luchan was introduced to the Banner Camp to serve as an instructor. The Banner Camp trained intermediate military officers, all of whom were from the Eight Banners. Many people were taught there. Among them, three learned particularly well and studied for a long time. These three also wanted to formally take Yang Luchan as their teacher. They were Wan Chun, Ling Shan, and Quan You. Quan You is the first generation of Wu style Taijiquan. Yang Luchan said, “No, if you want to become my disciples, you should apprentice under my son, Ban Hou.” These three respected their teacher and traditional customs so they followed his instructions to the letter. They became disciples of Yang Ban Hou, but in practice, they continued to learn martial arts from Yang Luchan. Each of these three developed unique skills: Wan Chun excelled in hard/solid strength, Ling Shan was skilled at issuing force, and Quan You was a blend of both hardness and softness, having both. Why didn’t Yang Luchan accept these three as his direct disciples? You can probably guess easily. His two actual disciples by then were a general and a prince, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to regard them as peers. However, having them apprentice under his son, Yang Ban Hou, posed no such problem. From that point on, Yang Luchan took a year off to rest at home while Yang Ban Hou taught in Beijing. Although Ban Hou was highly skilled, he was ill-tempered. You couldn’t ask him questions—if you did, he would strike you. He would teach only if he felt like it and he liked you. When Yang Luchan returned to Beijing, his two disciples complained, “Master, during the year you were away, we didn’t learn anything. Brother Ban Hou didn’t teach us much.” Hearing this, Yang Luchan felt he had let them down and continued to teach them for several more years. Yue Zhuchen, one of the disciples, improved significantly. Later, he led troops against foreign soldiers, charging into enemy camps on horseback and killing many foreigners with his sword (during the Boxer Rebellion), becoming an anti-foreign hero. However, he did not pass on his skills to any successors. Those who had learned a few techniques here and there also did not have any successors. As for Wan Chun, I haven’t encountered anyone who learned martial arts from him, and Ling Shan also did not have any successors. Only the Wu style lineage continued. Quan You was nicknamed Quan Third Master. Why do I know such detailed information? Because my…father [recording unclear at this point] was the inspector-general of the Nine Gates, which is equivalent to the current commander of city defense. Quan You stayed at my house for at least 200 days a year because we were related by marriage. My third aunt liked Quan Third Master and often invited him over for drinks; they frequently drank together. However, when I was young, I didn’t believe in Taijiquan. I practiced hard martial arts, learning Tongbi from Master Liu Yueqin. I also studied wrestling and various styles like Chaquan. But later on, I found that I couldn’t compete with Taiji practitioners, so I switched to learning Taijiquan. I started learning at the age of 20 and have continued until now. From age 20 to 29, and then at 30, I married Wu Yinghua in Shanghai, and we have been together ever since [applause]. The first step in the introduction of Taijiquan to Beijing, which was also the first stage, occurred during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. Taijiquan was brought into the royal court, princely mansions, and the Banner Camp. The practitioners were princes, high-ranking officials, generals, nobles, and descendants of the Eight Banners. The second step, or the second stage, was introducing Taijiquan to the general public. In the second year of the Republic of China (1913), another disciple of the Yang style, Xu Yusheng, founded the Physical Education Research Society in Beiping (now Beijing). The society was located in Xicheng District, in Pichai Hutong, where the premises were quite large with five courtyards. It offered many activities, including athletics, football, baseball, Shaolin martial arts, and Taijiquan. Yang Shaohou, Yang Chengfu, and Wu Jianquan were invited to teach Taijiquan. From that time, Taijiquan began to be publicly shared and taught outside of its traditional confines, benefiting society. Before this, Taijiquan was practiced behind closed doors, essentially within the family, and not shown to outsiders. This is why it is called “internal art.” You couldn’t see it or find it in public places. External martial arts were used by bodyguards and for public performances, meant to be seen. Internal martial arts are also called Wudang Quan, while external martial arts are also called Shaolin Quan. After the establishment of the Physical Education Research Society, Taijiquan was publicly offered for the first time. However, the enrollees were not all young people; some were elderly. Taijiquan originally included complex movements such as jumps and explosive force applications. Facing these new kind of learners, it was clear that these difficult movements were not suitable. Thus, two instructors decided to eliminate the jumps, explosive movements, and other complex actions. These instructors were Yang Chengfu and Wu Jianquan. They both modified Taijiquan into slow frame, which was an improvement, so it became a continuous, and gentle form, making it more accessible and suitable for the general public as a fitness exercise that anyone could practice. As a result, Yang Chengfu is considered the person who standardized Yang style Taijiquan, and Wu Jianquan did the same for Wu style Taijiquan. Consequently, these forms became known as Yang style Taijiquan and Wu style Taijiquan. From that point on, Taijiquan began to be openly taught and practiced in Beijing society, continuing to the present day. Yang Shaohou, on the other hand, was very stubborn and insisted on not changing his teaching style. He said, “This is how I practice, and this is how I teach. If you want to practice, do it my way or don’t do it at all.” He was extremely obstinate and had a bad temper, often hitting people when they asked questions. Because of this, only one student was able to endure his teaching style. The rest did not truly learn from Yang Shaohou. Was his skill good? Yes, it was excellent. But his teaching methods were intolerable. As the saying goes, “The higher the art, the fewer who can appreciate it.” Yang style Taijiquan was standardized by Yang Chengfu and has developed into its current form. Similarly, Wu Jianquan standardized Wu style Taijiquan, which has also evolved to the present day. This outlines the formation and development of Wu style Taijiquan. In addition to the slow form, Wu style Taijiquan also includes a fast form. In 1982, during the National Martial Arts Working Conference in Beijing, the National Sports Commission requested the research of traditional routines to contribute to the nation. We in the Wu style Taijiquan community disclosed the fast form routine, now known as Wu style Fast Form. This fast form existed originally. At that time, Guo Songting, Wang Maozhai, and Wu Jianquan were brothers and close friends. The three of them researched and developed together. Although each had their own style—similar to how calligraphers like Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Ouyang Xun, and Zhao Mengfu each developed distinct styles—they all practiced the same fast form of Taijiquan. Each master had their strengths: Guo Songting was highly literate, excelled in calligraphy and painting, and articulated Taijiquan theories very well. My family was related to both Guo Songting and Wu Jianquan, so I have known the origins of Taijiquan since I was very young. At that time, the Physical Education Research Society had a secretary-general named Nan Huanlin, who was a cousin of Xu Yusheng. I was also related to Nan Huanlin, making us all cousins. I frequently visited the Physical Education Research Society, and I appear in the graduation photos of its first and second sessions, which our family still preserves. Therefore, I am very clear about this segment of Taijiquan history. This is how Taijiquan was introduced to Beijing and the circumstances surrounding the founding of Wu style Taijiquan.
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