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The word Taiji first appeared in Book of Changes
of the Zhou Dynasty.The essay say:"Where there is
Taiji,there is peace and harmony between the positive
and the negative."Taiji means
supremacy,absoluteness,extremity and uniqueness.Taiji
Quan takes its name for the implication of
superiority.Taiji Quan got its name when Shanxi secular
Wushu master Wang Zongyue used the philosophy of the
positive and negative from the Book of Changes to
explain the principles of the boxing.
There are
different opinions on the origin of Taiji Quan.Some
think it was created by Zhang Sanfeng of the Song
Dynasty(961-1279) while others believe it was created by
Han Gongyue and Cheng Lingxi in the Liang
Dynasty(502-557).Still others say that it was created by
either Xu Xuanping or Li Daozi of the Tang
Dynasty(618-907).Yet all propositions cannot be proved
from authenticate historical records.According to the
research of Wushu historian Tang Hao,Taiji Quan was
first exercised and practised among the Chen family
members at the Chenjia Valley which is located in
Wenxian County in Henan Province.The earliest
choreographer of the Taiji boxing was Chen Wangting who
was both a scholar and a martial artist.Chen combined
his knowledge of ancient psychological exercises;the
positive and negative philosophy describe in the Book of
Changes and Chinese medical theory of passages and
channels of blood,air flow and energy inside the human
body with the exercises and practices of Wushu.He
absorbed the strong points from various schools and
style of martial arts of the Ming Dynasty,especially the
32-move Qi Jiguang style of boxing(long-style boxing),to
form the school of Taiji Quan.
After years
of dissemination,many styles of Taiji Quan were
created.The most popular and widespread are the
following five styles: Chen-style Taiji Quan, Yang-style
Taiji Quan, Wu-style Taiji Quan, Wu Yuxiang Style of
Taiji Quan, Sun-style Taiji Quan. |
