About the origin and spread of Tai Ji Chuan, many anecdotes and historical events can only be found in the example of the Boxer Rebellion.
1929 Yangzhou Jin's "Thirty-two Potential Long Boxing" said: "Wudang comes from Shaolin, and Shaolin learns bird classics." Hua Tuo, a famous doctor in the Three Kingdoms period, imitated the movements of five animals, such as bear, tiger, ape, deer and bird, and combined with the popular health care movement at that time, created the Five-Animal Play, so Hua Tuo was honored as the ancestor of boxing.
Since then, boxing has developed into two schools: Shaolin School with Dharma Zen Master as its founder, and Wutang School with Zhang Sanfeng as its founder.
When talking about the origin of Taiji Biography, the book Detailed Explanation of Taiji Biography Pushing Hands and Sword, edited by Buddhist in South Vietnam, records: "Zhang Sanfeng was born in Yizhou, Liaodong, and he is seven feet tall and travels thousands of miles a day. Hong Chu entered Dahe Mountain in the middle of Shu, and in the twenty-seventh year he entered Wudang Mountain in Hubei to chant Buddhist scriptures. One day, there was a sparrow calling in the yard. Zhang heard it and saw a sparrow in the tree from the window. There is a long snake on the ground under his eyes. It lasted for a long time when the bird flew up and down and hit the long snake. Whenever the bird flies up and down, the snake wriggles and shakes its head to avoid it, but it is not hit. From this, Zhang Wu realized that Tai Chi uses static braking and softness. "
Tai Ji Chuan was originally named Chang Quan Shi San Shi, and later Wang Zongyue named him Tai Ji Chuan according to the dynamic and static principle of Yin and Yang in Zhouyi. Because Tai Chi really spreads like a dog, let it be, out of nothing, so-called infinite and Tai Chi.
Although Tai Ji Chuan has different schools in routines, postures and qigong, they all have the effects of dredging meridians, harmonizing qi and blood, nourishing viscera and strengthening tendons and bones. As one of the boxing methods, Tai Ji Chuan was called "Long Boxing", "Mianquan", "Thirteen Potential" and "Soft Hand" in the early days. It was not until the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1736 ~ 1795) that Wang Zongyue, a Shanxi martial artist, wrote an article on The Legend of Taiji, which made it named. The word "Tai Chi" comes from the Book of Changes, which contains supreme, extreme, absolute and unique meanings.
Between heaven and earth, above heaven and earth, all things and opportunities are constantly changing. Trees, flowers and mountain terraces all seem to be static and are gradually aging. As the saying goes, only "change" is constant. Tai Ji Chuan is putting all kinds of changes in boxing practice. Dynamic and static opening and closing, combining rigidity with softness, up and down, left and right, winding up and down, flickering, virtual and real, endless, all over the body, motionless, full of momentum, disappearing, with strength, melting into the whole body, breaking hard, and then gently starting, writing freely. One thought, one thought, one line and one person's free will are all under self-control, achieving the effect of health preservation and self-defense. This is Tai Ji Chuan.