abstract
Tai Ji Chuan originated in China, and his movements are both rigid and flexible, which can not only attack self-defense, but also enhance physical fitness and prevent diseases. Tai Ji Chuan has a long history, many schools, widespread, and is deeply loved by people.
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.
A brief history of development
There are always different opinions about the origin of Tai Ji Chuan, including Xu Xuanping in Tang Dynasty (AD 6 18 ~ 907), Zhang Sanfeng in Song Dynasty (AD 960 ~ 1278), Zhang Sanfeng in Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 ~ 1644) and Zhang Sanfeng in Qing Dynasty (AD). Looking at the development of modern Tai Ji Chuan, we can see that only by continuous development can things have vitality. This is enough to explain the day before yesterday, yesterday and today, and also reveal its tomorrow. According to the textual research of China martial arts historian Tang Hao, there are two branches in Tai Ji Chuan. One is to inherit the martial arts from Wu Tang Zong Gate and keep it secret. Only Zhao Bao and Tai Ji Chuan are inherited. The other school first spread among the Chen family in Chenjiagou, wen county, Henan Province, and then spread to Tai Ji Chuan schools such as Yang, Wu, Wu and Sun. The founder of Chen Tai Ji Chuan is Chen Wangting, who is an original martial artist.
Tai Ji Chuan has been handed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years, with many famous artists and schools (including Chen, Yang, Wu, Wu and Sun). Tracing back to its source, it originated in Chenjiagou, wen county, Henan. Chenjiagou, located in Dongqingfengling, wen county, Henan Province, was Changyang Village 600 years ago. In the fifth year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1372), Chen Bu, a native of Zezhou (now Jincheng) in Shanxi Province, led his troops to move from Hongtong County, Shanxi Province to the north of Wenxian County and set up Chen Buzhuang Village. Two years later, because of the low terrain, he moved to Changyang. Later, due to the reproduction of Chen people, the martial arts handed down from the family were very prestigious nearby, and there was a big ditch running through the north and south in the village. Over time, it was changed to the old name of Changyang Chenjiagou. Chen summed up many boxing routines. There are five sets of fists, five sets of hammers, fifteen red guns, fifteen cannons, red gun hammers, one hundred single eight-style long fists, double pushers and other unique drill methods. According to this principle, Wushu equipment routines such as knife, gun, sword, stick, mace and double gun were created. These boxing routines are based on Tai Chi theory, from infinity to Tai Chi, from non-physical to physical, from static to vivid, and each move is divided into yin and yang (i.e. virtual, real, soft, rigid, static and dynamic). ), formed the prototype of Tai Ji Chuan machinery, passed down from generation to generation in the Chen family, and formed the Chen Tai Ji Chuan. Chen Changxing, the 14th Chen, built another milestone on the basis of his ancestral Tai Ji Chuan. He refined and summarized Chen's Taiji Biography from Bo to Wu, and creatively formed a complete set of routines, which became the first and second road of Chen's Taiji Biography, and was later called "Old Frame". He also boldly broke the rules of the door, carried on the family line, and took Yang Fukui (Lu Chan) from Guangping Prefecture (now Yongnian County) in Hebei Province as an apprentice. After returning to his hometown, Yang Fukui taught boxing in Beijing. Because of the need to teach boxing, he gradually abandoned the difficult moves in the old Tai Ji Chuan, which were modified and stereotyped by later generations, and became the popular Tai Ji Chuan in Yang Tai. Hou Quan-you and Yang Fukui, the son of Qing Dynasty, learned from Yang Xiao Tai Ji Chuan and passed it on to his son. He practiced martial arts in Shanghai and modified Tai Ji Chuan into another family. After that, Han named him Wu, so he was called Wu.
1. Source
There are three sources of Tai Ji Chuan: ① Comprehensive absorption of Ming boxing masters. Wushu was very popular in the Ming Dynasty, and many famous artists, monographs and new boxing styles appeared. Taiji Chuan learned the advantages of various boxing methods at that time, especially Qi Jiguang's 32-potential long fist. (2) breathe in combination with ancient guidance. Tai Ji Chuan is known as one of the "family boxing methods" because he pays attention to guiding the spirit to sink into the abdomen, relaxing the mind and strengthening the body. ③ China's ancient theory of Yin and Yang and the theory of meridians in traditional Chinese medicine were applied. "Chen Shi Taiji Zhuan" requires spiral winding of meridians, purposefully activating qi, connecting Ren and Du meridians, and practicing chong pulse. Various traditional Tai Ji Chuan also used the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements to summarize and explain various contradictions and changes in boxing.
2. Development
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Tai Ji Chuan developed rapidly, and people who beat Tai Ji Chuan spread all over the country. At present, there are hundreds of Tai Ji Chuan tutoring stations in Beijing's parks, streets and stadiums alone, attracting a large number of fans. The health, education and sports departments have listed Tai Ji Chuan as an important project, and have published millions of Tai Ji Chuan books and wall charts. Tai Ji Chuan is also very popular abroad. Tai Ji Chuan activities are held in Europe, America, Southeast Asia, Japan and other countries and regions. According to incomplete statistics, the United States alone has published more than 30 kinds of Tai Ji Chuan books, and many countries have established organizations such as the Tai Ji Chuan Association to actively carry out exchange activities with China. Tai Ji Chuan, as a unique national sports event in China, has aroused the interests and hobbies of many international friends.
Tai Ji Chuan is the perfect combination of dialectical theoretical thinking of the Chinese nation and the guidance of Wushu, art and Qigong, and it is the advanced culture of human beings. His boxing theory comes from the classic works of China, such as Yijing, Huangdi Neijing, Huangting Jing and Ji Xiao Shu Xin. In the long-term development process, Tai Ji Chuan has absorbed the reasonable contents of Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and other cultures, so it is called the "national quintessence".
The characteristics of Tai Ji Chuan Movement are: standing upright and comfortable in the middle, light and round in spirit, gentle and even, orderly opening and closing, combining rigidity and softness, and moving like "flowing water, continuous". This kind of movement is natural and elegant, and you can experience the rhythm of music, the connotation of philosophy, the beautiful shape and the artistic conception of poetry. In the advanced enjoyment, let the disease disappear and make the body and mind healthy.
At present, many scientific research departments are studying Tai Ji Chuan. Through the research of medicine, physiology, biochemistry, anatomy, psychology, mechanics and other disciplines, it is proved that Tai Ji Chuan has a good effect on the prevention and treatment of senile wrestling, hypertension, heart disease, lung disease, hepatitis, arthropathy, gastrointestinal diseases, neurasthenia and other chronic diseases.
Tai Ji Chuan is a martial art. Its characteristics are: "combine rigidity with softness, wait for action, be round and straight, win the big with small, win the strong with weak". It is an organic combination of martial arts and Sun Tzu's art of war. Therefore, Tai Ji Chuan, especially Yang Tai Tai Ji Chuan, is loved by people all over the world for his simple boxing posture and unique charm of easy learning and practice.
basic element
Tai Ji Chuan's basic method is "push, slide, squeeze, press, pick, push, elbow, lean, advance, retreat, care, hope and decide". The movements are slow and comfortable. When practicing boxing, the waist is required to be straight, the jaw is closed, the back is straight and drooping, which has the artistic conception of floating clouds. The Boxer Rebellion in Qing Dynasty said that "the boxing potential is like the sea, endless". At the same time, Tai Ji Chuan also attaches great importance to practicing. The so-called "Qi" is to cultivate the human body's own spirit, which is also one of the characteristics of Tai Ji Chuan's Neijia Kung Fu.
Among the eight kinds of strength methods, strength is the foundation of eight, and you can't leave this strength for a moment when practicing Tai Ji Chuan. It is a spring force, and it is also like propping a boat with water, such as weighing; It is perception, and all external forces rely on perception to distinguish the direction and size. The other seven forces are just different in orientation and practice. For example, if the palm is wrapped from the inside out, it is called "stretching", if the palm is wrapped from the outside in, it is called "stretching", and if the hands are stretched outward at the same time, it is called "squeezing". Strength is a kind of upward and outward strength, which makes the other side's strength not reach the chest, and it is a defensive technique to protect oneself; The rowing force is a lateral force, three points downward and seven points backward. When using, the chest should be turned to the waist, and the crotch should be the same to prevent the other person from hitting the crotch. Squeezing strength means pushing Zheng's strength forward, squeezing on the back of his hand, supplemented by the other hand. The key point is to exert strength with both hands and grasp the front bow with both feet; Pressure is the force to push or lift forward. When in use, the head should be suspended by chest and the back should be pulled out by waist strength. Challenge is the power to grab the opponent's wrist and elbow and sink down and back. When you use it, you should contain your chest and crotch. Generally, you should pick it first and then pick it. Strength is to block the left and right up and down with your hands, and to drive your waist with your body; Elbow strength is to elbow people, which is used in close combat, and there is a saying that "far fist is close to elbow and close to hand"; By strength, you hit your hips with your shoulders and use them when you are close to your body.