On the ancient history of Taijiquan, there are two competing versions. One of them, which today is the official, believes that this is a martial art developed within the Chen family, the XIV century lived in the village Chenjiagou Vensian severokitayskoy county, Henan province, and that it was founded in the XVII century, Chen Wangting, which can trace a continuous transmission line tradition. Another version attributes the creation of this style of legendary taoist Zhang Sanfenu, but it is replete with plenty of exaggeration and does not explain how and by whom it is a martial art passed on to the XIX century.
In the middle of the XIX century, this martial art learned Yang Luciani, who brought him to the capital of China, and even began to teach at the Imperial Palace. Due to the fact that a court battle aspect of the style was not particularly important, the emphasis in the teaching of them was placed on the recreational value of exercise in fighting the same version of the style taught the soldiers of the Imperial Guard.
After the bourgeois revolution of 1911 in the Chinese society, there was a surge of interest in national martial arts, and since 1916 throughout the country began to open society for the study of martial arts. This Taijiquan gradually began to spread to China from north to south.
After the Second World War and the ensuing civil war in 1949 was founded the People’s Republic. As a measure to raise the country and improve the nation’s new Chinese government instructed the Sports Committee to develop in a simple package of health Tai Chi exercises, available for mass instruction. In August 1956 China’s State Sports Committee was published book, called “Simplified Tai Chi”, which describes a set of 24 movements, based on the Yang Family Tai Chi. In 1957, for those who have mastered a set of 24 movements and should be improved further, was issued a set of 88 movements. As a result, despite the fact that there are still people practicing Tai Chi is a martial art, most of it is perceived primarily as a health-improving exercises.
In the same period, some masters fled from mainland China to Taiwan. With Taiwan Taijiquan penetrated in the U.S., and from there spread to Europe and Russia. However, some schools were able to preserve the classical tradition.
Tags: competing versions, History, Taiji, version attributes