What are the characteristics and differences between the major schools of Taijiquan?

While scholars now recognize that Taijiquan has nothing to do with Wudang Zhang Sanfeng, Wudang Taijiquan does exist. Wudang taijiquan "fist hit the crouching cow of the ground", basically two meters square enough to show, which in addition to the spiral winding silk, another nine palace, gossip content, its connotation and the current popularity of taijiquan is not quite the same. Wudang Taijiquan's key is: boxing with the state of mind, stretching long, magnificent atmosphere, allowing all things in the heart. Wudang Taijiquan is soft to conquer hard, static braking, after the first to the first, can be four to a thousand pounds. It is not only to strengthen the body but also for self-defense. Wudang Taijiquan combines the Taoist qigong techniques of practicing essence and gas, practicing gas and God, practicing God and emptiness, and returning emptiness to the Taoist qigong method, which opens up people's wisdom, develops people's body energy, prolongs people's life, makes them live longer, and it is a kind of supreme boxing that combines martial arts and health preservation in a single body. The process of practicing Taijiquan is divided into three stages: first practicing form, then practicing qi, and finally practicing spirit. Its internal techniques mainly include the following: the work of guiding and directing the body, the work of extracting and replenishing external qi, and the work of standing on piles with mixed elements. Its movements are mainly based on the following: collapse, squeezing, pressing, picking, listing, elbow and leaning, and in the application, following, connecting, sticking and adhering, which are continuous and flowing in the river. To practice Taijiquan, one should have a quiet spirit, keep one's chest and draw one's back, sink one's shoulders and drop one's elbows, and stretch one's movements, so as to realize both God's and form's marvelousness. Wudang Taijiquan is a combination of movement and static, internal and external, it is the treasure of internal and external cultivation, and it is the source of human life.

2. Introduction to Chen-style Taijiquan

Chen-style Taijiquan is divided into Chen-style old frame and new frame. The old frame was created by Chen Wangting of Chenjiagou, Wen County, Henan Province in the early Qing Dynasty. Chen-style taijiquan old frame **** there are seven routines, now only the first and second (cannon pounding), about the Daoguang Xianfeng years, Chen Wangting fifth disciple Chen Youben removed some of the difficult movements in the old frame, compiled into a new frame of Chen-style taijiquan. His disciple, Chen Qingping, also created another frame routine, Zhao Bao Frame, on the basis of the frame transmitted by Chen Youben. There is no essential difference between Chen-style Laojiaquan and Xinjiaquan, but the main difference is that Laojiaquan has a larger circle and Xinjiaquan has a smaller circle. Therefore, Chen Jiagou also called the old frame boxing "big circle boxing", called the new frame boxing "small circle boxing".

While Chen-style Taijiquan is divided into small and big frames, its movement characteristics are basically the same: within it is the movement of intention and qi, and outside it is the spiral winding movement. Emphasize in the consciousness under the auspices of the top of the head, gas sinking, put long body limbs, through the waist and spine to drive the upper limbs rotating bladder and wrist, drive the lower limbs rotating crotch and ankle, so that the limbs in the smooth reversal of the twisting, contributing to the inside and outside of the conjunction, the section of the whole. The movements of Chen-style Taijiquan are fast and slow, generally fast when the power is developed and transformed, and slow when the movement is in transition; Chen-style Taijiquan is rigid and flexible, generally the end point of the movement is rigid, and the process is flexible.

The whole set of movements is connected in the interdependence and mutual transformation of speed and slowness, rigidity and flexibility, opening and closing, curvature and straightness, etc., and is completed in a single breath.

3. Yang's Taijiquan

Yang Fukui (1799-1871) was a native of Yongnian, Hebei Province. When Chen Dehu opened a traditional Chinese medicine store in Yongnian, Yang sold himself to the store as an apprentice, and then Chen Dehu brought Yang back to his home in Chenjiagou to do some odd jobs. Chen Changxing, the 14th son of the Chen family, set up a martial arts school in Chen Dehu's house and taught his descendants how to practice boxing and dancing. Seeing Yang's intelligence, attentiveness, loyalty and honesty, as well as his love for boxing, Chen Changxing discussed the matter with Chen Dehu and took him as his disciple, teaching him Taijiquan. Yang practicing boxing extremely hard, night chain boxing tired, only on the bench to nap. This bench is very narrow, and soon fell down, woke up and continued to practice again, such as the seven years, boxing is practiced. After the teacher and the proprietor agreed, loaded the volume to return, leaving Chenjiagou (after two visits to the Chen family).

Yang Lu Zen returned home and was recommended by friends and relatives to teach boxing in Beijing, defeating many famous fighters and making a name for himself. Later, he went to the Qing Dynasty Palace to teach martial arts, and because of all the children of the aristocracy, in order to adapt to the needs of their delicate physiques, he modified the Chen's Taijiquan routine to make it simpler and softer, and to make it more flexible, and not to be indulged or jumped, which was modified into a middle frame. After the modification of his third son, Jianhou, into the middle frame. Then it was modified by his grandson Chengfu to become the more popular Yang style Taiji media. It is characterized by an expansive frame, smooth movements and soft posture. It requires a gentle touch. Yang Chengfu (1883~1936) was the author of (Taijiquan Use Method) and (Taijiquan Body Use Book), and he has been teaching in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, etc. He is the famous Yang-style Taijiquan master of the generation.

4. Wu-Style Taijiquan

When Yang Lu Zen was teaching in the Qing Dynasty, he was taught by a Manchu, Quan You, who later learned from Yang Ban Hou (1837~1892). After that, he studied under Yang Banhou (1837~1892). Quan You passed on the name to his son, Jianquan, who later adopted the Chinese name Wu. Wu Jianquan (1870~1942) was known for the softness of his fist, and for his ability to push his hands to keep them still without forgetting to move them, which resulted in the formation of a moderately sized, soft and compact fist. Wu Jianquan once opened a boxing club in Shanghai to train students, and it became the modern popular Wu-style Taijiquan, which is known for its softness.

5. Wu Style Taijiquan

Wu Yuxiang (1812~1880) was a native of Yongnian, Hebei province, who first learned from Yang Lu Zen's large frame movement, and then went to Chen Jiagou to seek Changxing Gong's teaching, but because of his age (more than 80 years old), he no longer passed on his boxing, and his son, Plowman, went to Shandong and was not around, but seeing his eagerness to learn, he was introduced to Chen's fifteenth Chen Large-sized Ping. Chen Large-sized Ping's small and compact frame, with its winding circles, is a branch of the Chen Small-sized Frame School. Wu Yuxiang studied and practiced hard. On the basis of Yang-style Large Frame and Chen-style Small Frame, Wu-style Taijiquan evolved into the current Wu-style Taijiquan.

Then he passed it on to his nephew Li Yishe (1832~1892), who then passed it on to Hao Weizhen (1849~1920), who then passed it on to his sons Yueru and Shaoru. Yue Ru taught training as a profession, and Wu Style Taijiquan was first practiced outside the country. It is characterized by lightness of movement, agility of footwork and compactness.

6. Sun Style Taijiquan

Sun Lutang (1860~1930) was a native of Wanxian County, Hebei Province. He first learned the form of ideological training, proficient in ideology, and practiced Bagua at the same time. He is the author of books such as "Xingyi Quanxue" and "Fist Intentions: The Mystery of Truth". In Beijing, he was known as "Living Monkey" Sun Lutang. Later, from Hao for real learning Taijiquan, will form the Yi, Bagua, Taijiquan into one, the formation of the current opening and closing drums, frame high step live, unique style of Sun-style Taijiquan.

7. He-style Taijiquan

He-style Taijiquan is one of the traditional Chinese Taijiquan schools. It started in the late Qing Dynasty in Zhaobu Town, Wen County, Henan Province, and was also known as Zhaobu Taijiquan because of its geographical area.

He-style Taijiquan is based on the theory of "Zhouyi", like its shape, taking its meaning and using its reasoning, moving the body everywhere in a circle, nothing is a circle, and the line is made to be a natural roundness with no force anywhere in the body.

Ho-Style Taijiquan emphasizes the naturalness of reasoning and follows the naturalness of nature everywhere, forming the characteristics of lightness, roundness and smoothness.

He Zhaoyuan was born into a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and studied literature and medicine since he was a child, and in 1825, he learned martial arts from Chen Qingping, a local boxer. Later, he served in Beijing and was authorized as Wuxinlang. Under the influence of Li Tangji, a great scholar of science, he carried out a major reform of Taijiquan. Especially, the theory of Taijiquan has developed greatly. He used the theories of science, Confucianism, Taoism and medicine to guide the standardization of the boxing frame, so that the theory and practice were perfectly combined. He created a set of body-use consistency, technology and theory of the same agent frame, that is, and style of taijiquan.

Traditional He-Style Taijiquan has 72 postures, all of which are based on the theory of Yi (Yi) in the posture. Like its shape (circle), take its meaning (yin and yang, five elements, bagua), and use its theory (yin and yang change, five elements of birth and death, the unity of man and nature). Walking frame to light and round, soft and rigid guidelines to promote the coordination of the body, step live body sensitive, smooth and natural. With the method of yin and yang changes, the split and merge forces generated by the movement of different parts of the body form a thousand variations of techniques and skills. It forms the technical characteristics of Taijiquan that it is as slippery as a fish, as sticky as glue, as soft as cotton, and as hard as steel.

In the practice of boxing, the dynamic balance of yin and yang in the form of no excess and no deficiency, internal and external harmony and smoothness and coherence promote the balance of yin and yang in the internal qi and blood, internal organs, meridians and collaterals and maintain the normal physiological function of the human body and healthy body, so as to achieve the purpose of physical fitness, healing and health maintenance.

8. Simplified Taijiquan

The National Sports Committee organized and created simplified Taijiquan twenty-four, forty-eight, eighty-eight and other routines, mainly based on Yang-style Taijiquan, and supplemented by the movements of other schools of Taijiquan. Ms. Kan Guixiang of Beijing Sports Institute compiled Chen's Simplified Taijiquan with Thirty-six Potentials on the basis of Chen's Old Frame Taijiquan, and Mr. Chen Xiaowang, the coach of Henan Wushu Museum compiled Chen's Thirty-eight Potentials on the basis of Chen's Taijiquan with Old Frame and New Frame.