The Known History of Tai Chi
The known history of Tai Chi began in the mid 17th century in the Chen Jia Gou Village, Wen County, He Nan Province of central China. (“Chen” was the family name of the dominant clan of the village. “Jia” means family or clan and “Gou” means a small and narrow valley). According to Chen Clan genealogy, in 1374 the head of the Chen Clan led the clan from Big Elm Village, Hong Tong County (about 260 miles northwest) Shan Xi Province to Chang Yang Village, Wen County, He Nan Province. It was there the Chen Clan settled and gradually gained their dominance. The village later became known as Chen Gou or Chen Jia Gou, meaning the valley of Chen. People of Chen Jia Gou, like those of other surrounding mountain villages, traditionally made their living by farming. Farms being a target for bandits during bad years made practicing martial arts a necessity for centuries. During which time the village produced many renowned martial artists. Beginning with the 9th generation, the village started to provide bodyguards to local governments and big businesses. This went on from the mid 17th century to early 20th century, and even went as far as the Shan Dong Province which was about 300 miles away. Even with their known accomplishments, the claim that Tai Chi Quan was created by the Chen Clan of Chen Jia Gou remains disputable, even within the clan itself. To date there has been no hard evidence provided to support anyone’s claim; so no one can really know who exactly created it. However, there are those that will always be recognized in the creation of Tai Chi, which I will refer to here as the VIP’s of the Chen Clan. - The 1st VIP of the Clan was Chen Pu. He led the migration to Chen Jia Gou and was one of the three people credited for the creation Tai Chi Quan. Unfortunately, we don’t really know much about this man.
- The 2nd VIP was Chen Wang Ting, who lived in the mid 17th century as head of the 9th generation. He served as the Wen County militia commander and most within the clan believed him to be the creator of Tai Chi Quan.
- The 3rd VIP was Chen Chang Xing (1771-1853) of the 14th generation. He was the one who taught Yang Lu Chan who then brought the art out of the village and founded the Yang Style.
There are two more VIPs within the 14th generation that need to be mentioned: - Chen You Ben, who taught Chen Qing Ping (1795-1868). The latter eventually moved to a nearby village where he started the Zhao Bao School of Chen Style. This branch ultimately led two students to create their own styles. Wu Yu Xiang (1812-1880), having first studied under Yang Lu Chan and then Chen Qing Pin, created the Wu Style. It was then a student of his that went on to teach Sun Lu Tong (1861-1932) who later created the Sun Style.
- Chen You Heng. His grandson, Chen Xing (1849-1929) wrote “Tai Chi Quan Theory and Illustrations”, which took him 12 years to complete. This book summed up the experiences and the theory of the Clan’s practice. Today it is still regarded as the first and the most authoritative book on Tai Chi.
This branch is worth mentioning for another very important reason: We are descendants of this branch. My teacher’s teacher learned his Tai Chi Quan from Chen Zi Ming (?-1951), the 17th generation.
Next: Flow Chart of Chen Clan time line. (<---link) |
