Narrated by Yang Cheng Fu
Recorded by Zhang Hong Kui

From the book “Yang Style Taijiquan” by Yang Zhen Duo

There are many schools of Chinese wushu (martial arts), all with technical skills based on philosophy. Since ancient times, many people have devoted their lifetime and energy to probing the nature and essence of wush and mastering the maximum skills, but few have succeeded. However, a learner can improve his skill if he keeps on practising and someday he will become an expert. As the saying goes: Drops falling, if they fall constantly, will bore through a stone. (more…)

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Push Hands (a.k.a. Pushing Hands, Tui Shou, Sensing Hands) is an exercise performed by two people who are attempting to improve their Tai Chi skills. Practicing the Tai Chi solo form teaches one to remain balanced, focused and relaxed while in motion. (more…)

T’ai Chi Ch’uan, literally Supreme Ultimate Fist, is a Chinese martial art rooted in Taoist philosophy of living in harmony with nature and practiced today primarily as an exercise for health. It is an extraordinarily subtle system and is one of the so-called soft style or internal martial arts. T’ai Chi Ch’uan requires relaxed natural movements that integrate the whole body with the mind. (more…)

Let us take for granted the existence of ch’i, at least as a paradigm for certain aspects of the body-mind connection that are essential to the effective practice of T’ai Chi Ch’uan. The question then arises as to the best method for cultivating the ch’i. There are countless methods of ch’i kung that could be followed. My principle teacher in Cheng Man-ch’ing Style, Ben Lo, has always taken the position that the correct practice of T’ai Chi Ch’uan is itself a form of ch’i kung. (more…)

Many report experiencing the elusive force called ch’i (qi) on a personal level in profound ways. Indeed, anyone off the street can be given some fairly straightforward exercises that give rise to sensations that many will define as the flow of ch’i. Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has demonstrated efficacy, is based largely on ch’i following some general rules of behavior identified through empirical study over thousands of years. (more…)

Personal instruction from an accomplished T’ai Chi Ch’uan player is the only way to learn a Form properly. T’ai Chi Ch’uan can only be mastered through diligent personal study and practice; however, it is difficult to imagine someone being able to learn the basic skills unaided. (more…)

Attributed to Chang San-feng (est. 1279 -1386)

In motion the whole body should be light and agile,
with all parts of the body linked
as if threaded together.

The ch’i [vital life energy] should be excited,
The shen [spirit of vitality] should be internally gathered. (more…)

Attributed to Wang Tsung-yueh [Wang Zongyue] (18th Century)

T’ai Chi [Supreme Ultimate] comes from Wu Chi [Formless Void]
and is the mother of yin and yang.
In motion T’ai Chi separates;
in stillness yin and yang fuse and return to Wu Chi. (more…)