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Tai Chi
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Several masters of He style, such as the famous Grandmaster Zheng Wuqing suffered from chronic illnesses before studying He style. He went on to live to the age of 89. He Zhaoyuan himself lived 80 years. Like all Chinese martial arts, in He style tai chi there is a great emphasis on physical and mental health as part of the training, whatever one's purpose in training.
Jiang Fa, who studied with Wang Zhong Yue (whose Treatise on Tai Chi Chuan is a classic), was the last survivor of the seventh generation of Zhaobao Tai chi Chuan. According to a manuscript copy of He Style Tai chi Chuan, Jiang Fa taught the Zhaobao style to Xing Xi (Hsing Hsi) Huai in the final years of Wan Li in the Ming Dynasty (around A.D.1620). Xing passed this style onto Zhang Cu (Ts’u) Chen, Zhang onto Chen Jiang Buo, Chen onto Zhang Zhong Yu, Zhang onto his son Zhang Yian, and Zhang onto Chen Qing (Ch’ing) Ping.
During the years of Dao Guang in the Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty (around A.D. 1840), He Zhao Yuan, a student of Chen Qing Ping, went to the capital in order to protect the elder statesman Li Tang Jie. While He Zhao Yuan was in the capital, he acquired the best and most practical combat skills from different styles of martial arts. Then he combined his acquired knowledge with the theory of tai chi, with its specific hand and body movements, footwork and postures. He improved his combat skills tremendously and developed an apparently different and original style of tai chi chuan.
When He Zhao Yuan returned to his hometown he went to visit his teacher Chen Qing Ping. Chen asked He to demonstrate what he had learned in the capital. After he had watched He's form, Chen was amazed and commented, “I am really amazed that you have worked so hard during these few years while you were in the capital. Your skills in martial arts have surpassed mine. From now on you can start your own style and call it He style tai chi chuan.” Later when Chen Qing Ping's teacher Zhang Yian returned home from Shan Dong, He Zhao Yuan went to visit him. Zhang Yian told He Zhao Yuan to show him some boxing forms. Extremely pleased with He’s demonstration, Zhang Yian said to He, “I’m very old now, yet I haven’t seen any martial art or fist form as good as this. Your martial art skills have reached the highest peak. A wonderful flower has blossomed in the tai chi garden of our town.”
He Zhao Yuan passed on what was now called He Style Tai Chi Chuan to his sons He Jing Zhi and He Ren Zhi, and to his oldest grandson He Qing Xi. Later He Qing Xi taught many students, of whom his nephew He Xue Xing, Cheng Wu Qing, Cheng Buo Ying, Hao Yu Qiao and Guo Yun are the best known. Grandmaster Kei Cheong-Sao (Ji Chang-Xiu) was taught by Cheng Wu Qing which makes her a disciple of the eleventh generation from Zhaobao.
The basic framework of Zhaobao He Style tai chi chuan consists of 72 postures. Each has a collection of large and small, and flowing and reversed circular movements; even the qi inside the dantian is traveling in circles. Every circle is intertwined, thus inside and outside circles become one. Because of this characteristic, He Style is often called the circular fist form.
Framework exercises can be divided into large, medium and small frames. Each pose in each frame is light, agile, circular, brisk and open. In order to meet the requirements of proper body postures such as “three points facing”, “steps following body movement”, “movement without moving”, and “conformity with the bends and the shape of the body,” one must step as if reeling silk, move like flowing water (with each move remaining connected like a lotus root breaking with the fibers still holding together), and follow one form closely after another.
Throughout the whole fist form, the body frame maintains a posture that is central, upright, level, even, light, agile, rounded, and lively, with hard and soft movements complementing one another. During the entire exercise, thoughts are linked together to unite body applications. The exercise can make one healthy, as well as provide self-defense.
One should not expect to be successful in this style in haste. The first step to success is to learn the form. The second step requires accuracy. The third step requires internal energy to lead external movements. The fourth step is to inquire into the truth of applications. A piece of ice that is three feet thick is not formed in one cold day. Those who have patience will be successful in learning the style, and those lacking patience will fail. If one can devote oneself to study this style, learn diligently and practice hard, one can get better and better, attaining lightness, agility, smoothness, vitality, and a state of well being.
View video information or order your copy of basic form He Style Tai Chi Chuan.
| Malee's
School of Tai Chi and Kung Fu 991 Main Street, Manchester, Connecticut Phone: (860) 646-6818 Email: info@malees-tai-chi-kung-fu.com |
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Page last updated December 18, 2005
