A Brief History of Tai Chi Chuan - Yang-style Tai Chi Chuan

Yang-style Tai Chi Chuan is one of the main schools of Tai Chi Chuan in China. It was created by Yang Fukui, the founder of Yang-style Tai Chi. Yang Fukui, styled Luchan (1797- 1872), was from Yongnian County, Hebei Province. When he was young, he studied under Chen Changxing and was listed as a disciple. Around 1850, he returned to Yongnian County and made a living by teaching boxing. He passed it on to his sons, Yang Banhou (1837- 1892) and Yang Jianhou (1839- 1917). Yang Jianhou passed on his son, Zhao Xiong (the young marquis), Zhao Yuan and Zhao Qing (Chengfu). After the efforts of three generations of the Yang family, it gradually evolved from Chen Changxing's Tai Chi into Yang-style Tai Chi. Yang Zhaoqing, styled Chengfu (1883- 1936), learned Tai Chi from his family at a young age. After decades of hard work and dedication, he finally became a master of Tai Chi and the founder of Yang-style Tai Chi (Grand Frame). Yang Chengfu had many students. His famous disciples included Cui Yishi, Yan Yuechuan, Niu Chunming, Li Yaxuan, Fu Zhongwen, Dong Yingjie, Zheng Manqing, etc. Yang-style Tai Chi has a long history and has been spread far and wide. Since Yang Luchan was introduced to Beijing, it has remained successful. The inheritors of Yang-style Tai Chi live up to their reputation as masters of Tai Chi. Cui Yishi, a highly accomplished student of Mr. Yang Chengfu, received his true teachings and is the fourth-generation authentic inheritor of Yang-style Tai Chi. He is also one of the main inheritors of Yang-style Tai Chi. Cui Lizhi (1892- 1970), styled Yishi, was from Renxian County, Hebei Province. I studied under Mr. Yang Chengfu, a master of Yang-style Tai Chi. Mr. Cui Yishi has been passionate about martial arts since childhood. In 1909, he went to Beijing and became a disciple of Yang, who was renowned for his martial arts. He studied the martial arts with great care and devoted himself to practicing. He was highly valued and taught by Yang and grasped the true essence of his skills. From 1928 to 1936, he followed Master Yang southward and gave lectures on boxing in Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hankou, Guangzhou and other places. After 1936, he taught boxing alone in Nanjing, Wuhan, Xi 'an, Lanzhou, Anhui and other places, and returned to Beijing in 1945. During decades of practicing and teaching, Mr. Cui not only fully inherited Master Yang's style of strictly adhering to the rules when he was teaching, which was "to understand the rules and then abide by them, and to break the rules and then abide by them", but also, due to years of teaching under his master, he deeply grasped the essence of Master Yang's teachings and devoted his entire life to meticulous study. Eventually, he became a representative figure of Yang-style Tai Chi in the north. Mr. Cui Yishi is a simple and kind-hearted person with a straightforward character, generosity and integrity. He is honest and trustworthy in dealing with the world. Throughout his life, he has been dedicated to the art of Yang-style Tai Chi. All Yang-style Tai Chi, including the broadsword, the sword, the large pole (spear), and the pushing hands, have been passed down from the master of Yang-style Tai Chi. His foundation is profound and his attainments are profound, with the pushing hands being his most proficient. Skilled in transformation and release, the hands are soft and gentle, soft yet firm, light and agile, with a clear distinction between the real and the illusory. Listen with the utmost detail, move with the utmost subtlety, guide with the utmost length, and release with the utmost suddenness. It is truly astonishing and awe-inspiring that all those who have received it do not notice its movement but have already leaped into the air and fallen out a foot away. Mr. Cui Yishi has lived in Beijing for a long time. He taught Tai Chi under the shade of ancient cypresses in Zhongshan Park and established the "Beijing Yongnian Tai Chi Society", serving as its president. In teaching, he is rigorous and meticulous in his attitude, and has very strict requirements for both teaching and practice, deeply inheriting the style of the Yang family. Mr. Cui's lifelong practice and teaching of Tai Chi have brought his skills to a state of perfection, earning him the reputation of the Cui School of Tai Chi. The boxing movements are broad, soft, smooth and expansive, with a unique style, which has further developed the daily perfection of Yang-style Tai Chi.