In his book on Yang Style, a forward by Gu Liuxin states that because of poverty he had to leave his home at the age of ten; he was of course referring to Yang Luchan. Yang Zhenduo is the great grandson of the founder of the style, so it would appear that this is reliable information. It is historically recorded that Yang journied to Chenjiagou, Wenxian County in central China's Henan Province, to earn a living. He worked as a servant for the Chen family and he also made contact with the famous boxing master Chen Changxing (1771-1853), a 14th generation of the famous Chen family arts.

While in attendance to the Chen family he acquired the skill of "Lao Jia" (Old Frame) Taijiquan as well as weapons, sanshou and push hands training. Some accounts of his life suggest that he travelled to the Chen village several times and others record the duration of his stay as 30 years. Whatever account is true, all agree that when he returned to Yongnian he was an accomplished and highly skilled wushu master.

Yang took lodgings with the Wu family, the house was shared by three brothers of the Wu clan and one of them, Wu Yu-xiang (1812-1880), was later to create his own style of Taijiquan which would subsequently lead to the development of the Hao and Sun family styles of Taiji (more about these in later issues).

I understand at this time that Yang's skills were known as "cotton boxing" or "soft boxing" and became known as the skill of the soft overcoming the hard. Yang Luchan was later to receive an appointment to teach his skills in the capital Peking (Beijing) and was commanded to teach in the house of Prince Duan, a member of the royal family. The royal family engaged many notable fighters as bodyguards, instructors to the royal guard and also members of the royal household. Yang's skill was of a nature that he could easily neutralise antagonists without causing serious injury and as his fame spread he became known as "Yang the Invincible". He was later to be appointed to the "Qing Court" as Wushu (martial arts) officer.

Yang Banhou and Yang Jianhou were the two Taijiquan practitioner sons of Yang Luchan. It is recorded in the Taiji boxing annals that Banhou was of a belligerent nature who liked to fight in preference to teaching. He was not averse to accepting challenges on his own behalf or for his father. It is also said that he was rather harsh on students. It is said of the Banhou form that it contains elements of the fast and explosive movements found in the style of the Chen village. I once attended a Taiji conference in Yang Luchan's birthplace and many of the attending experts performed demonstrations.

One such performance was claimed to be of Yang Banhou's lineage, however its authenticity was questioned by large groups of attending delegates. For posterity I videoed this form and it certainly had the fast, explosive movements otherwise attributed to it. Yang Luchan of course lived before video and photographic technology but having learned from the Chen source it is reasonable to assume Yang Luchan's form originally contained these elements.

The general assumptions of historians is that because of his fierce nature and the disinterest in teaching there is a paucity of information on the number one son. The probing into the history of Taiji is an ongoing process and it is possible that some of the missing material will be revealed in the fullness of time, on the other hand we Taiji nuts love the speculation!

Yang Jianhou had three sons; his youngest son was to become the most famous name in the development of 20th century Taijiquan but should not detract from his own achievements. In Fu Sheng Yuan's book "Authentic Yang Family Tai Chi", he says of Yang Jianhou: "he possessed well developed Wu Shu skills and was particularly agile in his forms. He had a profound knowledge of Taiji Dao (Sabre), Jian (Sword) and Chiang (Spear). His eye-body coordination was superb and his movements very fast. Jianhou is attributed with the revision of his father's form to what became known as medium frame.

At this stage in the development of the Yang style it is assumed the influence of the more dynamic moves from the Chen style had disappeared.

We now have the third generation of the Yang family with Yang Luchan's grandsons. Shaohou originally trained with his father but later learned from his uncle Banhou, Shaohou

apparently had a bellicose nature similar to his uncle. In his later life his form took on a different shade influenced by his uncle. According to the previously mentioned Gu Liuxin his movements alternated between fast and slow, hard and crisp Fajin, shouts with an intimidating manner. The special characteristics of his art was the use of the soft to overcome the hard, adhering, following, powerful Fajin pushes, hitting, grasping, rending, splitting tendons, breaking bones, striking vital points and interrupting the pulse. When Shaohou was teaching his students he would immediately attack and strike them. Although his students admired his skill they were rarely able to complete the full course. Although he was as famous as his brother, Chengfu's reputation flourished by comparison.

Yang Chengfu is seen by most commentators as the 20th century innovator who revised his father's medium frame and standardished the large frame of Yang Style Taijiquan, furthermore it clearly distinguished his form from that of his uncle Banhou's small frame style. Chengfu's style clearly differs from its precursor from Chenjiagou, gone are the jumping kicks, the stamping, the alternating slow with fast movements. The movements of Yang style are considered by comparison to be straight forward and simplified, they display slow circular movements that have been compared to drawing silk. Most Taiji players know of Yang Chengfu's ten important pointers to correct practise, these valuable training guides are

elucidated in Fu Sheng Yuan's book "Authentic Yang Family Tai Chi." The three generations of the Yang family were well established in north China. In his later years Chengfu took his skills to the south, visiting Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Hangkou. He was continuing what his grandfather had initiated, the spread of Taijiquan throughout China.

Yang Zhenji is chairman of the Taiyuan Wushu Association, Shanxi Province. We have heard very little of him in the West until quite recently. He does teach Taiji in China and I have seen reports of students travelling to China to train with him and I understand he also travels abroad to organise Taiji conferences although he appears to keep a low profile. Yang Zhendou should be considered the standard bearer of Yang style in mainland China as a 4th generation of the illustrious family, however he was only nine years old when his father died and the considered opinion of most commentators is that he would have been too young to receive direct tuition.

In Yang Zhendou's own book, mentioned earlier, Zhendou states that he learned from his father, Yang Chengfu and elder brothers, Yang Zhenming (also known as Yang Sau Chung) and Yang Zhenji. He says he learned from them in his youth, however as he was only nine years old when his father died we can assume that his father's direct influence would have been minimal. Howard Choy has told me that in a conversation with Fu Zhongwen (more about him later, Fu said that he was the significant teacher in Zhendou's training. In recent years and mostly in the last decade Yang Zhendou, accompanied by his grandson Yang Jun, has travelled all over the world spreading the word of his Yang style Taijiquan. His travels have included visits to Britain.

Yang Sau Chung, the eldest son of Chengfu began to train at the age of eight and in his own book "Practical Use of Taijiquan," he says he became accomplished in Taiji, Sabre, Spear, Sword and became his father's assistant at the age of 14 and taught under his father's guidance. There are many records of Sau Chung accompanying his father on his travels throughout China. When his father died in 1936 he would have spent nineteen years under his direct influence, while Yang Chengful had many important disciples and students, as the eldest son it would be reasonable to assume that he was the rightful inheritor of his father's title. At the time of Sau Chung's death in 1985, Taiji had not gained its 21st century popularity and although he had many students he appears to have led a reclusive life.

I am not aware of any extensive writings and unlike many of today's experts he was not a Taiji nomad. He left China in 1949 at the time of Mao's Republic and up to the time of his death he probably would not have been welcomed back.

Ip Tai-Tak lives in Hong Kong but he has travelled to Britain at the invitation of John Ding who has been adopted by Ip as his first disciple. John and I were class-mates and colleagues in the 1970-80s with the ITCCA under the tuteleage of Master Chu King-Hung. Chu Gin-Soon teaches in Boston USA and he has taught in Britain and Europe.

I was fortunate to be introduced to Yang Sau Chung by Master Chu King Hung. Of my Taiji associates and friends Ermano Cossi of Milan and Howard Choy of Sidney have been one-to-one students of Yang Sau-Chung. There are of course many important students across the five generations, some are well known and some not so well known. Among the famous we have Fu Zhong-Wen, Chen Wei-Ming, Dong, Ying-Jie. Fu Zhong-Wen's son Fu Sheng-Yuan names in his book "Authentic Yang Family Tai Chi", fourteen disciples. Being the son of his famous father he can speak with some authority, however he includes himself among the fourteen while he gives his own birth date as 1931. He would have been five years old at the time of Yang Cheng-Fu's death so it seems unlikely that this discipleship would be correct, but it is indicative of the importance paid to the lineage connections.

Fu Zhong-Wen was the nephew of Yang Cheng-Fu and was already training with his uncle at the age of ten, making this Yang's longest serving disciple/student as far as I can ascertain. Fu dedicated his whole life to self-cultivation through the practise of Yang style Taiji and he travelled extensively with his teacher assisting him in teaching and according to his son, accepting Fu's push hands challenges. In his book "Authentic Yang Style",

Fu Sheng-Yuan states that on the death of Yang Cheng-Fu the leadership of the Yang family passed to Fu Zhong-Wen. This would appear unlikely when the eldest son, Yang Sau-Chung was alive and well and living in China. Earlier I observed that Sau-Chung left China in 1949 and from this period Master Fu would have been the dominant dignitary of the Yang family. After Yang's death Fu established the Yongnian TCC Society of Shanghai to continue to propagate the Yang family arts. Fu Shen-Yuan and his son Qing-Quan are also engaged in the process and more information on this important connection can be gleaned from Fu Sheng-Yuan's book.

After Yang's death his first adopted disciple Chen Wei-Ming, wrote to Fu Zhong Wen acknowledging the excellence and accuracy with which he reflected their masters art. In 1963 Fu Zhong-Wen published his book "Yang Style Taijiquan." In 1999 this unique book was translated by Louis Swaim and published in English and called "Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan."

In his preface, Master Fu tells us "to the best of my ability I have written in accordance with the requirements for each posture as advanced by my former teacher in his verbal instructions to me; I've neither added nor taken away. I have seen adverse criticism of this book, but for the perfectionist it deals in the minute detail for understanding Jin in accordance with application." At any rate any information recorded by teachers of this

calibre is worth a read. Fu was an important figure in the traditional Taiji renaissance that took place after the end of the cultural revolution at the passing away of Mao Tse Tung, he was a vital link with Taijiquan's early and mid-20th century history.

Dong Yingjie, Dong Huling, Dong Jiying,
Dong Zenchen, Alex Dong.

The Dong family are a most important and influential connection with the Yang style Taijiquan. Dong Yingjie (1888-1961) is reported to have studied with Yang Cheng-Fu for 20 years and the unbroken tradition has continued through to the present day with his great grandson Alex Dong. Dong Yingjie (sometimes Tung Ying-Chiet), was a top exponent among the leading disciples of Yang and he travelled extensively and assisted his teacher on teaching and demonstration tours. Prior to learning from Yang he studied the Wu style of Taiji from Li Xiang-Yuan (Wu style of Wu Yu-Xiang not Wu Jian-Quan). Dong taught in his own right, spreading his art throughout southeast Asia, travelling to Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. His son Huling continued this work, eventually migrating to Hawaii. Huling's eldest son Jiying, moved to the mainland USA to extend their influence to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The young son, Dong Zenchen, left their ancestral home in Hebei Province to join his family in Hawaii around 1983. Zenchen brought the Dong family art to Europe, including Britain, during the late 1980s and early 90s and his son Alex Dong travels to Britain on an annual basis. The current host is Louise Bouck-Standen and the organisation is the Dong Family International Tai Chi Chuan Association.

I was fortunate to avail myself of tuition from Master Dong Zenchen during his early visits to Britain, completing his long form and the unique Dong Family fast form and to push hands with Master Dong and his son Alex. There are Yang stylists that perform a fast form comprised of a section from the long form simply speeded up.

This is not the case with the Dong fast form which may also benefit from the association with the Wu style. One thing that is noteworthy of the Dong family is the unbroken tradition. There are published photographs of three generations and from my own experience with Zenchen and Alex Dong one can see they faithfully follow the characteristics of the great grandfather Master Dong Yingjie.

One interesting anecdote couched from a 1990 edition of the magazine "Fighers" is: "Dong Jiying, established quite unwittingly to his own repution way back in China, where the much

publicised Cheng Man-Ching, trying to build his own repution had gone to match his pushing hands skills with Dong Huling. Accepting the challenge, the Dongs decided instead to give the young Jiying an opportunity to gain some experience at the age of 17. Jijing met the older challenger and was not only able to neutralise and uproot his opponent but also send him flying all over the place."

In Fu Sheng-Yuan's book mentioned earlier he states that Chen Wei-Ming was the first disciple of Yang Cheng-Fu. I am not aware of the lineage or the history of Chen's students, however Dan Docherty has mentioned that his senior student Liang Ching-Yu, was a Hong Kong resident. Chen Wei-Ming's valuable contribution to Taijiquan's body of students is in his book "Tai Chi Chuan Ta Wen" (questions and answers on Tai Chi Chuan). The book was translated in 1985 by Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo, the original work was published in Shanghai in 1929.

Chen came to Shanghai in 1925, founded his own school and assumed the role of a Taiji teacher. He had previously spent eight years studying with Yang Cheng-Fu. The book deals with the questions Chen put to Yang and Yang's answers on a whole range of Taiji subjects and the following is dealt with in some detail. Commentary on History and Correction of the Legend.

Tai Chi Form, Tai Chi Push Hands, Tai Chi Fighting Technique (San Shou) Chin (Internal Force) of Tai Chi, The Relationship of Tai Chi to Daoyin and Meditation Tai Chi: Physique and Achievement, Five Character Secret of Li I-Yu.

Perhaps the most well known, the most written about with himself a prolific writer and known as a man of the five excellences: Painting, Poetry, Calligraphy, Medicine and Taijiquan. Cheng Man-Ching's name and fame is widespread throughout the western world, Taiwan, Malasia and Singapore. To some extent lionised by the famous United States' writer and martial artist Robert Smith who is co-author with Cheng for the book "Tai Chi, the Supreme Ultimate Exercise for Health, Sport and Exercise."

In this book, translated by Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo in 1985, Madame Cheng's introduction informs us that her late husband took up Tai Chi because of his poor physical condition being at the time Professor of Literature at Shanghai University and Head of the Chinese Traditional Painting Department of the Fine Arts Academy of Shanghai and because of his heavy work commitments he experienced lung problems. Fortunately he was introduced to the great Tai Chi Master Yang Cheng-Fu. She goes on to say that he studied every day with Yang for six years. Because of the profound effect in improving his health, Cheng set out on a course of spreading the art to the widest possible audience.

On one of my early trips to Beijing, arranged and accompanied by the late Jifu Huang, to the Peoples' University, I was compromised into demonstration of Cheng's Routine of 37 Forms. I had trained some Cheng style with the Penang Tai Chi Chuan Association including a brief trip to visit and study with Master Khoo Teng-Hock during the years 1982-1986. The reason for the demonstration was that the Taiji authorities at the university were not familiar with the style of Cheng Man-Ching. The explanation, of course, for their lack of awareness is that Cheng left the mainland to be domiciled in Taiwan at the termination of the Peoples' Revolution. He was a supporter of the nationalist cause and its leader Chiang Kai-Shek.

Although the source of Cheng's Taiji is the Yang Style of Yang Cheng-Fu there is a strong support that it displays its own unique characteristics and regardless of its derivation maybe it should be referred to as Cheng's Taijiquan. I prefer the postures when he was younger as they appear in the aforementioned book "Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treaties on Tai Chi Chuan", to those illustrated in the co-authorship book with Robert Smith.

There are a number of old movies around showing Cheng in action which should give some inspiration to his followers although this very often is not the case. One can understand the early fascination westerners held over Cheng when you see on the old movies his Fajin performance.

I cannot, being of cynical nature, comment on Cheng without referring to Douglas Wile's compilation entitled: "Cheng Man-Ching's Advanaced Tai Chi Form Instructions."

The second preface by Chen Wei-Ming: "One day he had a contest with fifteen American soldiers stationed in China. After defeating six of them, the rest were too frightened to continue. This became a celebrated incident at the time." Come off it Mr Wile, how much damage did the man do to the Japanese army during the Sino/Japanese war?

Yang style has developed from its origin of the Chen's 'Laojia', significant changes have taken place in the twentieth century as the art moved its emphasis from martial to health preservation and self cultivation. The Yang style left out the alternating fast and slow. The Chen obvious use of the silk reeling movements with distinct transitions to 'Fajin' methods. This so called simplifying of Taijiquan was to make Yang style immensely popular on the world stage. I would like to make the observation that its accessibility is a different ball game to its mastery.

The question of mastery propounds the same considerations for all styles.

The Yang style adopts a slow and even pace also emphasising the technique of "sinking the qi to dantian." The newsletter is currently recording Yang Cheng-Fu's "Ten Important Points for Practice", and these can be valuable insights for Taiji training at the many levels of development. Yang Cheng-Fu is accredited with the saying: "Taijiquan is the art of softness containing hardness, of a needle concealed in cotton wool."

His recorded instructions included that one must be natural, relaxed. The postures must be centred and upright, rounded and full, movements should be light and lively (containing heaviness), calm and tranquil. Another essential of Yang family Taiji is

the development of 'Jin' and the training and understanding of the applications of 'Fajin.'

These are difficult concepts to understand and long training with competent instruction is important, hence the instruction to perservere with diligence and sincerity. Taijiquan takes its philosophical inspiration from the book of changes (l'Ching), the principle of Wu Chi (The Great Nothingness), Taiji (The Grand Ultimate) and the understanding of the cyles of Yin and Yang. Yang style, like all the major styles make reference to the

collection of works referred to as the Taiji classics. These insights by authors known and unknown have served as anecdotal philosophical and psychological sustenance.

This article is the briefest introduction to some of the characteristics of Yang Style, and there are many books dealing with the subject in comprehensive fashion as indeed there are for the whole subject matter of Taijiquan.

Richard Watson