Tai Chi Unknown History

A complete name of Tai Chi is Tai Chi Chuan and it is also known as Taijiquan. It is one of the most ancient and the best martial art that originated from China.

It was developed by Chen Wangting in around 1670. This martial art is a mix of movements fast and hard and slow and soft. All these movements complement each other. It is also known as Chen style and it is much more physically demanding and difficult than the sun style. It is a type of Qigong that is practiced by almost millions of people every day. 

In Chinese, the meaning of Qigong is breath skill or energy. When Tai Chi is practiced in the right fashion, it will always use energy and breathing methods. Originally, Tai Chi was only martial art but nowadays it is an excellent form of exercise that brings too many health benefits. 

Introduction of Tai Chi

It is known as the major branch of traditional Chinese martial arts and it is also called shadow boxing. Its name was derived almost 3000 years ago during the dynasty of Zhou. The term Tai Chi better describes the vastness of the universe. The principles of Tai Chi are based on Taoism. This exercise is remarkably effective because it consists of a combination of yin and yang. Although yin and yang are opposite, but almost found in everything in life. 

Both the yin and yang are always in balance. Concepts of yielding, pliant, and soft are associated with yin, while the concepts of masculine, hard, and rigid are associated with yang. A good thing about both of these they tend to complement each other. 

The Beginning of Tai Chi

You cannot separate this Chinese martial art history from the legends. Some useful and interesting messages are shared by the legends. There is always a doubt about the origin of Tai Chi; there are contradictory statements about its origin. It was originated almost in the 16th century. It was developed by legendary Chen Wangting in the 16th century. He was an army soldier and after his retirement, he started the teachings of Taoism. He devoted his rest of the life for the teaching of martial arts. 

Chen Style 

Various Tai Chi routines were developed by Chen Wangting in the 1670s. Those routines are still in practice today. It is said that Chen Wangting assembled the techniques of Tuna and Daoyin into his daily martial art routine. These techniques were turned into the practice of Taoism. Tai Chi has become the most popular exercise in which the breathing, actions, and mental concentration are connected closely.  So right now it is a handy exercise for health care. 

A member of the Chen family, Chen Xin wrote a detailed book about the school of Tai Chi in the 16th century.  In his book, he completely described all the movements and correct postures. He also described the medical backgrounds of this technique. The book was not published until 1932. Chen Fake came into action in the 17th century and he was the greatest and highly accomplished leader of Chen Style Tai Chi. About his power, there are numerous stories. He lived only 29 years but he did not make enemies and he was a well-liked personality. He died in 1957 in Beijing. 

Chen Fake was the youngest child of the family. He was born when the age of his father was 60 years. Chen Fake was lazy and he was spoiled. Even though, he knew Tai Chi but he did not practice it to improve his health. Father of Chen Fake was an excellent leader and practitioner of Tai Chi. Chen Fake realized he was letting his father down. He started to catch up with his cousin. He improved his skills but his cousin was one step ahead of him. Chen style is a mixture of soft and hard techniques, and both the techniques complement each other. 

Chen style contains combat techniques that make it the most effective martial art. Tai Chi style is the most effective and suitable for younger people. The serious continues and from Chen’s style, there were lots of other styles that were introduced. Other styles are

• Yang Style Taijiquan
• Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan
• Several Style of Tai Chi Boxing that includes (Sun, Hao, Zhaobao style, Li)

The Future of Tai Chi

In the 19th century, the Chinese were able to understand the immense health benefits of Tai Chi. Although, the popularity of Tai Chi is growing steadily and now it is almost practiced all around the world. It has almost more than 300 million participants and it is the most popular exercise in the world. Chronic diseases like diabetes and arthritis are ruining the quality of our lives. The exercise of Tai Chi will significantly help to fight against these chronic diseases. There are lots of studies that have shown the significant health benefits of Tai Chi exercise. 

Conclusion 

There are lots of Tai Chi styles that are practiced today. In this article, we have discussed only a few. These styles can be handy for beginners and practitioners. As there are lots of styles available so it is better to wisely choose the style. If you have clear aims and objectives it would be easy for you to learn Tai Chi. If you are interested in learning Tai Chi just for health benefits instead of self-defense then go for Tai Chi for Arthritis program. This program contains 12 movement sets, but all the movements are simple and clear. In 2007, almost more than a million people learned this program and enjoy the health benefits of this program. 

There is a confusion about the origin history of Tai Chi. Time of its origin is not known. It is a mixture of Yin and Yang style. Both styles are opposite but complement each other. It has gained popularity and now it is practiced all around the world. You will enjoy the body and mind benefits after practicing Tai Chi.