This article gives the historical origins of Zhaobao Tai Chi in the form of a summary, allowing you to understand Zhaobao Tai Chi and get closer to Zhaobao Tai Chi in the most convenient way, so that this ancient and excellent culture that exudes modern vitality can be presented in a panoramic way for the readers.
The Beginning and Formation of Taijiquan
Sanfeng Zhang , a Taoist priest of Wudang (1247, the seventh year of Chunyou), mastered the martial arts and entered the Zhongnan Tower in the first year of Yuan Yanyou (1314). In the Jiazi year of Yuan Taiding (1324), he brought his disciple Wang Song (a Taoist boy from Baqiao, Xi’an) from Jintai Temple in Baoji to Wudang to practice for decades. He combined the martial arts secrets of his predecessors and created Taijiquan, which was perfect in theory and method. He became famous in the world for Taiji Neijiaquan. His Taijiquan Thirteen Forms Song, Fighting Song and other boxing theories made practitioners study them for a lifetime.
Zongyue Wang (also known as Linzhen Wang , a native of Yangcheng, Shanxi in the late Mingde period) inherited the true teachings of Sanfeng Zhang Taijiquan (called the Northern School) from Yunyou Taoist (Guquan) in the Jiajing period. The eight volumes of Taijiquan theory were passed on to Jiang Fa (1574-1665) of Zhaobao Town, Wen County, Henan Province in the 24th year of Wanli (1596).
Zhaobao Taijiquan is an excellent style of Chinese martial arts and Tai Chi, and it has a history of more than 400 years in Zhaobao Town.
The Origin of Zhaobao Taijiquan
Master Fa Jiang introduced Tai Chi to Zhaobao Town
Zhaobao Town in Wen County is located in the north of the towering Taihang Mountains and in the south of the surging Yellow River. It has a long history of more than 2,500 years. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Zhao of Jin granted the great minister Zhao Gong a fief in Wen County. He dug a land and built a fortress 15 miles east of Wen County, so it was called Zhaobao. Ancient Zhaobao has a magnificent city, numerous ancient buildings and other rich cultural resources. In 1723 AD, Emperor Yongzheng once inscribed a plaque with the words “Qian Kun Zheng Qi” and hung it on the lintel of Guandi Temple. However, these magnificent scenes were gradually destroyed and disappeared due to wars and unrest in the 20th century. Zhaobao Town is located in a fortress and is a place of contention for military strategists. Since ancient times, in order to defend their homes and the country, people have been very martial. There have been batches of generals, martial arts candidates, and chivalrous men. This martial custom continues to this day.
There is a story passed down from generation to generation in Zhaobao Town: During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a man named Jiang Fa in Xiaoliu Village, Zhaobao Town (now the name of this village is Xiaoliu Village). He was born in the second year of Wanli (1574) and was a young man who loved martial arts very much. One day, Wang Zongyue from Shanxi and a merchant from Zhengzhou crossed the Yellow River from Shanxi to Zhengzhou for business. They passed by Xiaoliu Village in Zhaobao and were going to the Sishui Ferry of the Yellow River. They stopped under a big cypress tree east of Xiaoliu Village and saw a group of young people practicing boxing. The merchant asked Wang Zongyue: “Which of these young people practicing boxing has a better foundation?” Wang Zongyue said: “The one wearing a purple flowered cloth shirt is okay. If there is a good teacher to guide him, he may be able to practice high kung fu.” After that, the two of them set off. These words were heard by an old woman who was playing with children nearby. She told Jiang Fa what Wang Zongyue and the merchant said. Jiang Fa was the one wearing a purple flowered cloth shirt that Wang Zongyue mentioned. Jiang Fa heard this and without saying anything, he took a shortcut to chase Wang Zongyue and the merchant. After Jiang Fa caught up with Wang Zongyue, he snatched the money on Wang Zongyue’s shoulder and put it on his back, and sent Wang Zongyue to Sishui Ferry. Jiang Fa knelt on the ground and asked Wang Zongyue to accept him as his apprentice. Wang Zongyue began to say: “I don’t know martial arts, you can find someone else.” Jiang Fa knelt for a long time and couldn’t get up. Seeing this, the merchant said: “Mr. Wang, you can accept this apprentice.” Wang Zongyue said: “How about this, you come here to wait for me at the winter solstice this year.” After Wang Zongyue said this, he got on the ferry. When Wang Zongyue and the merchant returned to Shanxi from Zhengzhou and arrived at Sishui Ferry again, it was already a snowy winter. Because of the heavy snow and dark, Wang Zongyue stayed in a shop by the river. The merchant said to Wang Zongyue, “Didn’t your apprentice say he would come to the ferry to pick you up on the winter solstice?” Wang Zongyue said, “Maybe the kid has forgotten it. How could he come on such a snowy day?” Their words were heard by the shopkeeper, who said, “Today, I saw a young man standing on the other side of the river with a donkey for a whole day. He might be waiting for you.” The next day, Jiang Fa took Wang Zongyue to his home on the north bank of the ferry. On the way, Wang Zongyue saw a calf in the wheat field and said to the merchant, “This kind of veal is the most delicious.” At Jiang Fa’s house, Wang Zongyue told Jiang Fa’s mother that he would take Jiang Fa to his hometown in Shanxi to teach him martial arts. During the meal, Jiang Fa served a clay pot of beef, and Wang Zongyue praised it highly. Jiang Fa said, “The calf you saw on the road is mine. I have killed it.” Wang Zongyue was very moved and felt that he had spoken out of turn. Jiang Fa studied boxing at Wang Zongyue’s house for seven years. He respected his teacher as his father and was deeply loved by Wang Zongyue, who taught him Tai Chi and various exercises and key points. Wang Zongyue had only one daughter. Because he often went out, Jiang Fa practiced boxing with Wang Zongyue’s daughter, who was also his senior sister, for a long time, and many of his movements were imitated from her. Therefore, in Zhaobao Town, some people also say that Zhaobao Tai Chi is “big girl boxing”. In the boxing manual, there are also some names related to women, such as “Jade Girl Shuttle”, “Single Swinging Lotus”, “Double Swinging Lotus”, “Bound Hands and Untied Belts”, etc.
The above is the past events passed down from generation to generation in Zhaobao, but it truly reflects that the source of Zhaobao Tai Chi was Jiang Fa’s learning from Wang Zongyue in Shanxi and then introduced to Zhaobao Town. Regarding Wang Zongyue, in Zhaobao, it has been passed down from generation to generation: Wang Zongyue, Zongyue is his Taoist name, and his name is Wang Linzhen. His family is in Xiaowangzhuang, Taigu County, Taiyuan, Shanxi, and Wang Zongyue learned boxing from a wandering Taoist. There are works such as “Taijiquan Theory” handed down. According to “Taijiquan Authentic” published by Du Yuanhua, the inheritor of Zhaobao Taijiquan in 1935, when Wang Zongyue was learning boxing, the wandering Taoist told Wang Zongyue that Taijiquan has a long history. There is a song to prove the origin of Taijiquan: “Taiji is the first, the root of heaven and earth, Laojun set up the teaching, Mizi passed on the true teaching, the Jade Emperor sat at the feast, the Emperor Zhenwu was lined up on both sides, inside and outside the three realms, hundreds of millions of gods and immortals, passed on the boxing, and taught them to become gods and immortals.” From this song and the description in “Taijiquan Authentic”, Zhaobao Taijiquan was passed down by Zhang Sanfeng, a famous Taoist in Chinese history, and the true source of Taijiquan is Laozi. To this day, Zhaobao Taijiquan regards Zhang Sanfeng as the master, Wang Zongyue as the master, and Jiang Fa as the first master. Laozi is the true source of Taijiquan, and Taijiquan belongs to a kind of boxing practiced by Taoists.
Tai Chi Chuan taught by Master Fa Jiang has been passed down for ten generations in Zhaobao Town
1，Fa Jiang taught Xihuai Xing
After Jiang Fa returned home after completing his training, he competed with local boxers and no one could beat him. His Tai Chi skills were well-known far and wide. He remembered the instructions of his master Wang Zongyue. When Wang Zongyue left Shanxi, he told him that the Tai Chi he taught should not be taught casually, but it did not mean that he would not teach it to others. If you don’t have someone to teach it to, don’t teach it. If you have someone to teach it to, you must teach it with all your heart and effort. If you don’t teach it to someone to teach it to, it’s like extinction of the offspring. It would be better if you can teach it widely. He once accepted the invitation of his neighbors to go out to teach Tai Chi. During the day, he worked as a hand (long-term worker) for others, and at night, he taught some nephews and nieces of his employer to practice Tai Chi. Because he was tired from work, he taught students a set of Tai Chi that started with the south facing and ended with the north facing. Jiang Fa could take the opportunity to rest for a while when the students were practicing boxing in the south. Jiang Fa’s salary was one load of wheat every year. His mother made some textiles at home. Zhaobao Town was a prosperous market in Wen County, and Jiang Fa often took some textiles to Zhaobao Town to sell. There was a man named Xing Xihuai in Zhaobao Town. He was from a wealthy family. Xing Xihuai admired Jiang Fa’s boxing skills very much and tried every means to get close to Jiang Fa. Whenever Jiang Fa was selling things, he would buy them at a high price and sell them at a low price later. He also took good care of Jiang Fa in all aspects to help him achieve his goal of learning boxing. After a long period of investigation, Jiang Fa felt that Xing Xihuai was a loyal person and had a good reputation in Zhaobao Town. Later, Jiang Fa found out that the reason why Xing Xihuai treated him like this was to learn his Tai Chi. Soon, Xing Xihuai personally went to his house in Zhaobao Town to invite Jiang Fa to teach boxing, and arranged a courtyard for him, hired a maid to serve his mother, and paid him three loads of wheat every year. Jiang Fa did not have to do other work, and only concentrated on practicing and teaching boxing. Jiang Fa was moved by Xing Xihuai’s sincerity and taught him everything he had learned. In addition to teaching Xing Xihuai the unique art of Tai Chi, he also passed on the secrets and treatises of Tai Chi passed down by Wang Zongyue to Xing Xihuai. Xing Xihuai’s boxing skills reached the realm of gods. He was good at Tai Chi and Spring and Autumn broadsword throughout his life. The blade of the broadsword he used weighed 30 pounds and the handle was made of mulberry wood. Xing Xihuai’s descendants have been multiplying in Zhaobao Town for 19 generations.
2, Xing Xihuai taught Zhang Chuchen
Zhang Chuchen, a native of Shanxi, came to Zhaobao Town from Shanxi to do business. He started out as a fresh vegetable shop, but later, as his business developed, he changed to a grain shop. Because of his good conduct, he was highly respected in Zhaobao Town. After he met Xing Xihuai, the two became sworn brothers. Xing Xihuai taught him all the Zhaobao Tai Chi. Zhang Chuchen’s descendants still live in Zhaobao.
3, Zhang Chuchen taught Chen Jingbai
Chen Jingbai’s family settled in Zhaobao Town from Chen Jingbai’s grandfather Chen Wenju, and his father Chen Laichao was born in Zhaobao. Chen Jingbai, Jingbai is his courtesy name, and his name is Chen Ji. Zhang Chuchen saw that Chen Jingbai was a decent person and reliable, so he accepted him as a disciple and taught him Zhaobao Tai Chi. Chen Jingbai was highly skilled in martial arts and pushed Zhaobao Tai Chi to its heyday. He spread Zhaobao Tai Chi widely, and more than 800 people learned boxing from him. Among them, he taught 16 people a skill, 8 people received his basic teachings, and only Zhang Zongyu could fully inherit his boxing skills. Chen Jingbai’s magical Tai Chi skills remained in a state of perfection in his later years. In Zhaobao, there are still stories about him fighting with others when he was over 80 years old. There was a warrior in Shandong nicknamed “Black Fox Tiger”, who was extremely brave and once lost to Chen Jingbai in a skill exchange. Ten years later, he came to Zhaobao Town again to ask Chen Jingbai for his face. At this time, Chen Jingbai was already over 80 years old. The two fought in the cypress forest of the Jade Emperor Temple. “Black Fox Tiger” relied on his strong body to press forward step by step, and his moves were fatal. Chen Jingbai gave in step by step, circled in circles, and resolved the fierce attacks of “Black Fox Tiger” one by one, and retreated while fighting, retreating to a big cypress tree. “Black Fox Tiger” thought that Chen Jingbai was old and weak and had no strength to fight back. He chased up and used his killer move “Black Tiger Heart Digging”. His left hand unexpectedly swung in front of Chen Jingbai, and his right hand rushed to Chen Jingbai’s chest like thunder. Chen Jingbai used the “Subduing Tiger” move in Zhaobao Taijiquan, ignored the fake move of “Black Fox Tiger”‘s left hand, slightly moved his body to the left, and hugged “Black Fox Tiger”‘s right fist with his left hand, pretending to attack “Black Fox Tiger”‘s chest with his right fist. “Black Fox Tiger” hurriedly used his left hand to block Chen Jingbai’s right hand. Chen Jingbai took advantage of the situation and used a “Separation Gate Chun” to squeeze “Black Fox Tiger” out. “Black Fox Tiger”‘s head just hit the big cypress tree and died on the spot. After Chen Jingbai died, he was buried in the northwest of Zhaobao Village. Chen Jingbai’s grandson Chen Peng is a famous Taijiquan master in Zhaobao Town. Chen Jingbai now has two descendants in Zhaobao Town.
4, Chen Jingbai taught Zhang Zongyu
Zhang Zongyu was from Zhaobao Town. There are not many records about him. In addition to the fact that he was the descendant of Chen Jingbai, Du Yuanhua’s “Taijiquan Zhengzong” records: “Mr. Chen (Jingbai) wanted to expand this art… …The only one who could unify it was Mr. Zhang Zongyu.” Zhang Zongyu’s descendants still live in Zhaobao Town, and they are very familiar with their ancestor.
5, Zhang Zongyu taught Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan learned Tai Chi from his grandfather Zhang Zongyu since he was a child. In Zhaobao, people called him “God Hand” and “God Fist”. Before his death, Zhang Zongyu passed on the Tai Chi boxing manual and unique skills to Zhang Yan. Zhang Yan worked hard to practice Tai Chi, and his Tai Chi skills reached the pinnacle. Zhang Yan was chivalrous and righteous throughout his life, and there are many stories about him that have been passed down to the world. The famous one is that he “eliminated the three evils” for the people in Cao County, Shandong, and the locals worshipped him as a god. Zhang Yan’s descendants still live in Zhaobao.
6, Zhang Yan taught Chen Qingping and Zhang Yingchang
Zhang Yan passed on the art to Chen Qingping. According to the family records of Chen Xuezhong, a descendant of Chen Jingbai, Zhang Yan was friends with Chen Jingbai’s grandson Chen Peng. Chen Peng introduced Chen Qingping to Zhang Yan, saying that Chen Qingping was upright, young and eager to learn, and very fond of Tai Chi, and asked Zhang Yan to accept him as a disciple. Zhang Yan followed his good friend’s advice and passed Tai Chi to Chen Qingping.