The Heritage Of Tai Chi
by Chia Siew Pang
&
Goh Ewe Hock
Tai chi came into prominence in the eighteenth
century when Yang Lu-ch'an introduced it in
Beijing. Prior to this, tai chi was reported
to have been taught only to members of the
Chen family living in a small village in Hopeh
Province. Yang Lu-ch'an was the first
non-member of the Chen family to be taught
this most secret art. The following version of
how this occurred was related by our teachers.
We cannot vouch for its authenticity but
nonetheless have recorded it as it gives an
insight into and forms an interesting
background for this ancient and rich art.
Yang Lu-ch'an was a pugilistic
enthusiast. He studied the 'hard' schools of
martial art from many tutors. One day, he had
a heated discussion with a Chen and was beaten
up for his pains. Yang was very frustrated as
he realized his skill in martial art was very
inferior to Chen's. He requested a return
bout. During the interim he practiced
assiduously. In the return bout, he was again
handled like a babe and thrashed so soundly by
Chen that he forswore the practice of all
other forms of martial art. He was determined
to learn Chen's system.
He soon discovered that it was taught
only to members of the Chen family and then
only if the Chen stayed in a particular
village - the Chen Chia Kou village. The Chen
who defeated him was the nephew of the
grandmaster. Yang wished to learn from the
grandmaster but realized that a direct
approach would be unsuccessful. He decided to
'steal' the art from the family. First he
disguised himself as a beggar, then he made
himself temporarily dumb by swallowing some
hot charcoal. He hoped that the sight of a
poor, suffering beggar outside his home would
evoke the grandmaster's sympathy.
The ruse worked. Yang gained entry and
was eventually employed as a servant in the
grandmaster's household. He soon became a
trusted servant and was given access to the
inner courtyards of the family household. Here
he spied on the Chen family as they practiced.
Religiously, he copied their moves and
practiced them in secret. He was able to
benefit from this activity as he already had a
good grounding in the martial art.
One night, as Yang was practicing
secretly, he suddenly found the grandmaster
observing him. He was terrified. In those days
in China, the price one paid for spying on
other martial art systems was either one's
head or right hand! The grandmaster,
surprisingly, demanded neither. He merely
said, 'Do you think I did not realize you were
spying on us when we were practicing? I
allowed you to watch because I wanted to see
how serious you were and how well you would
benefit from the instruction. If you had shown
neither interest nor skill, I would have
killed you myself.'
On saying that, he tapped Yang three
times on the head and walked away, leaving a
puzzled but very relieved man. From that day,
Yang went to the grandmaster's quarters every
morning at 3 a.m. for personalized instruction
in tai chi. During the day he did his chores
as usual and no one in the family realized he
was receiving secret instruction from the
grandmaster.
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