People who are serious about studying one of the better martial arts eventually learn Tai-Chi because they know that's where they'll get their real strength and power from. Besides, an American adult who has learned to sit down for any length of time needs to do Tai-Chi before he can jump up and dance around like a little kid. There is a set of warm up exercises it is necessary to do first. Then careful combination of yin and yang steps will stretch the muscles in a much better way than the compression of weight lifting, while poisons are forced out of the body. At the same time, the gentle rocking of joints in their proper rotation prevents problems in later life. The relaxed concentration developed by paying attention to all the details that make this dance so beautiful is immensely useful in everyday life. To practice Tai-Chi will take at least an hour every day. Why would anyone spend so much time practicing? If you think it's just to be able to hurt someone then you've missed the point. If that's all you want then you would be better off in one of those karate clubs that teach people to kill, or at least maim, on the first blow. The Shao Lin believe that all life is sacred, yes even that of the poor misguided wretch who attacks you in a dark alley. That is why we learn all this: to be able to end a fight without anyone being seriously injured. From Lao Tsu: "What others teach, I also teach; that is: 'A violent man will die a violent death!' This will be the essence of my teaching."

There are many styles of Tai-Chi Ch'uan practiced in China and just beginning to be taught in this country. Some are more authentic than others. This style has been passed down virtually unchanged for hundreds of years from master to student who becomes master and takes on students. It is an inner style consisting of sixty four steps that usually takes three years to learn. The first year is spent learning the basic steps; in the second year each of these are taken apart and concentration is on the small details; in the third year all the movements are connected and the chi begins to flow. If you tell a child how long it takes, he says "Oh no, that's too long!" and yet how often, though we really want to do something, we let another year slip by without even trying. Lao Tsu said: "The journey of a thousand miles starts under one's feet." If you want to improve the Quality of your life, lengthen it and learn to protect it; if you are willing to spend long hours of hard work to get that new body you want, then this Tai-Chi set is for you too.
 


HISTORY OF QUANG PING YANG TAI-CHI CH’UAN

The origin of this ancient Chinese martial art seems to be clouded in the mists of antiquity; however, credit for it’s invention is usually given to a man named Chang, San-Feng born on April 9, 1247. Chang studied at the Shao-Lin temple in the northern province of Ho-Nan for ten years. There he learned all the exercises that had been taught to the monks by Ta-Mo (the Indian Buddhist who came to China in 527 A.D.) to keep them from falling asleep during sermons and meditation. Chang added the theory of the I Ching and the technique of Chi-Kung to the Shao-Lin Ch’uan to bring it closer to nature. While living on Wu-Tang mountain late in his life (legend has it of over 200 years), he used the way of the Tao to find the balance between the forces of Yin and Yang. Thus he developed the inner strength needed to channel the flow of Chi to the Spirit, and the practice of Tai-Chi was born.

There were several famous Tai-Chi masters after Chang, San-Feng but it is unclear who taught whom in this time. It is, however, generally accepted that Ch’en, Chan-Hsing (1799-1853) inherited the true art. Tai-Chi Ch’uan was considered a treasure of the Ch’en family and was only taught to relatives behind high walls by Ch’en, Chan-Hsing with two exceptions, one of whom was Yang, Lu-Ch’an (1799-1872). Born in Ho-Pei province of a farming family, Yang heard of the Ch’ens and went to see if they would teach him. When they refused, he stayed on as a farm worker, then began peeking through the fence at night where Ch’en was teaching his students Tai-Chi. Yang studied and practiced what he saw until he could sometimes defeat advanced students. Realizing Yang’s devotion, Ch’en finally relented and let him share the family’s secret treasure. After learning this style, Yang went back to his hometown of Quang Ping (which means broad & level) where he lived with his son Yang, Pan-Hou (1837-1892).

At this time most Chinese considered themselves descendants of the Han but the rulers of the country were Manchurian. Yang, Pan-Hou became a famous Tai-Chi master and so was conscripted to teach it to the Emperor’s guards, but he did not want to give them the secret family treasure. Therefore, Yang created a watered-down version that he taught the Imperial guard; this Beijing Yang style was passed on to the people there and has become quite popular today. Around this time it was hard for a student of the martial arts to find a good teacher and vice versa; consequently, a master might only take on a few students in his life. Young Wong, Jao-Yu idolized the famous master and pleaded with Yang to teach him Tai-Chi. Yang showed Wong the chin-to-toe stretch and gave him one hundred days to do it. Jou-Yu wanted to become Yang’s student so badly that he was able to accomplish this remarkable feat, and so the treasure was passed on. However, Wong was instructed to keep the real art secret for as long as the Manchus were on the throne; otherwise, Yang and his family would be executed ( it’s not nice to fool the Emperor).

Eventually, of course the Imperial family did fall, with the establishment of the first Chinese Republic. Now Kuo, Lien-Ying saw the performance of a wushu troupe as they passed through his hometown when he was just a boy. He was fascinated by this and began his lifelong quest to learn all the best martial arts. The Ho-Ping-Men (Door of Peace) sector of Beijing was being terrorized by a notorious burgler by the name of Li that no one could ever catch. Then, one day the people of the town found him knocked out in the street but there was no one else there except a little old man selling tea in front of the Lao-Tzu temple. This was Wong, Jou-Yu, and the people all wanted him to teach them whatever he used to stop that thief, but he refused. Then someone saw him practicing Tai-Chi at four in the morning and they all asked again, so eventually Wong accepted a few students. At this time it was common for one practitioner of kung-fu to challenge another, to see which style was better. Kuo, who was now in his thirties, had been going about the country doing this and learning what was best. He heard of Wong, who was then 112 years old, and went to challenge him. The old man easily defeated young Kuo’s every move. He then asked the old master for instruction and was given the chin-to-toe in 100 days test. Kuo, who was quite limber already from all the kung-fu he had been learning, was able to do this. So Kuo studied with Wong, Jou-Yu in the Taoist temple until the old monk died at 121 years of age.

That is how Siefu Kuo, Lien-Ying came to learn the Quang Ping Yang Tai-Chi Ch’uan. He went on to learn and teach many other martial arts including Tai-Chi staff and sword, Shao-Lin forms and sword, Pa-Kua and Hsing-i. He became the Governor of a province in China and General of Kung-Fu in the army of Ch’ang, Kai-Schek. When this army was forced to march to the sea and cross the water to the island of Taiwan, Siefu Kuo decided that this would be a good time to leave the country. That was another tragic loss for the people of China due to the "cultural revolution" but good fortune for those in America, as he set up shop in San Francisco and taught many people. The Chinese community in that city gave him a building overlooking the park there, where he could be seen doing his Tai-Chi at four in the morning - the magic hour.
 

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