| Tai Chi |
The word 'Tai' when translated from the Chinese into English means 'Big,' or 'Great,' while Chi means
something like 'ultimate' or 'great system.' Tai Chi, therefore, is all about generating energy through
movement, the ultimate energy that powers the universe - everything from the greatest star right down to the
smallest of microscopic creatures.
Most scholars agree that Tai Chi (also written as Tai Ji) has its origins in China around about the 12th century
AD. These origins, however, are shrouded in legend and mystery. One of the most appealing of these is the
dream of Chang San feng.
The Eternal Contest
One night the ancient sage Chang San Fang had a vivid dream of a contest between two creatures, a snake
and a crane. The snake came up from the earth, and the crane flew down from a tree, and the two began to
struggle over a morsel of food. The dream recurred, night after night, and yet neither creature was ever wholly
victorious. The contest was very evenly matched - an example of opposites in dynamic harmony, and a kind of
metaphor, therefore, for the Yin and the Yang of nature.
Yin and Yang
The Yin and the Yang are the two great polarities of oriental philosophy and science - celebrated in areas as
diverse as oriental medicine, literature and painting. Yin is cool, negative, evening, winter and autumn; while
yang is warm, positive, morning, summer and spring, and so on. The earliest references to Yang and Yin are
in literature - such as the ancient Chinese 'book of changes' - The I Ching. The Yin and the Yang are two
halves of one great whole - and this is called the Tai Chi.
Tai Chi and Self-Defense
The man who had the dream of the snake and the crane, Chang San feng, was a Taoist priest and a scholar.
But he was also a martial artist, and he used the time-honored principles of Yin and Yang to establish what
became known as Tai chi chuan - the supreme fighting system. This continued through a long lineage of
distinguished experts in self-defense, including, in the nineteenth century Yang Ch'eng Fu and others
members of the Yang family, from whom the 'Yang form' of Tai Chi derives its name.
Exercises for Health
Although the accepted history of Tai Chi dates its beginnings to the time of Chang San feng, usually put
around the 12th Century, this is by no means certain. From cave paintings and references in ancient medical
texts from China it appears that exercise systems similar in style to what we know as Tai Chi were practiced
for health much earlier than that - and perhaps as early as 3000 BC. And, like the many other systems of self-
culture practiced by the Chinese, such as acupuncture or divination, Tai chi probably has its real origins way
back in the days before recorded history.
In more recent times, largely due to the inspiration of a pupil of the Yang family, Cheng Man ch'ing, there has
been a huge resurgence of interest in the original principles that underlie Tai Chi - the flow of vital energy
around the body, the importance of relaxation, meditation, and so on. Cheng was a remarkable man. He was
a practitioner of oriental medicine, and he founded the first College of Chinese medicine in Taiwan. He was
also a painter and a poet as well as a formidable martial artist. He spent most of his adult life studying,
practicing and teaching Tai Chi. It was he who created the popular Short Yang Form of Tai Chi which is easy
to learn and takes only a few minutes daily to perform. It is this short form of Tai Chi that has led so many
people in our own times, drawn by Tai Chi's inherent grace and beauty, to explore once again its healing and
inspirational qualities.
Finding 'The Way' - Taoism and Tai Chi
More than ever, now people are using Tai Chi as a guide towards understanding the principles of Taoism, the
ancient Chinese philosophy of 'the Way' or 'the Path' through life that remains still to this day at the heart of
oriental philosophy and culture. Taoism is built on moderation, humility and integrity. It celebrates the forces of
nature, and recognizes the interplay of yin and yang in all things, and in many respects it is a very modern way
of looking at the world. People who practice Tai Chi regularly often arrive at an understanding of their own
individual Tao, or path, which subsequently helps them connect to the greater Tao of nature.
Tai Chi Today
Tai Chi has spread far and wide beyond China to reach every corner of the globe - and is no longer an activity
confined to parks and village halls. Most towns will have their own modest Tai Chi classes in sports or adult
learning centers, not to mention the university or college campus. While elsewhere, Tai Chi is incorporated as
a teaching media in numerous arts and therapy organizations’. It is used in drama schools, in holiday
centers, in acupuncture colleges and on board ocean liners. It can be found outdoors on the beach, indoors in
dance studios; in hospitals or educational institutes helping those with leaning difficulties - anywhere, in fact,
where people are looking for a means of developing relaxation and a sense of balance and harmony between
body and mind.
something like 'ultimate' or 'great system.' Tai Chi, therefore, is all about generating energy through
movement, the ultimate energy that powers the universe - everything from the greatest star right down to the
smallest of microscopic creatures.
Most scholars agree that Tai Chi (also written as Tai Ji) has its origins in China around about the 12th century
AD. These origins, however, are shrouded in legend and mystery. One of the most appealing of these is the
dream of Chang San feng.
The Eternal Contest
One night the ancient sage Chang San Fang had a vivid dream of a contest between two creatures, a snake
and a crane. The snake came up from the earth, and the crane flew down from a tree, and the two began to
struggle over a morsel of food. The dream recurred, night after night, and yet neither creature was ever wholly
victorious. The contest was very evenly matched - an example of opposites in dynamic harmony, and a kind of
metaphor, therefore, for the Yin and the Yang of nature.
Yin and Yang
The Yin and the Yang are the two great polarities of oriental philosophy and science - celebrated in areas as
diverse as oriental medicine, literature and painting. Yin is cool, negative, evening, winter and autumn; while
yang is warm, positive, morning, summer and spring, and so on. The earliest references to Yang and Yin are
in literature - such as the ancient Chinese 'book of changes' - The I Ching. The Yin and the Yang are two
halves of one great whole - and this is called the Tai Chi.
Tai Chi and Self-Defense
The man who had the dream of the snake and the crane, Chang San feng, was a Taoist priest and a scholar.
But he was also a martial artist, and he used the time-honored principles of Yin and Yang to establish what
became known as Tai chi chuan - the supreme fighting system. This continued through a long lineage of
distinguished experts in self-defense, including, in the nineteenth century Yang Ch'eng Fu and others
members of the Yang family, from whom the 'Yang form' of Tai Chi derives its name.
Exercises for Health
Although the accepted history of Tai Chi dates its beginnings to the time of Chang San feng, usually put
around the 12th Century, this is by no means certain. From cave paintings and references in ancient medical
texts from China it appears that exercise systems similar in style to what we know as Tai Chi were practiced
for health much earlier than that - and perhaps as early as 3000 BC. And, like the many other systems of self-
culture practiced by the Chinese, such as acupuncture or divination, Tai chi probably has its real origins way
back in the days before recorded history.
In more recent times, largely due to the inspiration of a pupil of the Yang family, Cheng Man ch'ing, there has
been a huge resurgence of interest in the original principles that underlie Tai Chi - the flow of vital energy
around the body, the importance of relaxation, meditation, and so on. Cheng was a remarkable man. He was
a practitioner of oriental medicine, and he founded the first College of Chinese medicine in Taiwan. He was
also a painter and a poet as well as a formidable martial artist. He spent most of his adult life studying,
practicing and teaching Tai Chi. It was he who created the popular Short Yang Form of Tai Chi which is easy
to learn and takes only a few minutes daily to perform. It is this short form of Tai Chi that has led so many
people in our own times, drawn by Tai Chi's inherent grace and beauty, to explore once again its healing and
inspirational qualities.
Finding 'The Way' - Taoism and Tai Chi
More than ever, now people are using Tai Chi as a guide towards understanding the principles of Taoism, the
ancient Chinese philosophy of 'the Way' or 'the Path' through life that remains still to this day at the heart of
oriental philosophy and culture. Taoism is built on moderation, humility and integrity. It celebrates the forces of
nature, and recognizes the interplay of yin and yang in all things, and in many respects it is a very modern way
of looking at the world. People who practice Tai Chi regularly often arrive at an understanding of their own
individual Tao, or path, which subsequently helps them connect to the greater Tao of nature.
Tai Chi Today
Tai Chi has spread far and wide beyond China to reach every corner of the globe - and is no longer an activity
confined to parks and village halls. Most towns will have their own modest Tai Chi classes in sports or adult
learning centers, not to mention the university or college campus. While elsewhere, Tai Chi is incorporated as
a teaching media in numerous arts and therapy organizations’. It is used in drama schools, in holiday
centers, in acupuncture colleges and on board ocean liners. It can be found outdoors on the beach, indoors in
dance studios; in hospitals or educational institutes helping those with leaning difficulties - anywhere, in fact,
where people are looking for a means of developing relaxation and a sense of balance and harmony between
body and mind.
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