Out & About January 2017

Tai Chi Chuan T’ai-chi ch’uan (also spelled taijiquan and taiji chuan) is an ancient Chinese martial art that comes in many variations. Some styles can trace their lineage back to the founding of the art, while others date back to the early part of the 20th century. Some stress competition, while others emphasise health or self-defence. T’ai-chi ch’uan is usually literally translated as ‘grand ultimate boxing’. The ‘grand ultimate’ portion of the name refers to the Chinese concept of the origin of the universe. That is the principle of yin and yang. In fact, the common yin-yang symbol is properly called the t’ai chi diagram. T’ai-chi ch’uan is the art of the harmony of yin and yang, in tangible form. There are many conflicting stories about the origins of Tai Chi. The foundation concepts of t’ai chi ch’uan, which come from Taoism and Confucianism, go back to the beginning of written history in China. They come from Lao Tzu’s monumental text, Tao Te Ching , from the I Ching and from various other health- promoting and breathing exercise treatises. The actual art can be traced back only 300 to 700 years, however. The founder is said to be Chang San-feng (Zhang Sanfeng), who is thought to have lived from 1279 to 1368, but no one knows if he actually existed. Some experts claim him as just being a myth, while others argue he did exist and there are monuments to him in China. Many believed Chang San-feng was a Shaolin monk who decided to leave the monastery to become a Taoist hermit. On Wu Tang (Wudang) mountain, he gave up the hard fighting style he had learned and formulated a new art based on softness and yielding. One story tells how he had a vision between a snake and a crane (although some say it was a magpie, an eagle or a hawk). In theory, the crane should have had an easy time killing the snake, but in Chang’s vision, the crane would try to attack the snake’s head, and the snake would evade and hit the crane with its tail. When the crane would try for the snake’s tail, the snake would bite the crane. This resulted in the discovery of the basic t’ai chi concepts of evading, yielding and attacking. Chang assembled a martial art that used softness and internal power to overcome brute force. He is believed to have written: “In every movement, every part of the body must be light and agile and strung together. The postures should be without breaks. Motion should be rooted in the feet, released through the legs, directed by the waist and expressed by the fingers. Substantial and insubstantial movements must be clearly differentiated.” This marked the beginning of t’ai-chi ch’uan, but at that time it was called chang chuan, or long boxing, after the endless flow of the Changjiang (Yangtse) River. Later, Chang formulated the 13 postures of t’ai chi. While no one knows what his art looked like then, it is thought that the movements were practiced as individual techniques or concepts. ©H. Kurland

Tue 6.45 pm - 7.45 pm Newbury Methodist Church Intro to tai chi Tue 6.45 pm - 8.15 pm Newbury Methodist Church Regular Class Fri 6.45 pm - 7.45 pm NTHC,Thatcham Intro to tai chi Fri 6.45 pm - 8.15 pm NTHC,Thatcham Regular Class Fri 8.15 pm - 8.45 pm NTHC,Thatcham Intermediate To find out more about tai chi classes in Newbury and Thatcham contact: William Mak www.newburytaichi.com T: 07976 746 859 E: william@masterdingacademy.com

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