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 At Master Tchoung’s 25th celebration of his school in
Canada, we had the honor to be in the company of some very
heavy hitters. Masters of very high quality, a group of living treasures.
Masters: Tchoung, Victor Fu, and Hsu Gong Wei to name some. It started me wondering what was it like during the practice and training sessions of
the ‘real’ masters. In Taiwan there was a group of
colleagues that would practice and share information: Zhen Manqing,
Wang Yen-Nien, Tchoung Ta-Tchen, Wang Hsu-Jin, T.T. Liang, Kuo Lien Ying, William Chen, Ping Siang Tao, Chen Pan Ling and probably a few we’ve never heard of.
Going back further
under the direction of Grandmaster Yang Chen-fu there was: Dong Ying Jie, Chen
Wei-Ming, Zhan Qinglin, Zhen Manqing, Fu Zhong-Wen, and Yang Sau-Chung among
them. All training at overlapping times. It’s said that
you’ll only get as good as your weakest links. Can you imagine being part of a class that included people of
their level? The intensity, dedication and drive must have been amazing when you
consider each of these individuals achieved fame for their skills as martial
artists, not just in
Taiji Quan.
One key influence in these groups is Zhan Qinlin. Over the years
one of my constant questions to Master Tchoung has been, “Who is the best
Taiji person, demonstrating real Taiji in applications/push-hands/self-defense
you’ve seen or met.” His answer has always been: Zhen Manqing. When
possible Tchoung traveled to different parts of China to find the best, touched
hands with many masters to find his next teacher. Even at age 70 plus, he continued this when in China he
met Master Wu Tunan who was in his 90’s and studied with Wu broadsword
techniques. Tchoung said Zhen Manqing's applications were soft, light, quick and the best
he'd seen apart from Zhan Qinglin.
Where did Cheng get this skill? He was a formal student of
Yang Cheng Fu but though his class mates were excellent it’s said few of them
contained the softness Cheng had. Zhan Qing lin and Chen Wei-Ming are others I’d
heard about excelling in softness. According to my reading and from asking
Master Tchoung, Cheng’s skill wasn’t exceptional until he befriended Zhan Qinlin. Zhan was Cheng’s older brother in the class and the two of them hit
it off. Zhan instructed and worked with Cheng in tuishou. Cheng also traveled
with Zhan for a a year to study with him. It’s said that after his travels
with Zhan, Cheng came back to the class and was able to throw the others
easily. According to Robert W. Smith in his book: Masters & Methods, the
only one who could hold his own with Zhen Manqing in Taiwan was Wang Yen Nien
(a formal student of Zhan Qinlin).
There are several stories about Zhan and his studies and
practice. All in all his students were exceptional. Zhan, like Zhen Manqing,
was a formal student of Master Yang Cheng-Fu, heir to the Yang family Taiji
lineage. One story says he stood up for the Yang family when a challenger came
to challenge Yang Cheng Fu and he defeated the challenger. At that point Yang
Chien-hou, Yang Cheng-Fu’s father took him as a student and trained him in the
‘old’ style. Another story says Zhan was originally a student of Yang
Chien-Hou and as tradition dictates became a student of Yang Cheng-Fu when
Chien-Hou died. Regardless Zhan studied with Yang Chien-Hou
for some time as did Chen Wei Ming.
Now, Yang Cheng Fu (referred to as the traditional Yang Taiji
method) is responsible for spreading and popularizing Yang Taiji Quan more than
any other. During his time, Yang Cheng Fu simplified some movements and
stylized some in order to make the art accessible to many. Note I am not
saying it weakened or strengthen the art. One of his achievements was
emphasizing the large frame method of practicing the form. Large, expanded
movements. Well my question is. . . What did the forms look like before this?
Yang Ban hou was said to have large quick movements, Yang Shou hou had small,
active movements. Who knows what Yang Lu Chan’s Taiji really looked like, who
knows what real traditional Yang Taiji was if there can be a ‘traditional’
form. The bottom line is that all of them followed a series of principles and
classics that kept whatever they did within the context of ‘internal’
martial arts and Taiji Quan.
Zhan claimed to have learned the ‘old’ style from
Chien-Hou or the ‘secret’ style. The Quan Ping Taiji style is descendent
from Yang Ban Hou and is sometimes called the ‘secret’ or ‘old’ style
but doesn’t look like the other ‘secret’ or ‘old’ styles. Quan Ping at
times looks Chen Taiji like, sometimes Wu Family Taiji like, sometimes Bagua
like.
Master Tchoung, though creating the ‘Double Form Taiji’
which is a symmetrical Yang form says his ‘style’ is old Yang Taiji. Tchoung
studied with Shi Dao Mei, a student of Yang Shou-hou lineage, brother of Yang Cheng-Fu.
Though the forms are different the style of postures between Tchoung, Cheng, and
Wang are very similar.
It’s claimed that Cheng Man Ching created his own style but
there are many similarities between Cheng, Tchoung and Wang. The three of them
were work-out buddies in Taiwan. Tchoung wasn’t a formal student of Cheng, he
was a colleague and friend., but claimed his push hands skilled was from Cheng.
My hope is that more authentic students of Yang Ban-Hou, Yang
Chien-Hou, and Yang Shou-Hou seek fame and fortune so we can get a glimpse of
Taiji passed so we can get a view of all the various practice methods the Yang
family really used. All in all we need to remember there was no one "Yang
Taiji Style" until Yang Cheng Fu.
If we look at all the various styles of the art: Chen, Woo,
Yang, Wu, Li, Hao, Sun, and Fu to name the most common, each has had great
masters with high skills. The bottom line is practice, following the principles
of the art, practice, and seeking to understand and perfect the art. Is it
important to look like your teacher? Or their teacher, or to be able to express
the art as you can. After a strong, basic foundation, like in any art form if
the individual doesn’t grow and move past the basics is it art, is there
possibility of skill?
Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan
© 4/2004 ATDale/wuji.com
www.wuji.com
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