A Brief Introduction to Chen Tai Chi

An overview

Tai Chi Chuan, or Taiji Quan in Chinese, is a classical internal martial art and one of the most popular boxing styles of various Chinese martial arts that prevails all over the world. No simple words are enough to define it as a performance or a sport based on wushu routines or combat techniques, but it’s a remarkable comprehensive culture form with far-reaching connotations. It is, currently, the mostly practiced boxing of Chinese wushu, though.

Not only was its root deeply set in a profound cultural background, but through its long-term evolution and diffusion, there emerged a variety of Tai Chi styles, all distinctive with their own characteristics in speed and frame. Truth be told, there’s no such thing as a standard form of Tai chi as it’s constantly evolving and gradually growing with more family members. And when it comes to practicing Taichi, it must be referred to a certain style, for any martial art is performed resting on settled frames or routines. Respectively developed though, they share the similar basic movements or actions as well as Taichi philosophy. After all, each style is guided by the same theory stemmed from traditional Chinese cultures, observing the principles in common, which are well manifested in several major Tai chi family styles, including Chen, Yang, Sun and Wu styles. Even within one certain group, chances are that there exist quite a few styles different from each other.

By and large, Tai Chi is really a profound and comprehensive cultural subject with so much to be studied and explored. Here’s just a limited view of one style: Chen-Style Tai Chi.

Origination of Chen Tai Chi

Chen Tai chi is the earliest known Tai chi style, followed by the derivative Yang-Style, Wu-Style, Sun-Style and all that. Nevertheless, opinions on its initial inventor divide. But no one denies that it was born in Chen Village of Wen County, Henan Province in 17th century China. Among those varied sayings, it’s mostly believed that Chen Wangting, the 9th generation of the family, who had learned different martial arts and integrated diverse boxing styles, was the real father of Chen Taichi Style, as well as all existing Taichi Chuan. 

It has chronically been taken as a mysterious and secretive style, not only for the unclear origination but for the unique way to spread and pass down. The Chen villagers then were amazingly mastered at defending their homes, crops and families from attacking bandit gangs or invading war lords by practicing their Tai chi. It was strange that they kept their Chen Taichi secret for over a century refusing to teach any outsider until Yang Luchan firstly broke the rule, possibly accounting for that Chen-Style Taichi spread later than Yang-Style.

Development of a new era

The availability and popularity of Chen-style Tai Chi is reflective of the radical changes that occurred in the 20th century, when Chinese society went through massive changes. During the unstable periods, Chen Tai chi underwent a process of discovery, popularization, repression and eventually internationalization.

In 1928, Chen Zhaopei and later his uncle Chen Fake left their village and started teaching Taichi in Beijing. Chen Fake, the successor of Chen Style, soon proved the effectiveness and extraordinary power of Chen Tai chi through various private challenges and even a series of public matches, convincing a large number of wushu enthusiasts to train and publicly promote it. Consequently, numberless wushu learners were drawn to study from Chen Fake, some of whom were perceived martial artists and later gained fames for Chen-Style Taichi, including the celebrated Tai Chi masters Tian Xiuchen, Li Jingwu, Lei Muni and Hong Junsheng. 

And in 1932, Tang Hao, one of the first modern Chinese martial art historians, inspired by Chen-Style Tai chi, discovered a manuscript written by 16th generation Chen Xin during his research course, and finally helped published his work entitled Taijiquan Illustrated.

After the establishment of PRC, the government laid much emphasis on the traditional martial arts. Under such booming circumstance where the Nation Sports Committee was built and wushu was particularly promoted, Chen Fake, along with a prestigious master Hu Yuezhen, established the Capital Wushu Institute, laying an excellent foundation for the wide spread and development of Beijing Chen Tai Chi Style and nurturing a group of prominent Taichi masters.


During the National Sports Performance and Competition held in Tianjin in November of 1953, Chen performed Chen-Style Tai chi on behalf of Beijing team, receiving a great acclaim. And that is the first time that Chen Tai chi was shown in a national assembly.

Chen Forms

The basic form of Taichi is called taolu, or routines, a series of settled movements. Additionally, practice of weapon forms and “tui shou”, a combat between two persons, also known as Push Hands in Chinese, are important constitutes of Chen Tai Chi as well. 
In terms of Chen Style Tai Chi forms, there are Five Routines of Taichi Chuan, 108 Form Long Fist, and a more rigorous routine known as Cannon Fist, all closely linked to frames, which are commonly divided into Big Frame and Small Frame, or in another way, old frame and new frame as well. 

The Chen-Style Old Frame, belonging to the Big Frame style, consists of two routines initially practiced and synthesized by the 14th generation of Chen Village martial artist Chen Changxing from Chen Wangting’s fists corpus. The First Routine (yi lu), centering on softness and supplemented with occasional bursts of power, is especially suitable for beginners with the purpose of teaching the body to move correctly. It also called the basic form for it lays a firm foundation for further Taichi practicing, with which learning the second form would be much easier. The Second Routine (er lu), aka the Cannon Fist, is more complicated with more focus on strength and advanced martial techniques. Plus, it also alters to faster movements from very low stances with directional separation in power changes and tempo. Professional Tai Chi Clothing online shop.

The New Frame, with two routines of the big frame too, is adopted from the Old Frame by Chen Fake and eventually set by his son Chen Zhaoqui. The new frame cannon fist is generally performed faster than the other empty hand forms. It lays more stress on the silk reeling movements, featuring the connected opening and closing of back and chest along with a type of rippling wave running vertically up and down the waist area, connected to torso twisting. Different from the old frame, it tends to emphasize manipulation, seizing and grappling and a tight method of spiral winding for both long and shorter range striking. And the stances appear more compact in the goal of better mobility for fighting applications, while they still remain quite low.

The small frame, previously known as “the new frame”, whose name change occurred when the new routines Chen Fake created came up. And they are commonly mistaken. But the small frame, with more leaping, stomping, low frame, and no intensive bursts of power, is still able to tell itself apart for more emphasis on subtle internal skills, which is a more appropriate regimen for the bodies of elder practitioners. Professional Tai Chi Shoes online shop ICNbuys.com

Apart from the practice of routines, Chen Tai Chi attaches the equal importance to tui shou, a form of combat between two persons, which may be considered to check the level of one’s practicing and cultivation of the mind. Generally, they are of mutual inspiration, and through repeated practice, you’re sure to make progress and reach a higher stage.

Chen-Style Taiji Jian, another form of Taichi practiced with a special straight sward, also derives from Chen-Style Taichi Chuan and sticks to the same basic theories and rules. The traditional routine of Taiji Jian, consisting of 58 movements with extreme flexibility and agility, and constant shifts in speed, is also of high values in body building.

Characteristics of Chen Tai Chi

Relatively, the Chen Style often uses large, expansive movements. The practitioner should bear the principle in mind that the invisible power is actually the strongest and awesome. 
Chen Tai Chi Style is particularly distinguished for its use of silk reeling energy, which is demonstrated in each single movement, almost throughout the whole routines. It is reached through a series of infinite spiral actions by twisting your waist, shoulders, ankles and knees.

The spiral actions are featured either evident or hidden at either swift or slow speed. And the accumulated forces are far more powerful or threatening, making a possible fluent performance and natural breath, which is regarded as another key point to Taichi Chuan. Any single action stirs up the whole body’s mobility. This technique takes use of the smooth generation of energy for the explosive release.

Another characteristic lies in a number of fast, explosive moves, including kicks, cannon fists, and thundering stomps, even for beginners.