About | Principles | Benefits | History

A Brief History of T'ai Chi

Originating in China, Tai Chi has over 1,000 years of history. Ancient writings on which the art is based date back to around 400 BC.

Of the two main theories concerning the beginnings of T'ai Chi, one claims it was developed by a Taoist master, Chang San-Feng, who lived about 1,000 years ago on the Wu-tang mountain. The other maintains that Chen Wang-ting, the founder of the Chen T'ai Chi family, was its creator.

Traditionally, although the existence of T'ai Chi was known, its teachings were kept secret, only to bepassed directly from teacher to student. This secrecy prevailed until a student of the Chen family, Yang Lu-San, spread the art throughout China.

It was Yang's willingness to accept students from outside the traditionally closed world of T'ai Chi that led to the Yang style being the most practiced form today.