Taijiquan (T'ai Chi Ch'uan) today is generally presented as some sort of therapeutic exercise. But the actual history of the art is that it was a martial art, taught to the Chinese Military.
When Yang Luchan moved to Beijing in the mid-nineteenth century, he taught at the Shen Ji Ying (Emperor’s Security Camp). Three men from this unit are pictured in this rare period photo. These students were all Manchus. Among them were Prince Duan and Quan You. Since the law prevented commoners such as Quan You from becoming gongfu brothers with an aristocrat, Luchan arranged for him to become a disciple student of his son Yang Banhou. While Quan You did study with Banhou, he also continued studying with Luchan. Quan You was Yang Luchan’s only student from this group to pass on his skills to subsequent generations. After the Republican Revolution of 1911, Quan You took the Han Chinese surname Wu, meaning “Martial” from which this style takes its name.
Students of the Beijing branch of this Wu Style claim that Yang Luchan had yet to create his Taiji Jian form when he began teaching in Beijing. Indeed, he was probably still developing all aspects of the Yang Style he created at that early point in his career. However, since the Michuan system was still kept secret within the Yang Family at that time - specifically by Yang Luchan so that the Manchu rulers would not obtain it - there is no way that Quan You or his later students could have knowledge of the Yang Family’s Michuan forms.
When Yang Luchan moved to Beijing in the mid-nineteenth century, he taught at the Shen Ji Ying (Emperor’s Security Camp). Three men from this unit are pictured in this rare period photo. These students were all Manchus. Among them were Prince Duan and Quan You. Since the law prevented commoners such as Quan You from becoming gongfu brothers with an aristocrat, Luchan arranged for him to become a disciple student of his son Yang Banhou. While Quan You did study with Banhou, he also continued studying with Luchan. Quan You was Yang Luchan’s only student from this group to pass on his skills to subsequent generations. After the Republican Revolution of 1911, Quan You took the Han Chinese surname Wu, meaning “Martial” from which this style takes its name.
Students of the Beijing branch of this Wu Style claim that Yang Luchan had yet to create his Taiji Jian form when he began teaching in Beijing. Indeed, he was probably still developing all aspects of the Yang Style he created at that early point in his career. However, since the Michuan system was still kept secret within the Yang Family at that time - specifically by Yang Luchan so that the Manchu rulers would not obtain it - there is no way that Quan You or his later students could have knowledge of the Yang Family’s Michuan forms.
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