Wu Ch'uan-yu

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Wu.
吴全佑
Wu Ch'uan-yu

Depiction of a Manchu Imperial Guards Bannerman wearing similar uniform and gear to that worn by Wu Ch'uan-yu as a military officer
Born 1834
China
Died 1902
Style Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan
Notable students Wu Chien-ch'uan,
Wang Mao Zhai,
Guo Fen
Part of the series on
Chinese martial arts
List of Chinese martial arts
Terms
Historical places
Historical people
Famous modern actors
Legendary figures
Related

Wu Ch'uan-yu or Wu Quanyou (simplified Chinese: 吴全佑; traditional Chinese: 吳全佑; pinyin: Wú Quányòu) (1834–1902) was an influential teacher of t'ai chi ch'uan in late Imperial China. He is credited as the founder of the Wu style t'ai chi ch'uan.[1] As he was of Manchu descent, and would have been named by his family in Manchu, the name "Wú" (吳) was a sinicisation that approximated the pronunciation of the first syllable of his Manchu clan name, U Hala.[2]

Contents

Background

Wu Ch'uan-yu was a military officer in the Yellow Banner camp (see Qing Dynasty Military) in the Forbidden City, Beijing and also an officer of the Imperial Guards Brigade during the Qing Dynasty. At that time, Yang Luchan (楊露禪) (1799–1872) was the martial arts instructor in that banner camp, teaching t'ai chi ch'uan.[1] In the camp, there were many officers studying with Yang Luchan, but only three men, Wan Chun (萬春), Ling Shan (凌山) and Ch'uan Yu (全佑) studied diligently and trained hard enough at t'ai chi ch'uan to become disciples. However, they were unable to become Yang Luchan's disciples, because Yang Luchan taught t'ai chi ch'uan to two men of very high status in the military; they were Shi Shaonan and General Yue Guichen.[2][3]

At that time Wan Chun, Ling Shan and Ch'uan-yu were middle grade officers in the banner camp and because of their rank, they could not be seen as fellow classmates with nobility and high grade officers. As a result, they were asked to become disciples of Yang Pan-hou (楊班侯) or Yang Banhou, Yang Luchan’s oldest adult son and an instructor as well to the Manchu military.[2]

Wu Ch'uan-yu as a teacher

When Wu retired from the military, he set up a school in Beijing. Wu Ch'uan-yu's Beijing school was successful and there were many who studied with him, he was popularly known as Quan Sanye (全三爺) as a term of respect. His disciples were Guo Songting (郭松亭), Wang Maozhai (王茂齋), Xia Gongfu (夏公甫), Chang Yuanting (常遠亭), Qi Gechen (齊閣臣) (see Wudang Tai Chi Chuan Lineage) etc. Wu's skills were said to be exceptional in the area of softly "neutralising" (化勁, hua jin) hard energy when attacked, which is a core skill of good t'ai chi ch'uan practice as a martial art.[3] Wu Ch'uan-yu had three primary disciples: his son Wu Chien-ch'uan, Wang Mao Zhai and Guo Fen.[4]

Formation of the Wu-style

Wu Ch'uan-yu's son, Wu Chien-ch'uan (吳鑑泉) (1870–1942) also became a cavalry officer and t'ai chi ch'uan teacher, working closely with the Yang family and Sun Lu-t'ang, promoting what subsequently came to be known as Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.[1][5][6]

T'ai chi ch'uan Lineage Tree

This lineage tree is not comprehensive.

Legendary Figures

Zhang Sanfeng*
c. 12th century
NEIJIA
 
 
 
 
Wang Zongyue*
T'AI CHI CH'UAN

Note: These are legendary or semi-legendary figures in the lineage, which means their involvement in the lineage, while accepted by most of the major schools, isn't independently verifiable from known historical records.

Five major classical family styles

Chen Wangting
1580–1660
9th generation Chen
CHEN STYLE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chen Changxing
1771–1853
14th generation Chen
Chen Old Frame
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Chen Youben
c. 1800s
14th generation Chen
Chen New Frame
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Yang Lu-ch'an
1799–1872
YANG STYLE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Chen Qingping
1795–1868
Chen Small Frame, Zhaobao Frame
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Yang Pan-hou
1837–1892
Yang Small Frame
 
 
 
 
 
 Yang Chien-hou
1839–1917
 
 
 
 
 
 Wu Yu-hsiang
1812–1880
WU/HAO STYLE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wu Ch'uan-yu
1834–1902
 
 
 
 
 
 Yang Shao-hou
1862–1930
Yang Small Frame
 
 Yang Chengfu
1883–1936
Yang Big Frame
 
 Li I-yü
1832–1892
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wu Chien-ch'uan
1870–1942
WU STYLE
108 Form
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Yang Shou-chung
1910–1985
 
 Hao Wei-chen
1849–1920
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wu Kung-i
1900–1970
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sun Lu-t'ang
1861–1932
SUN STYLE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wu Ta-k'uei
1923–1972
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sun Xingyi
1891–1929

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Wile, Douglas (1995). Lost T'ai-chi Classics from the Late Ch'ing Dynasty (Chinese Philosophy and Culture). State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0791426548. 
  2. ^ a b c Wu, Ying-hua (1988). Wu Style T'ai Chi Ch'uan – Forms, Concepts and Applications of the Original Style. Shanghai Book company, Ltd., Hong Kong. 
  3. ^ a b Wu, Kung-tsao (1980, 2006). Wu Family T'ai Chi Ch'uan (吳家太極拳). Chien-ch’uan T’ai-chi Ch’uan Association. ISBN 0-9780499-0-X. 
  4. ^ Zhang, Tina (2006). Classical Northern Wu Style Tai Ji Quan. Blue Snake Books Berkeley, california. ISBN 978-1583941546. 
  5. ^ Yip, Y. L. (Autumn 2002). Pivot – Qi, The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness Vol. 12 No. 3. Insight Graphics Publishers. ISSN 1056-4004. 
  6. ^ Philip-Simpson, Margaret (June 1995). A Look at Wu Style Teaching Methods - T’AI CHI The International Magazine of T’ai Chi Ch'uan Vol. 19 No. 3. Wayfarer Publications. ISSN 0730-1049. 

External links