Wu Chien-ch'uan
| 吴鉴泉 Wu Chien Ch'uan | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1870 China |
| Died | 1942 |
| Style | Wu-style taijiquan |
| Notable students |
Wu Gongyi (吴公儀), Wu Gongzao (吴公藻), Wu Yinghua (吴英华), Ma Yueliang (马岳梁), Zheng Rongguang (鄭榮光) |
| Wu Chien-ch'uan | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 吳鑑泉 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 吴鉴泉 | ||||||||||||
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Wu Chien-ch'uan or Wu Jianquan (1870–1942) was a famous teacher and founder of the neijia martial art of Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan in late Imperial and early Republican China.[1]
Biography
Wu Chien-ch'uan was taught martial arts by his father, Wu Ch'uan-yu, a senior student of Yang Luchan and Yang Pan-hou.[1] Both Wu Chien-ch'uan and his father were hereditary Manchu cavalry officers of the Yellow Banner as well as the Imperial Guards Brigade, yet the Wu family were to become patriotic supporters of Sun Yat-sen.[2]
At the time of the establishment of the Chinese Republic in 1912, China was in turmoil, besieged for many years economically and even militarily by several foreign powers, so Wu Chien-ch'uan and his colleagues Yang Shao-hou, Yang Chengfu and Sun Lu-t'ang promoted the benefits of t'ai chi ch'uan training on a national scale. They subsequently offered classes at the Beijing Physical Culture Research Institute to as many people as possible, starting in 1914. It was the first school to provide instruction in the art to the general public. Wu Chien-ch'uan was also asked to teach the Eleventh Corps of the new Presidential Bodyguard as well as at the nationally famous Ching Wu martial arts school.
As the focus of t'ai chi ch'uan teaching in his time changed from a strictly military art to a discipline made available to the general public, Wu Chien-ch'uan modified the teaching forms he learned from his father somewhat.[3] Wu Chien-ch'uan's changes to the initial forms shown to his students included smoothing overt expressions of fa chin, jumps and other abrupt time changes in the training routines in order to make those forms easier for the general public to learn.[3] These modified elements were preserved and taught in various advanced forms and pushing hands, however.
Wu Chien-ch'uan moved his family to Shanghai in 1928. In 1935, he established the Chien-ch'uan T'ai Chi Ch'uan Association (鑑泉太極拳社) on the ninth floor of the Shanghai YMCA to promote and teach t'ai chi ch'uan.[4] What he taught has since become known as Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan and is one of the five primary styles practised around the world, the others being Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan, Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan, Wu (Hao)-style t'ai chi ch'uan and Sun-style t'ai chi ch'uan.[2]
The Chien-ch'uan T'ai Chi Ch'uan Association schools have subsequently been maintained by Wu Chien-ch'uan's descendants. He was succeeded as head of the Wu family system by his oldest son, Wu Kung-i, in 1942.[2] His second son, Wu Kung-tsao, also became a renowned T'ai Chi master. Wu Kung-i moved the family headquarters to Hong Kong in 1949.[2] Today the Association still has its international headquarters in Hong Kong and is currently managed by Wu Chien-ch'uan's great-grandson, Wu Kuang-yu, with branches in Shanghai, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and France.[2]
Several of Wu's disciples also became well known t'ai chi teachers. Prominent in that number were the senior disciple, Ma Yueh-liang, Wu T'u-nan and Cheng Wing-kwong.[4] His daughter Wu Yinghua and her husband Ma Yueh-liang continued running the Shanghai Chien-ch'uan T'ai Chi Ch'uan Association until their deaths in the mid 1990s.
T'ai chi ch'uan lineage tree with Wu-style focus
Note:
- This lineage tree is not comprehensive, but depicts those considered the 'gate-keepers' & most recognised individuals in each generation of Wu-style.
- Although many styles were passed down to respective descendants of the same family, the lineage focused on is that of the Wu style & not necessarily that of the family.
| Key: | NEIJIA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Solid lines | Direct teacher-student. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dot lines | Partial influence /taught informally /limited time. | TAIJIQUAN | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dash lines | Individual(s) omitted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dash cross | Branch continues. | CHEN-STYLE | Zhaobao-style | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| YANG-STYLE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (王蘭亭) Wang Lanting 1840–? 2nd gen. Yang | (杨健侯) Yang Jianhou 1839–1917 2nd gen. Yang 2nd gen. Yangjia Michuan | (杨班侯) Yang Banhou 1837–1892 2nd gen. Yang 2nd gen. Guang Ping Yang Yang Small Frame | WU (HAO)-STYLE | Zhaobao He-style | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Li-style | (杨少侯) Yang Shaohou 1862–1930 3rd gen. Yang Yang Small Frame | (吴全佑) Wu Quanyou 1834–1902 1st gen. Wu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (齊閣臣) Qi Gechen 2nd gen. Wu | (夏公甫) Xia Gongfu 2nd gen. Wu | (吴鉴泉) Wu Jianquan 1870–1942 2nd gen. Wu WU-STYLE 108 Form | (常遠亭) Chang Yuanting 1860–1918 2nd gen. Wu | (郭松亭) Guo Songting 2nd gen. Wu | (王茂齋) Wang Maozhai 1862–1940 2nd gen. Wu | SUN-STYLE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (董英杰) Dong Yingjie 1891–1960 4th gen. Yang | (齊敏軒) Qi Minxuan 3rd gen. Wu | (鄭榮光) Cheng Wing Kwong 1903–1967 3rd gen. Wu | (吴英华) Wu Yinghua 1907–1997 3rd gen. Wu | (吴公儀) Wu Gongyi 1900–1970 3rd gen. Wu | (吴公藻) Wu Gongzao 1903–1983 3rd gen. Wu | (马岳梁) Ma Yueliang 1901–1998 3rd gen. Wu | (杨禹廷) Yang Yuting 1887–1982 3rd gen. Wu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (鄭天熊) Zheng Tianxiong 1930–2005 Wudang-style | (吴大揆) Wu Dakui 1923–1972 4th gen. Wu | (吴雁霞) Wu Yanxia 1930–2001 4th gen. Wu | (吴大新) Wu Daxin 1933–2005 4th gen. Wu | Li Liqun 1924–2013 4th gen. Wu | (王培生) Wang Peisheng 1919–2004 4th gen. Wu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (吴光宇) Wu Guangyu 1946–Present 5th gen. Wu | (骆舒焕) Luo Shuhuan 1935–1987 5th gen. Wu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CHEN-STYLE | YANG-STYLE | WU-STYLE | SUN-STYLE | WU (HAO)-STYLE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- 1 2 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 978-0-7914-2654-8.
- 1 2 3 4 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.
- 1 2 Philip-Simpson, Margaret (June 1995). "A Look at Wu Style Teaching Methods - T’AI CHI The International Magazine of T’ai Chi Vol. 19 No. 3". Wayfarer Publications. ISSN 0730-1049.
- 1 2 Li, Liqun (October 1998). "A Remembrance of Ma Yueh-liang – T’AI CHI The International Magazine of T’ai Chi Ch’uan Vol. 22 No. 5". Wayfarer Publications. ISSN 0730-1049.
External links
- International Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Federation website
- Forum for Traditional Wu Tai Chi Chuan, Europe, South Africa and Japan
- Detroit, Michigan Wu style website
- UK website for Ma Jiangbao tai chi (son of Wu Yinhua)