Taijiquan

   INTRODUCTION

Taijiquan is one of the famous forms of traditional Chinese Martial Arts. Often cherished for its health benefits and for promoting longevity, this martial art is one of the most combat effective. There are many schools or styles of Taijiquan such as Chen, Yang, Wu, Wu, Sun, He, Zhaobao, Hulei, Li, Hong, Sanfeng, Wudang and many more. In addition each school or style has many branches often as a result of the practitioners.

Although the origins are sometimes unclear, a common legend of Wudang mountain Daoist Diety Zhang Sanfeng is often associated with the founding  of the method. Others have style specific origins like that of the Chen Style and Chen Wangting or Zhaobao style with Jiangfa.

Taijiquan has often been associated with the Internal School of martial arts because of its emphasis on softness overcoming hardness and its internal energy development. Although many styles of traditional martial arts also have this quality, Taijiquan is thought to be most representative.

The Taping Insitute is of the Zhaobao style (also known as Wudang Zhaobao Chengjia SanHeYi Taijiquan - Zhaobao Frames 3 Combined into 1 Taijiquan) of Taijiquan, thus the history, contents and the like are mainly in association with this particular style of Taijiquan. Zhaobao style although lesser known until recently, is one of the older styles of Taijiquan, taught in Zhaobao village, Henan Village, the style is also known as He style Taijiquan in the Xian, Shaanxi areas of Northern China. There are many styles associated with it including the Wu, He, Sun and Hulei styles to which Zhaobao is the ancestral or parent style.

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