T'ai Chi Ch'uan or Taijiquan (Chinese: 太極拳; Pinyin: Tàijíquán; literally "supreme ultimate fist"), commonly known as T'ai Chi, Tai Chi, or Taiji, is a nei chia ("internal") Chinese martial art. This art is often practiced for the purposes of health and longevity (some recent medical studies support its effectiveness here). T'ai Chi Ch'uan is considered a soft style martial art, an art applied wit ...

Including:

• Tai Chi Chuan - Overview
• Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan training and techniques
• Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan styles and history
• Tai Chi Chuan - Family tree
• Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan in the present
• Tai Chi Chuan - Modern forms
• Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan as a health practice and a form of traditional Chinese medicine
• Tai Chi Chuan - Citations to medical research

Read more here: » Tai Chi Chuan: Encyclopedia - Tai Chi Chuan

Including:

• Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Overview
• Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Qi Minxuan
• Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Cheng Tinhung
• Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Dan Docherty
• Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Wudang Tai Chi Chuan Lineage

Read more here: » Wudang Tai Chi Chuan: Encyclopedia - Wudang Tai Chi Chuan

Historically, T'ai Chi Ch'uan has been regarded as a martial art, and its more traditional practitioners still teach it as one. Even so, it has developed a worldwide following among many thousands of people with little or no interest in martial training for its aforementioned benefits to health and health maintenance. Some call it a form of moving meditation, and T'ai Chi theory and practice evolved in agreement with many of the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Besides general health benefits and stress management attributed to be ...

See also:

Tai Chi Chuan, Tai Chi Chuan - Overview, Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan training and techniques, Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan styles and history, Tai Chi Chuan - Family tree, Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan in the present, Tai Chi Chuan - Modern forms, Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan as a health practice and a form of traditional Chinese medicine, Tai Chi Chuan - Citations to medical research

Read more here: » Tai Chi Chuan: Encyclopedia II - Tai Chi Chuan - Overview

There are several versions of the history of T'ai Chi, for example the Chen Village story, Chang Sang Feng, some believe it to have been created by a Taoist general, others believe it to have originated as early as 1000 BC and developed alongside other Taoist practices such as Chi Gung and Chinese Medicine. There are many styles of T'ai Chi Ch'üan, each named after the Chinese family that teaches (or taught) it, the following are all derivatives of the Chen Village style. Some styles have been made public but others kept secret since ...

See also:

Tai Chi Chuan, Tai Chi Chuan - Overview, Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan training and techniques, Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan styles and history, Tai Chi Chuan - Family tree, Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan in the present, Tai Chi Chuan - Modern forms, Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan as a health practice and a form of traditional Chinese medicine, Tai Chi Chuan - Citations to medical research

Read more here: » Tai Chi Chuan: Encyclopedia II - Tai Chi Chuan - T'ai Chi Ch'uan styles and history

Tai Chi Chuan is one way of working towards harmonising our energies both internally and externally so that we live in tune with nature. Because the movements of Tai Chi Chuan are slow and meditative, they put us indirect contact with nature.

Tai Chi Chuan not only provides a foundation for self-defence, but also teaches principles of harmonious action. Being in harmony requires flexibility in thought and the ability to release an idea free from the ego.

Tai Chi Chuan emphasises becoming aware of the inter-relationship of all the parts of one'sbody - both with one another and with the environment and moving these parts harmoniously under the direction of the mind. To be able to do this, special training is required.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Tai Chi Chuan was derived from Taoism. The most important practice of Taoism was concerned with tranquility of mind and improvement of temperament. At the end of the Sung Dynasty a Taoist by the name of Cheung San Fung, in order to find one suitable martial art for the Taoist, often observed the habits of long- lived animals such as turtles and cranes. After many years of study, he, at last, created Tai Chi Chuan.

Read more here: » Tai Chi Chuan: The History Application of Tai

The Wudang Mountains (Simplified: 武当山; Traditional: 武當山; Hanyu Pinyin: Wǔdāng Shān), also known as Wu Tang Shan or simply Wudang, are a small mountain range in the Hubei province of China, just to the south of the manufacturing city of Shiyan. In years past, the mountains of Wudang were known for the many Taoist monasteries to be found there, monasteries which became known as an academic centre for the research, teaching and practise of meditation, Chinese martial arts, ...

Including:

• Wudang Mountains - External link

Read more here: » Wudang Mountains: Encyclopedia - Wudang Mountains

Qigong (Simplified: 气功; Traditional: 氣功; Hanyu Pinyin: qìgōng; Wade-Giles: ch'i4 kung1) is an increasingly popular aspect of Chinese medicine involving the coordination of different breathing patterns with various physical postures and motions of the body. Qigong is mostly taught for health maintenance purposes, but there are also some who teach it, especially in China, for therapeutic interventions. Various ...

Including:

• Qigong - History
• Qigong - Uses
• Qigong - Beliefs
• Qigong - Criticisms of qigong
• Qigong - Controversies within qigong

Read more here: » Qigong: Encyclopedia - Qigong

Taiji may also mean: Taiji - a town in Wakayama, Japan Taiji - a Japanese musician. The Taiji (Traditional Chinese characters: 太極, the 'Supreme Ultimate'; Pinyin: tàijí; Wade-Giles: T'ai Chi; Cantonese IPA: [tɑɪ3gɪk6]; Jyutping: tai3gik6; Japanese: Taikyoku; Korean: Taeguk, Taegeuk or T'aegŭk) is a concept introduced in the Zhuang Zi and so has an early connection with Taoism (pronounced "Daoism"). However, it also appears in the ...

Read more here: » Taiji: Encyclopedia - Taiji

Longevity is long life or existence. Reflections on longevity have usually gone beyond acknowledging the basic shortness of human life and included thinking about, and conceiving, methods to extend life (indefinitely). Longevity has been a topic not only for the scientific community but also for writers of travel, science fiction and utopian novels. The record human lifespan that has been authenticated is the 122 years 164 days of Jeanne Calment, though fiction, legend, and mythology have proposed or claimed vastly longer lifespans in ...

Including:

• Longevity - Presently
• Longevity - Records
• Longevity - History
• Longevity - Religion
• Longevity - Future
• Longevity - Non-human biological longevity
• Longevity - Longevity in fiction
• Longevity - Notes

Read more here: » Longevity: Encyclopedia - Longevity

The Chen style (陳氏) is considered to be the senior branch of the five main Taijiquan family styles and the third in terms of popularity. The Chen style today is known for its low postures and vigorous martial art training. While there are many hundreds of schools teaching Taijiquan around the world, the Chen family styles are said to go the farthest in maintaining the martial art style of teaching (as opposed to health focus) that has been normative for Taijiquan instruction for most of its history. Beside from empty hand training ...

Including:

• Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - History
• Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Chen Quan – Chen's fist
• Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Chen Quan becomes Taijiquan
• Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Today
• Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Variants
• Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Lao Jia – Old frame
• Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Xin Jia – New frame
• Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Xiao Jia – Small frame
• Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Xinyin Hunyuan
• Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - 赵堡 Zhao Bao
• Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - HuLei Jia – Thunder frame

Read more here: » Chen style Tai Chi Chuan: Encyclopedia - Chen style Tai Chi Chuan

Yang style (楊氏) T'ai Chi Ch'uan in its many variations is the most popular and widely practised style in the world today and the second in terms of seniority among the primary five family styles of T'ai Chi. The Yang family first became involved in the study of T'ai Chi in the early 1800s. The founder of the Yang style was Yang Lu-ch'an (楊露禪), aka Yang Fu-k'ui (楊福魁, 1799-1872), who studied under Ch'en Chang-hsing starting in 1820. Yang's subsequent expression of T'ai Chi as a teacher in his own right became know ...

Including:

• Yang style Tai Chi Chuan - Yang Family Tree

Read more here: » Yang style Tai Chi Chuan: Encyclopedia - Yang style Tai Chi Chuan

The 42 Form (Competition Form) T'ai Chi Ch'uan is the Wushu competition form which combines movements drawn from the Yang, Wu, Chen, and Sun styles of traditional Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan). It was created in 1989 by the Chinese Sports Committee to standardized the many different competition forms. In the 11th Asian Games of 1990, Wushu was included as an item for competition for the first time with the 42 Form being chosen to represent T'ai Chi. It will be the form demon ...

Including:

• 42 Form Competition Form T'ai Chi Ch'uan - External links

Read more here: » 42 Form Competition Form T'ai Chi Ch'uan: Encyclopedia - 42 Form Competition Form T'ai Chi Ch'uan

The Wu style (吳氏) T'ai Chi Ch'uan of Wu Ch'uan-yü (Wu Quanyou) and Wu Chien-ch'üan (Wu Jianquan) is the second most popular form of T'ai Chi Ch'uan in the world today, after the Yang style, and fourth in terms of family seniority. This style is often confused in the West with the Wu style (武氏) founded by Wu Yu-hsiang. While the names are distinct in pronunciation and the Chinese characters used to write them a ...

Including:

• Wu style T'ai Chi Ch'uan - Generational senior instructors of the Wu family T'ai Chi Ch'uan schools

Read more here: » Wu style T'ai Chi Ch'uan: Encyclopedia - Wu style T'ai Chi Ch'uan

Yang Chengfu (Hanyu Pinyin), or Yang Ch'eng-fu (Wade-Giles) ( 楊澄甫, 1883-1936) is historically considered the best known teacher of the soft style martial art of Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan). His direct descendents, the many students he taught and their students have spread the art around the world. He was born into the famous Yang Taijiquan family, the son of Yang Chien-hou and grandson of Yang Lu-chan. With his older brother Yang Shaohou (楊少侯) and colleagues Wu Jianquan (吳鑑泉) and Sun Lutang (孫錄堂), h ...

Including:

• Yang Chengfu - External link

Read more here: » Yang Chengfu: Encyclopedia - Yang Chengfu

Wudang Tai Chi Chuan 武當太極拳 is a name given to a system of Tai Chi Chuan that was developed by a Hong Kong 香港 based Tai Chi Chuan master known as Cheng Tinhung 鄭天熊. Cheng Tinhung had never claimed to be teaching a particular school of Tai Chi Chuan, but its close links to the Wu 吳 school of Tai Chi Chuan are clearly evident in its forms and applications. However, there are considerable differences between the modern Wu 吳 schools, both Northern and Southern, and the Wudang Tai Chi Chuan system, this is largely attributed to the developments carried out by Cheng Tinhung’s maste ...

See also:

Wudang Tai Chi Chuan, Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Overview, Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Qi Minxuan, Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Cheng Tinhung, Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Dan Docherty, Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Wudang Tai Chi Chuan Lineage

Read more here: » Wudang Tai Chi Chuan: Encyclopedia II - Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Overview

Dan Docherty was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1954. He graduated with a LLB in 1974 and soon after moved to Hong Kong where he served as an inspector in the Royal Hong Kong Police Force until 1984. Soon after he arrived in Hong Kong in 1975 he started training Tai Chi Chuan under Cheng Tinhung and within a few years was elected to represent Hong Kong in Full-contact Fighting competitions. In 1980 he won the Open Weight Division at the 5th South East Asian Chinese Pugilistic Championships in Malaysia. In 1985 he was awarded a Postgra ...

See also:

Wudang Tai Chi Chuan, Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Overview, Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Qi Minxuan, Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Cheng Tinhung, Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Dan Docherty, Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Wudang Tai Chi Chuan Lineage

Read more here: » Wudang Tai Chi Chuan: Encyclopedia II - Wudang Tai Chi Chuan - Dan Docherty

Historically documented from the 1600s, the Chen family originates in Chen Village in Wen County, Henan Province.(溫縣陳家溝). Their best known teacher was Chen Changxing (陳長興 Chén Chángxīng, Ch'en Chang-hsing, 1771-1853). Chen Changxing started teaching the famous Yang Luchan in 1820. Yang went on to found the Yang style Taijiquan, and from there all the other main styles of the art. Chen Changxing is also traditionally associated with a teacher known as Jiang Fa (蔣發 Jiǎng Fā), although it is no longer clear if their rel ...

See also:

Chen style Tai Chi Chuan, Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - History, Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Chen Quan – Chen's fist, Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Chen Quan becomes Taijiquan, Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Today, Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Variants, Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Lao Jia – Old frame, Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Xin Jia – New frame, Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Xiao Jia – Small frame, Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Xinyin Hunyuan, Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - 赵堡 Zhao Bao, Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - HuLei Jia – Thunder frame

Read more here: » Chen style Tai Chi Chuan: Encyclopedia II - Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - History

Qigong and its intimate relation to the Chinese martial arts are often connected with spirituality. They have thereby been considered the province of religious practitioners in the popular imagination for many centuries. This link is much stronger than with other techniques in traditional Chinese medicine. Qigong was historically practiced extensively in Taoist and Buddhist monasteries as an adjunct of martial arts training, and the claimed benefits of martial qigong practice are widely known in East Asian martial traditions and popular cult ...

See also:

Qigong, Qigong - History, Qigong - Uses, Qigong - Beliefs, Qigong - Criticisms of qigong, Qigong - Controversies within qigong

Read more here: » Qigong: Encyclopedia II - Qigong - Beliefs

Various factors may promote longevity in an individual, such as genetics. Longevity in the general population can be interpreted from a high life expectancy. The most significant factors of life expectancy include nationality, health care, and hygiene. Minor factors include food and lifestyle. Below is a list of life expectancies in different types of countries[1]: First World: 77-81 years (eg. United States: 77.7 years, 2005 est) Second World: 65-77 years (eg. Russia: 67.10 years, 2005 est) Third World: 35-60 years (eg. Mo ...

See also:

Longevity, Longevity - Presently, Longevity - Records, Longevity - History, Longevity - Religion, Longevity - Future, Longevity - Non-human biological longevity, Longevity - Longevity in fiction, Longevity - Notes

Read more here: » Longevity: Encyclopedia II - Longevity - Presently