Taijiquan

Ⅵ-11Traditional Sports, Games and AcrobaticsYongnian, HebeiBatch 1 (2006)Newly Added ItemFeatured

01 · Historical Records

Yongnian Yang-style Taijiquan was created by Yang Luchan of Guangfu during the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty and originated in Guangfu Ancient Town, Yongnian County. Yang Luchan studied art away from home for eighteen years, mastering the essence of the various schools of boxing and gaining a particularly deep understanding of fitness arts such as taiji and bagua; on the basis of the Chen old frame he compiled the 108-form Yongnian Yang-style Taijiquan, and after returning home he opened a hall and taught boxing full time.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Yongnian County lies in southern Hebei Province, 15 kilometres from Handan City. Thereafter more than thirty masters of boxing of the calibre of Yang Banhou, Yang Chengfu and Yang Zhenming appeared one after another in Yongnian County, which was honoured as the "sacred place of taiji". Yang-style Taijiquan has an expansive frame and a rigorous structure; it moves from relaxation into softness and accumulates softness into firmness, uniting firmness and softness. Its body method is prominent: it hollows the chest and lifts the back, takes the waist as axis, keeps the upper and lower body in step, joins inner and outer, holds the body upright, comfortable and at ease, and moves naturally with light agility and calm steadiness. Yongnian Yang-style Taijiquan comprises two parts: first, the taiji boxing routines, which chiefly include the large, medium and small frames, the fast frame and the thirty-two short strikes; second, the Yang-style Taijiquan weapons, which chiefly include the taiji sword, the taiji sabre and the taiji thirteen-pole. Yongnian Yang-style Taijiquan displays the artistry of human body culture and can be practised by young and old alike. It is beneficial to strengthening people's health; following its requirements, practitioners uphold the traditional Chinese martial arts spirit of stressing righteousness and honouring virtue, which plays a positive part in strengthening the cohesion, self-confidence and pride of the Chinese nation.

One hundred and eight forms and the Guangfu school

After eighteen years of study away from home, Yang Luchan of Guangfu created the 108-form Yongnian Yang style on the basis of the Chen old frame and returned to teach full time.

Large, medium and small frames with the thirty-two short strikes

The system has two parts: the boxing routines of large, medium and small frames, the fast frame and the thirty-two short strikes, and the weapons of taiji sword, sabre and thirteen-pole.

Hollow chest, lifted back, waist as axis

The frame is expansive and tightly structured, moving from relaxation into softness and softness into hardness, with the waist as axis and the whole body linked above and below.

Yang Zhenhe and Han Huiming as teachers

Two first-batch national inheritors: Yang Zhenhe teaches hundreds of disciples at home and in Germany, while Han Huiming has trained over a thousand in seventy years, his sons heading local Yang-style academies.

Shanghai, Beijing and more than eighty countries

The style is now concentrated in Shanghai, Beijing, Sichuan, Xi'an, Hebei, Guangdong and Hainan and in more than eighty countries and regions abroad.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Yang-style Taijiquan is now concentrated in Shanghai, Beijing, Sichuan, Xi'an, Hebei, Guangdong and Hainan, and in more than eighty countries and regions overseas.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Taijiquan · Taijiquan · Taijiquan · Taijiquan · Taijiquan · Taijiquan · Taijiquan · Taijiquan · Taijiquan.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

This boxing art has a clear lineage, has produced famous masters down the ages, and has a broad body of practitioners at home and abroad. At present few people are practising Yongnian Yang-style taiji; the routines and the conditioning exercises of taiji are deteriorating, and some taiji exercises can now be performed by only a handful of people, so its prospects are worrying and prompt protection is needed. Yang Zhenhe (as recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): male, Han ethnicity, born in 1953, a native of Yongnian, Hebei. Yang Zhenhe's Taijiquan is characterised by gentleness and slowness, roundness and continuity, rigorous structure and even speed, with an upright body method, a clear distinction of empty and solid, the joining of inner and outer, the upper and lower body moving together, softness concealing a needle and gentleness embodying firmness, natural relaxation and stillness, an expansive and dignified carriage suitable for young and old alike; it is known as "a sturdy grass in a strong wind, a living sculpture". Yang Zhenhe has hundreds of formal disciples in China, over a thousand who have received his art, and several hundred disciples in Germany as well. Representative inheritor of Taijiquan (Yang-style Taijiquan), the first batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects. Yang Zhenhe himself and his students have won major prizes many times in domestic and international martial arts competitions. In 1998 he was awarded the title of "Taiji Master" at the International Taijiquan Friendship Association, and in May 2004 he was specially appointed chairman of the taiji association by the European Yongnian Taijiquan Association; he has also published articles many times in journals such as the Yongnian Taiji Magazine. Han Huiming (as recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): male, Han ethnicity, born in 1925, a native of Yongnian, Hebei. Han Huiming has preserved the original character of Yang-style Taijiquan; his boxing is characterised by gentleness and slowness, roundness and continuity, an expansive and dignified carriage, and natural relaxation and stillness. To transmit Yang-style Taijiquan better, both Han Huiming's sons and his grandson practise it; his eldest son Han Qingming and third son Han Qianmin have also become noted Yongnian taiji teachers, serving respectively as head of the Yongnian Yang Chengfu Taijiquan Academy and head of the Yongnian Yang Luchan Taijiquan Academy. For seventy years Han Huiming has been transmitting Yang-style Taijiquan in his home town, teaching more than a thousand pupils, of whom over a hundred are inner-door disciples. Now nearly ninety years old, Han Huiming still receives taiji enthusiasts from home and abroad at the Yang Luchan former residence, giving lectures and demonstrations for them. He has also issued a set of personal teaching video discs together with teaching materials and the like. Representative inheritor of Taijiquan (Yang-style Taijiquan), the first batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects. In 2007 Han Huiming was awarded the title of "Chinese Folk Martial Artist" by the Ministry of Culture.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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