Chen Changxing

Chen Changxing

Chen Changxing ( Chinese  陳長興  /  陈长兴 , Pinyin Chén Chángxīng , W.-G. Ch'en Chang-hsing ; * 1771 ; † 1853 ) was a member of the Chen family in Chenjiagou , Henan , Chinese Empire , in the 14th 3rd generation and an influential teacher of the martial art of Taijiquan .

He was best known as the Taijiquan master of Yang Luchan : At that time, a serf named Yang Luchan lived in the Chen family. He was interested in the Taijiquan practiced by the family and was finally accepted by Chen Changxing as a student and thus the founder of the Yang style . However, there is controversy as to which martial arts style Yang Luchan learned from Chen Changxing.

The tradition of the Yang family does not see him in the tradition of the martial arts styles practiced in Chenjiagou , but an art that he learned directly or indirectly from the Taijiquan master Jiang Fa ( 蔣 發  /  蒋 发 , Jiǎng Fā , Chiang Fa ) from Wen County should have learned. In the tradition of the Chen style Taijiquan, he summarized the forms of the Chen style of the internal martial art Taijiquan handed down by Chen Wangting in the two forms of the "old posture" " Lǎojià " ( 老 架  - "literally old frame, contextual: old posture, traditional posture ") together.

Both perspectives conclusively explain why the Taijiquan of Yang Luchan and his descendants differs so fundamentally from the modern Chen style Taijiquan, but neither version has been proven so far, so the controversy remains.

Because of his extremely upright posture, Chen Changxing was nicknamed “Mr. Pedigree ".

In the genealogy of the Chen family he is listed as a martial arts teacher, but no details of the style he taught.

literature

• Ranné, N. (2008). The modern Taijiquan arises from classical roots. Biographies of Chen Changxing and Yang Luchan. In J. Silberstorff (Ed.), Pushing hands: The fighting side of Taijiquan . Lotus Press.
• CTND. Important words about combative applications. Online source.

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Chinese. Chen is the family name here, Changxing is the first name.