Wu Jianquan

Wu Jianquan ( Chinese  吳 鑑 泉  /  吴 鉴 泉 , Pinyin Wú Jiànquán , W.-G. Wu Chien-ch'uan , * 1870 Empire of China ; † 1942, China ) is the founder of the Wu style of Taijiquan (Tai-Chi).

Life

He learned martial arts at a young age from his father Wu Quanyou, a student of Yang Luchan . In 1911, Wu Jianquan followed an official, Mr. Xu Yusheng, to the capital to teach Taijiquan at the Beijing Physical Education Research Association. This made the martial art accessible to a broad public for the first time. His daughter Wu Yinghua (1907–1996) and his sons Wu Gongyi (1898–1970) and Wu Gongzao (1902–1983) as well as his students Wu Tunan and Cheng Wing Kwong also became well-known Tai Chi masters.

In 1928 Wu Jianquan moved to Shanghai and founded the "Jianquan Taijiquan Association" there in 1935, which is now run by his grandchildren Ma Hailong (President) and Ma Jianglin (head coach). His third grandson, Ma Jiangbao († 2016), lived and taught in Europe .

In order to make Taijiquan learnable for older, not so well trained people, Wu Jianquan, like members of other Taijiquan families, developed a slow solo form.

literature

• M. Bödicker, A. Sievers: China in Transition. The time of the great Tai Chi masters 1897-1937 . Ratingen: mach: art-Verlag 1998. ISBN 3-932330-11-0
• Ma Yueh-liang, Zee Wen: Wu-Style Taichichuan Tuishou . Hong Kong: Shanghai Book Company 1986. ISBN 962-239-100-1

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