An Introduction to the Tai Chi Schools of China
The Entrance Gate, Chen Jia Gou
- Introduction
- Organised School & Park Teaching
- Commercial vs Disciple Teaching
- Directory of Tai Chi Schools
- Schools in Chen Jia Gou
- Schools in Handan
- Schools in Yangshuo
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Organised Tai Chi schools are starting to appear around China, providing short and long term Tai Chi training for Chinese and International students.
The quality can often be very high and these schools provide an opportunity to train intensively in a way which is very difficult to achieve in the West.
Organised Schools & Group Teaching in Parks
Chen Zhao Pei started the first Chen Style Tai Chi School in Chen Jia Gou to ensure that the Tai Chi was preserved for the future. Other schools have also evolved around the most famous teachers, mainly to teach young Chinese students, providing them with a martial art education often lasting up to ten years.
These schools have expanded to accept older Chinese students on a more commercial short term basis and this opportunity extends to Western students as well.
Yang Style Tai Chi has been taught very widely in China, and so there are now teachers in the parks in most cities. They don't however appear to have organised themselves into schools in which people reside and study all day. This is just starting to change as Western people have more of a need for intensive learning environments.
So far however, not that many Western students have studied long term with the schools, but there is no reason now why people shouldn't do this and hopefully this website will make things easier.
This relationship is only just evolving though, and so there is much to learn on both sides, especially regarding language, as few Tai Chi teachers will speak English.
Hopefully later translators will be available in the schools, but in the meantime, the main thing is the level of attention and respect offered to students who don't have good Chinese and the overall quality of the teaching provided.
Commercial Schools, the Lineage / Disciple System & Cultural Difficulties
Traditionally Tai Chi was not taught in a widespread manner in China and so the concept of a commercial school in which many people learnt in exchange for a fee didn't exist.
What did exist was a lineage system, in which a high level teacher accepted students who then formed a long term relationship with the teacher and if they were good enough would later be approved by the teacher to pass on the Tai Chi themselves.
The difference might appear subtle but the teacher student relationship is different in the two forms. In the commercial scenario, there is usually less commitment, surrender and patience perhaps.
The Disciple System still exists and high teachers may mention it to certain students, but teachers have also formed schools in which Tai Chi can be taught in ways to fit with people's lifestyles in the modern World.
Really this is a cultural meeting between the old and new and so requires a little sensitivity. The beginning can seem more commerical, as you 'negotiate a fee' and discuss your 'expectation', but once over, aspects of the disciple system often start to reappear.
This seems to go unspoken, but from my personal experience I've found it better never to ask to learn something new. Instead I wait until it is offered, at a time when the teacher considers I've practiced enough, and given respect to what has been taught so far. At the same time, I've been encouraged to ask questions about anything already taught, and this has extended to applications for moves taught in the form.
A Directory of Tai Chi Schools
The schools I've listed here are just a beginning.
More is said about those with which I am familiar naturally, but I hope in time to provide more information on all the schools and expect the list to grow.
Introduction to the Tai Chi Schools in Chen Jia Gou
Chen Xiao Xing's School
Chen Xiao Xing's School, Chen Jia Gou
Chen Zhao Pei's original school is now run by Chen Xiao Xing, Chen Xiao Wang's brother and grandson of Chen Fake.
The school is large and set up to cater for the needs of over a hundred students receiving a long term Chen Tai Chi education.
Western students learn inside the central hall, along with the most senior level students.
The main teacher is Chen Xiao Xing's son, Chen Zi Qiang, who is also a very high level practitioner, famous in China and he is assisted by his brother Chen Zi Jun.
The style is the same as Chen Xiao Wang's and they can no doubt teach his short forms 19 & 38, if these are required as well as Lao Jia Yi Lu, Er Lu & Xin Jia...
There are many other good teachers residing in the school as well and so this may be an interesting place to learn the art of Chen Tai Chi.
Chen Zhao Sen's School
Chen Zhao Sen's School, Chen Jia Gou
The Chen family has more lineages than just Chen Fake and Chen Zhao Pei's and one of the strongest lines is Chen Zhao Sen's, a very senior 19th Generation Grand Master residing in Chen Jia Gou with a school open to Westerners.
He is famous in China especially for his Chen Halberd, but not outside at the moment.
Choosing a teacher here is not easy, but for myself, I chose Chen Zhao Sen, while a friend has spent many years with Chen Si Qiang.
Chen Bing's School
Chen Bing's School, Chen Jia Gou
Chen Bing, is a 20th Generation member of the Chen family and the son of Chen Xiao Wang's older brother.
He has recently opened a new school in Chen Jia Gou and this may also be worth considering.
Chen Bing probably speaks English reasonably well, as he's spent a considerable amount of time living in the USA.
Wang Xi An's School
Wang Xi An's School, Chen Jia Gou
Wang Xi An's School is run by his son and also hosts a large number of young Chinese students from the age of 8-18.
At the moment, few foreign students study at this school, but one of the young teachers Chen He Qiang, taught foreign students in Yangshuo for a while and so this may be an opportunity for foreigners in the future.
Zhu Tian Cai
Zhu Tian Cai's House, Chen Jia Gou
Zhu Tian Cai, a 19th Generation Grand Master, doesn't appear to have a school at the moment, just a training area in his house, but this may be the ideal environment for a Western student to get good teacher contact.
I believe two of his sons and his nephew live in Chen Jia Gou full time and are happy to teach.
Zhu Tian Cai's other two sons live in Singapore and he himself moves between the two places as well as teaching Worldwide.
I would email them to find out who is able to teach in Chen Jia Gou at a given time.
Tai Chi Schools in Handan
Yang Zhi Fang, Handan
Yang Zhi Fang is the grandson of Yang Chen Fu and head of a Tai Chi organisation in Handan.
He is associated with many good Yang Tai Chi practitioners, with skill in the Traditional Long Form as well as the modern 24 & 42 and also Wu(Hao) Style.
Handan isn't the most beautiful environment to learn in, but they are based at Handan University and this setting along with main gymnasium where they train will work fine in the future as a high quality training environment for Yang Style Tai Chi.
Tai Chi Schools in Yangshuo
There is no particular tradition of Tai Chi in Yangshuo, but the town itself is very special as an easy place for Western people to sample Chinese culture and so Tai Chi has always been taught there to tourists passing through.
It was natural for this to evolve into large scale teaching and so several schools have formed in the area around good Tai Chi practitioners.
Wang Zhi Ping's School
Wang Zhi Ping, was my own teacher for many years and I helped develop and market his school for a while, but it has changed direction in the last couple of years and is really starting again now, with a focus on Feng Zhi Qiang's new style and a little Yang 24. He is the only teacher there now.
Please note, that sadly I cannot personally endorse this school and the website they are using (chinasouth-taichi.com) is a modified copy of my old one, taken and used without permission, ignoring my copyright statements. I decided to shut down the original website, southchina-taichi.com in December 2007 as I felt it no longer reflected the reality of the school's values and the learning environment there.
This does not necessarily mean that some students won't be able to learn well there, but please don't rely on the current website to make your decision to attend the school. I would visit in person and make up your own mind if you wish. I hope this situation will change in the future.
Fu Neng Bin's School
Fu Neng Bin is another strong Chen teacher in the lineage of Chen Zhen Lei and has a good school just outside Yangshuo. He originally studied Kungfu and martial sparring as well.
There are quite a few highly motivated long term students at the school and so it is probably interesting for the right students. Fu's background is very martial and this is reflected in the Tai Chi environment he has created, but the students are mainly happy with his teaching which is its own endorsement.
The fee's seems a bit high but may be less for long term study.
Yang Style Tai Chi in Yangshuo
There is a definite lack of good Yang Style teaching in Yangshuo at the moment, although Yang Dong Bao is an exception to this, quietly teaching Traditional Long Form 85 privately in the park or his studio.
I hope at some stage, larger scale Yang Tai Chi teaching will restart in Yangshuo at a good level as this is an ideal environment for Western people to learn Tai Chi in.