Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 191

Qī Jì Guāng 戚繼光– Part 12

Qī Jì Guāng’s 戚繼光 32 Positions are not all like the movements in Chén Shì Tàijíquán 陈式太极拳 – Chen Style Tàijíquán. Chén Wáng Tíng 陳王廷 must have had high level of Kung Fu as he took Qī Jì Guāng’s 32 Positions and adapted them, and at the same time he adapted other aspects from other styles from different masters. He also like to study the Huáng Tíng Jīng 黄庭經 – Yellow Court Classic, which is a Daoist book about Qìgōng 氣功, Jīngluò 經絡 – Acupuncture Channels, breathing and longevity. Using all these he created Tàijíquán. From the 32 Positions Chén Wáng Tíng used some of the movements, or just the principle and essence of the skill. This made them quite different, but the shape of some of the movements are same and their meaning is the same. The way we practise Tàijíquán has made the difference is greater. Qī Jì Guāng’s 32 Positions are for fighting, for military training. Chén Wáng Tíng’s movements are also for fighting, but they are also internal and for developing health as well and this has made them different.

Today we benefit from Tàijíquán a great deal, and this is because of Chén Wáng Tíng and in particular General Qī Jì Guāng. Qī Jì Guāng is a Chinese hero and was a great general and miliary strategist.