Press the "Back" button on your web browser to return to the previous page.

"Question: The Taichichuan practiced in Peking is all taught by the Yang family. But why are the forms not entirely the same?"

"Answer: Although the forms are not entirely the same, the concepts are not different. The reasons for the difference arises, according to my understanding from two sources.

"First, the line between teachers and students in the old days was very strict. The students did not dare ask questions on points on which they were not clear. The teachers, on the other hand, do not demonstrate very often. The result is inaccurate forms.

"Second, even when a student learned the correct forms, the difference in individual inclination unintentionally changed the forms from generation to generation without the practitioners realizing it.

"Accordingly, unless the teachers have very refined methods of teaching, and the students have the patience to search for the details, the correct Taichichuan cannot be obtained."

Wu Ta-yeh teaches in Palo Alto, CA