Tai chi is known as a practice or meditation in motion, which consists of 24 to 108 elements, and which has beneficial effect on human organism in general. There are few who haven't seen Chinese people in parks practicing Tai Chi by deliberately making slow, rhythmic movements and moving as if dancing on air.

Not many people know that Tai chi is originally a martial art and that it's a part of Chinese martial arts (Wu Shu). Translated Tai chi means something immense or infinite. Depending on the form, there is a suffix, for example: Tai chi Chuan (for Forms without use of weapon) or Tai chi Sabre Form etc.

Origins

The origins of Tai chi are obscure. There are many legends concerning the origins of this martial art, the most popular legend is the one that names Chang San-feng as the founder of Tai Chi.

 

He is believed to be born in 1247, and the date of his death is unknown, according to legend he lived 200 years. Like his parents, Chang was a clerk. After the death of his parents, he goes to the famous Shao-lin Temple where he devotes himself to Buddhism and martial arts, which were in full expansion in the temple at the time.

There are three legends of Chang's creating Tai chi. According to the first, it happened while he was meditating on the Wu Dang Mountain. The second legend says that Tai Chi came to him in a dream, and the third legend says that Tai Chi originated in a fight between a snake and a crane. Impressed by the white crane's skill in attacking the snake and the snakes skill in avoiding the attacks by swift, circular movements, Chang creates Tai Chi by adapting these movements and combining them with his knowledge of harmony between Heaven, Man and the Earth.

 

Chang also laid basic Tai Chi principles: force and aggressiveness are overcome with tranquillity and slow movements. Tranquillity overcomes force.

Tai Chi today

Nowadays, Tai Chi is practiced all over the world. There are dozens of different forms that came to being directly from one of the styles or by mixing of the five main styles. The most popular are the Yang style and then the Chen style forms.

Realizing the importance of Tai Chi, and wishing to introduce it to as large number of people as possible, the government of China with the help from the Tai Chi masters creates more simple forms (24 moves) and introduces them in schools as a part of the regular physical education.

Outside China there are also competition forms that again came to being out of wish to introduce Tai Chi to greater number of people. The most popular competition form consists of 42 moves.