Daoist Breathing Techniques

[Xue Sheng]

Daoist Breathing Techniques
by Zhou Xuan Yun, May 20, 2009

I've been looking at Zhou Xuan Yun's web page and articles most of the morning and I like what I am reading

 

[TaiChiTJ]

Xue Sheng, in your understanding of TCC history, did Tai Chi Chuan come from Wudang mountain?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Xue Sheng, in your understanding of TCC history, did Tai Chi Chuan come from Wudang mountain?

At this point all I can really say is, I don't know and I doubt anyone else knows for sure either.

You can only historically (verifiably) get Taijiquan to the Chen family (although their origin story is likely not 100% true either) but beyond that is pure speculation. I tend to go with it came from whatever the Chen family martial arts was pre Chen Taiji in combination with some Shaolin Paoqui and a bit of an older qigong form called Taijiqigong, but that is pure speculation on my part.

I have not seen anything that convinces me that there was ever a Taoist named Zhang Sanfeng that invented taiji nor can any of the people that are much more qualified than I, that are researching it in China, find actual proof of his existence.

Was there Taiji at Wudang before the Chen family started Chen Taijiquan? I really have no idea but there are more than a few that say Wudang has Chen Zhenglei to thank for their Taiji.

There have been martial arts at Wudang for a very very long time (before Chen taiji existed) and it is possible that there was a slow form similar to taiji there but so far that is not historically verifiable as far as I know.

But with that said I would really like to train Taoist Taijiquan someday to see what it is like