The Chen Taijiquan proponents have also said that Jiang was a student of Chen Wang Ting, pointing to a painting of Chen Wang Ting and a man surnamed Jiang as proof of the matter. The painting needs to be dated to verify it as a early source but it doesn't really need to be done because the name given the man is Jiang Pu and not Jiang Fa. This bit of information coming from Chen Xin's book. This incorrect attribution has led to the placing of Jiang Fa as a Ming dynasty personage, affecting also the Zhao Bao dating. But the writings of Chen Xin indicate that Chen Wang Ting was a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) personage and Jiang Fa was a Ching Dynasty (1644-1911), Chien Loong Era (1716-1795) personage. So their assertion is baseless. Chen Xin emphasized the fact that Chen Wang Ting and Jiang Fa were from different eras because some in the Chen Villiage believed that Jiang Fa had taught Chen Wang Ting martial arts.

Given the evidence above of the nature of the early Chen family arts, Jiang Fa could indeed have been the person who `softened' the existing art to the present day Taijiquan and input the 13 postures into the art. The 13 postures consists of the 8 different Jings and the Five directions of movement. It is interesting to note that the early Chen documents record different names for the 8 jings than the conventionally accepted ones which are in the Taijiquan Classics. (see next chapter)

Jiang Fa's Teacher: Wang Tsung Yueh

The song formula at the very back of Chen Xin's book indicates that Jiang Fa's teacher was from Shanxi, that would indicate Wang Tsung Yueh and the contents of the song formula is almost virtually identical to the Taijiquan Treatise (Taijiquan Lun) which is attributed to Wu Yu Xiang (this attribution originates from Tang Hao, who assumed because Wu Yu Xiang compiled the sayings on `Hitting Hands' of which this was one section, that it was Wu Yu Xiang who wrote it. This is to differentiate it with Wang Tsung Yueh's Taijiquan Classic of the same name). This would mean that Wu Yu Xiang did have access to Wang's teachings and that the Chen family does acknowledge his existance and that he taught Jiang Fa. This would make the theory that Wu Yu Xiang inventing Wang's personage improbable. Besides Wu did not hesitate to put his name on the other works he wrote which are a part of the Tajiquan Classics.

Zhao Bao also records him in their lineage and he is an important figure in the Yang lineage as well. The Taijiquan Classic of his is probably the most profound work on the nature and function of the art of Taijiquan.

Tang Hao and Gu Liu Xin have written that Wang had learnt his art from the Chen family but one must note that this is pure conjecture as there is no evidence to suggest that this is so. In documents pertaining to Wang's life, there is no mention that he learnt his art from the Chen family.

Other than Wang's manual discovered in the salt store, Tang Hao obtained in 1930 the Yin Fu Spear Manual written by Wang Tsung Yueh, the manual also contains the Taijiquan Classic. The preface of the Yin Fu Spear Manual states that in his old age, Wang was a school teacher with his own private school in Luoyang in 1791 and was also active in Kaifeng in 1795 and was still alive in 1796. The consensus of the early evidence does suggest that they all believe he existed and they do record his teachings. It is unlikely that he was was just a fictitious character invented by Wu Yu Xiang.

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