Part 8: The Development Of Zhao
Bao Style Taijiquan
Of the popular styles of Taijiquan
that have come into prominance
in recent years, the Zhao Bao
style Of Taijiquan is probably
the most well known. Not to
mention also one of the most
controversial. There are two
differring views on the origins
of Zhao Bao Taijiquan and both
have some logic to their claims.
We shall try to clarify what
actually happened in the light
of these two claims and present
a plausible explanation to the
confusion that exists today.
Documentation on the Zhao Bao
style is scarce and there are
few published works to refer
to. The Zhao Bao style is becoming
increasingly popular and has
spread to different countries.
Perhaps in the future more primary
and secondary sources will become
available.
From Zhao Bao style comes a
lesser known style of Hu Lei
or Hu Long Jia Taijiquan. This
style is just becoming known
in the West and is arousing
considerable interest. Works
pertaining to this style are
even harder to come by and investigation
has been difficult because of
this. But as the style is ultimately
related to Zhao Bao style and
its origins, more time has been
devoted to the Zhao Bao style.
The Origin Theories
Of Zhao Bao Taijiquan
There are two primary theories
concerning Zhao Bao style Taijiquan.
One comes from the Chen Villiage
and the other from the Zhao
Bao Villiage itself. Both, however,
have the nexus on one key personage:
Chen Qing Ping.
Of this noted personage we can
only be certain of a few things.
Chen Qing Ping had married and
moved to the Zhao Bao Villiage
which was his wife's home villiage.
There he taught Taijiquan and
had considerable influence.
How he got the art is at the
centre of the differences in
opinion.
We shall examine the individual
claims by themselves and then
view them in the context of
each other in an effort to determine
the truth.
Claim 1: That The Chen
Villiage Originated The Art
This claim was first put forth
by Gu Liu Xin based on Chen
Xin's seminal work on Chen style
Taijiquan. In it, Chen Xin had
written a family manual and
that manual stated that Chen
Xin had learnt his art from
Chen You Ben and transmitted
the art to the Zhao Bao Villiage.
Chen You Ben is widely acknowledged
as the founder of the `new'
style of Chen Taijiquan. We
do not know for sure if he did
know Taijiquan since it is disputed
that the Chen Villiage did not
invent Taijiquan since their
claims have been proven untenable.
In any case, Chen Qing Ping
was supposed to have studied
the Chen family arts from him
and that is not what is in dispute.
There is not very much material
available on the `new' style
and on the basis of postures
there is not much variance with
the `old' style.
This claim is the most widely
believed due to the popularity
of the works of Gu Liu Xin and
Tang Hao. It was only in recent
years with the liberation of
China permitting more freedom
that the Zhao Bao claims have
been published and given air
to. Beyond the recent work of
Chen Xin, there is no other
primary collaboration on it.
Claim 2: Zhiang Fa Transmitted
The Art To Zhao Bao
In the recently published works
of the Zhao Bao Taijiquan masters,
there is a common belief that
the art did not come from the
Chen Villiage but instead was
transmitted down by Jiang Fa,
whose teacher was Wang Tsung
Yueh, and that the art ultimately
came from the Wudang mountain.
This is in keeping with the
early Chen references like that
of Du Yu Wan.
The Zhao Bao masters hold that
the art was first transmitted
to the villiage by Jiang Fa
who had once lived in the Zhao
Bao villiage. Their placing
of the date for Zhiang Fa puts
him as a Ming Dynasty personage
and could reflect an influence
coming from the Chen Villiage
on the placing of the dates.
In any case, the old manuals
in the Zhao Bao villiage record
that the art came down from
Jiang Fa.
This art passed down several
generations to Zhang Yan who
was supposed to have taught
it to Chen Qing Ping and does
not preclude the possibility
that Chen Qing Ping was already
skilled in the Chen family arts.
The characteristics of Zhao
Bao Taijiquan seem to bear this
out.
Not all the Zhao Bao masters
come down from Chen Qing Ping's
lineage, some have come down
from Chen Qing Ping's contemporaries
and so it seems that the contention
that Chen Qing Ping founded
Zhao Bao Taijiquan may not be
tenable.
(1)(2)
|