Chen Pan Ling's Taijiquan

Chen Pan Ling was one of the greatest modern masters of Chinese martial arts. Both a scholar and a great master, Chen had studied under noted masters in his youth and continued to research Chinese martial arts theory and history until his death in 1967.

Chen Pan Ling had the good opportunity to go to the Chen Villiage to study their arts and also to study under Yang Shao Hou, Wu Jian Quan, Xu Yu Sheng, etc. He also associated with great masters of Taijiquan and learnt much from them. The result of his studies was his own form of Taijiquan that is mainly based on the Yang style and Wu styles he learnt from Xu Yu Sheng, Yang Shao Hou and Wu Jian Quan. It is unusual but there is no evidence of Chen Taijiquan input in the form. The information about Du Yu Wan's Taijiquan in the Chen Villiage does provide the possibility that the Taijiquan Chen Pan Ling learnt at the Chen Villiage was a set similar to that of the Yang school rather than the current Chen Taijiquan.

Chen was also an expert at Hsing-I and Pa Kua and he created some basic practice sets that reflect such influences in his art. The old sequence of learning is preserved with single posture training and fast form training.

The Chang Style Of Taijiquan

The Chang Style Taijiquan is the name given to the Taijiquan set created by Fan Su Fen. She had studied since she was seven years old. Learning Shaolin, Tung Bei, Hsing-I, Pa Kua, Old Yang Taijiquan, qigong, Xin Yi Liu He, Mien Quan, Liu He Pa Fa, Chen Taijiquan from noted teachers like Gu Liu Xin, Wang Qing Jian, Wan Lai Sheng, Wang Ju Rong, etc.

She later studied and made her main style the old Wu Jian Quan style of Chang Yun Jia, whose father Chang Yun Ting had studied with Quan Yu, the founder of the Wu Jian Quan style. Fan integrated the best parts of all the arts she had learnt into the form taught to her by Chang and developed a unique style of Taijiquan. The form itself is low and has postures from both the Old Yang Form, the Old Wu Jian Quan Form. Out of respect for her teacher, she named the new form Chang style Taijiquan.

The Chang style of Taijiquan was first taught in 1981 and through books, classes and a television series teaching it, has become quite popular. Today the form continues to spread in popularity primarily in China and Taiwan.

The Li Style Of Taijiquan

The Li style of Taijiquan was created by Li Wan Dong who was a student of Wang Lan Ting, a treasured student of Yang Lu Chan, and Gan Yan Ran, the grandson of the great internal boxing master Gan Feng Chi. From his two teachers, Li learnt the Wudang internal Taijiquan arts.

Li's Taijiquan form has elements of the Yang Small Frame, the Yang Old Frame and has all three heights of training in the same form. Li was fortunate to receive Wang Lan Ting's boxing manual which Wang had gotten from Yang Lu Chan. Inside it we find several interesting works including a much extended Five Word Formula with unique theories. The Five Word Formula coming down from Yang Pan Hou through Wu Meng Xia is contained within it.

Also contained is the Chen Chang Xin Preface which is proportedly an original document from Chen Chang Xin delinating the details of his teacher Jiang Fa. The information within agrees with some of the earlier testimonies of old masters who had trained under Yang Lu Chan. The letter was given to Wang Lan Ting by Yang Lu Chan, possibly because Yang was illiterate, who in turned gave it to Li Wan Dong.

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