FAQ & Information

Taijiquan is a Chinese martial art, which took shape in the north of China at the end of the nineteenth century, under the impulse of the Yang and Wŭ families. Quan means “fist”, but is used here to denote the use of the fists (boxing) and other parts of the body for attack and defense. Taiji refers to a Chinese philosophy that is thousands of years old, of which yin and yang are at the core. In the Zhouyi (Yijing), the Book of Changes, we find the first mention of the term “taiji”.​ This terminology and the accompanying philosophy were revisited by Taoists first and then Confucianists about a thousand years ago, and especially the Taoists developed ways of using the taiji philosophy as the source of practices such as rituals during the past two thousand years. During the development of taijiquan (the martial art of taiji) in the nineteenth century both the philosophy of the neo-Confucianists and the practice of the Taoists influenced some practitioners and as a result they changed what was purely a martial art into a system that reflected also the taiji philosophy. Taijiquan was composed by the Yang and Wŭ families and their associates using elements from various older martial arts (such as the martial art of the Chen family from Chenjiagou) and possibly Taoist practices. In the twentieth century, various traditions arose (Wŭ, Wu, Li, Sun), while the martial art of the Chen family also came to borrow the name taijiquan. From about 1920, but especially in the fifties of the twentieth century, a simple Chinese gymnastics, based on taijiquan movements, was developed. These simplified exercises, called taijicao or taiji gymnastics, are at the basis of most forms of taiji practiced in China and the West. However, they are not the same as the much more complex taijiquan and should therefore not be confused with it. Most of the characteristics of taijiquan (such as efficient health training and martial arts) are absent in taijicao. Especially in some versions of Yang, Wŭ, Wu, Sun styles simplifications also became mainstream and much of the original martial aspects disappeared.

There are different types of taiji (tai chi) available all over the world and so each person can find a suitable way of practicing taijiquan. If you want to practice in a safe, healthy, and effective way and if you want to know everything there is to know about taijiquan, we can offer you that. Prof. dr. Dan Vercammen is both a martial arts and philosophy scholar and a very experienced teacher with five decades of practical experience, and Taoist doctor.

It is important to know what kind of taiji practice you wish/are going to study. In short, there are several so-called types of taijiquan. The most common type is taijicao or taiji gymnastics (e.g. the 24 movements set), a simplified form of gymnastics based on taijiquan movements. Then you have the wushu (martial sport) version, which is used for competition: it is usually an acrobatic, aesthetic way of practicing sets (choreographic forms), but there are also tuishou (pushing hands) and other martial competitions. Thirdly, there are complete and traditional versions that practice taijiquan as a real martial art and not as an empty form. In these, the practice is not based on slow motions but on actual fighting speed and they reveal the real taijiquan. The popular Wudang style of taijiquan is based on earlier traditions (mainly Yang style) and was put together in the twentieth century, inspired by the success of the revival of shaolinquan. This style combines the modern wushu and traditional martial aspects. Some twentieth century practitioners developed new styles or added new elements (such as alchemical aspects) to the original styles. All teachers tend to tell you that their taiji is a health practice, too, and although this is the case for some, many a teacher has too little knowledge of the practice and (especially) of medicine to make this claim.

We practice a non-simplified version of taijiquan, that is based on the Yang and Wŭ (Li) styles. This combination of two styles comes from Dong Yingjie, a student of both styles. Dong is mostly known as a prominent disciple and successor of Yang Chengfu, the best known master of the Yang tradition. Dong had a friend and disciple called Yue Huanzhi, who was well versed in both Buddhist and Taoist studies. Yue developed a special way of practicing the Dong substyle of taijiquan by including Taoist and Buddhist influences into his practice. One of Yue's disciples was dr. Fu Qinglong, a Taoist doctor and alchemist, who became Prof. Dr. Dan Vercammen's teacher in 1988. Fu taught Yue's taijiquan as a complete system, including the martial applications, the health practices, the philosophy, the empty hand and weapon sets and the alchemical use of the taijiquan practice. Taoist-Lifestyle.Com therefore teaches all aspects of the art of taijiquan. We don't practice empty forms but aim for real effects based on solid and practical content.

Moving slowly is not the essence of taijiquan practice; it is useful to move slowly when learning how to move, but it is useless in a fight. Taijiquan contains many methods of practice and moving in fast way is one of the important ones. The slow version was developed in the twentieth century when taijiquan changed into a type of gymnastics and left the path of the martial arts. This type of practice was developed for the general public and especially for the elderly. Nowadays, we see a revival of the martial aspects of different taijiquan styles and therefore also the fast movements gain prominence.