Tai chi chuan, also spelled Taijiquan, is one of the highest forms of martial arts and health practice.

Chen style Taijiquan was created by Chen Wanting, a seventeenth century royal guard from what is known today as Chenjiagou inWenxian County, Henan Province. Shrouded in secrecy even in China until the early twentiethcentury, Chen Taijiquan is now practiced widely, not only in China and the Far East, but throughout the Western World.

Historically, Chen Taijiquan was developed as an eclectic fighting system incorporating many of the most effective techniques from the famous Ming General Qi Jiguang's Canon of Boxing. Qi Jiguang's system consisted of thirty-two martial techniques derived from sixteen major forms of Chinese boxing. Inspired by Qi's military text, Chen Wanqting created five Taijiquan routines;a Changquan (Long Boxing) routine consisting of one hundred and eight forms: and a Paocui (Cannon Fist) routine.

Before the invention of firearms, the purpose and attitude of Martial arts was serious, as the security of country, village, community, family and individual depended on it. Survival was its foremost purpose, not the health, meditative or aestetic qualities, although practitioners did derive considerable health benefits as a by-product of the art. Successive generations of Chen family boxers earned their livelyhood acting as escorts for rich merchants transporting valuables through the surrounding provinces. Faced with many challenges and dangers, their skills were developed to an extraordinarly high level. Many legends have been recorded of their exploits, which serve as an inspiration to the present generation.

For five generations the skill remained a closely guarded secret taught only within the Chen family. Given that their very survival was dependant on their fighting skills, the reluctance of the Chen family to share their knowledge with outsiders is understandable. Not until the time of Chen Changxing (1771-1853), the fourteenth-generation standard bearer of Chen Taijiquan, was the art taught to an outsider, Yang Luchan (1799-1872).

Yang Luchan went to Beijing after leaving Chenjiagou, where he modified the routine he had learned from his teacher, adapting it to suit the people whose main goal in learning was to keep fit. This became known as Yang style Taijiquan. Omitted were many of the explosive movements, deep postures, stamping and variations in tempo that identify the Chen style. Over the course of the next two generations of the Yang Family, the Yang style was further revised until Yang Chengfu, grandson of Yang Luchan, developed the "Big Frame" which has become the most widely practiced form of Taijiquan both in China and throughout the world.

While Yang Taijiquan and the other major styles, also derived from the Chen Style, were being propagated all over China, Chen style continued to be practiced almost exclusively in Chenjiagou. Despite being the source of Taijiquan "shadow boxing" it remained the least understood of the major styles. Chen style Taijiquan truly became a public art as late as 1928, when Chen Fa-ke (1887-1957) of the seventeenth generation of Chen Clan came to Beijing at the invitation of his nephew to teach the family art. His demonstrations caused astonishment among Taiji circles familiar with the slow and gentle manifestations of Taijiquan. The use of swift movements, stamping of the feet, leaping and dodging, and explosive fajing (emitting energy) actions caused some observers to question how this could be Taijiquan.

Today, although people seldom need martial skills for survival, Taijiquan remains an excellent art of self-defence. Also, considerable health benefits can be derived from it. It is a highly developed system of harmonizing the external body with internal energy. In China this important exercise is practiced daily by millions to preserve and enhance vitality.