© Chanquanshu
Most people have seen Taijiquan, even if they did not know it at the time, usually in film of the Chinese performing a slow motion exercise in the early morning. With movements soft and light, Taijiquan, characterized by its suppleness and elegance, is one of the rich cultural heritages of China.
It gets its name because most of its movements are circular and reminiscent of the symbol of the universe as seen in the theory of taiji (the Grand Ultimate), expounded in ancient Chinese Taoist philosophy. According to this theory, taiji is made up of two basic elements, yin and yang, which exist together as a unity of opposites. In the practice of Taijiquan, the concept of yin and yang refers to the movements of opposites such as opening and closing, emptiness and solidity, inhalation and exhalation, firmness and softness, extension and contraction, yielding and attacking, etc.
The Chanquanshu school is primarily ’Yang Style’ but begins by teaching the modern Simplified Forms