Formosa Neijia

8 responses so far ↓

• 1 Thomas // Mar 11, 2007 at 3:16 am

  Thanks, Dave, for posting the CPL taiji clips (and to Bob as well for providing them). I’ve never seen more than a few seconds of movement from the CPL taolu before.

  From the little bit of information I’ve come across, I understand that CPL developed a “combination” form based on movements from Chen, Yang and Wu (Jianquan) taijiquan. I’d be interested in what depth of training exposure CPL had in these different taijiquan styles. More importantly, I’d also be interested in the reasons why he selected certain movements and not others. Finally, what was CPL’s overriding purpose in developing this synthesis of styles? Health? Military or self-defense training? Competition?

  Perhaps these questions are answered in CPL’s book on taijiquan, which was translated a few years ago into English.

• 2 chessman71 // Mar 11, 2007 at 8:25 am

  Thomas,
  Excellent questions. Some of those I have no answer to yet, but I’m working on them. I’ll be exploring those questions in the future. Stay tuned, I guess. Haha.

• 3 Zhongnanmen/PDE // Mar 12, 2007 at 9:50 pm

  Hi,

  These clips show the CPL form as Wang Shujin taught it, though with a little higher stance and less extension. The main structure of the form is based on Wu Jianquan’s form before he left Beijing and went south - when Wu’s way of practicing was still more similar to the small frame Yang style. Since Chen also studied with Ji Zixiu and Yang Shaohou (they were all in Beijing (then Beiping) teaching at the same place), the CPL form is sort of mix of what he learned from them. What puts it apart from more common Yang and Wu styles is that Chen incorporate more spiralling and rotations along the vertical axis and an emphasis on the dynamic interplay between relaxation (song) and dynamic tension (jin).There is considerably more rotations everywhere than common Yang style. This is not so outwardly noticeable in the above clips, but it’s there and, for the practitioner, it’s integral to the ’spirit’ of the form.

  The form is definitely a outgrowth of Chen’s wider involvement in the nationalist revolutionary movement, starting with his role as student leader in the May 4th Movement, and his concern with national health and strength,starting with the individual all the way to the larger national collectivity. His goal was to create a form that combined the main characteristics of the major schools of taiji and to thus transcend the tensions and feuds between schools endemic to Chinese martial arts.He said that there should not be division between schools (bu fen menpai), but one’s lineage should be acknowledged. Chen was also very concerned with standardisation and systematic teaching so that taiji would be more accessible to a broader audience. Yet he was also explicit about his desire to combine not just the most beautiful movements, but also those that application-wise were effective and represented the styles the three schools of taiji that went into his form.

  When he was head of the Henan Guoshuguan in the 1920s, he spent an extended period in Chenjiagou and was, very importantly, responsible for publishing Chen Xin’s book on Chen taiji. With whom he studied with when he was there is not clear, though I’m sure his sons would know more about that.

  I’ve got to go. Just wanted to add some comments. Chessman, sorry for not replying to your email yet - these have a busy few weeks for me and I’ll write back as soon as I can.

  PD

• 4 Thomas // Mar 13, 2007 at 12:38 pm

  Darius:

  Thank you very much for the information on Chen Panling’s taijiquan. It answers my questions well. Hope work and training are going well.

  Thomas

• 5 Formosa Neijia - Exploring Taiwan’s Martial Arts » Another view of the Chen Pan-ling form // Mar 30, 2007 at 7:27 am

  [...] interest in this form may be aware that there are a few versions of this form floating around. The vid clips that I put up earlier show a beginning version being taught by a teacher from the Wang Shu-jin camp. The needs of the [...]

• 6 Formosa Neijia - Exploring Taiwan’s Martial Arts » CPL taiji as middle frame // Apr 9, 2007 at 10:24 am

  [...] bit more open about the inner door practices is that the middle frame looks a bit…well….anemic. It is a middle frame afterall, so it doesn’t go to the extremes that the small and large [...]

• 7 jf // Apr 20, 2007 at 9:13 pm

  Sifu Andrew Chung:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZWfmQZuNLs

• 8 David // Aug 26, 2007 at 3:02 pm

  Our school also practices the Chen Pan Ling style. My teacher, Danny Lai, is from Taichung, Taiwan. I met him there and learned the form from him. Danny learned from a student of Master Wang Shu-jin, but I find our version lower and more martial than many other CPL brothers and sisters.

  In our forum, I have posted a link to Bruce Kumar Franzis doing the CPL style as well as a link to Danny demoing it:

  On our Tai Chi page, I excerpt a bit from the Chen Pan Ling text, which is a fantastic martial arts book:

  Practice hard,

  David

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