Henry Zhuang - The Mind Inside Yang Style Tai Chi: Lao Liu Lu 22-Posture Short Form

In the time of Qing dynasty, taijiquan was quite popular in the royal palace due to Prince Pu Lun Bei Zi, a man of great power and wealth, who appreciated the fighting technique of Yang-style taijiquan. He recognized the martial applications disguised in the slow, graceful movements, as if there were needles hidden, wrapped in cotton. He invited Yang Jian Hou (third son of Yang Lu Chancreating master of Yang-style taijiquan) into his mansion to teach and offered generous reward and favor, which influenced the Yang family to share their secrets of gongfu and taijiquan and to teach the traditional internal power that is usually called Lao Liu Lu or Old Six Routines. However, it was Wang Chong Lu, a housekeeper and servant of Prince Lun, and his son who actually went into deep study and developed the deep understanding needed to inherit the internal power and technique. This became the bloodline thriving in the capital for the internal power and mind approach.

It is said, Wang Chong Lu, when formally acknowledging Yang as master, was instructed by Yang, What I teach you [the mind approach of the internal power] shall not be released outside, except to your son. That is the Yangs livelihood, and you do not want to ruin [it]. Wang and his son kept their word and never released any of the secrets of the mind approach of internal power. It was not until the 1990s, the third anniversary of Wang Yong Quans passing, that True Essence of Yang Style Taijiquan was released to the public. In it he described, in detail, the essence of Yang-style Lao Liu Lu. It is a true classic of Yang style, which is the great achievement and contribution of Wang Yong Quan in his later years.

In 1982 Wei Shu Ren was formally accepted as a disciple of Wang Yong Quan. Wei was an adept student and gained favor from Wang, and took the instruction left by Wang to write books and accept disciples to promote Yang style. True Essence of Yang Style Taijiquan and Yang Jian Hous Private Teaching of Authentic Internal Power were published in 1999 and 2000 respectively. They revealed the true essence of Yang-style Lao Liu Lu, for which we are fortunate, as the art was endangered due to the veil of secrecy kept by the masters of previous generations. It is a great contribution for human health.

Yang Jian (18391918), style name Jian Hou and also known as Jinghu, was called Gentleman Three by people, and Old Gentleman in his later years. A style name was given to imply a particular virtue. Yang Jian Hou was born with a subtle tranquility, a nature recognized by his father, Yang Lu. This subtle tranquility is an ability to abide or rest in the natural mind, or in Buddhism, in the Buddha nature. Persons born with this subtle tranquility are prime material for Dao cultivation and practicing internal boxing. He believed it would be Yang Jian Hou who would take the lead in the Yang family.

When he was practicing gongfu with his father, he completed all of his fathers teachings, including more than ten complete forms, swords and spears, internal and external power training, concealed weapons, and shooting. The painstaking training was unbearable for most people, but was the key to Yangs ultimate exquisite gongfu. His boxing style couples both strength and gentleness, which is truly the ultimate realm, with mastery of sword, saber, spear, and pole. Many martial artists from other schools, skilled at sword and saber, challenged Yang, and all were beaten as if they were flies brushed away with a fly whisk. He was also skilled at spear and pole, capable of applying all kinds of forces to the tip of the pole. Therefore, when other spear or pole martial artists confronted him, they were all thrown away. He was an expert in shooting as well, and accurate every time. With three or four stones at hand, he could shoot down birds of the same number. What was unbelievable was his skill of holding a bird in the open palm of his hand and through sensitivity to the birds motion prevented it from flying away.