Fu Zhongwen - Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan

Yang Chengfu (seated) and Fu Zhongwen (standing), 1932

Copyright 1999, 2006 by Louis Swaim. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout written permission of the publisher. For information contact Blue Snake Books c/o North Atlantic Books.

Published by Blue Snake Books,
an imprint of North Atlantic Books
P.O. Box 12327
Berkeley, California 94712

Frontispiece and all interior photos courtesy of LeRoy Clark
Cover design by Susan Quasha

Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan is sponsored by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational corporation whose goals are to develop an educational and cross-cultural perspective linking various scientific, social, and artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and healing; and to publish and distribute literature on the relationship of mind, body, and nature.

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eISBN: 978-1-58394-688-6

The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Fu, Zhongwen.

[Yang shi tai ji quan. English]
Mastering Yang style Taijiquan / by Fu Zhongwen; translated by Louis Swaim.
p. cm.
Originally published: North Atlantic Books : Berkeley, Calif., c1999.
Summary: This is the first English translation of Fu Zhongwens esteemed handbook on Taijiquan. Superbly detailed form instructions and historic line-art drawings based on Fus twenty-plus years of study as a disciple of the eminent Yang Chengfu constitute some of the best documentation of the traditional Yang StyleProvided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Tai chi. I. Swaim, Louis, 1953 . II. Title.
GV 504. F 813 2006
613.7148dc22
2005033705

v3.1

My first Taijiquan sifu used to say, I can give you a glass of water to drink, but I cannot describe its taste. What he gave has had a lasting and profound influence on me. Perhaps in a small way this book translation is an indication that I am still drinking from that glass of water. With deep respect and gratitude, I dedicate this book to Master Kwong Gate Chan, whose way becomes a way in the walking.

Flowing from its source it becomes a gushing spring,

What was empty slowly becomes full;

First turbid and then surging forward,

What was murky slowly becomes clear.

D. C. Lau and Roger T. Ames, trans., Huainanzi, Chapter 1.

I wish to express my gratitude to the friends, family, and fellow practitioners who helped to make this project possible. While acknowledging their many suggestions and comments, I claim responsibility for any lingering errors or oversights.

Al Simon, a seasoned practitioner and teacher, read an early draft, offering helpful encouragement and pointed feedback on crucial wording in the Classics translations. Al in fact helped to steer me toward seriously translating Taijiquan materials when he engaged me several years ago in a productive dialogue about the threading imagery used in the Taijiquan Classics. Mr. Ruu Chang, a fellow participant at a Yang Zhenduo seminar, brought his native Chinese language skills, editorial eye, and Taijiquan proficiency to bear in reading a partial draft. I owe him a great debt for his economical but effectual comments. He helped me see the need to dig deeper on some crucial terminology, in particular the xu ling ding jin phrase appearing in the Taijiquan Treatise. Alan Kasten urged me on very early in the process and generously offered useful guidance on syntactical road-mapping issues in the Classics. Stephen J. Goodson engaged me in frequent spirited debate over Taijiquan terminology and theory. LeRoy Clark kindly shared his Yang family photos. I wish to thank Richard Grossinger and the staff and associates of North Atlantic Books. Jess OBrien deftly managed the project with heartening enthusiasm. Kathy Glass did an admirably scrupulous copyedit. Paula Morrison created a splendid design. Others who helped in numerous ways include Dave Barret, Bruce Ching, David Coulter, Jim Fox, Master Fu Shengyuan, Howin Fung, Lis Hoorweg, Fontane Ip and Brett Wagland, Jerry Karin, Ted W. Knecht, Peter Lim, Horacio Lopez, my tongxue Dr. Benjamin Tong, Bill Walsh, and Don Wycoff (for the computer equipment). Finally, my wife Glory and daughter Emma endured my disproportionate preoccupation and my piles of books, dictionaries and manuscriptthrough it all they sustained me with their love.

T his book translation began as a personal exercise. I was initially attracted to Fu Zhongwens handbook on Taijiquan because it so clearly presented the traditional Yang form that I had been practicing for more than twenty years. Much of the subject matter of the text was familiar, and yet I found that in reading it, I gained valuable perspective in my approach to studying the Taijiquan form. I began to experiment with rendering a few selected passages into English. When I shared these passages with other practitioners and friends, their reactions and encouragement spurred me on to translate the entire text in a more systematic way. Not only did I derive enormous satisfaction from this endeavor, but as it took shape, it became more and more evident that this effort was worth sharing. It is my hope that Taijiquan practitioners and teachers will welcome this translation as a valuable source book in the art of Taijiquan.

Fu Zhongwen is less well known in the United States than are other Chinese Taijiquan masters. He was only able to travel outside of the Peoples Republic of China late in life. He finally had an opportunity to visit and teach in the United States in the summer of 1994, shortly before his death in Shanghai in September of that year at the age of 91. His fame in East Asia, however, is well-established, and his book, Yang Shi Taijiquan (Yang Style Taijiquan), published in 1963, has long been considered an essential source on the art, both in China and in overseas Chinese-speaking communities.

Fu was a disciple of Yang Chengfu (18831936), the eminent consolidator and standard-bearer of the art who introduced Taijiquan

The books detailed practical form instructions are based upon Fus more than twenty years of first-hand study with Yang Chengfu. The line-art drawings that accompany the text were rendered from photos taken of Yang Chengfus form. Together, the drawings and form instructions constitute some of the best documentation that we have of Master Yang Chengfus art.

In addition to Fu Zhongwens brief preface, the book includes a historical synopsis of Yang Family Taijiquan by the famous martial arts historian Gu Liuxin, himself a former student of Yang Chengfu. Although many advances have been made in Taijiquan history since Gu wrote this essay, I include it here without comment, beyond pointing out that while the essay in its broad outlines is interesting and informative, it is clearly a product of the political times in which it was written, as can be seen in Gus apparent need to express the value of Taijiquan in terms of its appeal to the masses. The two essays that follow are famous direct records of the teachings of Yang Chengfu. These have been available in English translations for some time, but their content is well worth revisiting, and I hope that my effort here has yielded some of the nuances of the original texts.