Yang Taijiquan
太极的传奇：三代杨无敌！杨露禅大宗师及其子孙!
杨式太极拳：是由河北永年杨家三代人，即创始人杨禄禅，其子次子杨班侯、三子杨健侯，其孙澄甫）在陈式老架太极拳基础上，逐渐发展创编而形成的一个太极拳流派。
这里着重提及第一代杨露禅和第三代杨澄甫。
The Legend of Tai Chi: Three Generations of Yang Invincible! Grand Master Yang Luchan and his children and grandchildren!
Yang Style Taijiquan: a Taijiquan school formed by three generations of the Yang family in Yongnian, Hebei Province, i.e. the founder Yang Luchan, his second son Yang Banhou, the third son Yang Jianhou, and his grandson Yang Chengfu), based on the Chen Style Laojia Taijiquan, which was gradually developed and created.
The first generation Yang Luchan and the third generation Yang Chengfu are highlighted here.
杨露禅，（1799-1872）河北省广平府人，中国历史上第一个将太极拳发扬光大的武术家。
Yang Luchan (杨露禅), (1799-1872), a native of Guangping town, Hebei Province, was the first martial artist in Chinese history to bring Taijiquan to prominence.
杨露禅为学拳，十八年间三下陈家沟，深得陈式太极拳传人陈长兴所传精髓。自学拳艺成后返回家乡设坛教拳，拳、械运用高妙，所向无不披靡。后来往北京，被请至王府授拳，因众多弟子大都出身高第，礼遇有加，使得太极拳的社会地位和影响力非同一般。旧社会武行规矩虽大，但争斗也极多，杨露禅因每在擂台上与别家武者比武较量，出手即见红，一响必成功，遂被誉为打遍京城"杨无敌"，名声大噪。杨露禅与其子杨班侯、杨建侯，其孙杨澄甫三代人在北京教拳，对传播太极拳功劳极大。
In order to learn boxing, Yang Luchan travelled to Chenjiagou three times in eighteen years, and gained the essence of Chen-style Taijiquan passed down by Chen Changxing, the heir of Chen-style Taijiquan. He returned to his hometown to set up an altar to teach boxing, and he was highly skilled in the use of boxing and armament, and he was invincible in all directions. Later, he went to Beijing and was invited to teach boxing in the imperial palace. As most of his disciples came from high ranks, they were treated with great courtesy, which made the social status and influence of Taijiquan extraordinary. Though the rules of martial arts were complex, there were also many fights, Yang Luchan became known as "Yang Invincible" in the capital because he fought with other martial artists in the ring and succeeded in the fight. Yang Luchan, his sons Yang Banhou and Yang Jianhou, and his grandson Yang Chengfu taught kung Fu in Beijing for three generations, and contributed greatly to the spread of Taijiquan.
杨式太极拳第三代传人杨澄甫，(1883-1937)。他幼年受其父健侯的教诲，青年时代更是勤奋钻研，寒暑苦练，洞察妙悟，功夫日深。他的拳术外柔内刚，引人发人，功夫独到。以他的聪明才智和顽强毅力，根据后人的需要，改成一百单八式的“大架子”。他集杨氏三代之经验，将杨式太极拳逐步定型，写成了《太极拳体用全书》，于1934年刊行于世，这是太极拳发展史上的典范，是对人类体育运动做出的一大贡献。终将太极拳这一传统民族文化遗产发扬光大，成为一代宗师，誉满全球。今天的85式、88式，48式，以及简化24式，都是在杨式太极拳基础上整理创编出来的。
Yang Chengfu, the third generation of Yang Style Taijiquan, (1883-1937). He was taught by his father, Yang Jianhou, in his childhood, he studied hard, practised hard in summer and winter, gained insights and understanding, and his Kung Fu became more and more profound. His boxing is soft on the outside and firm on the inside, which is attractive to people and unique in Kung Fu. With his ingenuity and tenacity, he changed it into the "big frame" of 108-forms according to the needs of his descendants. Collecting the experience of three generations of Yang’s, he gradually defined Yang-style Taijiquan and wrote "The Complete Book of Taijiquan", which was published in 1934. This is a model in the history of development of Taijiquan and a great contribution to human sports. Ultimately, Taijiquan, as a traditional national cultural heritage, was carried forward and became a generation of masters with a worldwide reputation. Today's 85, 88, 48 and simplified 24-forms are all based on Yang Style Taijiquan.
杨澄甫四子：振铭、振基、振铎、振国，和外甥赵斌、婿傅钟文均随澄甫学拳，成为当 代有名的拳师.
Yang Chengfu's four sons: Yang Zhenming, Yang Zhenji, Yang Zhenduo and Yang Zhenguo, and his nephew Zhao Bin and son-in-law Fu Zhongwen learnt Taiji with Yang Chengfu and became famous masters of the times.
The Yang Family
An account of his formative years, of which I’ve translated an extract below (written by Zhao’s son, Zhao Youbin, who teaches in Xi’an), is a precious snapshot of growing up in one of the ‘homes’ of taiji.
“…Yang Jianhou had 3 sons, Yang Zhaoxiong (known as Yang Shaohou), Yang Zhaoyuan (Yang Zhonghou), and Yang Zhaoqing (otherwise known as Yang Chengfu). Yang Zhaoyuan inherited much of his uncle Banhou’s temperament and was quick-tempered and had a prodigious appetite for food and drink. Because he had no son but two daughters [in those days it was considered most unfortunate to not have to son to carry on the family line], he became depressed. Later, he developed diverticulitis and died at a young age. He left behind two daughters, Yang Cong and Yang Min, who were brought up by Yang Jianhou and his wife.
During the years of these events, another Yongnian family, the Zhaos, was prosperous and growing. The master of the house, Zhao Lin (Zhao Bin’s grandfather) had five sons, who people called ‘the 5 tigers of the Zhao family’. The Zhao family owned a restaurant near the front gate of Guangfu village called ‘Wan Xing Lou’, which was run by the second son. The eldest son was a scholar, the third was purchaser for the restaurant, the fourth was the restaurant’s book-keeper and the fifth studied in Beijing.
The fourth son, Zhao Bin’s father, was called Zhao Shutang (1882-1951). From a young age he displayed a cautious and loyal nature and was generous to others less fortunate. In his years as book-keeper of the family’s restaurant, he was very generous to customers, always rounding bills down to the nearest 10. Whenever poor people came into the restaurant begging for food, he would straight away instruct the waiters to give them mantou (steamed buns) with some meat and veg. Friends who came to him to borrow money found that he was only too happy to help. As Zhao Shutang got older, his elder brother kept an eye out for suitable girls in the town for him to marry. As luck would have it, he set his sights on Yang Zhaoyuan’s elder daughter, Yang Cong (1888-1962). Both families agreed at once to the match, and the two were married in 1904 when Yang Cong was 17 years old.
Legend has it that, at the ‘hui men’ part of the wedding ceremony [where the new groom visits the home of his new in-laws according to Chinese custom], Yang Zhaoyuan had already passed away a year before, so it fell to Yang Jianhou and Yang Shaohou to welcome the new groom. During the banquet, they asked Zhao Shutang if he knew any martial arts. With a shy smile, Zhao pulled aside his chair and performed the Yang family’s low frame set underneath the table. At this, Yang Jianhou laughed and said ‘You’ve got potential; when you have some free time, please come over, I’ll have Shaohou take your studies further’. And so this episode has come to be called ‘Yang Jianhou tests his new son-in-law at the banquet’ by their descendants.
From then on, Zhao Shutang took on the responsibility of looking after his new wife’s mother and sister. Two years later, Yang Cong gave birth to a son (Zhao Bin 1906 – 1999) and two daughters: Zhao Guizhen (1908 – 1875, who would later marry Fu Zhongwen) and Zhao Xiuzhen.