Yang Luchan
Yang Luchan was a legendary martial artist who lived in China during the 19th century. He was born in 1799 Yongnian County, Hebei Province, and began studying martial arts at a young. Yang Luchan was known for his exceptional fighting skills and was able to defeat opponents who were much larger and stronger than himself. He was also known for his humble and gentle nature, which earned him the nickname "Yang the Invincible Gentleman."
Yang Luchan is credited with creating the Yang style of Tai Chi Chuan, which is now one of the most popular forms of Tai in the world. The Yang style is characterized by its slow, flowing movements and emphasis on relaxation and balance. After mastering the martial art, Yang was subsequently given permission by his teacher to go to Beijing and teach his own students, including Wu Yuxiang and his brothers, who were Imperial Chinese officials in the Imperial Chinese bureaucracy. In 1850, Yang was paid by wealthy residents to teach tai chi to them. Among this group was Yang's best known non-family student, Wu Quanyou. This was the beginning of the spread of tai chi from the family art of a small village in central China to an international phenomenon. Due to his influence and the number of teachers he trained, including his own descendants, Yang is directly acknowledged by 4 of the 5 tai chi families as having transmitted the art to them
Yang Luchan's reputation as a skilled fighter and teacher spread throughout China, and he was eventually invited to teach Tai Chi Chuan to the imperial family in Beijing. He became known as the "Yang the Invincible" and was highly respected for his martial arts skills and his character.
Yang Luchan had many students, including his sons Yang Banhou and Yang Jianhou, who continued to teach and develop the Yang style after his death. Today, the Yang style of Tai Chi Chuan is practiced by millions of people around the world and is recognized as one of the most effective forms of martial arts for health and self-defense.
Despite his fame and success, Yang Luchan remained humble and dedicated to his art until his death in 1872. His legacy continues to inspire martial artists and Tai Chi practitioners around the world, and his contributions to the world of martial arts will never be forgotten.
The Yang Family and Zhao 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.