| Introduction of Tai Chi (http://www.martial-way.com/taichichuan.html) Tai Chi Chuan is a Chinese martial art that is primarily practiced for its health benefits, including a means for dealing with tension and stress. It emphasizes complete relaxation, and is essentially a form of meditation, or what has been called "meditation in motion." Unlike the hard martial arts, tai chi is characterized by soft, slow, flowing movements that emphasize force, rather than brute strength. Though it is soft, slow, and flowing, the movements are executed precisely. The history of Tai Chi Chuan dates back to the 14th century when Chang San Fung, a Taoist monk, witnessed a fight between a crane and a snake. He noticed how the soft circular movements of the snake overcame the hard movements of the bird and he devised a system of self-defense based on that principle. The evolution of the art has followed the styles of many masters with a variety of forms. At one time these forms were guarded secrets among certain families in China. The secrets of Tai Chi were revealed when Ying Kit Tung opened schools in Peking during the first half of this century. The slow, graceful, elegant gestures of tai chi chuan routines hardly resemble the original hand and foot blows and blocks and parries they represent. There is little likelihood that tai chi chuan could be used for practical, modern self-defense. In China it is widely practiced by individuals and by groups who gather in public squares to perform the movements in unison. Scope of the pathfinder The purpose of this Pathfinder is to promote understanding of what Tai Chi is and how any individual can get into the Tai Chi world. This resource has been created for anyone who is interested in the subject and wants to know more about it. This pathfinder will lead them to comprehensive information sources about Tai Chi. The bulk of the resources included in this Pathfinder are links to web sites because they are widely and immediately accessible.Print sources on Tai Chi are also available through online bookstores. |