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Characteristics
of
Hong Junsheng's
Chen Style Taijiquan System
Chen Zhonghua
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About
the Author
Chen Zhonghua
studied from grand master Hong Junsheng from 1979 to the end of 1984. At the time,
he was a full
time student at Shandong University in Jinan. His practice of taijiquan was
limited to a few hours in the morning in the Black Tiger Springs Park and a few
hours of training on his own in the evening at the university campus where he resided.
This article is only
based on his limited personal experiences as a student of Hong Junsheng. It is
hoped that the
information will lead taijiquan enthusiast to a better understanding of Hong's
approach to taijiquan and can be beneficial to their practice.
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General
Principles
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Peng
Peng has
been one of the most talked about topics in Taijiquan. Hong defined Peng
as having two meanings: one is the upward expanding action of ward-off and the other the
overall combined expanding energy that permeates all moves of Taiji. It is the latter
meaning of Peng that is most important to him. "Without Peng,
there is no Taiji."
It was during the public media debate on this topic in the 1960s that Hong's
ideas gained support and popularity in China. Many famous taiji practitioners
corresponded with him and came to Jinan to consult with him on this topic. He
was credited by famous taiji master and historian Gu Liuxin (He was chairman
of the Shanghai Martial Arts Association) as the leading authority after Chen
Xin (16th generation master of the Chen Family) on the subject of peng.
For his students, peng was that something that can be felt and experienced but
cannot be immediately reproduced and copied. It was that something that was
unique about his taijiquan. It was that special ability that he possessed. It
was that something that cannot be pin-pointed. It was the true meaning of
taijiquan. It was the secret of taijiquan.
Chen Assisting Hong in 1981
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| Gong
Fa as One
Gong (foundation training) and Fa (technique training) have been historically separated as
two components in the learning process. Quite often this is shown in the case that a
master will teach all the choreographed forms without explaining the meaning
of the forms. Obviously the form looks fancy but the the real fighting ability
comes from the Gong. It is a sad fact that many students often try to beat the
teacher as the first step in establishing a reputation. In such a case, the teacher deliberately
avoided the teaching of substance
(gong) to the students at the beginning. In many cases, this
"testing period" can last a long time. Ultimately this approach caused the divorce of
gong and fa. Eventually, gong and fa become unrecognizable
to the students. The students will not be able to use the form simply by learning and practicing
it.
They need to have the gong of the form privately shown to them by the master.
The old saying, "Rather teach 10 fa than 1 gong." shows how well-guarded
gong was in the past. It was no exception with the Chen Family.
Hong's system amalgamated gong and fa.
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| Scientific
Approach to Taijiquan
Master Hong believed that Taijiquan is
a traditional Chinese martial arts with a rich accumulated repertoire of
knowledge. However, there is nothing supernatural about it. He
advocated that "superior and super-natural like" skills can be
developed through precise movements based on the rules of taiji, which in turn
adhere to laws of physics.
Verification
Master Hong always relied on facts and personal experiences for his
understanding. He taught not to accept anything without verification. He
cautioned students that the world of martial arts, though with all the wonderfully rich
legacy, was also infested with myths, exaggerations and even lies.
Categorization
He believed that learning occurs when there is a system.
He took Yi Lu (first routine) and Cannon Fist (second routine) apart and
categorized the moves according to applications and principles involved. For example,
the cloud hand category included the three cloud hands, front trick and back
trick, wild horse parts its mane, grand red fist and small red fist in the
second routine, and yellow dragon stirs water three times in second
routine.
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| Representative
of Chen Fake's Earlier Style
Hong Junsheng was one of Chen Fake's earliest disciples. He studied from Chen Fake for 15 years
from 1930 till 1944. Many of Chen's students
were famous martial artists (such as Li Jianhua, Xu Rusheng, and Gu Liuxin) who came to improve their
already very high skills. Hong
came to improve his health. As a result, his approach to learning was not the
same as that of the other students.
His main study method was, watching, observing and listening to
instructions. He was mainly concerned with whether what he did conformed
to taiji principles that he was taught. He was less concerned with whether
they worked.
He was always open to admit that he was the least accomplished of Chen Fake's
students. That was modesty on his part. The fact that he was the only person
who followed Chen Fake for uninterrupted 15 years made him an expert on the
art of Chen Fake. Many of Chen Fake's students asked him for advice and
information on Chen Fake.
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On
the Nature of Power
Hong
believed that the concept of power is an important distinguishing feature of
systems. External systems develop physical power from the outside. Internal
systems develop power from within. Further, the way power is generated
distinguishes subsystems too. Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua are subsystems of
internal system. According to him, Xingyi genuinely aims to generate
internal power. So does Bagua. It is not the case with Taiji. In Taiji,
there is no real power generated. Instead, it is a "perceived
power" that
Taiji is concerned with.
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The
Body is Like a Gearbox
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There
is no Stiffness or Looseness
There is Only Turning
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The
Nature of the Waist Movements
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The
Coordinated Body Efforts Produces an Unseen Line of Power in the Body
This is Called Center Equilibrium.
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Precise
Movements and Choreography.
One of the
problems for learners of taijiquan is the confusion in the forms. This can
take the shape of differences among different masters teaching the same form.
This can also take the form of the same master changing form over time. As is
known, Chen Fake introduced a newer choreography of his form later on in his
life that was drastically different from what he taught earlier on in his life.
Hong spent 15 (1930-1944) years learning from Chen Fake. As he was learning
for health, he did not put too much of his own thoughts into what he was
learning. He learned, practiced and occasionally asked for explanations. His education from Chen Fake was based on
the earlier forms, not the new form that Chen
Fake taught later on.
15 years of training with Chen Fake at a time before Chen started making
changes to his form, made very strong impressions on Hong's body. After 11
years of practicing this form on his own in Jinan after he left Beijing, he
went only once to have his form corrected by Chen Fake in 1956. After
1956, he went back to Jinan and taught the revised form till he passed away in
1996. His choreography (form) was so well drilled into him that for the rest
of his life, it looked the same without any changes. In 1991 a Japanese
student commented that his personal video tapes of Hong from 1983 to 1991 did not show
one bit of change in his form, not even one angle change. As Hong always
taught in the same location, the same foot would land
on the same brick at the same place in the form.
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| Form
and Push-Hands
Because
of the marriage of gong and fa, the Hong system has no more
distinction between form practice and push hands practice. The two are not
sequential any more. Instead, the preference of one over the other becomes a
personal choice according to personal ability and temperament.
Hong Teaching Li Enjiu Push-Hands
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| Specific
Principles
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Self
Turning and Global Turning
For Hong, the
power of taiji is in Peng and Peng is achieved through turning
in spiral manners. In turn, true spirals are achieved by having synchronized "Self turning" and "Global Turning".
"Self Turning" is analogous to the self turning of the earth on its
own axis, producing day and night in one cycle. "Self Turning" in taiji separates
yin and yang.
"Global Turning" is analogous to the traveling of the
earth around the sun, producing 12 months in one cycle. "Global Turning" in taiji
produces the 13 energies (12 plus central equilibrium).
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The
Direction of the Eyes
Hong was
taught that the eyes mainly follow the movement of the hand and the movement
of the body. Through his years of practice, came to realization that this
method made the practitioner's body toss (not turning on an axis). He changed this to the eyes fixed
on the opponent. This makes the body more upright and balanced. More turning
and torque energy is produced.
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45 degrees
This is one of Hong's preoccupations. He believed that the true peng energy of the Chen
Style is in the spiral movements. The correct way to move spirally is to move in precise 45 degrees horizontally and vertically at the same time.
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| The
Knees Must Go Up and Down
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| Upper Lower
Body Separation.
Hong believed that the separation of the upper and lower bodies is
crucial to the solution to double-weight. Double-weight is manifested in being
caught stiff (losing balance). When the upper and lower body separation is applied, the balance
is maintained.
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| To
Reach With Upper Body is Called Leaning
To Move With Feet is Called Closing the Gap
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| The
Hand is Always Higher Than the Elbow
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| The Use of Push
and Pull |
| The Body is Centered.
The body must be centered and can only turn like a wheel, or a door-hinge. When engagement
is required to close the person-to-person distance, stepping is used, while still
maintaining body center. Overall, in both form practice and in push-hands, the spine can
not sway sideways, it can only turn to the side to a maximum of 45 degrees.
It does not make a 180 degree turn.
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| The
Tailbone Must Slightly Push Backwards
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| Medium
Horse Stance
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| Conclusion
The legacy he left us is a rich one, that requires many years of learning and
research to understand and put into practice. All the features that have been
discussed in this article can be summarized as the following.
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His system starts from a single building
block (positive circle) and evolved into a complex system. Everything in his
system can be explained, tested, and learned successfully. His
system does not include terms and concepts such as qi.
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His system is proven to elevate
students from beginners to advance learners of Chen Style Taijiquan in a short
time. It works because it was tested through trial and error. It was tested
based on sound taijiquan principles listed above.
No part of this article can be used, quoted, copied in any
form without the permission from the author. The information provided above is
for general reference only. The how-to instruction is reserved only for students
of the author, and at personal instructional sessions. For further information
on this article, please contact Chen
Zhonghua at jchen@tera-byte.com .
Serious inquiries only.
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