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Yang Lu-ch'an Wikipedia

Image:Yang Lu-ch'an.jpg|thumb|Yang Lu-ch'an ?????????Yang Lu-ch'an or Yang Luchan, ?????????, also known as Yang Fu-k'ui ????????? (1799-1872), born in Kuang-p'ing (Guangping), was an influential teacher of the Nei chia|soft style martial art known T'ai Chi Ch'uan in China during the second half of the 19th century, known as the founder of Yang style T'ai Chi Ch'uan. According to several accounts, Yang first started studying T'ai Chi in the Ch'en family village from Ch'en style T'ai Chi Ch'uan|Ch'en Chang-hsing in 1820. He was subsequently given permission by his teacher to go to the capital and teach his own students, including Wu/Hao style T'ai Chi Ch'uan|Wu Yu-hsiang and his brothers. In 1850, Yang was hired by the Aisin Gioro|Imperial family to teach T'ai Chi Ch'uan to them and several of their ??lite Manchu Imperial Guard units in Beijing's Forbidden City, in whose number was Yang's best known non-family student, Wu style T'ai Chi Ch'uan|Wu Ch'uan-y??. This was the beginning of the spread of T'ai Chi Ch'uan 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 major T'ai Chi families as having transmitted the art to them.

Yang's sons Yang Pan-hou 楊班侯 (1837-1890) and Yang Chien-hou (1839-1917), were also employed as martial arts instructors by the Qing dynasty military. Yang Chien-hou's sons, Yang Shao-hou 楊少侯 (1862-1930) and Yang Ch'eng-fu 楊澄甫 (1883-1936), were nationally famous T'ai Chi teachers in their turn.

Yang Lu-ch'an was also known as Yang the Invincible.

Last Modified:   2005-11-04