Advantages of
T'ai Chi Ch'uan
in comparison with other physical activities
T'ai Chi Ch'uan is a unique, universal and traditional Chinese martial art which leads to deep relaxation, perfect balance and harmony of the mind and the body. It is considered as of one the many styles of Chinese boxing. Today, T'ai Chi Ch'uan is a martial art which is, for many martial arts fans around the world, much more than just a boxing skill. It is a seemingly easy and dignified exercize similar to a slow dance. Performed in light and relaxing movements, it has always been attractive to many observers. The exercize itself was called in many different ways, such as "boxing with a shadow”, "movement meditation” and even "Chinese gymnastics”. However, for those who are uninformed, its names such as "supreme finite boxing” or, to be more precise, "supreme finite fist” don't reveal much.
Thousands of different books were written about the development of this exercize around the world. Many admirers value it as a physical activity and, even more so, as a part of the Chinese traditional medicine. Because of this, thousands of different books, photographs and videos exist all around the world. One might think that everything that was possible to know about T'ai Chi Ch'uan was already discovered and is known, but that is not the case.
In today's modern times, various experts and martial arts masters cannot reconcile about their viewpoints around T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Oftentimes discussions are held about some basic questions about the martial art itself. Among many questions, there are those about the meaning of the name itself, about who made up the martial art and when exactly did it appear, what is the number of the traditional schools, i.e. styles and how many of them have survived up until today.
Many historians, researchers and martial arts masters disagree about when and who came up with T'ai Chi Ch'uan. According to most experts, there are four main theories, but the question is which one is the closest to the truth. One of the oldest known theories is the one which mentions the emperor Yu The Great who in 2205 B.C. ordered his subjects to exercize the "great dances” in order to prevent disease.