Taijiquan Fan: Tai Chi Kung Fu 52 Movements Fan Form

There are many T'ai Chi Ch'uan exercise forms which make use of a fan.   Most are shorter forms, under 25 movements, but some, like the famous Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Form have over 50 movements.  Most are done slowly and softly, but some include vigorous and fast movements.  The majority favor the Yang Style of Tai Chi Chuan.  

Tai Chi Fan: Bibliography, Links, Resources, Notes, Lore, Quotations. Research by Mike Garofalo.  I welcome any comments, suggestions, additions, or ideas regarding this webpage.

One of the most popular Tai Chi Fan forms was created by Professor Li Deyin (1938-).  It has 52 movements.  I includes slow and gentle movements in the first half of the form, then the second half is much more vigorous.  This Tai Chi Fan form is for athletic and intermediate Tai Chi students. 

Here are some instructional resources for learning the Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Form.  

Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan. Routine 1, created by Grandmaster Li Deyin (1938-). Instructional DVD, 65 minutes, by Master Jesse Tsao. Tai Chi Healthways, San Diego, California. "The most popular Tai Chi Fan form ever practiced in China. The routine was created by Grandmaster Li Deyin, Jesse Tsao's teacher since 1978. There are 52 movements in the whole routine based on the characteristic Tai Chi posture with the fan's artistic and martial functions. Master Tsao presents demonstrations at the beginning and end. He teaches step-by-step in slow motion, in English. There are plenty of repetitions of movements in both front and back view. It is a good reference for home study, or a resource for instructor's teaching preparation." Cost: 35.00 US. Demonstration.

Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Instructional DVD by Professor Li Deyin. Narration in English. "A fan routine, created by Professor Li, which combines the gracefulness, centrality and continuity of Taiji with the power, speed and fierceness of Wushu. It is designed as an addition to the exercises for health, and has received massive interest and support throughout the world. In this DVD, Professor Li provides in-depth teaching with Mrs. Fang Mishou performing detail demonstration." Vendor 1. Cost: $35.00 US.

Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan List, Routine 1.  A list of the 52 movement names in four languages.  

Tai Chi Kung Fun Fan List, Routine 1.  A list of the 52 movement names in English.   

Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan List, Routine 1, Movements 1-26.  A list of 26 movement names in English.   

Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Training Principles

"1.) Head upright to let the shen [spirit of vitality] rise to the top of the head. Don't use li [external strength], or the neck will be stiff and the ch'i [vital life energy] and blood cannot flow through. It is necessary to have a natural and lively feeling. If the spirit cannot reach the headtop, it cannot raise.

2.) Sink the chest and pluck up the back. The chest is depressed naturally inward so that the ch'i can sink to the tan-t'ien [field of elixir]. Don't expand the chest: the ch'i gets stuck there and the body becomes top-heavy. The heel will be too light and can be uprooted. Pluck up the back and the ch'i sticks to the back; depress the chest and you can pluck up the back. Then you can discharge force through the spine. You will be a peerless boxer.

3.) Sung [Relax] the waist. The waist is the commander of the whole body. If you can sung the waist, then the two legs will have power and the lower part will be firm and stable. Substantial and insubstantial change, and this is based on the turning of the waist. It is said "the source of the postures lies in the waist. If you cannot get power, seek the defect in the legs and waist."

4.) Differentiate between insubstantial and substantial. This is the first principle in T'ai Chi Ch'uan. If the weight of the whole body is resting on the right leg, then the right leg is substantial and the left leg is insubstantial, and vice versa. When you can separate substantial and insubstantial, you can turn lightly without using strength. If you cannot separate, the step is heavy and slow. The stance is not firm and can be easily thrown of balance.

5.) Sink the shoulders and drop the elbows. The shoulders will be completely relaxed and open. If you cannot relax and sink, the two shoulders will be raised up and tense. The ch'i will follow them up and the whole body cannot get power. "Drop the elbows" means the elbows go down and relax. If the elbows raise, the shoulders are not able to sink and you cannot discharge people far. The discharge will then be close to the broken force of the external schools.

6.) Use the mind instead of force. The T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classics say, "all of this means use I [mind-intent] and not li." In practicing T'ai Chi Ch'uan the whole body relaxes. Don't let one ounce of force remain in the blood vessels, bones, and ligaments to tie yourself up. Then you can be agile and able to change. You will be able to turn freely and easily. Doubting this, how can you increase your power?

The body has meridians like the ground has ditches and trenches. If not obstructed the water can flow. If the meridian is not closed, the ch'i goes through. If the whole body has hard force and it fills up the meridians, the ch'i and the blood stop and the turning is not smooth and agile. Just pull one hair and the whole body is off-balance. If you use I, and not li, then the I goes to a place in the body and the ch'i follows it. The ch'i and the blood circulate. If you do this every day and never stop, after a long time you will have nei chin [real internal strength]. 

The T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classics say, "when you are extremely soft, you become extremely hard and strong." Someone who has extremely good T'ai Chi Ch'uan kung fu has arms like iron wrapped with cotton and the weight is very heavy. As for the external schools, when they use li, they reveal li. When they don't use li, they are too light and floating. There chin is external and locked together. The li of the external schools is easily led and moved, and not too be esteemed.

7.) Coordinate the upper and lower parts of the body. The T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classics say "the motion should be rooted in the feet, released through the legs, controlled by the waist and manifested through the fingers." Everything acts simultaneously. When the hand, waist and foot move together, the eyes follow. If one part doesn't follow, the whole body is disordered.

8.) Harmonize the internal and external. In the practice of T'ai Chi Ch'uan the main thing is the shen. Therefore it is said "the spirit is the commander and the body is subordinate." If you can raise the spirit, then the movements will naturally be agile. The postures are not beyond insubstantial and substantial, opening and closing. That which is called open means not only the hands and feet are open, but the mind is also open. That which is called closed means not only the hands and feet are closed, but the mind is also closed. When you can make the inside and outside become one, then it becomes complete.

9.) Move with continuity. As to the external schools, their chin is the Latter Heaven brute chin. Therefore it is finite. There are connections and breaks. During the breaks the old force is exhausted and the new force has not yet been born. At these moments it is very easy for others to take advantage. T'ai Chi Ch'uan uses I and not li. From beginning to end it is continuous and not broken. It is circular and again resumes. It revolves and has no limits. The original Classics say it is "like a great river rolling on unceasingly." and that the circulation of the chin is "drawing silk from a cocoon " They all talk about being connected together.

10.) Move with tranquility [Seek stillness in movement]. The external schools assume jumping about is good and they use all their energy. That is why after practice everyone pants. T'ai Chi Ch'uan uses stillness to control movement. Although one moves, there is also stillness. Therefore in practicing the form, slower is better. If it is slow, the inhalation and exhalation are long and deep and the ch'i sinks to the tan-t'ien. Naturally there is no injurious practice such as engorgement of the blood vessels. The learner should be careful to comprehend it. Then you will get the real meaning."

-  By Yang Cheng-fu (1883 - 1936) as researched by Lee N. Scheele

 T'ai Chi Ch'uan Bibliography

Yang Style Taijiquan

Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan  By Fu Zhongwen.  Translated by Louis Swaim.  Berkeley, California, Blue Snake Books, c 1999, 2006.  Bibliography, glossary, 226 pages.  ISBN: 9781583941522.  VSCL.  Fu Zongwen (1919-1994) was a student of Yang Cheng Fu.  Translations of many Tai Chi classics are included.  A list of 85 movements are provided.  251 movement analysis illustrations.  Over 76 of the illustrations are traced and drawn from photographs of Yang Chengfu.  Detailed descriptions of the long form, pp. 26-162.  Push hands information.  Yang Tai Chi essentials.

Tai Chi Chuan Classics

Master Cheng's Thirteen Chapters On Tai Chi Ch'uan. By Cheng Man-ch'ing. Translated by Douglas Wile. 101 pages. Sweet Chi Press, 1982. 101 pages. ISBN: 978-0912059006. Originally written in Chinese in 1949. VSCL.


The Essence and Applications of Taijiquan. By Yang, Chengfu (1883-1936). Translated by Louis Swaim. The original publication date was in 1934. The original book was edited by Professor Cheng Man-Chi'ng. Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 2005. Introduction, appendices, bibliography, 124 pages. ISBN: 1556435452. In this book, the entire sequence of the specialized and named martial movements/postures/sections/forms is numbered from Section 1 up to Section 94; thus, the popular long taijiquan from, the Yang 94 Form. VSCL.

Chen Tai Chi Chuan Short Forms

Chen 18 Taijiquan Short Form of Grandmaster Chen Zenglei

18 Movements Short Form

Notes by Michael P. Garofalo, Vancouver, Washington, 2024

Chen Taijiquan Short 18 Form of Grandmaster Chen Zenglei
Webpage by Michael P. Garofalo
Bibliography, links, resources, notes, quotes, videos, lists, photos, comments.

Chen's Taichi for Health and Wellness  By Grandmaster Chen Zenglei. White Bench Publications, Toronto, Canada, 2010, 94 pages. Warmup exercises, and detailed instructions with some photographs for the Chen 18 Short Form. Jack Yan is a collaborator  I like this book quite a bit.  $24.00 in 2/2021. VSCL.

Chen Style Taijiquan Short 18 Form  Performance by Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei  UTube, color, 3:38 Minutes, 2007.

The Chen Style Taijiquan for Life Enhancement. Written by Chen Zhenglei and translated by Xu Hailing. Zhongzhou Classic Publishing House, Zhengzhou, China, 2002. Text in English and Chinese.  ISBN: 7534821819.  149 pages. "Describes the principles of Chen style for life enhancement, basic training, Taiji Skills for Preserving Energy and the 18 Forms of the Chen Style. Many photos of Chen Zhenglei doing Exercises and forms. Chen Zhenglei is one of the top Chen stylists in China. Paperback, 149 pages, 5 1/2' by 8'. -  Wayfarer Publications "It covers the content of the health exercise silk reeling video, and is a useful reference,  giving more detail, especially on theory." This is a very expensive out of print book, not worth $150.00. I purchased back in 2004 for $25.00. VSCL.

Essence of Traditional Chen Style 18 Posture Short Form. Instructional DVD by Shifu Jiang Jian-ye.  Color, 87 Minutes. Capital District Tai Chi and Kung Fu Association of New York, 1997.  "Cheng Zheng Lei (the 19th generation of the Chen Family) created this form from the old style of Chen first and second routines.  It includes "silk reeling," fa jin (releasing energy), and balance.  This short form is a good introduction for beginners or for those with little Chen style experience." "A good introductory Chen form that includes silk reeling and fajing movements as well as other characteristics of the Chen first and second routines. Chen Zhenglei, one of today's top Chen stylists, created the form.There is a demonstration of the entire form followed by step-by-step teaching in slow motion with 2-4 views, from the front, back and side. There are front and back demonstrations of each segment (5 to 7 moves each.)  At the end of the teaching there are demonstrations, front and back. There are also excerpts from other Chen forms." - Wayfarer Publications. CDTKA.  VSCL. I use a Cboy V-Zon portable DVD player and this DVD works fine because of the way it is organized.   

 

Chen Style Taijiquan
Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei's Short 18 Movements Tai Chi Hand Form, 2001
List of 18 Movements

 

1.     Beginning Posture of Taiji    (Taiji Chu Shi) 

2.     Buddha's Warrior Attendant Pounds the Mortar   (Jin Gang Dao Dui) 

3.     Lazily Tying One's Coat   (Lan Zha Yi)   

4.     Six Sealing and Four Closing   (Liu Feng Si Bi)    

5.     Single Whip   (Dan Bian)  

6.     White Crane Spreads Its Wings   (Bai E Liang Chi) 

7.     Walk Diagonally   (Xie Xing)    

8.     Brush Knee   (Lou Xi) 

9.     Stepping to Both Sides   (Ao Bu)    

10.   Cover Hands and Strike with Fist   (Yan Shou Gong Quan)    

11.   High Pat on the Horse   (Gao Tan Ma)   

12.   Kick with the Left Heel    (Zuo Deng Yi Gen) 

13.   Jade Maiden Working Her Loom   (Yu Nu Chuan Suo)    

14.   Cloud Hands   (Yun Shou)     

15.   Turn Body with Double Lotus Kick    (Zhuan Shen Shuang Bai Lian) 

16.   Cannon Fist Over the Head   (Dan Tou Pao)    

17.   Buddha's Warrior Attendant Pounds the Mortar   (Jin Gang Dao Dui)    

18.   Closing Posture of Taiji   (Taiji Shou Shi)      

 

Chen Taijiquan Short 18 Form of Grandmaster Chen Zenglei. By Michael P. Garofalo. Bibliography, links, resources, notes, information, lists, practices, quotes.

List of Movements in Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei's Short 18 Form  (1 Page, PDF)  English Only

Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan 108 Form, Third Section

 For Tai Chi Chuan players:

I often take a section of a long Taijiquan form and restudy and carefully practice only that section many times. I look up that section in books to learn more from master teachers. I also use instructional DVDs and UTube for sectional reviews. Smaller bites assists with better chewing and digestion.

I use the fine books by Fu Zhongwen, Li Deyin, T.T. Liang/Stuart Olson, and Gordon Muir for review. All have photographs or line illustrations of the movements and much commentary.

Here are some UTube demonstrations of the Third Section (Movements 56-108) of the Traditional Long Form of Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan:

Third Section,  Movements 55-108,  List of Movements

Third Section List ,  Movements 55-108,  Yang Long Form 108 

    Provides a list with the number of the movement and the name of movement.  In the PDF format (print only), 1 page, 26Kb.

Third Section List,  Part I,  Movements 56 - 82,  Yang Long Form 108   

    Provides a list with the number of the movement, the direction one is facing at the end of that movement, the name of the movement, and a brief description or notes about the movement.  In the PDF format (print only), 1 page, 65Kb.  In the HTML format provided below in this document.  

Third Section List,  Part II,  Movements 83 - 108,  Yang Long Form 108.   

    Provides a list with the number of the movement, the direction one is facing at the end of that movement, the name of the movement, and a brief description or notes about the movement.  In the PDF format (print only), 1 page, 63Kb.  In the HTML format provided below in this document.  

Comparison of 108 Long Yang with 88 Long Yang - Chart

Like a Dragon Whirling in the Clouds

"It is easier to leave a circle than to enter it.
The emphasis is on the hip movement whether front or back.
The difficulty is to maintain the position without shifting the centre.
To analyze and understand the above situation is to do with movement and not with a stationary posture.
Advancing and retreating by turning sideways in line with the shoulders, one is capable of turning like a millstone, fast or slow, as if whirling like a dragon in the clouds or sensing the approach of a fierce tiger.
From this, one can learn the usage of the movement of the upper torso.
Through long practice, such movement will become natural."
- Yang Family Old Manual, The Coil Incense Kung

"The East Asian Dragons are often associated with water, rain, vapors, fog, springs, streams, waterfalls, rivers, swamps, lakes, and the ocean.  Water can take many shapes and states, and Dragons are shape shifters and linked with transformation, appearing and disappearing, changing into something new.  Water is found in three states, depending upon the surrounding temperature: a solid (ice, snow), a fluid (flowing liquid), and a gas (fog, vapor, steam).  Since rainfall is often accompanied by thunder and lightening (thunderstorms and typhoons), the Dragon is sometimes associated with fire; and, since hot water and steam are major sources of energy in human culture, this further links the Dragon with the essential energy of Fire.  The Dragon is thus linked with the chemical and alchemical transformative properties of two of the essential Elements, both Water and Fire.  Dragons are generally benign or helpful to humans in East Asia, but their powers can also be destructive (e.g., flooding, tsunami, typhoon, lightening, steam, drowning, etc.).  There are both male and female Dragons, kinds or species of Dragons, Dragons of different colors and sizes, and mostly good but some evil Dragons.  Some Dragons can fly, some cannot fly; most live in or near water, a few on land.  The body of a Dragon combines features from many animals, representing the many possibilities for existential presence.  The Dragon in the East has serpentine, snake, or eel like movement qualities: twisting, spiraling, sliding, circling, swimming, undulating, flowing freely like water."  [See: The Dragon in China and Japan by Marinus De Visser, 1913] 

Dragon Chi Kung features exercises that involve twisting, turning, screwing, spiraling, curving, wiggling, undulating, spinning, sinking down and rising up, swimming, circling, swinging, or twining movements are often associated with snakes, serpents and dragons.  There are many Qigong sets and specific Qigong movements that have been called "Dragon" forms, sets, or exercises.  Baguazhang martial arts feature much twisting, turning and circling; and, also include many "Dragon" sets and movements.  Silk Reeling exercises in Chen Style Taijiquan include twisting, twining, circling, and screwing kinds of movements. 

The Realms of the Dragons

Dragon Qigong
 

Dragon Staff

Swinging Arms Exercises

Magic Pearl Qigong

Leaping Over the Dragon's Gate

Dragons: Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes

Cheng Man-ch'ing's Tai Chi Chuan

Yang Taijiquan 37 Form of Master Cheng Man-ch’ing in 1940

1.  Preparation: Standing, Step
2.  Beginning: Raise Hands, Lower Hands
3.  Ward Off Left
4.  Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail: Ward Off L/R, Roll Back, Press, Push
5.  Single Whip
6.  Raise Hands
7.  Shoulder Strike
8.  White Crane Spreads Its Wings
9.  Brush Left Knee, Twist Step 
10.  Play the Lute
11.  Brush Left Knee, Twist Step
12.  Step Forward, Deflect, Parry, Punch
13.  Apparently Sealing, Seemingly Closing, Apparent Close, Push
14.  Cross Hands, Embrace Tiger
15.  Return to Mountain Brush Knee, Grasping Sparrow’s Tail, Single Whip
16.  Rely on Fist Under Elbow
17.  Step Back, Retreat, Repulsing Monkey 3X  
18.  Diagonal Slant Flying
19.  Cloud Hands 4X, Single Whip
20.  Snake Creeps Down  
21.  Golden Rooster Stands on Both Legs 2X
22.  Kick with Right Foot
23.  Kick with Left Foot
24.  Turn, Kick with Left Heel
25.  Brush Knees 3X, Punch Down
26.  Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail, Single Whip
27.  Fair Lady Works the Shuttles 4X
28.  Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail, Single Whip 
29.  Snake Creeps Down Left Leg
30.  Seven Stars of the Big Dipper Step Forward 
31.  Step Back, Ride the Tiger
32.  Rotate and Turn Body, Sweeping Right Leg Lotus Kick
33.  Bend the Bow, Shoot the Tiger  
34.  Step Forward, Deflect Block, Intercept and Punch
35.  Apparent Close, Withdraw and Push 
36.  Cross Hands, Horse Stance
37.  Conclusion: Feet Together, Hands Down, Standing


List of the 37 Movements, 1 page, PDF format, 4/15/2016
http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/chengform4.pdf

Cheng Man-ch'ing (1902-1975): Tai Chi Chuan Master

Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Resources, Reflections, Notes.
A hypertext notebook by Michael P. Garofalo.

Relax (Sung) in Tai Chi Chuan

Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes, Instructions. By Mike Garofalo.

Cheng Man-ch'ing on UTube

There is a very good article by Master Wasentha Young titled "Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing's Design of the Yang Style Short Form."  It is located in the recent Qi Magazine: Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness (Volume 27, Number 4, 2017, pp. 30-37.)  Her instruction on pacing energetic flow levels at subsequences of dingdian, parts of the 37 form, were valuable.  

Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing was also known affectionately by one of his many nicknames -  "Whisker's Man."  Lots of pictures of him smiling - I like that.  

Yang Style of Tai Chi Chuan, Standard 24 Form

My webpage on the Standard 24 Taijiquan Form has been a very popular webpage on the Cloud Hands Tai Chi Chuan Website since 2001.  In the sidebar of this blog, you will find a quick index to this webpage.   

Standard Simplified Taijiquan 24 Form. Research by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. This webpage includes a detailed bibliography of books, media, links, online videos, articles, and resources. It provides a list of the 24 movement names in English, Chinese, French, German and Spanish, with citations for sources of the movement names. It provides detailed descriptions of each movement with black and white line illustrations and photographs. It includes relevant quotations, notes, performance times, section breakdowns, basic Tai Chi principles, and strategies for learning the form. This hypertext document was last last updated in December of 2017.  

The Peking (Bejing) Chinese National orthodox standard simplified 24 movement T'ai Chi Ch'uan form, created in 1956, is the most popular form practiced all around the world. This form uses the Yang Style of Taijiquan.  

There is also a famous short Tai Chi Chuan form, created by Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing in the 1940's.  It has 37 movements in the Yang Style of Taijiquan.

My 24 Form webpage provides many good suggestions for a person learning this basic Tai Chi Chuan Form of 24 movements on their own if there is no Tai Chi class in their area.

I started learning Taijiquan in 1986.  I was taught the Standard 24 Movement T'ai Chi Ch'uan Form in the Yang Style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.  I learned it from Aikido Sensei Frank McGourick in Whittier, California.  

In 1986, were no books or instructional videotapes on this popular form.  In 2019, there are dozens of books and instructional DVDs, videotapes, UTube demonstrations by women and men, streaming content, and scores of webpages on the subject of the 24 Taijiquan Form.  

Sensei McGourick also taught me the standard Long Form of the Yang Style of Tai Chi Chuan.  You hit the floor a lot in Aikido, it is vigorous, and it is very challenging for anyone, and it was too hard for me.  So, being a man in his 40's, and working 50 hours a week as a library administrator of 22 libraries in the busy and growing San Gabriel Valley, I practiced only Taijiquan and Qigong at the Aikido Ai Dojo in Whittier with Dr. Robert Moore and Sensei McGourick.

The most detailed book that I have seen on the subject of the 24 Form is:
The Yang Taiji 24 Step Short Form: A Step by Step Guide for All Levels
By James Drewe.  London, Singing Dragon Press, 2011.  382 pages, black and white photographs, charts, detailed descriptions, training tips. 

I give information on many other fine books by other good authors on the Basic 24 Tai Chi Chuan Form in my webpage.  Find books by Andrew Townsend, Cheng Zhao, Foen Tjoeng Lie, Eric Chaline, Le Deyin, etc.

Many persons have told me that their favorite instructional DVD on the 24 Form is: Tai Chi - The 24 Forms  By Dr. Paul Lam.  I attended Dr. Lam's Tai Chi for Arthritis workshop in Monterey, California; and  later workshops on Sun Tai Chi with other Bay Area teachers.  I am also quite fond of using instructional DVDs by Master Jessie Tsao from San Diego.  


I have played and practiced this form with many different persons and groups over three decades.  The many slight variations are fun to play and observe.  Taijiquan is a very pleasant and satisfying group exercise, dance, marital arts, and choreographed body-mind movements class.  Taijiquan and Qigong provide an excellent fitness class for seniors to help them with aging well.  I have practiced this Basic 24 Form with different groups in the Vancouver and Portland areas, and for many years around Red Bluff, CA.  

At age 79, I can do quite a few repetitions of the form during any day.  I warm up with Qigong and limbering up movements, if needed, before practicing the 24 Form.  I make adjustments necessitated because of my former injuries, falls, surgeries, and decreasing balance skills.  I like to play with the named movement sequences in ways outside of the 24 form choreography, e.g., HsingI type forward drills using Yang postures, changing directions to accommodate indoor practice near furniture, faster movements with intermittent fajing, etc.  I also think about the martial applications of defense or offense, following the Teacher and group members so to achieve a coordinated beauty in the performance style desired, the courtesies and comradeship of the practice team, Taijiquan principles, etc. 

I try my best to try to learn, and relearn, and unlearn.   

"At this period of wushu, the Nanking Central Kuoshu Institute in 1956 tasked the choreography of a Taijiquan routine what would be more suitable for popular dissemination among the masses, in keeping with the government's egalitarian agenda.  The traditional forms were just too long and time consuming to practice, and the traditional methods too arcane and demanding for mass propagation.  The challenge was to reduce the one hundred-odd movements of the traditional Yang Style Taijiquan, prevalent then, to its core, by removing the many repetitive movements as well as the less essential ones.  Thus, the 24-Form Taijiquan set was created.  Instrumental in this simplification effort was Li Tianji (1913-1996) who had been appointed a wushu research fellow at the Institute.  Under official auspices, the 24-Form Taijiquan quickly became the standard form, taught throughout China as part of physical education curriculum in schools and colleges.  It is perhaps the best know Taijiquan form in the world today.  As widespread as it is, the 24-Form is at best an abridged version of the traditional Yang form, a synopsis of the art."
-  C. P. Ong, Taijiquan: Cultivating Inner Strength, 2013, p. 7.  


Lift the head, stand strong and balanced, move gracefully.
Imagine resistance, water boxing, dealing with an opponent, pushing hands.
Be loose and relaxed, avoid over-exertion, use coiling energy.
Keep moving, flowing, shaping yourself in body-mind.
Shoulders down, gentle breathing, dignified bearing.
Stylish, artistic, beautiful, sensuous, dancing, formal.
Yin more than Yang, soft over hard, water over stone, gentle over muscular.
Follow the Teacher, coordinate, create unity, act as one. 

Best Taijiquan Books by Andrew Townsend

Cultivating the Civil and Mastering the Martial: The Yin and Yang of Taijiquan. By Andrew Townsend. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, no publisher listed on titlepages, 2016. No index, brief bibliography, 424 pages. Small type font. This volume is a huge compendia of information, comprehensive in scope, with good explanations, observations, insights, and summaries, etc.. This thick book includes some precise and detailed movement descriptions, sound Taijiquan teaching on many topics, and more than five hundred photographs and illustrations. A heavy reference volume for your desktop; ebook versions for your tablet or phone or Kindle. ISBN: 978-1523258536. VSCL. "Andrew Townsend has been practicing martial arts for more than forty years and began practicing taijiquan in 1990. Mr. Townsend is a certified taijiquan instructor and a senior student of Grandmaster Jesse Tsao. He is a retired college professor and has been actively teaching taijiquan for the past ten years. He lives and teaches in Ormond Beach, Florida."

Familiar Tai Chi Chuan Ideas

Tai Chi Chuan Practice and Training

Common Themes, Topics, Ideas, Suggestions, Principles, Concepts, Tips

One Sentence Taijiquan Notes by Mike Garofalo

Lift the head, tuck the chin, extend the neck, feel upright and rising.
Stand strong and balanced, then move slowly and gracefully.
Imagine resistance, water boxing, dealing with an opponent, Da Lu, pushing hands, sensing incoming energies, feeling the Other.
Be loose and relaxed, avoid over-exertion, use coiling energy.
Keep moving, flowing, shaping yourself in body-mind.
Shoulders down, gentle breathing, energized back, dignified bearing.
Be more stylish, artistic, beautiful, sensuous, dancing, formal.
Yin more than Yang, soft over hard, water over stone, gentle over muscular.
Follow the Teacher, coordinate, create unity, move together, act as one.
Act from the center, find the Dan Tien, Centering, secure internal energy.
You are responsible for your own self-defense, safety and fitness.
Develop and maintain the Inner Smile, positive disposition, enthusiasm.
Work within one's steady breathing, learn different breath/movements.
Enhance and maintain one's potential energy reserves for power.
Keep the knees over the feet, and don't over-extend in lunges.
Taijiquan, Tai Chi Chuan, Shadow Boxing, Grand Ultimate Boxing, Cotton Fist, At the Edge Fist, Mind/Fist Arts, .... whatever.
Differentiate between solo and group practices and training.
Learn the names of each numbered movement sequence.
Learn offense and/or defensive applications for each named movement.
Daily practice, review, and repetitions are essential to progress.
Distinguish substantial from unsubstantial, weighted from empty, rooted from moving, stable from unstable.
Be delicate, be gentle, be refined, be fluid, be slow.
Concentrate, remember, embody the patterns, display the Form.
Strengthen the glutes, quads, calves, ankles, and feet; Legs Powers, Thigh Chi.
Stay level, avoid to much bobbing up and down, smooth level movement. 
There is a natural automatic discomfort with falling, we wanting to stay standing and moving upright, we want to work effectively with the forces of gravity.
Working within and slowly out from your current limitations, injuries, mental or physical health problems, or other obstacles. 
Appropriate music might make your Taijiquan practice enjoyable in new ways.
Inhale while pulling in and gathering, exhale while pushing or striking out or blocking; sometimes holding breath; sometimes the opposites. 
If your huffing and puffing, breathing to fast, then you are out of shape but persist after resting and slowing down some; vary and improve your workouts. 
Think process, think evolving, think changing, think becoming; then stop thinking.
Keep a Beginner's Mind, Learn Something, relish the experiences.  



Repost from July of 2020


Tai Chi Chuan Website

Yang Style of Tai Chi Chuan 24 Short Form

Yang Style of Tai Chi Chuan 108 Long Form

Tai Chi Chuan Quotations and Classics

Iconic Posture: A Picture to Represent a Taijiquan Form

Repost from April 3, 2016:

There are many movements in a posture sequence called Single Whip in the Yang or Chen Styles of Taijiquan.   A short Yang Style Form has 24 postures (movements, forms, action sequences), and short Chen Style Form has 18 postures.   

"Fu Zhongwen uses a number of terms that require additional explanation.  One of these is the term for what is typically called the ending postures of the forms, that is, the terminus point of a given posture such as White Crane Displays Wings.  The term that Fu Zhongwen uses for these ending postures is dingdian, or "fixed points."  In Taijiquan, however, these "fixed points" are not really fixed, and "ending postures" are not really the end of anything.  Fu Zhongwen therefore advises the reader that " as each movement reaches a fixed point (dingdian), one must accomplish what is called "seems to stop, does not stop."  The dingdian, then must be understood to be both the culmination of one sequence as well as the beginning of the next."
 -  Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan  By Fu Zhongwen.  Translated by Louis Swaim.  Blue Snake Books, 2006, p. xix.  

The dingdian is an experienced physical posture, a temporary fixed form, a still photograph, a line drawing, a mental picture, an icon, a temporary fixed point in a flow of movements, a name for a fixed point somewhere in or near the end of a particular numbered posture sequence in a taijiquan form.  Here is Yang Cheng Fu's version of the dingdian for Single Whip Left:

Looks like Virabadrasana II in Hatha Yoga.  Just hold the above posture, don't move, settle, endure, tough it out.  Hold for one minute, then shift to right leg forward lunge in Single Whip Right for one more minute.  Hold for longer periods for increased intensity.    
Yang Taijiquan Quotes and Notes

Yang Style Standard 24 Form Taijiquan

Yang Family Style Taijiquan Long 108 Form

Tai Chi Chuan Fan Routine, 52 Movements

 There are many T'ai Chi Ch'uan exercise forms which make use of a fan.   Most are shorter forms, under 25 movements, but some, like the famous Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Form have over 50 movements.  Most are done slowly and softly, but some include vigorous and fast movements.  The majority favor the Yang Style of Tai Chi Chuan.  

Tai Chi Fan: Bibliography, Links, Resources, Notes, Lore, Quotations. Research by Mike Garofalo.  I welcome any comments, suggestions, additions, or ideas regarding this webpage.

One of the most popular Tai Chi Fan forms was created by Professor Li Deyin (1938-).  It has 52 movements.  I includes slow and gentle movements in the first half of the form, then the second half is much more vigorous.  This Tai Chi Fan form is for athletic and intermediate Tai Chi students. 

Here are some instructional resources for learning the Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Form.  

Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan. Routine 1, created by Grandmaster Li Deyin (1938-). Instructional DVD, 65 minutes, by Master Jesse Tsao. Tai Chi Healthways, San Diego, California. "The most popular Tai Chi Fan form ever practiced in China. The routine was created by Grandmaster Li Deyin, Jesse Tsao's teacher since 1978. There are 52 movements in the whole routine based on the characteristic Tai Chi posture with the fan's artistic and martial functions. Master Tsao presents demonstrations at the beginning and end. He teaches step-by-step in slow motion, in English. There are plenty of repetitions of movements in both front and back view. It is a good reference for home study, or a resource for instructor's teaching preparation." Cost: 35.00 US. Demonstration.

Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan Instructional DVD by Professor Li Deyin. Narration in English. "A fan routine, created by Professor Li, which combines the gracefulness, centrality and continuity of Taiji with the power, speed and fierceness of Wushu. It is designed as an addition to the exercises for health, and has received massive interest and support throughout the world. In this DVD, Professor Li provides in-depth teaching with Mrs. Fang Mishou performing detail demonstration." Vendor 1. Cost: $35.00 US.

Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan List, Routine 1.  A list of the 52 movement names in four languages.  

Tai Chi Kung Fun Fan List, Routine 1.  A list of the 52 movement names in English.   

Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan List, Routine 1, Movements 1-26.  A list of 26 movement names in English.   

Taijiquan and Seeing

 "Looking and seeing are two different things. In tai chi we see without looking. When we look, we focus our gaze on some point. As we do that, there are subtle changes in our facial muscles which affect all our muscles. We see what we're looking at but miss the rest. Imagine having to deal with multiple opponents. The ideal is to see as if you're looking from behind your head so that your vision broadens. An easy way to understand it is by holding your arms at your side as if making a cross with your body. Can you see your hands with your peripheral vision? If you can, that's what your seeing should feel like. As you do that, you will notice that things get quieter and softer, more relaxed, and seem to slow down."
- Joe Eber, Facebook Post 

"Eyelids relaxed:  The eyelids should be relaxed like a curtain. As the eyelids relax, the mind is able to calm down and release the tension of the body’s muscles. The facial muscles also need to be soft and relaxed. As always, your outlook should be aware but not focused. Another reason to curtain the eyes is to hide your intention from others. In a martial arts’ sense, this is used for effective defense and offense.

Center the vision:  Set the eyes straight ahead but do not focus outward onto anything in particular. I tell my students to see, without looking; likewise to hear, without listening. By not focusing on any one thing, we cultivate awareness of all things. A centered vision helps to engage our peripheral vision so that we get a better sense of what is going on all around us. This also encourages awareness of our internal environment; our sense of feeling, balance, movement, and posture. A centered vision pertains to seeing both within and without."
-  William Ting, Essential Concepts of Tai Chi  

"What is the color of your head from the standpoint of your eyes?  You feel that you head is black, or that it has not any color at all.  Outside you see your field of vision as an oval because your two eyes act as two centers of an ellipse.  But what is beyond the field of vision?  What color is it where you can't see?  It is not black, and this is an important point; there is no color at all beyond your field of vision.  This little mental exercise gives us an idea of what is mean by the character hsüan.  Although its dictionary definition is "dark, deep, obscure," it actually refers to this kind of no color that is the color of your head - as far as your eyes are concerned.  Perhaps we could say that the invisibility of one's head, in a certain sense the lack of a head, is the secret of being alive.  To be headless, or have no head in just the same sense I am talking about, is our way of talking about the Chinese expression wu hsin, or "no mind."  As a matter of fact, if you want to see the inside of your head all you have to do is keep your eyes open, because all that you are experiencing in the external, visual field is a state of your brain."
-  Alan Watts, Swimming Headless, 1966 

Vision, Seeking, Sensations, Perceptions, Looking  By Michael P. Garofalo

Seeing, in solo Taijiquan practice, refers mostly to being visually aware of one's immediate physical environment your moving within.  With home indoor practice, that involves awareness of tripping hazards, walls, chairs, etc.  Adjustments are made accordingly.  Take in the big picture of where you are practicing - outdoors or indoors.  A wider angle of vision is preferred.

Some aspects of seeing in Taijiquan practices involve carefully looking at an imaginary opponent, your hands, or in a specific direction.  Looking is a focused kind of seeing, and the field of vision is more circumscribed.  

Taijiquan Sword: Yang Style 32 Sword Form

 

32 Sword Form, Simplified, Yang Style, Taijiquan Jian.

A hypertext notebook by Michael P. Garofalo. 

This popular webpage includes a comprehensive bibliography, scores of links to webpages; an extensive listing of the names and name variations for each movement in English, Chinese, French, German, and Spanish; a detailed analysis of each posture and movement sequence with explanations and numbered illustrations and detailed instructions; selected quotations; comments on 20 Taijiquan sword techniques; a comprehensive media bibliography; a chart of performance times; recommendations for starting to learn this form at home one your own with instructional DVDs, books and practice methods; and, a comparison of the 32 and 55 sword forms in the Yang style. 

This is the standard, simplified, orthodox, 1957, 32 Taiji Sword Form, in the Yang Style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. 

32 Sword Form Pamphlet by Geoffrey Hugh Miller.  Adapted from information and graphics found on the 32 Sword Form webpage by Michael P. Garofalo.  22 pages, 9/7/2015, PDF Format.  Excellent job by Mr. Miller.  This is a handy practice tool.  

Tai Chi Chuan Instruction in Vancouver, Clark County, WA

 Tai Chi Chuan Instruction in 2025-

The Yang Style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan

Private or Group Lessons

Instructor: Mike Garofalo, M.S., B.A.

Instructor's Qualifications

In Clark County, Washington State:
Vancouver, Battleground, Camas,
Orchards, Salmon Creek, Minnehaha,
Prairie Creek, Five Corners, Felida,
Sunnyside, City Center, Mill Plain

Contact Mike Garofalo by Email or Phone

Teaching and practicing the Yang Style
Taijiquan Short 24 Movements Form,
the Standard Long 108 Movements Form,
Cane, and Qigong

 

Cost for Lessons:
$20 per hour for one person
$30 per hour for two persons
Senior Citizen Discounts
Large Group Discounts
Long Time Student Discounts
Gratuities Always Welcome

 

Location of Lessons:
9102 NE 100th Street
Vancouver, WA 98662
Also at Nearby Locations

 

Websites: Cloud Hands Tai Chi Chuan

Blog: Cloud Hands Blog

Qigong (Chi Kung), Longevity Practice

 

 

Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo
Qualifications and Experience

I began learning Yang Style Taijiquan and
Qigong in 1986, and have taught these
Body-Mind Somatic Arts since 2000.
I also taught Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga
in Red Bluff, CA, from 2003-2016.

All of my Yoga and T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Classes Include Some Qigong
(Chinese Yoga) Practices

In 2025, I am 79 years of age.

 

I began learning Yang Style Taijiquan and Qigong from
1986-1990 with Sensei Frank McGourick in Whittier, California.
I studied Lui Ho Ba Fa and Qigong with Sifu Robert Moore from 1987-1990 in Whittier, California.
I studied Red Dragon Kung Fu from 1991-1993 with Sensei Tony Ippolito in Hacienda Heights, California.

I taught over 950 one hour classes of Taijiquan and Qigong in Red Bluff, California, from 2000-2017.
I also practice the Chen 18 Style of Taijiquan and Sun 73 Style
of Taijiquan, the cane weapon, and many Qigong forms.

Tai Chi for Diabetes Instructor Trained and Certified by Dr. Paul Lam in 2003.
Tai Chi for Arthritis Level 2 Instructor (Sun Style) Trained and Certified by Troyce Thome in 2006.
Advanced Tai Chi and Qigong training at workshops or classes led by Robert Moore, Paul Lam, Ken Cohen,
Patricia Long, George Xu, Elaine Waters,
Bill Helm, Doc Fai-Wong, Sher K. Lew,
Kevin Weaver, Troyce Thome, Yang Jun,
David Fetyko, and Brian Knack.

I taught Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga in Red Bluff from 2003 to 2016 for over 1,460 hours of one hour classes.
YogaFit Level IV Certified Yoga Instructor (Standard 200 Hour Yoga Alliance Curriculum Completed) in 2004.
Over 100 hours of additional yoga training with Dr. Paula Barros, Desiree Rambaugh, and at the Ananda Yoga Center.
All of my Yoga Classes include some Qigong (Chinese Yoga).

Personal Fitness Trainer Certified by AFAA 2007
Mat Pilates AFAA Certified 2005
Spin Cycling AFAA Certified 2005
Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) Certifications
SilverSneakers Trained Instructor 2012
CPR and AED certified from 1999-2017, 2024-.

Emergency 30-Day Substitute Teaching Permit, 4/1999-4/2017
Certified by the State of California Commission
on Teacher Credentialing.
M.A. Education, 40 units, CSU Chico.
M.A., Philosophy, 30 units at CSU Los Angeles.
M.S., Library and Information Science,
University of Southern California, 1968
B.A. Philosophy, CSU Los Angeles, 1967

Brief Biography

My telephone number in 2025 is 530-200-0750.

 

Qigong
(Chinese Warm-up Exercises, Chinese Yoga,
Chi Kung, Energy Development, Energy Work)

Eight Section Brocade Qigong (Ba Duan Gin)

Five Animal Frolics Qigong (Wu Qin Xi)

The Magic Pearl Medicine Ball Qigong

Ba Gua Circle Walking Eight Mother Palms

Entering Tranquility: Standing Meditation

Silk Reeling and Circles in Taijiquan

Temple Qigong

Dragon Qigong

Muscle-Tendon Changing Qigong (Yi Jin Jing)

Cloud Hands Website

Cloud Hands Blog

25 Steps and Beyond: Collected Works

 

Updated on April 12, 2025