Nearly 1,000 t'ai chi masters from China and some 20 countries and regions gathered in the historic city, taking part in contests and exchanging skills.

The meeting featured contests in t'ai chi boxing, sword fighting, and hand-pushing. Some well-known masters gave demonstrations.

A seminar was held on the development of this martial art.

It is believed that taijiquan, or t'ai chi, also known as shadow boxing, emerged in Chenjiagou village, in Jiaozuo's Wenxian County in the 17th century.

The first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Zhu Yuanzhang ordered an official movement of people from North China's Shanxi Province to Changyang village in Henan Province. A man named Chen Bu was among the people forced to migrate.

Besides laboring in the fields, Chen had systematized the pugilistic arts and practiced boxing and the use of weapons, and practicing the martial arts became a tradition in the family.

Chen Wangting (1600-80), a 9th-generation descendant of Chen Bu, developed the family's boxing style of long punches into a set of moves including five laojia ( "old" or "big" sets of movements, which are less complex with larger movements) and two xinjia ( "new" sets of movements, which are more dynamic and explosive).

Later, Chen family's t'ai chi style developed into four other styles with some simplifications or improvement of movements by masters Yang Luchan, Wu Yuxiang, Wu Jianquan and Sun Lutang at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

In its long course of development, t'ai chi assimilated many elements of traditional Chinese culture and philosophy, which led to the combining of martial arts with qigong, a system of deep-breathing exercises.

T'ai chi, an art of attack and defense, is one of the most famous Chinese martial arts. Its practice serves well in strengthening the body and preserving health, and it enjoys high popularity among the Chinese people.

(China Daily September 4, 2002)