Tai Chi Chuan - Origin Theories

Niall Keane

The Origin Theories

The main forms of TCC practiced today all trace their origins back to the Chen Village in Wen County, Henan. It is only reasonable to begin our search for the origins of Taijiquan there and the early records from there and those that learnt the art from there.

The Earliest Reference To The Origin
The written works on Taijiquan were not from the Chen village or its members. The earliest being the Taijiquan Classic by Wang Tsung Yueh. The earliest verifiable manual on Taijiquan that we have is from Li I-Yu (1832-1892) who compiled the 3 manuals which are known as the `3 old manuals' in Yung Nien today. Li learnt the art from his uncle Wu Yu Xiang who in turn learnt the major part of his art from Yang Lu Chan, the founder of the most popular Yang style of Taijiquan, and spent a month learning the `Xiao Jia' or 'Small Frame' from Chen Ching Ping. In these old manuals he recorded the Taijiquan Classics, works of his uncle, those of Wang Tsung Yueh and his own writings on the art. In his `Brief Preface To Taijiquan' he wrote that the creator of the art was Chang San Feng and that Wang Tsung Yueh was skilled in it and that it was later transmitted to the Chen village. Later, Li I Yu rewrote the first sentence of his Introduction to say that the founder was unknown. This could very well be due to a a differring origin theories in the post-Chen Ching Ping period. This is the earliest record we have on the origins of Taijiquan.

The Chang San Feng Theory
This is the theory of origins adopted by most of the major styles of Taijiquan and was first put forth by the Yang style. The Yang style traces its origins back to Chen Chang Xin who was taught by Jiang Fa who was in turn taught by Wang Tsung Yueh. Wang Tsung Yueh was supposed to be a student of Chang Sung Chi a noted practitioner of the Internal Boxing of the Wudang Temple. The Wudang Temple certainly exists and their Internal Boxing certainly existed and does share certain characteristics like controling the opponent with calmness. The creator of this Internal Boxing was Chang San Feng, a Taoist on Wudang Mountain. The Wudang martial arts bear little resemblance to the Taijiquan we have today even though they share some of the same characteristics.
The Wudang Temple is still exists and there are still Taoist sages managing the temple and they still teach Wudang martial arts there. It is interesting to note that there is a form called Wudang Taijiquan practiced there. Its postures bear little resemblance to the main styles practiced today even though it has many common characteristics, in terms of technique and principles, of the major styles. The last head of the Wudang Temple, Taoist Xu Ben Shan (1860-1932) was skilled in it and taught it to his disciples together with other Wudang arts. Xu spent most of his life in the Wudang Temple having entered the temple when young. It is unlikely that his art came from the outside since his life is quite well documented. But whether Wudang Taijiquan is the seminal form of all the others cannot be concluded since there is no firm link between the practitioners of the Wudang arts and Wang Tsung Yueh who is the earliest common personage of the the early styles of modern Taijiquan. But it should be noted that there are common theorems between the Wudang Internal Boxing and Taijiquan. and it is possible that Wudang Internal Boxing influenced Taijiquan though it should be considered a separate art.
Some have raised the question of Chang San Feng's existence as there is much legendary material about him. He is recorded by reliable historical documents such as the 'Ming History' and 'The Ningpo Chronicles' which have no relation to martial arts literature as having existed and to have created Wudang Internal Boxing arts. This is in line with the beliefs held at the Wudang Temple itself and one can find much old material pertaining to Chang San Feng there. According to the available material, Chang lived at the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). There was a confusion of dates as the Emperor Yung Ler used searching for Chang as an excuse to send Yan Wang Chu in 1403 to scoure the country in search of his rival, the Emperor Jian Wen. Chang San Feng was widely regarded as a Taoist saint and Emperor Yung Ler knew that he had already died and so came up with the ruse. Historians who have tried to reconcile the misinformation of the Emperor Yung Le with the earlier records have either regarded Chang as a mid Ming Dynasty personage, possibly a different person from the Chang San Feng of recorded as living in the Yuan Dynasty or that Chang had lived for a very long time, beyond normal human life expectancy.
The Zhao Bao style of Taijiquan also traces their art back to Jiang Fa and Wang Tsung Yueh and ultimately to Chang San Feng. Gu Liu Xin, the noted Taijiquan historian, posits based on the writings of Chen Xin that Chen Ching Ping created the Zhao Bao style. Chen Ching Ping was a student of Chen You Pen who created the `new frame' (xin jia) of Chen Taijiquan which was also known as the `high frame' (gao jia) and `small frame' (xiao jia). Chen Qing Ping was also recorded to be a student of the Zhao Bao Taijiquan master Zhang Yan. Wu Yu Xiang who learnt from Chen Ching Ping retained this high standing characteristic in the style he passed down.
The present Zhao Bao style is relatively low standing and is performed in a slow manner without fa-jing (strength emissions) except in kicks, in a manner common to the Yang and Wu Yu Xiang styles and those that developed from them.
This theory can not be reliably proven, all that we can ascertain is that the art came down from Wang Tsung Yueh and Jiang Fa to the Chen village and Zhao Bao villiage. It is unlikely that Chang developed Taijiquan as we see it today though he may have invented some of the principles that went into the art. The works attributed to him in the Taijiquan Classics are actually the works of Wang Tsung Yueh. This is evident in the handwritten manuals of Li I Yu.

The Chen Pu Theory
This was the theory put out by Chen Xin, the first to write a book on the Chen style of Taijiquan. He attributed the creation of the art to Chen Pu, this was echoed later by Chen Ji Pu in his later book on the art. Chen Xin records that Chen Pu taught his descendents a way to digest food, and Chen Xin claims this to be Taijiquan. Chen Pu's grave has nothing to indicate that he was skilled in martial arts or to have created Taijiquan, a very significant piece of evidence since the Chen Family was famous for its boxing for genrations, gaining the name `Pao Chui Chen Family'. So this theory has been proven to be false.

The Chen Wang Ting Theory
This theory was first posited by Tang Hao. He based his theory on the side note in the Chen Family Manual (Chen Si Jia Pu) that Chen Wang Ting (1597-1664) was the creator of the Chen Fist, broadsword and spear arts, and on the assumption that the Chen family did not learn arts from outside the Chen family. According to the Annals Of Wen County, Chen Wang Ting served as an officer in Shantung Province from 1618 to 1621 and was officer in charge of the garrison at Wen County in 1641.
The theory was further elaborated upon by Gu Liu Xin, Tang Hao's good friend. He brought in a poem attributed to Chen Wang Ting that stated that Chen Wang Ting `created boxing when bored' and a Boxing Song Formula attributed to Chen Wang Ting as proof of the theory. Modern linguistic studies show that it should actually be translated as 'no bored (free) time to create boxing' instead.
We need to note that the references to boxing in the Chen Family are in the side notes and are not in the main text. Since the Chen family was famous for its boxing, it seems a gross ommission that such an important article of information as Chen Wang Ting creating the Chen family arts is not included in the main text but is in a side note. What more, the earliest published works by the Chen family on their art does not attribute the creation of the art to Chen Wang Ting. The last line of the Chen Family Manual says clearly that the side notes were the work of Chen Xin and so it is a recently added reference. Yet Chen Xin does not posit that Chen Wang Ting is the creator, but instead Chen Pu.
The Boxing Song Formula attributed to Chen Wang Ting is taken from the Liang Yi Tang Ben manual of Chen martial arts, it is also the only old manual that records a form called the 13 postures. Its content is an addition on to an old Chen martial art manual called the Wen Xiu Tang Ben which does not record any form called the 13 postures. So it is possible that the Liang Yi Tang Ben is a later manual with additions not found in the original Chen transmission. The poem attributed to Chen Wang Ting is found in the Liang Yi Tang Ben and there is no other evidence to authenticate it.
Another early Chen family writer is Chen Zhi Ming. It was he who accompanied Tang Hao and Gu Liu Xin on their trip down to Chen Jia Gou for investigations into the origins. His work is thus as important as theirs in terms of evidence for the early Chen arts. In his book on the Chen family arts he quotes from the old manuals and records old song formulas, many of which are revealing (see next chapter for more information)
Chen Xin also authored the Three Three Boxing Manual (San San Quan Pu) which uses Taiji Boxing theories to complement Hsing-I theories. It contains 3 of the 10 thesis of Hsing-I. Tang Hao also posited that Chen Wang Ting had used 29 out of the 32 boxing postures in General Qi Ji Kwang's (1528-1587) book Ji Xiao Xin Shu. We shall examine this claim in detail in the next chapter.
From the above evidence, it is quite clear that the Chen family did probably learn and practice arts from outside the Chen village. Based on this, the theory of Chen Wang Ting creating Taijiquan cannot be supported.

The Four Old Schools Of Taijiquan In the Sung Manual: Sung's Taiji And Its Offshoots
The manual was first given to Wu Tu Nan by a friend of his in late 1908 or early 1909. Later when Sung Si Ming came to Beijing to teach Taijiquan, Wu had the opportunity to compare the manual he had with Sung Si Ming's manual and they agreed in content. In the manual it lists four old schools of Taijiquan, namely Hsu, Yu, Cheng and Yin. The postures delinated in the manual have names similar to Yang Taiji and the form and sword form postures are almost identical to the Yang style, it is obvious that the Sung style of Taiji came from the Yang style so the historical data in the manual is suspect and cannot be regarded as factual.

That Jiang Fa Transmitted It To The Chen Village
The early sources all record the existance of this personage and that he was skilled in the art of Taijiquan. Zhao Bao style traces their lineage to him and even Chen Xin's book 'Chen Family Taijiquan Pictures And Sayings' has a song formula of his which Jiang apparent got from his teacher from Shanxi (who would be Wang Tsung Yueh). So even in Chen Xin's book, there is a reference to Jiang as being a teacher of the art.
This song formula in Chen Xin's book comes down from Du Yu Wan, whom Wu Tu Nan had met during his investigative visit to the Chen Villiage. Du himself wrote a book which was published only once in 1935. The original handwritten manual has been traced to the Zhao Bao viliage though it has not been made public. It states that Jiang was the teacher of Du's art and was taught by Wang. There is a chapter i Du's book called 'Wudang Taijiquan Beginnings' indicates that Du considered his Taijiquan as coming from the Wu Dang school.
The Yang family tradition also records that it was Jiang who taught Chen Chang Xin the art. Wu Tu Nan's book 'Research On Taijiquan' (1984) records his encounter with Chen Xin on the matter. Chen Xin admitted that Chen Chang Xin had learnt the art from Jiang Fa after Jiang had defeated Chen Chang Xin and that because of that, Chen Chang Xin was not allowed to teach Pao Chui.
The Chen Taijiquan proponents have also said that Jiang was a student of Chen Wang Ting, pointing to a painting of Chen Wang Ting and a man surnamed Jiang as proof of the matter. The painting needs to be dated to verify it as a early source but it doesn't really need to be done because the name given the man is Jiang Pu and not Jiang Fa. This bit of information coming from Chen Xin's book. This incorrect attribution has led to the placing of Jiang Fa as a Ming dynasty personage, affecting also the Zhao Bao dating. But the writings of Chen Xin indicate that Chen Wang Ting was a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) personage and Jiang Fa was a Ching Dynasty (1644-1911), Chien Loong Era (1716-1795) personage. So their assertion is baseless. Chen Xin emphasized the fact that Chen Wang Ting and Jiang Fa were from different eras because some in the Chen Villiage believed that Jiang Fa had taught Chen Wang Ting martial arts.
Given the evidence above of the nature of the early Chen family arts, Jiang Fa could indeed have been the person who `softened' the existing art to the present day Taijiquan and input the 13 postures into the art. The 13 postures consists of the 8 different Jings and the Five directions of movement. It is interesting to note that the early Chen documents record different names for the 8 jings than the conventionally accepted ones which are in the Taijiquan Classics. (see next chapter)

Jiang Fa's Teacher: Wang Tsung Yueh
The song formula at the very back of Chen Xin's book indicates that Jiang Fa's teacher was from Shanxi, that would indicate Wang Tsung Yueh and the contents of the song formula is almost virtually identical to the Taijiquan Treatise (Taijiquan Lun) which is attributed to Wu Yu Xiang (this attribution originates from Tang Hao, who assumed because Wu Yu Xiang compiled the sayings on `Hitting Hands' of which this was one section, that it was Wu Yu Xiang who wrote it. This is to differentiate it with Wang Tsung Yueh's Taijiquan Classic of the same name). This would mean that Wu Yu Xiang did have access to Wang's teachings and that the Chen family does acknowledge his existance and that he taught Jiang Fa. This would make the theory that Wu Yu Xiang inventing Wang's personage improbable. Besides Wu did not hesitate to put his name on the other works he wrote which are a part of the Tajiquan Classics.
Zhao Bao also records him in their lineage and he is an important figure in the Yang lineage as well. The Taijiquan Classic of his is probably the most profound work on the nature and function of the art of Taijiquan.
Tang Hao and Gu Liu Xin have written that Wang had learnt his art from the Chen family but one must note that this is pure conjecture as there is no evidence to suggest that this is so. In documents pertaining to Wang's life, there is no mention that he learnt his art from the Chen family.
Other than Wang's manual discovered in the salt store, Tang Hao obtained in 1930 the Yin Fu Spear Manual written by Wang Tsung Yueh, the manual also contains the Taijiquan Classic. The preface of the Yin Fu Spear Manual states that in his old age, Wang was a school teacher with his own private school in Luoyang in 1791 and was also active in Kaifeng in 1795 and was still alive in 1796. The consensus of the early evidence does suggest that they all believe he existed and they do record his teachings. It is unlikely that he was was just a fictitious character invented by Wu Yu Xiang.

The Sung Tai Zhu Quan Connection
Tang Hao was the first to theorise that Chen Wang Ting invented Taijiquan by integrating 29 of the 32 postures of General Qi Ji Kwang. In chapter 3 we have already ascertained that Gu was wrong about the origins of Taijiquan, here we will see how the 32 postures of General Qi fits into the picture as a basis for the development of Chen Taijiquan.
General Qi was a general during the Ming dynasty who compiled a book on effective war techniques called the "New Book Recording Effective Techniques" (Ji Xiao Xin Shu). In it he had sections of strategy, weapons usage, unarmed combat and other aspects of war. In the section on unarmed combat he recorded the names of 16 extant empty hand martial arts and took note of what made effective boxing. He also recorded 32 boxing postures. Gu was the first to assume that these 32 postures were an amalgam of the most effective techniques of the 16 listed fistic forms. For many decades, this was the accepted truth because of his reputation as a Taijiquan historian. Unfortunately he was wrong.
Based on the above assumption, Gu had posited that Chen Wang Ting had developed his Taijiquan from General Qi's form which supposedly consisted of the best techniques from the 16 extent fistic arts during the Ming dynasty. An impressive pedigree. With a closer examination of the postures and their listing we discover something else.
In 1918, the Shanghai Da Shen Bookshop published a book called the `Boxing Canon' (Quan Jing) which was at that time one of the more complete books on the many aspects of boxing. Inside it was included drawings of the original 32 postures of Sung Tai Zhu Chang Quan (First Emperor Of Sung's Long Boxing). Upon closer examination, it was discovered that these 32 postures were identical (there were some variant readings where similar sounding words were used in place of each other though without losing the meaning of the posture name) with the 32 postures in General Qi's book. General Qi had listed the 32 postures of Sung Tai Zhu Quan as the first in the list of the many fistic forms he mentioned.
A parallel comparison of the drawings and names of the 32 postures shows that they are in fact identical. A posture listing of both sets are as follows:

The 32 Postures 1n General Qi's Book
1) Lazily Arranging Clothes
2) Golden Chicken Stands On One Leg
3) Pat Horse
4) Bending Single Whip
5) Seven Star Fist
6) Repulse Riding Dragon
7) Sweep Leg And Empty Bait
8) Hill Fairy Stance (qiu liu shi)
9) Repulse Thrusting Attack
10) Ambush Stance
11) Casting Away Stance
12) Pick Up Elbow Stance
13) Speedy Step
14) Chin Na Stance (Grappling Stance)
15) Middle Four Level Stance
16) Subduing Tiger Stance
17) High Four Level Stance
18) Repulse Insertion Stance
19) Well Blocking Four Levels
20) Ghost Kick Foot
21) Pointing At Pubic Region
22) Animal Head Stance
23) Spirit Fist
24) Single Whip
25) Sparrow Dragon On The Ground
26) Rising Sun Stance
27) Goose Wings Fold Body
28) Riding Tiger Stance
29) Bend Pheonix Elbow
30) Cannon Overhead
31) Follow Pheonix Eblow
32) Flag And Drum Stance

Sung Tai Zhu Chang Chuan's 32 Postures
1) Lazily Arranging Stance
2) Golden Chicken Stands On One Leg
3) Control Horse Stance
4) Bending Whip
5) Seven Star Fist
6) Repulse Riding Dragon Stance
7) Sweeping Foot And Lightly Empty
8) Hill Flowing Stance (qiu liu shi)
9) Repulse Thrusting Stance
10) Ambush Stance
11) Pulling Frame Stance
12) Bracing Eblow Upwards Stance
13) Escaping Step
14) Chin Na Stance (Grappling Stance)
15) Middle Four Level Stance
16) Subduing Tiger Stance
17) High Four Level Stance
18) Repulse Catching Stance
19) Well Blocking Stance
20) Ghost Kicking Stance
21) Pointing To Pubic Region
22) Animal Head Stance
23) Spirit Fist
24) Single Whip
25) Sparrow Dragon Stance
26) Rising Sun Stance
27) Wild Goose Wing Stance
28) Riding Tiger Stance
29) Bend Pheonix Stand
30) Over Head Stance
31) Follow Pheonix Stance
32) Flag And Drum Stance

What does this mean to Taijiquan? Chen Zhi Ming was the member of the Chen family who accompanied Tang Hao to the Chen village. He, like Gu and Tang also wrote about his family's Taijiquan. Chen Zhi Ming work contains records the following about Sung Tai Zhu Quan:
`Tai Zhu stances are the strongest, tumbling and diagonal moving, even ghosts have to be busy to get out of the way' from the Liang Yi Tang Ben manual of Chen martial arts.
`Seven star fist and hands take care of each other, Pat Horse Fist comes down from Tai Zhu' from the Wen Xiu Tang Ben manual of Chen martial arts
From the above, which are the earliest sources of information about Chen family martial arts, it is clear that it was Sung Tai Zhu Quan that formed the basis of Taijiquan with 29 of its 32 postures adopted into the form, and did not come from General Qi's work which has no mention in Chen literature. This inaccurate hypothesis having been originated by Tang Hao.
Sung Tai Zhu Quan or Sung Tai Zhu Chang Quan as it was also known, comes from the south of China and is a external hard boxing form. It is characterised by powerful strikes and movements, body shaking, being structurally aligned, postures flowing with coordinated footwork, being very firm and stable both in standing and stepping and is effective in grappling (chin-na). All of which are present in Chen Taijiquan today. Sung Tai Zhu Chang Quan was not the only art practiced and ultimately integrated into their unique family boxing routines, from Chen Zhi Ming's record of the Chen arts song formulas, we know that Shaolin Red Fist was also practiced.

Shaolin Red Fist (Hong Chuan)
The Liang Yi Tang Ben records that the Chen Villiage practiced 'four small sets of Red Fist'. The Red Fist boxing is a Shaolin form. Given the close proximity between the Chen Villiage and the Shaolin Temple, it is not surprising that this form of boxing would be practiced there. The Red Fist boxing is also widely practiced in Shanxi where it is several different and but related sets, Tai Zhu Quan being one of them. Stylistically, it stresses low postures, soft use of muscles, using the mind instead of strength, speedy emission of power, guarding the four directions, agility, using the Qi circularly, closing into the opponent and using sticking and leaning.

Shaolin Cannon Fist (Pao Chuan) And Cannon Pounding (Pao Chui)
Shaolin Cannon Boxing consists of 3 sets, 2 sets of Small Cannon Fist and one set of Big Cannon Pounding. All three stress offense, using strikes like the pounding of cannons. Firm stances and powerful, explosive blows characterise it. This set is still being practiced in the Shaolin Temple to this very day.
Postures in it that are similar to Chen Taijiquan include `Tornado Kick' (Xuen Fung Jiao), and `Cannons In Series' (Lien Huan Pao). The San Huang Pao Chui which is derived from the Shaolin art contains movements like `Dash Leftward' (Zhuo Chong) and `Dash Rightward' (Yu Chong) in it and would indicate that there is some relationship to the Pao Chui of the Chen family. The Chen family was famous for several generations for their Pao Chui (Cannon Pounding) boxing art and were known as the `Pao Chui Chen Family' (Pao Chui Chen Jia).

Wu Dang Transmission?
Since the art was popularised there has been a widely accepted tradition among the non-Chen lineages that there was input from the Wu Dang arts into Taijiquan. So much so that Taijiquan is considered by many noted practitioners as a Wu Dang art.
The first to record Wu Dang's Internal Boxing at length was Huang Bai Jia and later the art was transmitted to Kan Feng Chi. Fortunately, we still have a record of Kan's art with us and it is still practiced. What has come down to us is the art which he combined both the Shaolin and the Wu Dang schools into a single art and he called it Hua Chuan (Flower Fist). If there is indeed a connection between the two arts, there should be some similar postures other than similar Taoist theories.
We do find similar postures but not similar to Chen Taijiquan but to Yang Taijiquan and its derivatives. Postures like Hitting Ears With Both Fists (Shuang Feng Kuan Er) complete with smashing the face onto the knee first, Playing The Lute (Shou Hui Pi Pa) with its characteristic elbow break on retreating, Cross Hands (Shi Zi Shou) with its cross hand block, Embrace Tiger And Carry Back To Mountain (Bao Hu Kui Shan), etc., are present in Kan's form.
Other resemblance comes from the art of the other great Wudang Internal Boxing master Chang Sung Chi. His art consisted mainly of the `4 stable 8 methods', the 4 stable techniques denoting the four directions and the eight methods are which are eight different combat techniques with myrid changes. These methods have another interesting name of `Yin Yang Five Element Eight Triagram Taiji Hands'. Chang Sung Chi's boxing theories include similar theorems and practices like sinking the qi to Huang Ting (Dan Tien), hollowing the chest and lifting the spine, listening to jing, using softness to neutralise an attack.
The postures are similar to those found in Yang Taijiquan and one can see the similarity in the two man sets in terms of technique. Indeed, even in an early Ta Lu interaction is there complete with the wrist grab (T'sai), arm lock/break (Lieh) and the attack to the face following it (Bi).
This would seem to bear out the Yang lineage's assertion that at least part of the art taught to Yang by Chen Chang Xin had input from the Wu Dang lineage related to Kan Feng Chi, Chang Sung Chi and Huang Pai Jia.
It is indeed strange for Yang Lu Chan to have admitted learning from Chen Chang Xin and yet attribute at least part of the art as having come from outside the Chen villiage arts unless there was some element of the truth in it. What could be possibly gained from it unless he denied he studied from Chen Chang Xin, a member of the Chen family of the Chen Villiage. We know that the Chen family did study arts from outside their villiage, so input from the Wu Dang Internal Boxing lineage should not be so strange. And it would be in line with the song formula at the back of Chen Xin's book which attributes transmission to Jiang Fa and Wang Tsung Yueh.

The Shaolin Pole Techniques
The Shaolin Temple is well known for its martial arts, in particular its fistic, broadsword and pole arts. Of the weapon arts of the Shaolin School, probably the most famous is its pole arts. It was the favoured weapon of the Shaolin Monks and they seldom left the temple without it in hand.
The song formula from Chen Zhi Ming's book confirms that the pole techniques of the Chen family originated from the Shaolin Temple. The 'Sitting Arhat Pole Formula' has these lines: 'Old Temple is the Shaolin Temple, the halls had 500 monks...if you want to know where this pole came from, Sitting Arhats transmitted it at Shaolin.' Gu Liu Xin did a comparison between the Chen family pole techniques and the Shaolin Temple Pole techniques and concluded that they were indeed related, sharing the same theory, the same body, hand and foot methods. This is not surprising since the Chen Villiage is quite close to the Shaolin Temple.

The Yang Family 24 Flower Spear
The Yang family Flower Spear art was extent even in the Ming Dynasty and was recorded in General Qi Ji Kwang's `Ji Xiao Xin Shu' and consisted of 24 postures. We need to note here that this Yang family is no relation to Yang Lu Chan, the founder of the Yang style of Taijiquan who was also famous for his spear techniques. The song formula recorded by Chen Zhi Ming in his book indicates that the original set of 24 techniques were practiced by the Chen family. The '24 Spear Song Formula' has this line: 'If you ask this spear's name and family: Yang family Flower Spear 24'. The spear used in this set is a relatively long one and its main emphasis is on thrusting techniques.

Training with the Short Stick (Pang)
One of the methods of training of Chen Taijiquan is to make use of a short stick or club held in both hands and using twisting motions to train in it. A similar exercise can be found in Kan Feng Chi's training methods where the same thing is done.
We also have this method of training coming down from the training methods of Chang Sung Chi, the other great Wudang Internal Boxing master. This could indicate that at least part of the training methods used by the Chen family could have come from a Kan Feng Chi, Chang Sung Chi related lineage.

Hsing-I Quan Influence?
The `Three Three Boxing Manual' written by Chen Xin contains three out of the ten thesis of Hsing-I Boxing as well as Taijiquan theories. This would indicate that some time in the history of Chen martial arts, Hsing-I Boxing was practiced. Whether the whole art was present is questionable since only three of the thesis are present.

Wu Tu Nan's Interview With Chen Xin And His Meeting With Chen Fa Ke
Wu Tu Nan visited the Chen Villiage in 1917. There were few educated people in the villiage at the time and he was directed to meet Chen Xin, this was before Chen Xin's book was published. Chen Xin was very frank in his interview with Wu Tu Nan and gave him an account of how Taijiquan came to the Chen Villiage (see chapter 6 on Yang style historical development for details). He said that both Taijiquan and the indigenous Chen family Pao Chui was practiced in the villiage but that Taijiquan came down from Jiang Fa. He also introduced Wu to Du Yu Wan who practiced Taijiquan and who said his art came down from Jiang Fa who was of the Wudang lineage, Du's subsequent book on Taijiquan in 1935 confirms this view and the authenticity and accuracy of Wu Tu Nan's interview material.
Chen Xin had told Wu that he was writing a book on Taijiquan. Wu then asked Chen Xin whether he practiced Taijiquan. Chen Xin replied that his father had let his older brother learn martial arts but had made him get an education instead so he did not know any martial arts. Wu then asked how he was going to write a book on martial arts if he did not practice martial arts. Chen replied that Taijiquan is based on the Book of Changes and that he felt that as long as an art conformed to the Book of Changes it was Taijiquan. So he intended to use the boxing postures of Pao Chui and relate them to the Book of Changes and that his purpose of the book was to show how the Book of Changes was related even to martial arts, it was not his intention of writing a martial arts manual.
With this background information, Wu Tu Nan had asked Chen Fa Ke during a meeting around 1950 whether his art was Taijiquan, given that the definition of Taijiquan was that is was based on the 13 postures. Chen Fa Ke had replied that his art was not based on the 13 postures and so was not Taijiquan. The meeting was cordial and it was not confrontational.


Found at Peter Lim’s Taijiquan Resource Page:
http://www.itcca.it/peterlim/historg1.htm