The Study Of Chen-Style Taijiquan’s Development Stages

Taijiquan, one of the most typical boxing genres among Chinese Martial Arts,has experienced three hundred years of development into a kind of traditional sportsintegrating functions of fitness, health and entertainment. Nowadays, as people putgrowing focuses on fitness and health, Taijiquan becomes the best sports option onthe ground of its both cultural identity and health effects. Based on the staging theoryof historical research, this study intends to make a systematic carding and research ofChen-style Taijiquan, the Starting of Taijiquan, with the use of methodologies likeliterature, field visiting, interviewing and logical analysis.By making a summarization of Taijiquan’s development stages on the part ofpervious scholars, this study is to systematically sort out Chen-style Taijiquan’sdevelopment process, sum up its characteristics and laws, and, according to its primeheritages and phase characteristics, divide Chen-style Taijiquan into the followingseven stages:“Before Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties–Base-building Stage”,“Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties to Middle Qing Dynasty–Creation Stage”,“Middle Qing Dynasty to Late Qing Dynasty–Open Stage”,“Late Qing Dynasty toEarly Republican Period–Upgrade Stage”,“Early Republican Period to Before theFounding of New China–Domestic Widespread Stage”,“The Founding of NewChina to1976–Stagnation Alternating with Short Development Stage”,“1976to thePresent–The Popularity of Large-scale Development Stage”.Through the research on the development stages of Chen-style Taijiquan, thehistorical experience could be summarized as follows. Firstly, family mentoringinheritance not only helped ensure the heritage integrity and improvements ofChen-style Taijiquan, but also promoted its development. Secondly, Taijiquanwritings kept emerging during its progress process, having offered authentic researchmaterials with well-documented boxing frames and theories. Finally, Chen-styleTaijiquan’s internationalization coupled with national leaders’ attention pave ways forthe exchange and dissemination of Chinese culture and the world. Suggestions reached via this study illustrate as follows. To begin with, domesticexperts are expected to make greater efforts to do research on Chen-style Taijiquan’sprogress stages, and provide its further healthy development with new ideas. Then,the study of Chen-style Taijiquan-related sports history is supposed to be strengthened,so as to protect this intangible cultural heritage in China. Most importantly,Chen-style Taijiquan’s role of the Chinese cultural treasure should be fully played,which is of great significance in carrying forward Chinese excellent culture.