Wu Ch'uan-yu

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Wu.

吴全佑 Wu Ch'uan-yu
Depiction of a Manchu Imperial Guards Bannerman wearing similar uniform and gear to that worn by Wu Ch'uan-yu as a military officer
Born	1834 China
Died	1902
Style	Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan
Notable students	Wu Chien-ch'uan, Wang Mao Zhai, Guo Fen

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Kung fu (功夫) Wushu (武術) Qigong (氣功)
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Historical people
Five Elders (五祖) Yim Wing-chun / Yan Yongchun (嚴詠春) Hung Hei-gun / Hong Xiguan (洪熙官) Fong Sai-yuk / Fang Shiyu (方世玉) Dong Haichuan (董海川) Yang Lu-ch'an (楊露禪) Wu Quanyou (吳全佑) Ten Tigers of Canton (廣東十虎) Chen Fake (陳發科) Chan Heung / Chen Xiang (陳享) Wong Fei-hung / Huang Feihong (黃飛鴻) Sun Lu-t'ang (孫祿堂) Huo Yuanjia (霍元甲) Yip Man / Ye Wen (葉問) Wang Zi-Ping (王子平) Bruce Lee / Li Xiaolong (李小龍) Jackie Chan / Cheng Long (成龍) Sammo Hung / Hong Jinbao (洪金寶) Yuen Biao / Yuán Biāo (元彪) Jet Li / Li Lian Jie (李連杰) Donnie Yen / Zhēn Zǐdān (甄子丹)
Legendary figures
Bodhidharma / Putidamo / Damo (菩提達摩) Zhang Sanfeng (張三丰) Eight immortals (八仙)
Related
Hong Kong action cinema Wushu (sport) Wuxia (武俠) Boxer Rebellion
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Wu Ch'uan-yu or Wu Quanyou (simplified Chinese: 吴全佑; traditional Chinese: 吳全佑; pinyin: Wú Quányòu) (1834–1902) was an influential teacher of t'ai chi ch'uan in late Imperial China. He is credited as the founder of the Wu style t'ai chi ch'uan.^[1] As he was of Manchu descent, and would have been named by his family in Manchu, the name "Wú" (吳) was a sinicisation that approximated the pronunciation of the first syllable of his Manchu clan name, U Hala.^[2]

Background

Wu Ch'uan-yu was a military officer in the Yellow Banner camp (see Qing Dynasty Military) in the Forbidden City, Beijing and also an officer of the Imperial Guards Brigade during the Qing Dynasty. At that time, Yang Luchan (楊露禪) (1799–1872) was the martial arts instructor in that banner camp, teaching t'ai chi ch'uan.^[1] In the camp, there were many officers studying with Yang Luchan, but only three men, Wan Chun (萬春), Ling Shan (凌山) and Ch'uan Yu (全佑) studied diligently and trained hard enough at t'ai chi ch'uan to become disciples. However, they were unable to become Yang Luchan's disciples, because Yang Luchan taught t'ai chi ch'uan to two men of very high status in the military; they were Shi Shaonan and General Yue Guichen.^[2][3]

At that time Wan Chun, Ling Shan and Ch'uan-yu were middle grade officers in the banner camp and because of their rank, they could not be seen as fellow classmates with nobility and high grade officers. As a result, they were asked to become disciples of Yang Pan-hou (楊班侯) or Yang Banhou, Yang Luchan’s oldest adult son and an instructor as well to the Manchu military.^[2]

Wu Ch'uan-yu as a teacher

When Wu retired from the military, he set up a school in Beijing. Wu Ch'uan-yu's Beijing school was successful and there were many who studied with him, he was popularly known as Quan Sanye (全三爺) as a term of respect. His disciples were Guo Songting (郭松亭), Wang Maozhai (王茂齋), Xia Gongfu (夏公甫), Chang Yuanting (常遠亭), Qi Gechen (齊閣臣) (see Wudang Tai Chi Chuan Lineage) etc. Wu's skills were said to be exceptional in the area of softly "neutralising" (化勁, hua jin) hard energy when attacked, which is a core skill of good t'ai chi ch'uan practice as a martial art.^[3] Wu Ch'uan-yu had three primary disciples: his son Wu Chien-ch'uan, Wang Mao Zhai and Guo Fen.^[4]

Formation of the Wu-style

Wu Ch'uan-yu's son, Wu Chien-ch'uan (吳鑑泉) (1870–1942) also became a cavalry officer and t'ai chi ch'uan teacher, working closely with the Yang family and Sun Lu-t'ang, promoting what subsequently came to be known as Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.^[1][5][6]

T'ai chi ch'uan Lineage Tree

This lineage tree is not comprehensive.

Legendary Figures

Zhang Sanfeng* c. 12th century NEIJIA
Wang Zongyue* T'AI CHI CH'UAN

Note: These are legendary or semi-legendary figures in the lineage, which means their involvement in the lineage, while accepted by most of the major schools, isn't independently verifiable from known historical records.

Five major classical family styles

Chen Wangting 1580–1660 9th generation Chen CHEN STYLE

Chen Changxing 1771–1853 14th generation Chen Chen Old Frame

Chen Youben c. 1800s 14th generation Chen Chen New Frame

Yang Lu-ch'an 1799–1872 YANG STYLE

Chen Qingping 1795–1868 Chen Small Frame, Zhaobao Frame

Yang Pan-hou 1837–1892 Yang Small Frame

Yang Chien-hou 1839–1917

Wu Yu-hsiang 1812–1880 WU/HAO STYLE

Wu Ch'uan-yu 1834–1902

Yang Shao-hou 1862–1930 Yang Small Frame

Yang Chengfu 1883–1936 Yang Big Frame

Li I-yü 1832–1892

Wu Chien-ch'uan 1870–1942 WU STYLE 108 Form

Yang Shou-chung 1910–1985

Hao Wei-chen 1849–1920

Wu Kung-i 1900–1970

Sun Lu-t'ang 1861–1932 SUN STYLE

Wu Ta-k'uei 1923–1972

Sun Xingyi 1891–1929

See also

• Wu Ying-hua
• Ma Yueh-liang
• Wu Ta-ch'i
• Wu Ta-hsin

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Wile, Douglas (1995). Lost T'ai-chi Classics from the Late Ch'ing Dynasty (Chinese Philosophy and Culture). State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0791426548. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Wu, Ying-hua (1988). Wu Style T'ai Chi Ch'uan – Forms, Concepts and Applications of the Original Style. Shanghai Book company, Ltd., Hong Kong. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Wu, Kung-tsao (1980, 2006). Wu Family T'ai Chi Ch'uan (吳家太極拳). Chien-ch’uan T’ai-chi Ch’uan Association. ISBN 0-9780499-0-X. 
4. ^ Zhang, Tina (2006). Classical Northern Wu Style Tai Ji Quan. Blue Snake Books Berkeley, california. ISBN 978-1583941546. 
5. ^ Yip, Y. L. (Autumn 2002). Pivot – Qi, The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness Vol. 12 No. 3. Insight Graphics Publishers. ISSN 1056-4004. 
6. ^ Philip-Simpson, Margaret (June 1995). A Look at Wu Style Teaching Methods - T’AI CHI The International Magazine of T’ai Chi Ch'uan Vol. 19 No. 3. Wayfarer Publications. ISSN 0730-1049. 

External links

• International Wu Style Tai Chi Ch'uan Federation at www.wustyle.com Wu family website with a link to a biography of Wu Ch'uan-yu (listed as "Wu Chuan Yau")