See also: [[Misc./Tai Chi/History|History]] for the broader tai chi timeline this fits into, and [[Misc./Tai Chi/Peng, Lu, Ji, An|Peng, Lu, Ji, An]] for the four primary energies rooted in the Yijing/bagua theory Chen Wangting folded into the style. ## Origins in Chen Village Chen style is the root style — every other tai chi lineage traces back to it. The Chen family settled in what became Chenjiagou ("Chen Family Creek/Gully"), in Wen County, Henan province, after the family head Chen Bu migrated there in the 13th or 14th century; the name comes from three ravines near the village. The art itself is credited to **Chen Wangting** (1580–1660), a 9th-generation Chen and a retired Ming-dynasty military officer. He's said to have combined existing family/military combat techniques with Daoist internal-cultivation theory, Yijing philosophy, yin-yang theory, and TCM meridian concepts into a coherent system. For roughly two centuries afterward it stayed a closely guarded family art, taught only to Chen descendants. ## Key generations - **Chen Changxing** (1771–1853), 6th generation after Wangting — consolidated the accumulated family material into two routines: the "Old Frame" (Laojia), split into a First Form (Yilu — see [[Misc./Tai Chi/Laojia Yilu|Laojia Yilu]] for the full movement sequence) and a Second Form (Erlu, aka "Cannon Fist" / Paochui, the more explosive, jump- and strike-heavy routine). Laojia is the baseline that later frames branch from. Chen Changxing is also notable as Yang Luchan's teacher — the point where the art left the family (see [[Misc./Tai Chi/History|History]]). - **Chen Xin** (1849–1929), 16th generation — didn't found a new form, but wrote the first major text on the style's theory, *Taijiquan Illustrated* (太極拳圖說), including the diagrams of silk-reeling energy still referenced today. He died before it was finished; it was published posthumously in 1933 by historian Tang Hao and Chen's nephew Chen Chunyuan. - **Chen Fake** (1887–1957), 17th generation — the figure most responsible for Chen style's modern visibility. He moved from Chen Village to Beijing in 1928 to teach publicly (Yang and Wu styles already dominated the capital at that point), and is credited with developing the "New Frame" (Xinjia) — again a Yilu and Erlu — with larger, more circular movements than Laojia. Most Chen-style lineages practiced today trace to him. ## What makes it "Chen style" Compared to the softer, more uniform-paced styles that descend from it (Yang, Wu, Wu(Hao), Sun), Chen retains the visible martial character: - **Silk-reeling energy (chan si jin)** — the signature quality of the style. Every movement is spiral/coiling rather than straight-line, generated from the dantian and unwinding out through the waist and limbs, so no part of the body moves in isolation. - **Alternating fast and slow, hard and soft** — unlike the even tempo of Yang-style forms, Chen routines shift pace within the same form. - **Fa jin (explosive force release)** — sudden, sharp releases of power, visibly punctuating the slower, flowing sections. - **Low stances** — deeper, more physically demanding postures than Yang-descended styles, built for leg strength and rootedness. - **Stomping and jumping** — retained in Chen (especially Laojia Erlu/Cannon Fist), whereas Yang Luchan removed most of this when adapting the art for a broader, older, less martially-inclined audience. ## Present day Chenjiagou is still the acknowledged ancestral home of the style and draws students and tourists as a living training center. Notable modern-era lineage holders descending from Chen Fake include his son Chen Zhaokui and grandson-generation teachers like Chen Xiaowang, who have been central in spreading Chen style internationally from the late 20th century on. ## Sources consulted - [Chen-style tai chi — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen-style_tai_chi) - [Chen Changxing — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Changxing) - [Chen Fake — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Fake) - [Chen Xiaowang — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Xiaowang) - [Chen Style Tai Chi: The Powerful Origin Of All Tai Chi — Tai Chi Globe](https://blog.taichiglobe.com/chen-style-tai-chi-the-powerful-origin-of-all-tai-chi) - [The Hidden Power of Silk-Reeling Energy in Chen-Style Tai Chi](https://chen-taiji.com/the-hidden-power-of-silk-reeling-energy-in-chen-style-tai-chi/) - [Review of Chen Xin's Book](https://renli.wordpress.com/2007/09/08/chen-xins-book-part-2/)