Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sun Lu-t'ang

Sun Lu-t'ang was a renowned master of Chinese Neijia martial arts and was the progenitor of the syncretic art of Sun style Tai Chi Chuan . He was also considered an accomplished Neo-Confucian and Taoist scholar , and was a distinguished contributor to the theory of internal martial arts through his many published works.

Biography



When born in 1861 in Hebei province he was named Sun Fuquan by his parents, and was later given the name Sun Lutang by Cheng Tinghua , his baguazhang teacher, years later. . He continued to use his original name in some areas, including the publishing of his books.

He was first noted as an expert in two other styles: and before he came to study T'ai Chi. Sun learned from Hao Wei-chen.

Sun started studying with Hao relatively late in his life, but his accomplishments in the other two internal arts led him to develop his T'ai Chi abilities to a high standard .

He subsequently was invited by Yang Shao-hou, Yang Ch'eng-fu and Wu Chien-ch'üan to join them on the faculty of the Beijing Physical Education Research Institute where they taught T'ai Chi to the public after 1914. Sun taught there until 1928, a seminal period in the development of modern , and Sun style T'ai Chi Ch'uan.

Family


In 1891 he married Zhang Zhouxian, with whom he had three sons and a daughter.
* First son, Sun Xingyi
* Second son, Sun Cunzhou
* Third son, Sun Huanmin
* Daughter, Sun Jianyun

Teachers



* Xingyiquan from Li Kuiyuan , and later from Guo Yunshen .
* Baguazhang from Cheng Tinghua .
* Wu Yuxiang style Taijiquan from Hao Weizhen .

Publications


In later life, he published five martial arts texts:

*''Xingyiquan xue'' 1915
*''Baguaquan xue'' 1916
*''Taijiquan xue'' 1921
*''Baguajian xue'' 1927
*''Quanyi Shuzhen''

He also wrote a study of Xingyi , though this was never published.



T'ai Chi family tree



This family tree is not comprehensive.

LEGENDARY FIGURES
|
Zhang Sanfeng*
circa 12th century

|
Wang Zongyue*
T'AI CHI CH'?AN
|
THE 5 MAJOR CLASSICAL FAMILY STYLES
|
Chen Wangting
1600-1680 9th generation Chen

|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
Chen Changxing Chen Youben
1771-1853 14th generation Chen circa 1800s 14th generation Chen
Chen Old Frame Chen New Frame
| |
Yang Lu-ch'an Chen Qingping
1799–1872 1795–1868
Chen Small Frame,
| |
+---------------------------------+-----------------------------+ |
| | | |
Yang Pan-hou Yang Chien-hou Wu Yu-hsiang
1837–92 1839–1917 1812–80
Yang Small Frame |
| +-----------------+ |
| | | |
Wu Ch'uan-yü Yang Shao-hou Yang Ch'eng-fu Li I-yü
1834–1902 1862–1930 1883–1936 1832–92
| Yang Small Frame |
Wu Chien-ch'üan | Hao Wei-chen
1870–1942 Yang Shou-chung 1849–1920
1910–85
|
| Sun Lu-t'ang
Wu Kung-i 1861–1932
1900–70
| |
Wu Ta-kuei Sun Hsing-i
1923–72 1891–1929


Note to Family tree table

Names denoted by an asterisk are legendary or semilegendary 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.

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