Chen Village
ChenJiaGou is the Birthplace of Tai Chi (or TaiJi Quan)
Chen Village or ChenJiaGou
The origin of Chenjiagou can be traced back to Chen Bu（陈卜）, the ancestor of the Chen family. Chen Bu was originally from Zezhou County（泽州郡）, Shanxi Province (now Jincheng City), and later moved from Zezhou to Hongdong County（洪洞县）, Shanxi Province. In the 5th year of Hongwu（洪武） in the Ming Dynasty (1374 AD), he moved to Huaiqing Prefecture（怀庆府）, Henan Province (now Qinyang City). At that time, Chen Bu was a loyal and honest person, proficient in boxing and weapons, and was deeply respected by the neighboring villagers, so the locals named this place Chenbu Village (after the liberation of China, Chenbu Village was under the jurisdiction of Wen County, and it is still called Chenbu Village). Because Chenbu Village is relatively low-lying and often suffers from floods, Chen Bu’s family moved to Changyang Village（常杨村）, ten miles east of Wen County. Because there is a deep ditch running from north to south in the village, as the Chen family multiplied and the family continued to grow, the locals called Changyang Village Chenjiagou.
After Chen Bu settled in Chenjiagou, he began to reclaim wasteland and plant crops to build a family business. As his family continued to grow, in order to ensure the safety of his home and the peace of the local area, he opened a martial arts club in the village to teach martial arts, and the tradition of practicing martial arts was passed down from generation to generation.
Chen Style Tai Chi Academy (or ChenJiaGou Tai Chi School) is located at the center of Chen Village, China.
Tai Chi or Tai Ji Quan
Taijiquan is a major martial arts system. The name Taijiquan comes from the fact that the boxing techniques are infinitely varied, and the ancient Chinese philosophical theory of “yin and yang” and “taiji” is used to explain the boxing theory.The word “taiji” comes from the Book of Changes: “The Book of Changes has Taiji, which gives birth to two opposites.” “Tai” means big, and “ji” means beginning or peak. The first sentence of Zhou Dunyi’s “Taiji Tu Shuo” in the Song Dynasty is “Wuji and Taiji”, which does not mean that Taiji is born from Wuji, but that “Taiji is originally Wuji”, meaning that “Taiji” is the origin of all things, and it contains the meaning of supreme, ultimate, absolute, and unique. Taijiquan also has this meaning. The Taiji diagram is the most primitive worldview of the ancient Chinese. The combination of boxing and Taiji theory gradually formed Taiji boxing.
Chen Style Tai Chi
Chenjiagou Tai Chi is an important branch and school of Tai Chi. There are many different opinions about the origin of Chen Tai Chi. What is clear is that the Chen family in Wen County, Henan Province has been practicing Tai Chi since ancient times.
Tai Chi was named because the boxing techniques are infinitely varied, so the ancient Chinese philosophical theories of “Yin Yang” and “Tai Chi” were used to explain the boxing theory. The Tai Chi passed down by the Chen family was divided into many branches in later generations. In order to distinguish it from other schools of Tai Chi, it is called “Chen Tai Chi”, sometimes also called “Chen”, “Chen School” or “Chen Style”.
At present, the boxing and weapon routines practiced in Chenjiagou include: Old Frame 1 and 2 (Pao Chui), New Frame 1 and 2 (Pao Chui), Small Frame 1 and 2, Tai Chi Push Hands, Single Sword, Double Sword, Single Sword, Double Sword, Double Mace, Pear Blossom Spear with White Ape Stick, Spring and Autumn Broadsword, Three Rods, Eight Rods, Thirteen Rods, etc. These routines, in terms of style and combat application, still basically maintain the original traditional style.
After a long period of circulation, Chen Tai Chi has evolved into many schools, each with its own unique style and characteristics.
In 1982, due to the influence of Tai Chi, the State Council designated Wen County as a “Class A Open County”.
In 1992, the State Sports Commission named Wen County as the first batch of national “Martial Arts Hometown”.
In 2006, the State Council announced Tai Chi as the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage.
In 2007, the China Folk Artists Association named Wen County as the “Birthplace of Chinese Tai Chi” and established the “Chinese Tai Chi Cultural Research Base” in Wen County.
In 2007, the Chinese Wushu Association named Wen County as the “Birthplace of Chinese Wushu Tai Chi”.
In 2020, “Tai Chi” was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.