Is Chen TaiJi really an internal style like BGZ and XI

[dre_doggX]

Alright I brought this up as a question, my previous idea is yes, what made me think of this will, Elre Montangu said Chen style was based on Shaolin, even though the Chen family did learn internal martial arts, the Chen style is a Shaolin still, where as the Yang style and its of shots are Wudang, origin and that Yang LuChan learned his kungfu straight from a Wudang guy who happened to be at Chen village, anyways. Yang style Taiji does seem to have similarities to Bagua Zhang, and XingyiQUan, and to me doesnt look Shaolinly, at all. but Chen style does seem to have the qualites of BGZ and XIQ but also is obvisously Shaolin in alot of ways.

so what is there a "true" still of Tai Ji. my opinon is this. Chen style has 13 postures, so that makes in Tai Ji , but does this make it internal???
just what to know what others think. but you know what when you learn any still will there is no such thing as internal or external anyway.
so the real question is , is Chen style related or to BAgua Zhang an Xingyiquan the way the Yang style is.

[MonkeySlap Too]

Taiji is related to BaGua and Xing-Yi in that each of these styles rely on training the body to use a peculiar 'inside-to-outside' strength.

History shows that Yang styles evolved from Chen style. Most other styles then branched from Yang.

When Chen was first introduced in Beijing, some of the Taiji masters living there thought it was San Pao Chuan, a popular 'bodygaurd' style of the day. It was in push hands practice that they learned the true nature of Chen style.

I guess you could parse all kinds of points as to what makes or does not make a style 'taiji'. Chen does have some different interpretations of the classics. But all the historical research points to Chen villiage as the birthplace of taiji.

Now some people will argue that a style as complex as Taiji could not be developed by peasent in Chen villiage. Surely a Taoist sage was required. While it is true the communists are most happy with an peasant origin for taiji, denying it just to glorify taiji is ridiculous. Baji is a similar, very complex style and it did not take a 'sage' to create it. Tong Hai Chuan developed Baguazhang and he was a eunuch-servant in the imperial court.

I've run across all kinds of Taiji people. Chen is awfully impressive stuff, and it is Taiji.

[Kumkuat]

The Southern Transmission stuff is pretty much bunk now since the Yang family themselves said that Yang style came from Chen style and not some Wudang guy. And all other sub styles came from Yang or Chen style. Also, chen style might have came from shaolin since they are in the same area (henan). But some people say that Xinyi (not Xing Yi) inclusive or Tongbei had some influence on it also. But I don't know, the true history is probably lost.