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OldFatBaldGuy
03-10-2001, 07:48 AM
I am currently learning the Chen Pan Ling form of taiji. I am trying to learn more about the man and did a search on the internet to find more information. One site made mention of his 'Mountain Boxing' style. Has anyone heard of this? I understand he was also a master of Xing Yi and Bagua and a scholar also. Was he also a fighter?

Any information is greatly appreciated.

Respectfully,
OldFatBaldGuy

"Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change."

TaoBoxer
03-10-2001, 06:26 PM
I first read of CPL Taiji in RW Smiths book Masters and Methods. He was a Boxer of some renown on the Mainland and was the Chinese governments official scholar on martial arts. He headed a concil of I believe 5, including Chen ManQing. He did indeed practice Taiji, Hsing I and Ba Gua. Smiths second Hsing I book with Allen Pittman records CPL Hsing I method. Professionally he was a Hydrologist and worked for the government water commision.

During the Communist Revolution, CPL fled with many of the republic supporters to Taiwan where I believe he was a General. I am not sure exactly what the genesis of his Taiji form was, but I have been told it is NOT supposed to be a "mixture" of Hsing I Taiji and Ba Gua.

In Taiwan YW Chang began studying under Chen Pan Ling. He had no prior martial training. Col Chang is now in his late 80's or early 90's and lives in New Orleans. He is an astounding man and martial artist. Myself and some other members of our Ba Gua group visited him in his home last october. We are currently practicing the form and plan to return for corrections soon.

The CPL form is really amazing. Though the others in the group have made more progress in it than I, it is easy to see how advanced it really is. I recently learned that Wang Hsu Chin also practiced the Chen Pan Ling form.

For info on CPL you can go to their website (think it's CPL.com, maybe)and check out Masters and Methods, Martial Musings, and the Hsing I book.

Bill Lewitt

Esteban
03-11-2001, 03:47 AM
Hi,

I couldn't personally vouch for this, but Robert Smith wrote the "Foreword" to Chen Pan Ling's Original Taichichuan Textbook. In part, it reads:

"When I knew him in Taiwan (1959-62), Chen was the highly respected head of the Chinese Boxing Association and until his death at seventy-seven in 1967, perhaps the most knowledgeable personal in the world on the principles, rationale, and practice of Chinese boxing. He had been equally famed on the mainland. His father had undergone the rigors of the Shaolin Temple in Honan and had selected the finest teachers for his son. . . .. Chen's first love was boxing. He learned many varieties of external (hard) and internal (soft) styles as well as weapons-play, but came to specialize in the three internal systems of tai chi chuan, hsing-i, and pa kua.
He climbed high in the boxing ranks, supervising provincial and national tournaments, and during World War II, became deputy chief of the Central Boxing Association at Chungking. There he also headed a national commission to collect, edit, and publish material on Chinese martial arts (unfortunately, most of the material was lost when the Communists took over the mainland).
. . .
To perfect his tai chi chuan, Master Chen even studied for a time at the famed Honan village of Chen Chia Kou, the modern birthplace of the art . . ..
The style of tai chi chuan taught here [i.e., in this book] is Chen's synthesis of the three major styles --Yang, Wu, and Chen-- prevalent in China at the time. Though eclectic, it is grounded in the traditional forms and brimming with the ancient spirit. On the outside, it is erect and aesthetically pleasing without being gimmicked by impractical sensationalist movements. Complementing this, he describes what occurs inside the body during tai chi chuan practice: the connection and interplay of breath (chi) and intrinsic enerty (chin). . . .
And it is a double-happiness to see that the felicitous translator is Chen's senior student and my old friend from Taiwan now ensconced in Alabama, Y. W. Chang. . . . Mr. Chang's able job reflects his long acquaintance with the classics and his mastery of tai chi chuan and other internal arts.
. . . [end]


Chang's introduction contains more information about Chen and his form, but I'm tired of typing, and you should buy the book --if you don't already have it.

Best.
Esteban

[This message was edited by Esteban on 03-11-01 at 05:54 PM.]

Ace
03-17-2001, 01:35 AM
There is actually some controversy over whether Wang Shu Chin studied the Chen Pan Ling form or if it was more the other way around.

The Wang Shu Chin Taiji form is definitely a synthesis of the major styles with elements of Hsing-I and Pakua added.

See the links below for more info:

http://www.taichi-chuan.com/nextver/eng/hebmain.htm


http://www.taikyokuken.co.jp/english.html