# Yang Chengfu

Yang Chengfu (1883–1936) was one of the best known teachers of Yang-style tai chi Chinese martial art. He helped develop the art into its modern form. His students would go on to found successful martial arts schools of their own and helped spread Yang-style tai chi around the world.

## Biography

Yang Chengfu was born into the famous Yang family of tai chi practitioners, the son of Yang Jianhou and grandson of Yang Luchan. With his older brother Yang Shaohou and colleagues Wu Jianquan and Sun Lutang, he was among the first teachers to offer tai chi instruction to the general public at the Beijing Physical Culture Research Institute from 1914 until 1928. He moved to Shanghai in 1928.
Chengfu is known for having "smoothed" out the somewhat more vigorous training routine he learned from his family as well as emphasising a "large frame" (大架; dà jià) with expansive movements in stepping and using large circular motions with the arms. His smooth, evenly paced large-frame form, along with its hundreds of offshoots, has been the standard for Yang-style tai chi (and overwhelmingly in the public imagination for tai chi in general) ever since.
Chengfu is the official author of two books on the style, Application Methods of Tai Chi, published in 1931, and Essence and Applications of Tai Chi, published in 1934. His second book was translated into English in 2005.

## Students and Descendants

His direct descendants, the many students he taught, and their students, have spread the art around the world. Among Yang Chengfu's students were famous masters such as Zhao Bin (his older brothers grandson 1906-1906) Dong Yingjie, Chen Weiming, Fu Zhongwen, Li Yaxuan (李雅轩; 1894–1976) and Cheng Man-chʻing. Each of them taught extensively, founding groups that still teach tai chi to this day. Cheng Man-chʻing, perhaps the most famous outside of China, significantly shortened and simplified the traditional forms Yang taught him after his teacher's passing, reportedly to make them more accessible to larger numbers of students. Although Cheng's modifications are considered controversial by most other schools and are not recognized by the Yang family, Cheng Man-chʻing is known as one of the first to teach tai chi in the West.
His sons have continued to teach their father's tai chi, including his first son, the late Yang Shouzhong (1910-1985), who brought Yang-style tai chi to Hong Kong, his second son Yang Zhenji (1921-2007), his third son, Yang Zhenduo (1926-2020), who lived in Shanxi Province, who was widely considered the most prominent of the Yang family tai chi instructors, and his fourth son, Yang Zhenguo, born in 1928, and living in Handan, Hebei.
vteYang-style tai chi lineage tree :
Key:NEIJIA
Solid linesDirect teacher-student.
Dot linesPartial influence /taught informally /limited time.TAI CHI
Dash linesIndividual(s) omitted.
Dash crossBranch continues.CHEN-STYLEZhaobao-style
(陈长兴) Chen Changxing 1771–1853 6th gen. Chen Chen Old Frame
(杨露禅) Yang Luchan 1799–1872 YANG-STYLE Guang Ping Yang Yangjia Michuan
(王蘭亭) Wang Lanting 1840–? 2nd gen. Yang(杨健侯) Yang Jianhou 1839–1917 2nd gen. Yang 2nd gen. Yangjia Michuan(杨班侯) Yang Banhou 1837–1892 2nd gen. Yang 2nd gen. Guang Ping Yang Yang Small Frame(武禹襄) Wu Yuxiang 1812–1880 WU (HAO)-STYLEZhaobao He-style
(李瑞东) Li Ruidong]br />1851–1917 Li-style(杨少侯) Yang Shaohou 1862–1930 3rd gen. Yang Yang Small Frame(吴全佑) Wu Quanyou 1834–1902 1st gen. Wu(王矯宇) Wang Jiaoyu 1836–1939 3rd gen. Guang Ping Yang
(杨澄甫) Yang Chengfu 1883–1936 3rd gen. Yang Yang Big Frame(田兆麟) Tian Zhaolin 1891–1960 3rd gen. YangQi Gechen(吴鉴泉) Wu Jianquan 1870–1942 2nd gen. Wu WU-STYLE 108 FormKuo Lien Ying 1895–1984 4th gen. Guang Ping Yang(孙禄堂) Sun Lutang 1861–1932 SUN-STYLE
(褚桂亭) Chu Guiting 1892–1977 4th gen. Yang Beijing form(傅仲文) Fu Zhongwen 1903–1994 4th gen. Yang Beijing form(董英杰) Dong Yingjie 1897–1961 4th gen. Yang(郑曼青) Zheng Manqing 1902–1975 4th gen. Yang Short (37) Form(陈微明) Chen Weiming 1881–1958(杨振铎) Yang Zhenduo 1926-2020 4th gen. Yang(杨振铭) Yang Shouzhong 1910–1985 4th gen. Yang(張欽霖) Zhang Qinlin 1888–1967 3rd gen. Yangjia Michuan(田英嘉) Tian Yingjia 1931–2008 4th gen. YangWudang-style(吴公儀) Wu Gongyi 1900–1970 3rd gen. Wu(吴公藻) Wu Gongzao 1903–1983 3rd gen. Wu
TaiwanU.S.A.
Robert W. Smith 1926–2011(黃性賢) Huang Xingxian 1910–1992Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo b.1927William C. C. Chen b.1935Big Six Tam Gibbs Lou Kleinsmith Ed Young Mort Raphael Maggie Newman Stanley IsraelLittle Seven Victor Chin Y. Y. Chin Jon Gaines Natasha Gorky Fred Lehrman Wolfe Lowenthal Ken VanSickle(杨军) Yang Jun b.1968 6th gen. YangIp Tai Tak 1929–2004 5th gen. YangChu Gin Soon 1932-2019 5th gen. Yang(王延年) Wang Yennien 1914–2008 4th gen. Yangjia Michuan(田邴原) Tian Bingyuan b.? 5th gen. YangYao Guoqing b.? 5th gen. Yang
CHEN-STYLEYANG-STYLEWU-STYLEWU (HAO)-STYLESUN-STYLE :
Note:
This lineage tree is not comprehensive, but depicts those considered the 'gate-keepers' & most recognised individuals in each generation of Yang-style.
Although many styles were passed down to respective descendants of the same family, the lineage focused on is that of the Yang style & not necessarily that of the family. :
Yang-style tai chi lineage :