Tai chi
The history of tai chi is a delightful mix of myth, legend and truth, with the Wudang Mountains serving as a backdrop for its mystical beginnings. With a background of legendary fighting techniques to protect their monasteries, the Monks were thought to have powers that were feared by government officials. To understand the emergence of tai chi, it is important to understand Chinese history, which can be traced back more than seven thousand years to a time when China was considered the centre of Asia. Initially developing along the banks of the Yellow River, their culture spread far wide throughout Asia.China was known as a Central Kingdom, and to neighbouring countries, it was culturally advanced, as well as being proficient in martial arts. There were often battles with local tribes and wild animals,and with these battles developed an understanding and proficiency in effective techniques, which were passed down from generation to generation.They would watch carefully wild animals fighting, and they believed animals possessed natural talents and skills for fighting. Many of their strikes, kicks, blocks are based on the tiger, the eagle, the crane and the snake. The relationship between animal survival and human fighting has become part of the Chinese culture. With many battles within neighbouring countries and local tribes, it was important to the Chinese to keep these martial arts skills secret. At this point in time, the term ‘tai chi’ had not yet been coined. However, it was understood that to compete and survive in this harsh culture of battles, each martial art style needed to have four basic techniques:kicking,hand striking,joint locking and wrestling The earliest known references to tai chi date from the T’ang Dynasty (618-960 AD), where movement patterns were practiced by recluses who had retired to the Chinese mountain regions. As with many events in history, facts and myth are intermingled and it is difficult to be specific with dates.
Baguazhang
Baguazhang was originally named Zhuan Zhang (turning palms) because of its characteristic practice method of rotating in circles, but today it is simply referred to as "bagua" (related to, but not to be confused with the mirror/compass geomancy tools used in the ancient practices of Feng Shui). This relatively new internal martial art was first exposed to the public approximately 150 years ago during the mid 1860’s in Beijing, China. And, most Chinese scholars credit Grandmaster Dong Hai Chuan as it's legendary founder because he was the first recorded person to teach it publicly. Ironically, the source of baguazhang's dynamic fighting methods and power are derived from an esoteric Taoist ("mystic scientist" who follow the Natural Way and Truth of the Universe) practice primarily used as a tool for spiritual enlightenment,called circle-walking meditation. Records have been found in some monasteries of the Northern Tibetan Plateaus, called the Kunlun Mountains but are now part of western China, that over 4,000 years ago these Taoist monks would hold various mudras (specific hand shapes) and recite mantras (prayers and incantations) while walking in circular patterns. Circle walking meditation became a sacred practice for the Taoist monks, whom preferred to live alone and away from worldly affairs and desires. They lived high up in the mountains, not because they feared people or society, but because they genuinely had no interest in worldly achievements and would rather focus on achieving themselves spiritually. The combination of living in these remote areas and choosing a simpler lifestyle, together with the circle walking and other practices, greatly helped these Taoist monks increase the quality of their internal Chi (energy). This allowed them to reach deeper states of consciousness/awareness, thus helping them to progress more rapidly in they're more advanced seated meditation practices, with the ultimate purpose of spiritual immortality. Dong Hai Chuan belonged to one such group of called the “Complete Reality School of Taoism." Grandmaster Dong ingeniously fused their spiritual practices into his own type of Chan Chuan (Shaolin Long Fist) martial arts, thus creating a new and unique system of martial arts. The art of Baguazhang simultaneously serves as a complete system of self-defense/martial arts and physical improvement, a method for spiritual transformation and self-empowerment, and as a method of health maintenance and self-healing.
Hsing-I Chuan
Hsing-i chuan (Xing yi quan, Shing yi chuan), like bagua (ba gua, pakua) and tai chi, is an internal martial art. Each of the three internal martial arts has their own distinct characteristics and flavor. Hsing-i could be considered the most direct and yang practice of the internal martial arts, primary composed of five basic fist movements and a core standing practice called Santi. The name hsing-i chuan is composed of three terms. Chuan translates as “fist.” Hsing means “to form something.” I,specifically in the word “hsing-i,” refers to the ability of the mind to create an idea and project it into the body, creating a functional physical form. The term hsing-i,then can be looked at from two perspectives. First it is whatever form the mind directs. Second,the form can manifest a wide variety of ideas, so you learn how to develop all the ideas within a form. Hsing-i practitioners are militant in approach—marching in straight lines with a powerful emphasis at the end of every technique on mentally and physically taking an enemy down. The obvious external attributes of punching and striking are inherent to the way hsing-i is practiced. For many external martial artist not satisfied with slow forms like Tai-chi, Hsing-I Chuan is done at normal speed. A Key feature odf this art which makes it stand out is that it never retreats moreover, within it's apparently linear techniques there are small, almost unseen circilar movements that help the practisioner relax and focus on stillness of mind to accomplish the pragmatic goal of winning in a confrentation.