Posted by Taiji on March 31, 1998 at 23:06:32:
In Reply to: Re: Chen/Yang Styles Question posted by bruce ching on March 31, 1998 at 20:17:28:
: Thanks for your clarification. I observe that it's not unique to Chen style; it's just that most of the other styles practice it in single-movement repetitions rather than in form. Thanks, again.
: - bruce ching
Good observation.
In fact, some 70 years ago, Sham Jiajing, who was the student of Yang Ginhou, later
student of Yang Chengfu, had oberved that Yang taught him some single-movements
to practise fajing, and he was puzzled because the movements were not found in the
forms. In 1928, when Chen Fake came to Beijing, and he invited Chen to perform
Chen style at his home, then he realised that the single-movements were in fact in the
Chen form, so he became Chen Fake's student.
Also, late master Ma Yuehliang said in an interview that ---Wu style also had its fast
form, which was taught by Yang Chengfu's father, when Chengfu started to modify the
form as well as to slow it down, Yang Shaohou, his elder brother, insisted in the old
form. Yang Chengfu also taught both the slow and fast form in his early years, it was
said that when he got too fat, he stopped teaching fast form. But Wu Style still kept
the same fast form.-- At the end, Ma stressed that the Wu fast form was not a
creation, it was a traditional form passed down by Yang Luchan.
In Dong Zengchen's(Dong Yingjie's grandson) Complete Book of Dong's Fast Form
published in 1994, the fast form has only 38 movements, and there are movements
called Lan Qie I(Block tight to cloth) after the opening, and Feng Huan Chao (Phoenix
back to nest) in the ending. There are less than 10 movements using the same name
in the Yang Style.
Regards.
Taiji