TAIJIQUAN - A STOLEN HISTORY

This book addresses both those who have never had any contact with internal martial arts and those passionate about energetic practices originating in the Chinese tradition. It represents a systematic approach, grounded in numerous documents and oral traditions passed down to those who have undergone the "bai shi" ceremony, becoming disciples, and benefiting from information inaccessible to others who have not yet reached "beyond the door." This work starts from the fundamental idea that internal martial arts, led by Taijiquan, have their origins in ancient Taoist or spiritual practices. Unfortunately, this truth fell victim to the governments and elites of the country, who, after 1911, declared war on traditional culture and millennia-old religions, classified as feudal superstitions. The new progressive axiology, vehemently supported by the elites of the time, was nothing more than an incipient form of Marxism, finding fertile ground for spreading in a weakened China annoyed by the interference of Western powers. The methods used for cultural purges were worthy of the promoted Marxist ideology and had massive repercussions on historical truth. Thus, party activists transformed into historians, together with certain members of the Chen village, some for political reasons and others for financial reasons, contributed to the emergence of an alternative secularized history. This history postulated the creation of Taijiquan by a certain Chen Wanting, a member of the Chen clan. The repercussions were massive, but by far the most destructive was the spread in China and worldwide of choreographies without substance that pass as Taijiquan. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible today, to explain to someone that learning a taolu (a set of movements) and practicing it daily does not mean practicing Taijiquan. Fortunately, some authentic masters escaped communist persecutions by fleeing to other countries, and others had disciples who continued to transmit the true art.