The beginning of modern TaiChi ( more than 400 years)

1. Chen School TaiChi -- Chen Wangting, a man who discarded his high position and went back home to study Kongfu after the decay of the Ming Dynasty. He was a past general and also had a deep relation with Shao-Lin, so he has the oppotunity to collect the theories and methods of different Kongfu styles. One of the Kongfu he compiled in his hometown "Chen's Vilige" is called "13 gestures", which is a inner Kongfu.

2. Wang Zongyue-- a real recluse and great TaiChi theorist. It is believed that he carried the real esoteric skill from Chang Sanfeng. Although he was very skillful in fighting, his job was a teacher of children in small towns. It is believed that he taught his skill and the theory to Chen's Vilige. After that, only Tai-Chi and another style was passed in Chen's vilige. Wang's famous paper on Tai-Chi theory was discovered by chance in a salt shop in Wuyang County after 60 years of his death, which led the growing up of the Wushi School Tai-Chi.

3. From Chen's TaiChi to Yang School Tai-Chi. The great master, Yang LuChan went to Chen's Vilige to learn TaiChi when he was young. But at that time ( maybe even now) Taichi is a esoteric, so he pretented to be a deaf person and work there as a chore helper, while he learned the skill at the side. At last, his deed is discovered and moved the head of the family Chen Changhsing, who decided to break the rule to teach Taichi outside the family.

4. Wushi School Taichi. Wushi Xiang is a landlord, a rich. He liked Kongfu very much and he was good at making friends. When Yang Luchang come back from Chen's Vilige, he become Wushi's friends. Wushi admired the skill of Yang, but did not get the full teaching from him. (Yang is a poor person from young ). So Wushi went to Chen's Vilige to learn. But at that time, Chen Chang-hsing was dead, and no one in Chen's Vilige would taught him. So he travelled to another place, where another guy from Chen's vilige, called Chen ChingPing, taught TaiChi there.
Another reason for the growth of his skill is that his brother, a officer in Wuyang County, found the famous paper of Wang Zongyue's TaiChi theory in a salt shop by chance. That was really a great guidance.

5. Wu School Taichi-- Wu Quanyou was the head of the bodyguard squad of the imperial family of Ching Dynasty. Before he learned Taichi, he had a deep understanding of Kongfu. When Yang Luchan was old and in Beking and fell sick, he took care of Yang for he repected the skill of Yang. They became friends and Yang felt he own a debt of Wu. Yang decided to teach skill to Wu as a return, and then he let his son, Yang banhou , teach Wu. After Wu had grasped the skill, he integrate his understanding of Kongfu and TaiChi into a new style-- Wu School Taichi. His style is more soft and slow, which pay more attention to improve the general condition of people but seldom issure force.