Wu Quanyou

Wu Quanyou
Wu Quanyou
Traditional Chinese	吳全佑
Simplified Chinese	吴全佑
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Wú Quányòu

Wu Quanyou
Wu Quanyou
Born	吴全佑; 1834; China
Died	1902 (aged 67–68)
Nationality	Chinese
Style	Wu-style tai chi
Notable students	Wu Jianquan; Wang Maozhai; Guo Songting (郭松亭); Chang Yuanting (常遠亭); Xia Gongfu (夏公甫); Qi Gechen (齊閣臣)

Wu Quanyou (Chinese: 吴全佑; Wade–Giles: Wu Ch‘üan-yu; 1834–1902) was an influential teacher of the tai chi martial art in late Imperial China. His son is credited as the founder of the Wu-style tai chi.^[1] As he was of Manchu descent, and would have been named by his family in Manchu, the name "Wú" (吳) was a sinicisation that approximated the pronunciation of the first syllable of his Manchu clan name, U Hala.^[2]

Life

Wu Quanyou was a military officer in the Yellow Banner camp in the Forbidden City, Beijing and also an officer of the Imperial Guards Brigade during the Qing dynasty. Wu wished to study under Yang Luchan, the tai chi instructor for that banner camp, but he was still a middle grade officer and Yang refused to teach him.^[1]^[2]^[3] Instead, Wu and two other officers, Wan Chun (萬春) and Ling Shan (凌山), were asked to become disciples of Yang Banhou, Yang Luchan's oldest adult son and also a tai chi instructor for the Qing military.^[2]

When Wu retired from the military, he set up a school in Beijing. Wu's Beijing school was successful and there were many who studied with him, he was popularly known as Quan Sanye (全三爺) as a term of respect. His disciples included Wang Maozhai, Guo Songting (郭松亭), Xia Gongfu (夏公甫), Chang Yuanting (1860-1918; 常遠亭), Qi Gechen (齊閣臣), and Wu's own son, Wu Jianquan (see Wudang tai chi lineage). Wu's skills were said to be exceptional in the area of softly "neutralising" (化勁; huà jìn) hard energy when attacked, which is a core skill of good tai chi.^[3] Chang Yuanting's son Chang Yunji taught a style known as "Quanyou laojia tai chi" (全佑老架太极拳) or "Chang-style tai chi" (常氏太極拳).^[4]

Wu's son, Wu Jianquan also became a cavalry officer and tai chi teacher, working closely with the Yang family and Sun Lutang, promoting what subsequently came to be known as Wu-style tai chi in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.^[1]^[5]^[6]

Tai chi lineage tree with Wu-style focus

Note:

This lineage tree is not comprehensive, but depicts those considered the 'gate-keepers' & most recognized individuals in each generation of Wu-style.
Although many styles were passed down to respective descendants of the same family, the lineage focused on is that of the Wu style & not necessarily that of the family.

Key:

NEIJIA

Solid lines

Direct teacher-student.

Dot lines

Partial influence
/taught informally
/limited time.

TAI CHI

Dash lines

Individual(s) omitted.

Dash cross

Branch continues.

CHEN-STYLE

Zhaobao-style

YANG-STYLE

(王蘭亭)
Wang Lanting
1840–?
2nd gen. Yang

Yang Jianhou
1839–1917
2nd gen. Yang
2nd gen. Yangjia Michuan

Yang Banhou
1837–1892
2nd gen. Yang
2nd gen.
Guang Ping Yang
Yang Small Frame

WU (HAO)-STYLE

Zhaobao He-style

Li-style

Yang Shao-hou
1862–1930
3rd gen. Yang
Yang Small Frame

Wu Quanyou
1834–1902
1st gen. Wu

(齊閣臣)
Qi Gechen
2nd gen. Wu

(夏公甫)
Xia Gongfu
2nd gen. Wu

Wu Jianquan
1870–1942
2nd gen. Wu
WU-STYLE
108 Form

(常遠亭)
Chang Yuanting
1860–1918
2nd gen. Wu

(郭松亭)
Guo Songting
2nd gen. Wu

Wang Maozhai
1862–1940
2nd gen. Wu

SUN-STYLE

Dong Yingjie
1891–1960
4th gen. Yang

(齊敏軒)
Qi Minxuan
3rd gen. Wu

Cheng Wing Kwong
1903–1967
3rd gen. Wu

Wu Yinghua
1907–1997
3rd gen. Wu

Wu Gongyi
1900–1970
3rd gen. Wu

Wu Kung-tsao
1903–1983
3rd gen. Wu

Ma Yueliang
1901–1998
3rd gen. Wu

Yang Yuting
1887–1982
3rd gen. Wu

(鄭天熊)
Cheng Tin Hung
1930–2005
Wudang-style

Wu Ta-k'uei
1923–1972
4th gen. Wu

Wu Yanxia
1930–2001
4th gen. Wu

Wu Daxin
1933–2005
4th gen. Wu

(立群)
Li Liqun
1924–2013
4th gen. Wu

Wang Peisheng
1919–2004
4th gen. Wu

Wu Kuang-yu
1946–Present
5th gen. Wu

(骆舒焕)
Luo Shuhuan
1935–1987
5th gen. Wu

CHEN-STYLE

YANG-STYLE

WU-STYLE

SUN-STYLE

WU (HAO)-STYLE

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Wile, Douglas (1995). Lost T'ai-chi Classics from the Late Ch'ing Dynasty (Chinese Philosophy and Culture). State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-2654-8.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wu, Ying-hua (1988). Wu Style T'ai Chi Ch'uan – Forms, Concepts and Applications of the Original Style. Shanghai Book company, Ltd., Hong Kong.
^ ^a ^b Wu, Kung-tsao (2006) [1980]. Wu Family T'ai Chi Ch'uan (吳家太極拳). Chien-ch'uan T'ai-chi Ch'uan Association. ISBN 0-9780499-0-X.
^ Zhang, Tina (2006). Classical Northern Wu Style Tai Ji Quan. Berkeley, California: Blue Snake Books. ISBN 978-1-58394-154-6.
^ Yip, Y. L. (Autumn 2002). "Pivot". Qi: The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness. 12 (3). Insight Graphics Publishers. ISSN 1056-4004.
^ Philip-Simpson, Margaret (June 1995). "A Look at Wu Style Teaching Methods". T'AI CHI the International Magazine of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. 19 (3). Wayfarer Publications. ISSN 0730-1049.

External links

International Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Federation at www.wustyle.com Wu family website with a link to a biography of Wu Quanyou (listed as "Wu Chuan Yau")