Sun style T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Sun style (孫家) T'ai Chi Ch'üan was developed by Sun Lu-t'ang (孫祿堂, 1861-1932), who was considered expert in two other internal martial arts styles: Hsing-i Ch'uan (Xingyiquan) and Pa Kua Chang (Baguazhang) before he came to study T'ai Chi. He was also considered an accomplished Neo-Confucian and Taoist scholar, especially in the I Ching. Sun learned Wu/Hao style T'ai Chi Ch'üan from Hao Wei-chen (郝為真), who was Li I-yü's (李亦畬) chief disciple. Sun started studying with Hao relatively late in his life, but his accomplishments in the other two internal arts led him to develop his T'ai Chi abilities to a high standard more quickly than is usual. He subsequently was invited by Yang Shao-hou, Yang Ch'eng-fu and Wu Chien-ch'üan to join them on the faculty of the Beijing Physical Education Research Institute where they taught T'ai Chi to the public after 1914. Sun taught there alongside the Yang brothers and Wu Chien-ch'uan until 1928, a seminal period in the development of modern Yang, Wu and Sun T'ai Chi Ch'üan. Today, Sun style ranks fourth in popularity and fifth in terms of seniority among the five family styles of T'ai Chi. Besides his earlier Hsing-i and Pa Kua training, Sun's experiences with Hao Wei-chen, Yang Shao-hou, Yang Ch'eng-fu and Wu Chien-ch'üan influenced the development of what is today recognized as the Sun style of T'ai Chi - characterized by small circular movements and high stances with subtle footwork. Sun's son Sun Cunzhou (孫存周, 1893-1963) and daughter, Sun Jianyun (孫劍雲, 1914-2003) were T'ai Chi Ch'üan teachers, and Sun Cunzhou's daughter Sun Shurong (孫淑容, b. 1918) still teaches in Beijing.
External links International Sun Tai Chi Association
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