The 24-posture Simplified Form of

tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...

, sometimes called the

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

form due to its place of origin, is a shortened and modified sequence of movements based on traditional tai chi, developed by a group of tai chi masters organized by a government committee in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

with the goal of creating an exercise routine for the general public.

History

In 1956 the Chinese Sports Committee of the People's Republic of China gathered a group of five tai chi masters in Beijing to create a simplified form that the general public could practice to improve health and well-being. The group included Chu Guiting, Cai Longyun ( :zh:蔡龙云), Fu Zhongwen, and Zhang Yu (張玉), and was led by Li Tianji ( :zh:李天骥), coach of the China national wushu team and executive member of the China National Institute of Physical Education and Sport. The routine they created, sometimes known as the "Beijing form," has been actively promoted by the Chinese government and has become one of the most popular tai chi forms worldwide.

Characteristics

Based on traditional

Yang-style tai chi Yang-style tai chi ( zh, s=楊氏太极拳, p=Yángshì tàijíquán) is one of the five primary families of tai chi. Including its variations, it is the most popular and widely practised style of tai chi in the world today. It is second in term ...

, the simplified form contains 24 unique postures and requires about six minutes to perform, offering an introduction to the essential elements of tai chi. The sequence retains many postures from the longer traditional form but with the most difficult postures removed, no postures repeated, and other modifications to ease an introduction to the practice while exercising the left and right sides of the body evenly. The 24-posture form is a self-contained exercise, but can also serve as a foundation for students wishing to progress further in tai chi. They may then be introduced to the 48-movement form or its successor the 42-movement competition form (which include postures from four tai chi styles), as well as traditional forms such as the Yang-style long form and the long forms from other styles, other simplified and competition forms, advanced forms, weapons forms like tai chi sword, and partner work including

pushing hands Pushing hands, Push hands or tuishou (alternately spelled ''tuei shou'' or ''tuei sho'') is a two-person training routine practiced in internal Chinese martial arts such as ''baguazhang'', ''xingyiquan'', tai chi, and '' yiquan''. It is also ...

and applications.

Postures

Sequence of the 24-posture Simplified Tai Chi Form

Notes

References

External links