Guang Ping Yang Style Tai Chi Form

Guang Ping Yang Style History

Guang Ping Yang Style Tai Chi traces its lineage back to Yang Lu-Chan, the renowned founder of Yang Style Tai Chi, and his second son, Yang Ban-Hou, constituting the first and second generations of this martial art.

Yang Ban-Hou’s journey to mastering Guang Ping Yang Tai Chi was marked by a childhood of reluctance and rebellion against his father’s rigorous training. Despite his initial aversion, Ban-Hou’s innate talent propelled his rapid progress, eventually surpassing even his father’s martial prowess. In the 17th century, during the Manchu invasion of China, Ban-Hou was chosen by the Emperor to teach martial arts to the Royal Family and Imperial Guards. However, unwilling to disclose the authentic Guang Ping forms to the Manchus, he adapted the movements into softer forms, known today as traditional Yang Style Tai Chi forms, during secret nightly sessions within the Royal Garden.

A chance encounter changed the course of the Guang Ping lineage when Ban-Hou discovered Wang Jiao-Yu, a stable boy practicing the same Tai Chi forms he had altered for the Royal Family. Learning that Wang was from the same city of Guang Ping and genuinely eager to learn, Ban-Hou set a challenging task for him: be able to touch his chin to toe within 100 days. Wang succeeded, earning his place as one of the only three disciples personally accepted by Yang Ban-Hou. This encounter marked a pivotal moment in the transmission of Guang Ping Yang Tai Chi to the next generation.

Grandmaster Kuo Lien Ying

Wang Jiao-Yu taught Tai Chi in the courtyard of Luzu Temple in Beijing until his death at the age of 104. A third-generation master, Wang Jiao-Yu taught four disciples, including Grandmaster Kuo Lien Ying.

Grandmaster Kuo was born in 1895 in Guangdong, China, and dedicated his life to the practice and dissemination of traditional Chinese martial arts. He began training in Northern Shaolin Kung Fu at the age of 12 and was skilled in Long Fist. When he was 23, he met Wang Jiao-Yu, who issued him the ”chin to toe in 100 days” challenge, which he met. Kuo became an indoor disciple of Wang Jiao-Yu. Later, Kuo trained in Xingyiquan.

A former general under Chiang Kai-Shek, Kuo found himself among numerous martial arts masters who fled to Taiwan after the communist takeover to seek refuge from Mao. The exodus of many martial arts masters to Taiwan proved advantageous for the martial arts community, especially as traditional practices like Tai Chi Ch’uan faced prohibition in China as part of the “Getting rid of the old” initiative. In Taiwan, Kuo assumed the role of a congressman, and his Tai Chi training partners included Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-Tchen.

Kuo eventually relocated to San Francisco in 1965, where he began to teach Guang Ping Yang Style Tai Chi in Chinatown’s Portsmouth Square. He began to teach non-Chinese students at a time when this was still frowned upon by other Chinese martial arts masters.

Those who directly studied under Grandmaster Kuo, including Sifu Harvey Kurland, are recognized as the fifth generation. Tai Chi Fist Instructor Stephen Bay learned Guang Ping Yang Style Tai Chi from Sifu Kurland.

Kuo is the author of several books, including Tai-Chi Chuan in Theory and Practice. His legacy endures through his contributions to the preservation and global promotion of traditional Chinese martial arts, particularly Guang Ping Yang Style Tai Chi.

Our Guang Ping Lineage

  1. Yang Lu Chan
  2. Yang Ban Hou
  3. Wang Jiao Yu
  4. Kuo Lien Ying
  5. Harvey Kurland
  6. Stephen Bay

The Guang Ping Yang Style 64 Movement Form

  1. Strike Palm
  2. Grasp Bird’s Tail; Pull-down; Push
  3. Single Whip
  4. White Crane Spreads its Wings
  5. Brush Knee and Twist Step (left and right)
  6. Deflect Downward, Parry, and Punch
  7. Step up, Apparent Close Up
  8. Carry Tiger to the Mountain
  9. Fist Under Elbow
  10. Step Back and Repulse Monkey (left and right)
  11. Slow Palm Slanting Flying
  12. Raise Right Hand; Turn Around, Raise Left Hand
  13. Fly, Pull Back, Step Up (right hand like High Pat on Horse v.2)
  14. Fan Through the Arm
  15. Green Dragon Dropping Water
  16. Single Whip
  17. Wave Hands Like Clouds (Ieft)
  18. Single Whip
  19. High Pat on Horse (Ieft)
  20. Separate Foot (right, left)
  21. Turn and Heel Kick (left)
  22. Wind Blows Lotus Leaf (right, left)
  23. Finger Block Up with Fist
  24. Turn and Chop with Fist
  25. Raise Right Knee, Double Jumping Kick
  26. Step Up, Parry, and Punch
  27. Step Back with Arms Beside Body
  28. Front Heel Kick (left, then turn and kick right)
  29. Parry and Punch
  30. Apparent Close Up
  31. Carry Tiger to the Mountain
  32. Chop Opponent with Fist (like Snake Creeps Down)
  33. Diagonal Single Whip (sweep left hand in full circle)
  34. Part the Wild Horse’s Mane
  35. Diagonal Single Whip
  36. Fair Lady Plays the Shuttle (left and right fists)
  37. Step Up, Grasp the Bird’s Tail
  38. Single Whip (sweep left hand in a half-circle)
  39. Wave Hands Like Clouds (Ieft)
  40. Single Whip Down (like Snake Creeps Down)
  41. Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg and Kicks (left, then right)
  42. Repulse the Monkey
  43. Slow Palm Slanting Flying
  44. Raise the Right Hand, Raise the Left Hand
  45. Flying, Pulling Back, Step Up
  46. Fan Through the Arm
  47. Wind Fills the Ears
  48. Cannon Through the Sky
  49. Single Whip
  50. Wave Hands Like Clouds
  51. Single Whip
  52. High Pat on Horse
  53. Cross Wave of Water Lily
  54. Downward Punch
  55. Step Up, Grasp the Bird’s Tail
  56. Single Whip
  57. Wave Hands Like Clouds
  58. Single Whip, Moving Down
  59. Step Up to Form Seven Stars
  60. Retreat, Ride the Tiger
  61. Slanting Body, Turn to the Moon
  62. Wave Lotus Foot
  63. Bend the Bow, Shoot the Tiger
  64. Grasp the Bird’s Tail (right and left); Conclude

*Sources include Tai Chi Ch’uan in Theory and Practice by Kuo Lien Ying, “In Matters of Taste There is No Dispute” by Harvey Kurland, and “History of Guang Ping Yang Tai Chi” by Henry Look.