The 24-posture Simplified Form of t'ai chi ch'uan, (Chinese: 太极拳; pinyin: Tàijíquán) sometimes called the Beijing or Peking form for its place of origin, is a short version of Taiji composed of twenty-four unique movements.
Contents
History
The form was the result of an effort by the Chinese Sports Committee, which, in 1956, brought together four Taiji teachers - Chu Guiting, Cai Longyun, Fu Zhongwen, and Zhang Yu - to create a simplified form of Taiji as exercise for the masses. The creators truncated the traditional family style Taiji forms to 24 postures; taking about six minutes to perform and to give the beginner an introduction to the essential elements of Taijiquan, yet retain the traditional flavor of traditional longer hand forms (in general, 88-108 postures). Henceforth, this form was avidly promoted by the People's Republic of China for general exercise, and was also taught to internees in Communist "re-education" camps. Due to this official promotion, the 24-form is most likely the Taiji form with the most practitioners in China and the world over (though no surveys have been performed).
Variations
5-Section Taijiquan: includes 5 routines, each modelled on the choreography of the Beijing 24 Taijiquan form.