Sun-Style Tai Chi Boxing -Competition Routine
Teaching demonstration performed by the instructor of Beijing Physical Education University
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Published by Beijing Physical Education University Press
ISRC CN-M24-96-0014-0

The initiator of the Sun style taiji boxing was Sun Lutang (1861-1932) from Dingxian County in Hebei Province. Sun was a master of Xingyi Quan (free-mind animal-imitating boxing) and Bagua Zhang (Eight-diagram Palm). In 1911, he followed Hao Weizhen to learn the Wu Yuxiang style of Taiji Quan. Later he created the Sun style of taiji boxing by blending the cream of the Wu Yuxiang style of Taiji, Xingyi Quan and Bagua Zhang. The feature of the Sun style Taiji is that practitioners advance or retreat freely with quick and dexterous movements, which are connected with each other either in closing or opening stances when the direction is changed.

The competition routine of Sun style Tai Chi Chuan was created based on the traditional Sun style. In order to meet the competition requirements, the arrangement of the movements and the structure of the routine have been improved with the additional movements. The whole routine has 6 segments. Although there are altogether 73 movements, which seem to be a lot, they are all arranged in an orderly sequence with the coordination of advancing and retreating of the footwork. Actually it is not difficult to remember the movements because every turning or change in each posture is usually connected with the movements of the opening and closing hands.