Chen Fake

Chen Fake 陳發科 (1887–1957), courtesy name Chen Fusheng, was a renowned Chinese martial artist who played a pivotal role in the development and global spread of Chen-style Taiji. He was born and raised in Chen Family Village (Chenjiagou, 陳家溝) in Henan province, where he was immersed in the traditional martial arts practices of his family. Chen Fake was the 17th generation descendant of the Chen family, which had been practicing and refining Taiji for over six centuries.

As a child, Chen Fake was considered a weakling and was often mocked for his frail physique and lack of interest in martial arts training. However, a pivotal moment occurred when he witnessed his cousin’s dedication and progress, igniting a newfound determination within him. From that point on, Chen Fake devoted himself wholeheartedly to the rigorous practice of Chen-style tai chi, eventually surpassing his cousin’s skills.

Under the tutelage of his father, Chen Yanxi, a renowned tai chi master and traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, Chen Fake immersed himself in the intricacies of the Chen family’s martial arts legacy. His relentless training and unwavering commitment allowed him to overcome his physical limitations and develop exceptional skills in the art.

In 1928, Chen Fake relocated to Beijing to teach his family’s heritage, Chen-style tai chi. After successfully defeating numerous challengers, Chen garnered a following of students, including several renowned martial artists. His teaching style was characterized by his emphasis on the importance of proper technique and his ability to adapt his methods to suit the needs of his students. He believed that Taiji should be learned through dedication and hard work, rather than purely relying on Qi or Qigong. His approach was rooted in the traditional principles of Taiji, which he believed should be practiced with a focus on the development of internal strength and balance.

Chen Fake’s teaching career in Beijing was marked by his development of the New Frame of Taiji (Xin Jia, 新架). This new system was designed to be more accessible and easier to learn for a wider range of students. The New Frame incorporated elements from other martial arts styles, such as the use of weight training and the emphasis on proper posture and alignment. This innovation helped to popularize Chen-style Taiji, making it more appealing to a broader audience.

One of Chen Fake’s most notable students was a close relative of Chen Fake, Chen Zhaopei. Chen Zhaopei was born in 1893 and was a close relative of Chen Fake. He extensively trained with Chen Fake in Chen Village during his youth, while his father was away on business.

At the age of 21, Chen Zhaopei traveled to Gansu and Hebei to teach martial arts. In 1928, he was invited to teach in Beijing, and by 1930, he received invitations from the mayor of Nanjing and the Nanjing government. Not wanting to leave his Beijing students, he suggested that they invite Chen Fake to teach them instead.

Zhaopei continued to teach across China despite the chaos of war. In 1958, at the age of sixty-five, he retired and returned to teach in Chen Village. Zhaopei faced considerable hardship during the turmoils of the Cultural Revolution, enduring persecution and a ban on teaching what was considered a bourgeois and decadent art.

Nevertheless, Zhaopei succeeded in preserving the legacy of Chen Family tai chi.

Chen Zhaopei authored four books: Cases of Chen-Style Tai Chi(陈氏太极拳汇宗), Beginner’s Guide to Tai Chi(太极拳入门), Illustrated Guide to Chen-Style Tai Chi(陈氏太极拳图解) and Thirteen Theories of Chen-Style Tai Chi(陈氏太极拳理论十三篇). His students include the four leading proponents of Chen-style tai chi from Chen Village: Chen Zhenglei (陈正雷), Chen Xiaowang (陈小旺), Zhu Tiancai (朱天才) and Wang Xi’an (王西安).

Another notable student of Chen Fake was Shen Jiazhen (沈家桢, 1891–1972). Shen Jiazhen was an engineer by profession. He was one of the first students of Chen Fake and studied with him for a decade. Shen Jiazhen co-authored a book titled Chen-Style Tai Chi(陈氏太极拳) with fellow Chen stylist Gu Liuxin (顾留馨). He tirelessly promoted the art but, like many other traditional martial artists, he faced persecution and hardships during the Cultural Revolution.

Other notable students include:

• Hong Junsheng – One of Chen Fake’s earliest students in Beijing and a proponent of the New Frame.
• Tian Xiuchen – An influential student who helped spread the New Frame version taught by Chen Fake.
• Lei Muni – Another student who became an important teacher propagating Chen Fake’s New Frame.
• Yang Yichen – Of Manchu descent, Yang trained extensively with Chen Fake until 1937 and is considered to have learned the essence of Chen’s New Frame teachings. He later taught in Xi’an.
• Zhang Xuan – Trained with Chen Fake for 3 years before relocating to Xi’an due to the civil war, where he continued teaching Chen’s New Frame.
• Chen Zhaokui – Chen Fake’s son, who after his father’s death in 1957, traveled extensively teaching and standardizing the New Frame in cities like Shanghai and Nanjing.

Chen Fake did not leave any written records expressing his perspectives on the matter of form in tai chi. However, one of his students, Hong Jungshen, made some insightful observations.

Hong noticed that over Chen Fake’s 30-year teaching career, his instructional methods evolved. He also observed that Chen’s students, such as Chen Zhaoxu, Chen Zhaokui, and Feng Zhiqiang, all practiced the forms differently from one another and their teacher.

In their final meeting in 1957, Hong raised this issue with Chen Fake. The master advised Hong to disregard the outward appearance of the form. Instead, he should concentrate on the fundamental idea that any correct tai chi form must be based on the same core principles, with each movement serving a specific purpose.

Chen Fake emphasized that the external form is unimportant as long as it adheres to these two requirements. In his own words: “This set of tai chi does not have one technique which is useless. Everything was carefully designed for a purpose.”

Hong believed that this principle could be derived from the famous “Tai Chi Treatise” by Wang Zongyue. The treatise expresses this idea through the phrase: “Although there are myriad variations, there is only one underlying principle.”

In essence, Chen Fake taught that while the outward expressions of tai chi forms may vary, they should all be rooted in the same fundamental concepts and purposeful design.