Quote:
Tim Fong wrote:
Look at Yang Cheng Fu teaching the Qing court-- a lot of the Manchu bannermen played wrestling as a fundamental part of their culture/early training.
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Just a minor historical point, Tim--Yang Cheng Fu never taught the Qing court. The Qing dynasty ended in 1911--Yang Cheng Fu was not teaching then. YCF's grandfather, Yang Luchan, and uncle, Yang Banhou, were involved in teaching the Manchu "Bannermen"--specifically the
Shenjiying or "Divine Skill Battalion." YCF's father, Yang Jianhou, earned a living teaching Manchu nobility, taking the first steps towards devolving taijiquan into a "civilian" art. Not all of these aristocratic sources of income and prestige for Yang family taijiquan survived the downfall of the Qing dynasty--and earning a living through teaching a version of taijiquan publicly became a necessity for YCF.
But, to get back to your point, it is known that YCF trained shuaijiao when he was younger. He did not wholeheartedly embrace and train in his family's art of taijiquan until later--when he was groomed to take over as "head" and CEO of the family art (Yang Jianhou died in 1917, when YCF was 34 years old--YCF began teaching taiji a few years before this).