Grandmaster William C.C. Chen’s 60 Movement Yang Style Tai Chi Form

ByMaster Nick Scrima

Grandmaster Willian C. C. Chen is a senior disciple of Professor Zheng Manqing (Cheng Man-Ching). William Chen developed the 60 Movement Yang Style Tai Chi Form based on the teachings of his late master and his own experience in the art.

The 60 Movement Form is equal in length to Professor Zheng’s 37 Posture Form. If we count the 37 Posture Form by individual movements, instead of postures, we end up with 60 movements.

For example, Lan Que Wei (Grasp the sparrow’s tail) contains:

  • Ward-off
  • Roll away
  • Press
  • Push

In Zheng Manqing’s form these are counted as one movement. In William Chen’s form they are counted as four separate movements.

Another example is Fen Jiao, which contains:

  • Separate right leg
  • Separate left leg

In Professor Zheng’s form they are counted as one action. Grandmaster Chen counts them as two separate movements.

Grandmaster Chen maintained the overall framework of the 37 Posture Form, but he eliminated certain repetitive postures and added movements that were absent from the Professor’s form.

Another difference in Grandmaster Chen’s form is that he emphasizes a smaller structure, which can be regarded as the Small Frame. This adaptation was done for two reasons. First, a smaller frame is easier for people to learn while remaining more relaxed. Second, the smaller frame is more functional for applications and for fighting. These two important aspects that Grandmaster Chen emphasizes attracted me to his teachings.

Since the early 1950s, Grandmaster Chen has been teaching the 60 Movement Form throughout North America, Europe, and other parts of the world.

I learned the 37 Posture Form from Grandmaster Tao Pingxiang the 60 Movement Form from Grandmaster Chen; both were senior disciples of Professor Zheng Manqing.

I have been following Grandmaster Chen’s teaching for more than 40 years. Grandmaster Tao passed away in 2006.

In the future I will make a comparative analysis between the 37 Postures and the 60 Movements Forms. This will detail the similarities as well as distinctions between the two forms.