The Small, Medium, and Large Frames of Yang Style Taijiquan
Before discussing the Small, Medium, and Large Frames, it is important to expound on the transmission of Yang Shi Taijiquan (楊氏太极拳) through its founder, Yang Luchan (楊露禪 1799-1872). After studying at Chen Village from Chen Changxing (陈长兴 1771-1853), Luchan returned to his hometown to teach. One of his students was a native villager from a prominent family, Wu Yuxiang (武禹襄 1812-1880), who recommended Luchan to the Imperial Court in Beijing.
In Beijing, besides teaching the Royal Princes of the Qing Imperial Court, Luchan transmitted his teaching to his three sons: Yang Fenghou (杨凤侯 n.d.), Yang Banhou (楊班侯 1837-1890), and Yang Jianhou (楊健侯 1839-1917). He also taught Quan You (全佑 1834-1902), the father of Wu Jianquan (吳鑑泉 1870-1942), who is considered the founder of Wu Style Taijiquan. Jianquan, a Manchurian like his father, adopted the Han surname Wu after the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
Supposedly, Yang Luchan adapted his teaching to suit the princes, who were not used to arduous labor. While this is plausible, it is also unlikely that he would have taught his sons that way. At that time, what Luchan taught to the imperial princes became known as Mien Quan, or Soft Fist Style, as it did not contain many visibly explosive martial arts movements.
The 2nd Generation of Yang Style Taijiquan Masters
Yang Fenghou, the eldest son, died young, and since Yang Luchan was teaching the Royal Princes, it was not appropriate for him to teach others outside of his sons. Hence, Yang Banhou, the second son, who was known to be a strict and demanding teacher, took on the responsibilities of teaching the imperial guards and other lower-ranking officials. Yang Jianhou, the youngest son, was known to teach some influential people within the Qing court and had a teaching position as martial arts instructor in one of the military camps.
The last two decades of the Qing Dynasty were a turbulent time and after the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, many masters stopped practicing martial arts publicly in fear of losing their lives. The Yang Family, while somewhat shielded from this turmoil due to Yang Luchan’s status and that of his sons, nevertheless experienced some hardship. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, it became difficult for most masters to make a living teaching martial arts.
The period between the end of the Qing Dynasty and the birth of the Republic of China was a time of metamorphosis for Yang Style Taijiquan. Whether this began early on with Yang Luchan or with his sons, Yang Banhou and Yang Jianhou, it is difficult if not impossible to determine. What is apparent, however, is that Yang Style Taijiquan became quite different from its predecessor, Chen Style Taijiquan.
The 3rd Generation of Yang Style Taijiquan Masters
Yang Fenghou had one son, Yang Zhaolin (杨兆林 n.d.) who was the eldest grandson of Yang Luchan’s first son. Yang Banhou did not have any sons. Yang Jianhou had three sons: Yang Shaohou (杨少侯 1862-1930), Yang Zhaoyuan (楊兆元 n.d.) and Yang Chengfu (楊澄甫 1883-1936).
Yang Zhaolin was taught primarily by his uncle, Yang Banhou. It is said that he had a strong character, and following in the tradition of his predecessors, was good at fighting. However, he often injured people. He accepted few disciples, and many could not endure the hardships of training and the common beatings. It is said that Yang Zhaolin practiced the Small Frame with short stances.
Yang Shaohou, the eldest son of Yang Jianhou, started learning Taijiquan at the age of 7. He learned mostly from Yang Banhou and was believed to have mastered the Small Frame of Yang style, which emphasized slow, even movements combined with explosive actions, jumps, and fast kicks. Shaohou also learned the Sword, Saber and Spear, and his Push Hands and free fighting were of a high caliber. He was perhaps the most skilled among the third generation of masters. However, much like his uncle, Yang Banhou, he was harsh on his students and had few disciples. He lived the longest of this generation of masters, passing at the age of 68.
Yang Zhaoyuan was the second son of Yang Jianhou. Like his elder brother he received tutelage from his uncle, Yang Banhou, and became proficient in Taiji. He had a violent personality and liked fighting. Also, he was prone to drinking and died young.
Yang Chengfu was the youngest son of Yang Jianhou. It is believed that since Jianhou had been exposed to harsh discipline and rigorous training under the tutelage of Yang Luchan, he did not want to impose the same rigor on Yang Chengfu. While Chengfu learned all the aspects of the art, his training was more leisurely. After his father’s passing, Chengfu felt remorse and practiced assiduously to achieve a high level of skill. When people heard that Yang Chengfu was accepting disciples, many martial artists came to challenge him; he defeated all of them. Chengfu preferred to practice the Large Frame with big stances, extended postures and slow, even, gentle movements. His type of Taijiquan spread widely and gained a considerable following, making him famous. He had a large appetite and consumed a lot of meat; he weighed nearly 300 pounds and died young, at the age of 53.
The Three Frames: Xiao Jia, Zhong Jia, and Da Jia
The Small Frame is known as Xiao Jia (小架), the Middle Frame as Zhong Jia (中架), and the Large Frame as Da Jia (大架).
Transmitted tradition tells us that Yang Jianhou practiced the Medium Frame. His eldest son, Yang Shouhou, practiced the Small Frame, which he inherited from Yang Banhou. And his youngest son, Yang Chengfu, perhaps due to his tall and robust physique, practiced the Large Frame, which has become the most widely practiced Taijiquan Style not only in China, but worldwide. Contemporary Yang Style Taijiquan routines are based on Yang Chengfu’s Large Frame.
My personal observations
I believe that the Small, Medium, and Large Frames were probably practiced within the Yang Family at different stages of training. The Large Frame is excellent for building strong legs and is pleasant to watch, but it is not suitable for fighting. Perhaps the Medium Frame was most widely practiced, and this was very noticeable in Yang Chengfu’s Taijiquan in his later years, as well as in that of his students, Chen Weiming (陈微明) and Zheng Manqing (郑曼青). The Small Frame was likely more guarded as it emphasized fighting. Among my two teachers, William C.C. Chen (陈至诚) teaches what is the Small Frame, while the late Tao Bingxiang (陶炳祥) emphasized the Medium Frame.
Note the difference between the two characters for Wu: the Wu 武 in Wu Yuxiang (武禹襄) and the Wu 吳 in Wu Jianquan (吳鑑泉). In Pinyin,the character武 Wǔ uses the third tone which is Falling and Rising. Thecharacter 吳 Wú uses the second tone which is Rising. The two characters have different tones and different meanings.