A part of Chinese traditional culture, wushu is in many ways associated with the physical and social sciences. Following is an article written by Li Shixin, associate professor of wushu at Beijing University, on the relations of taijiquan, a major form of wushu, with mechanics, philosophy and other branches of learning.

    The Mechanics of Taijiquan

    The famous principle of "using a force of four ounces to overthrow a weight of one thousand catties" in taiji combat, exaggerated as it sounds, contains much scientific truth.

    Taijiquan emphasizes the need to overcome hardness with softness and to win victory by artful means rather than by brute force. The "softness" and "artfulness" here imply an ingenious applicaton of force or, in mechanics phraseology, the use of minimum force for performing maximum work. This is particularly manifest in taiji tuishou ("push hands") duels, which are basically contests of strength but whose outcomes are not determined by strength alone. A person who is inferior in strength is sure to lose a bout if he makes it a contest of power, but may emerge victorious if he knows how to use his force cleverly.

    Some taijiquan classics describe the art of taijiquan in terms of "silk reeling power," something that is constantly in circular motion. As far as the shape and posture of the performer are concerned, his trunk, legs and arms are all naturally curved to form a flexible whole that can react to external forces with a high degree of adaptability, now yielding to an incoming force while neutralizing or deflecting it, now launching an attack by concentrating its own forces on a single point, or, as is the way with an experienced fighter, by "borrowing" the strength of the incoming force to accomplish the feat of "overthrowing a weight of one thousand catties with four ounces."

    Taijiquan is performed with the arms and hands moving in curves. As we know, anything that collides with an object that is moving in a curve will be deflected, thus reducing the impact to varying degrees. That is why one can nullify the strength of an attack more effectively with circular moves than with linear counterblows. This is also the reason why a person skilled in taiji techniques can beat an opponent with superior physical strength.

    Of course, while we underline the advantages of circular moves, we should never go to the extremes in using them. As the taiji maxims go, "Conserve your energy with circular moves before suddenly releasing it in a straight direction," and "Store up energy like drawing a bow, and release it like shooting an arrow." Generally speaking, one who is on the defence employs a lot of circular moves to meet and neutralize oncoming forces; but to stage an attack one has to collect one's strength to deliver a straight blow from close in so as to achieve a most powerful effect.

    Taijiquan movements are performed about the longitudinal, lateral, sagittal and numerous oblique axes -- all in a well-coordinated manner. An accomplished taiji performer may not be a physicist, but in practice he must be applying a lot of mechanical principles, either consciously or unconsciously.

    Taijiquan and Ancient Chinese Philosophy

    Taijiquan is a time-honoured scientific way of maintaining physical and mental health. It is an art for strengthening man's organism, developing his intellect and ennobling his soul. Based on the theory of yin and yang and of the unity of man and Nature as expounded in ancient Chinese philosophy, it helps the self-actualization and physical and spiritual emancipation of man.

    The word "taiji" first appeared in the Book of Changes (I Ching) and was later interpreted by well-known scholars like Zheng Xuan (127-200) of the later Han period and Kong Yingda (574-648) of the Tang Dynasty as the primordial qi that conglomerated in the universe before heaven and earth separated.

    Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073), a philosopher of the Northern Song period, wrote in his Treatise on the Taiji Diagram: "Wuji gives rise to taiji. Taiji in motion generates yang and extreme motion begets stillness which generates yin. Extreme yin, in turn, results in motion. In this way, motion and stillness are locked in reciprocal causation."

    The authoritative book Shanxi's Wang Zongyue on Taijiquan says: "Taiji was born of Wuji and is the mother of yin and yang." A Classical Record of Taijiquan, also an authoritative work, says: "The two aspects of taiji include heaven and earth, yin and yang, closing and opening, motion and stillness, softness and hardness, bending and stretching, coming and going, advancing and retreating, life and death...."

    These expositions about the opposition, unity and interaction between yin and yang have provided the theoretical basis for taijiquan. Application of strength in taijiquan, for instance, is such that the movements appear to be slow and gentle but are actually charged with powerful force -- just like a steel rod wrapped in cotton.

    Yin and yang are inseparable from each other; as extreme yin becomes yang and extreme yang becomes yin, the two transform into each other all the time. A similar relationship exists between emptiness and solidity in taijiquan movements: the two opposing aspects, coexisting in a single entity, are interdependent and interpenetrable, with each transforming itself into the other all the time.

    In fact, all taijiquan movements contain a unity of opposites: advance and retreat, upward and downward, slow and fast, stretching and bending, opening and closing, forward and backward, right and left, releasing and withdrawing, rise and fall, inhale and exhale, pull and push....

    Such a dialectical relationship also exists between motion and stillness in taijiquan exercise. There is stillness in motion inasmuch as physical movements are meant to induce mental calmness during exercise. Of course, motion is absolute and stillness is only relative. For one thing, taijiquan exercise always requires one to sink one's qi down to the dantian region in the lower abdomen. Such an effort is regarded as a kind of motion of a high order.

    The theory of taiji, with all its implications about the transformation of yin and yang and their contradiction and unity, is explained in writing in Lao Zi's The Classic of the Way and Its Power (Tao Teh Ching) and graphically described in Zhou Dunyi's Treatise on the Taiji Diagram. These simple yet profound philosophical ideas form the theoretical basis of taijiquan and serve as the guiding principles for the performance of all kinds of taiji movements.

    To the minds of some Westerners, Oriental culture is a baffling mystery, and so is the Chinese art of taijiquan with its indescribable charm and grace. For them to appreciate the true value of taijiquan, it is necessary to know more about the philosophical ideas underlying it.

    Taijiquan and Ancient Arts of Health Keeping

    Taijiquan, as an excellent way of keeping fit, originates from ancient Chinese arts of health preservation.