Yang Lu Ch'an (1799-1872), the founder of the Yang style heard about the famous Tai Chi Master Ch´en Chang-hsing (Chen style) and because he had no chance to become student in the family he acted to be deaf and mute to become a servant in the house of Master Ch´en. 

Secretly he studied the evening teaching lessons und during the night he practised what he had seen before. After many months he was exposed. He showed himself to be so talented, that after several examinations the Master accepted him as student.

Later he travelled through China and won againts 18 famous Masters in combat using never more than two movements. Therefor he was given the name " Yang who does not fight".

He started to teach the public in Peking. But he was stopped by the King, who took him to the Emperor´s Palce as privat teacher for himself. 

His sons Yang Chien-Hou (1839-1917) and Yang Pan-Hou (1837-1892) continued the style in the way of their father.

Yang Ch'eng-Fu (1883-1936), a son of Yang Chien-Hou, was called the most famous Master of the last century. He travelled a lot and published the Yang style all over China. From the thousands of his students only few had been initiated in the tradition and the secrets of the Family style and later authorized as Master of the lineage.

But other students who had not been accepted and trained in that special way, started to teach what they had leaned uncompleted. 

Therefore so many public variations of the Yang Family style are to be found today. In China itself the government published a short form which was called "Peking Form" in the year 1955 to bring Tai Chi to as many people as possible.

But also in the West, first in the USA, in Canada and England and in the last years also in the continantal Europe, the Yang style is the most published form.

It was on the first place Cheng Man Ch'ing (passed away 1975), a student of Yang Ch'eng Fu, who spread out Tai Chi in the West. He was a talented Master of poetry, painting and calligraphy. He was also skilled in medicine, but he had not been a disciple of Yang Ch'eng Fu.  Therefore his Yang style differs a lot- not only in the succession of the so called Tai Chi form, which he abbreviated himself- from the original Yang style.

The instruction of Yang Shou-chung (1910-1985), the eldest son of Yang Ch'eng Fu, started when he was eight. He also learned from his famous uncle Yang Shao-hu (1862-1929).  After the death of his father he became the successor in the Family lineage. Three younger sons of Yang Ch´eng Fu live in China.

Yang Shou-chung had since 1949 in Hongkong only three disciples - the last of them was Master  Chu King Hung, who lives and teaches since 1970 in London.

(from: Frieder Anders, "TAICHI Chinas lebendige Weisheit")