Chen Yu having fun at a show introducing "handshake qin na" to the audience. Screenshot from a master class on Chinese TV.
Thus, references below are to a few clips I came across that I do not consider to be time wasters, depending on what you are looking for. I shall not include material that already is listed in the section on Videos and now happens to have been posted on the internet. I also hope the streams below are in line with relevant copyright rules. (Kindly alert me to breaches you may have noticed, if any.) Anyway, from now on, while the others are playing games on their smartphones, I trust you will increasingly watch Chen style video clips while practicing your stance exercises when commuting or traveling, and as long as bandwidth and your smartphone bill permits...
| Year | Title and content | Min. | Lang. | Type |
| Year | Abbreviations: de ... German; en ... English; jp ... Japanese; lang. ... languages; min. ... total playing time in minutes; mp4 ... MPEG4 video; sub ... subtitles; zh ... Chinese. | Min. | Lang. | Type |
| *** | (Mainly) Chen style taijiquan streams | *** | *** | *** |
| 2020 | With the new coronavirus (Covid-19) circulating around the whole world, and efforts or talents and conditions for containing it unevenly distributed, the interest in exercises that enhance the strength of the lungs (as one organ strongly affected) and the immune system of the body as a whole have increased substantially. None of these exercises should be considered a tested treatment or a tested prophylactic. Therefore, if you feel that you have been infected, always seek medical assistance first. If you are interested, nevertheless, in a short Chen-style exercise session that is conceived for benefiting the lungs and that you can tuck in here and there if you have a few minutes to spare, you may like to take a look at the short yi fei gong (benefiting lungs exercise) (05/2020) assembled by Chen Xiaowang. It comprises essentially four (back, front, left, and right) basic exercises of opening and closing sequences that students of Chen-style may recognize from the barehand routines, combined to a simple set of 6 movements that can be managed by beginners, too. (It will help to have basic skills because beginners may not completely understand all of the principles that are applied in performing these movements just from watching. Still, these movements cannot really harm anyone, weak or strong, young or old, who enjoys normal health.) There is a link on the WeiXin (WeChat) platform which provides more legible written English and Chinese descriptions in case you want to have a closer look. Resolution of the video is 640 x 480. But do not forget, for your questions relating to the new coronavirus, best always check the continuously updated information offered by the World Health Organization (WHO) and your local health authorities. [top] | 16 | zh | mp4 |
| 20?? | How about some free-of-charge master class or taijiquan shop talk? Given China is the origin of far eastern wu shu, it is much more common to have broadcasts related to martial arts, just as it is more common to encounter practicioners of martial arts in China's public parks than elsewhere in the world. Someone has posted what appears to be an edited sequence of such master class (01/2014) lessons from a programme called Meeting of Martial Arts Circles, presumably cutting all the trailers and commercials out of the sequence. You can watch Chen Xiaoxing, Chen Xiaowang, and Chen Yu demonstrating martial applications of Chen style taijiquan to a studio audience. (Do not try to copy this at home and with anyone who is inexperienced in martial arts. Careful dosage of force by the masters during these demonstrations has avoided any injuries.) Resolution is 640 x 480, size is 104 MB. [top] | 19 | zh | mp4 |
| 2011 | For people who have no access to CCTV5, the Chinese sports channel which regularily also features martial arts, the following clip may be of interest. It features the final match (01/2014) in a taijiquan competition, at the Wulin meeting, where Wang Zhanjun was able to show off his skills. If you are still looking for evidence that taijiquan is a martial art, you will be able to use the stream to inform yourself and others. Other evidence you may take from this post is that while practice of the routine may be slow, application is extremely quick, and that taijiquan is not only for old people... For those who look a little closer, they would probably also find evidence to substantiate the notion that training kicks is not particularly effective for martial art purposes, and that remaining fully alert at all times may prevent you from going down in a split of a second "before" the sparring has even begun. Resolution is 640 x 480, size is 51 MB. [top] | 8 | zh | mp4 |
| 20?? | Chen Xiaowang features on one of CCTV4's "Journey of Civilization" talk show sessions devoted to the wisdom of taiji (01/2014). The very pleasant atmosphere of the show makes it worthwhile to watch, no matter whether you are not at all knowledgeable about taijiquan or an advanced student. It also testifies to Chen Xiaowang's excellent teaching skills as he is able to draw on many parallels and real-life examples to illustrate his points to a studio audience, discussing the practice of zhan zhuang, the relationship between the first and second barehand routines, differences between taijiquan and other forms of exercise, the different forces made use of, the meaning of 4 ounces moving 1,000 pounds, the five levels of training achievement in taijiquan. Students of Chinese language will also be rewarded with a view on how to apply taijiquan principles to calligraphy. Resolution is 480 x 360, size is 142 MB, and there are English subtitles. [top] | 43 | zh | mp4 |
| 20?? | There is another CCTV4 talk show featuring Chen Xiaowang which is called "Time Together Across the Straight", the session of which bears the title taiji legend (01/2014). I would consider this talk show to be the best practical primer any beginner could get on taijiquan from any video source. Chen Xiaowang explains the most basic principles of taijiquan practice (working your way from the dan tian to understanding the system of movement and continuosly seeking to discover and minimize your errors, steadily improving), answers questions from the audience, e,g, about breathing or differences with other physical exercises, and gives practical tips on including taijiquan practice in your everyday activities. He also corrects the postures of several taijiquan practitioners from the audience live on stage. (This is also what you would expect from any qualified Chen-style instructor.) You will also learn about Chen Xiaowang's training activities all over the world, his encounters with Tui Shou director Li An in Taiwan, his martial skills, as well as his valuable efforts to bring foreign students to Chenjiagou, the cradle of modern taijiquan. Resolution is 480 x 360, size is 137 MB, and there are English subtitles. [top] | 45 | zh | mp4 |
| 20?? | How about another another example for the correction of postures? This short clip is taken from a CCTV9 program called "Martial Arts Today" (01/2014). Chen Xiaowang is back to Chanjiagou and explains the meaning of "all-sided support" (to Chen Zhiqiang and interested bystanders). Resolution is 320 x 240, size is 7 MB, and there are English subtitles. [top] | 3 | zh, en | mp4 |
| 20?? | There is nothing like the real thing, but this comes pretty close. This short clip is taken from a CCTV9 program called Chenjiagou (01/2014). Chen Xiaowang is back to Chanjiagou and explains the meaning of "all-sided support" (to Chen Zhiqiang, Chen Xiaoxing and interested bystanders). Resolution is 512 x 288, frame rate is 23.8, and there are English subtitles. [top] | 3 | zh, en | mp4 |
| 200? | Zhu Tiancai, one of the current Chen style standard bearers, reiterates the importance of the basic circular flow of Chen style taijiquan practice and demonstrates it according to a few movements of the routine in a short video session (01/2014). If your instructor does not teach this, quickly change to a real Chen style instructor. Resolution is 320 x 240, size is 11 MB. [top] | 5 | zh | mp4 |
| 20?? | Here's your answer to the question who is the best. Younger vs. older. Taller vs. shorter. Heavier vs. lighter. Pure muscle power vs. refined stance technique. The ultimate proof you have been waiting for, viz. that taijiquan is indeed the supreme martial art so you finally can relax with your practice and just wait for incompetents of other martial arts or combative sports who dare to challenge you... Or, as the more humble among us probably will think after watching this stream, all you need to do now is to practice several hours per day for five more decades in order to achieve the same level as Chen Xiaowang. Or, as the more scientifically minded among us will probably pray after watching, let us hope the cuts in the sequences are related to TV's abhorrence for stills -- and not merely a cheap way of covering up for any somewhat disappointing result. Be it as it may, Hunan province TV station's documentation of the challenge (01/2014) put to Chen Xiaowang by one of Asia's leading strongman competitors at least certifies that taijiquan is not about esoterics and that challenges across styles of martial art or disciplines of physical competition are legitimate and their outcome may be instructive as long as nobody cheats. Resolution is 320 x 240, size is 150 MB. I am not sure why the file contains the whole sequence twice -- net time is roughly 30 min. [top] | 59 | zh | mp4 |
| 2002 | This clip is from a short friendly push hand sparring (01/2014) between Chen Xiaowang and Liao Bai, an instructor. Can you discern the winner? The minimum you should be able to take from this clip is that success in martial art does not depend on the clothes you wear. Resolution is 320 x 240, size is 6 MB. [top] | 2 | zh | mp4 |
Chen Xiaowang accepting a pushing challenge by a strongman competitor. Would the challenger be able to push the grandmaster out of a predefined small ring area, during 3 rounds of 1 minute length each? Screenshots from Hunan TV, a popular Chinese TV channel.