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About Sun Lutang

(From Wikipedia)

Sun Lu-t'ang (Sun Lutang, 1861-1932) was a renowned master of Chinese Neijia (internal) martial arts and was the progenitor of the syncretic art of Sun style Tai Chi Chuan. He was also considered an accomplished Neo-Confucian and Taoist scholar (especially in the I Ching), and was a distinguished contributor to the theory of internal martial arts through his many published works.

When born in 1861 in Hebei province he was named Sun Fuquan by his parents, and was later given the name Sun Lutang by Cheng Tinghua, his baguazhang teacher, years later. (It was common in old China for people to have multiple names). He continued to use his original name in some areas, including the publishing of his books.

He was also well-versed in two other internal martial arts styles: Hsing-i Ch'uan (Xingyiquan) and Pa Kua Chang (Baguazhang) before he came to study T'ai Chi. His expertise in these two martial arts were so high that many regarded him as without equal. Sun learned Wu/Hao style T'ai Chi Ch'üan from Hao Wei-chen.

Sun started studying with Hao relatively late in his life, but his accomplishments in the other two internal arts led him to develop his T'ai Chi abilities to a high standard more quickly than is usual.

He subsequently was invited by Yang Shao-hou, Yang Ch'eng-fu and Wu Chien-ch'uan to join them on the faculty of the Beijing Physical Education Research Institute where they taught T'ai Chi to the public after 1914. Sun taught there until 1928, a seminal period in the development of modern Yang, Wu and Sun style T'ai Chi Ch'uan.

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