Yang Chien-hou

Yang Chien-hou (Jianhou) (1839-1917), was the younger son of the founder of Yang style T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Yang Lu-ch'an, and a well known teacher of the soft style martial art of T'ai Chi Ch'uan in late Qing dynasty China. Yang Chien-hou's older brother, Yang Pan-hou, was the senior of Chien-hou's generation, and also an important instructor of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Yang Chien-hou's sons Yang Chengfu and Yang Shao-hou were also famous teachers of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.

One of Yang Chien-hou's non-family member students was Tian Zhaolin. Tian also studied with Yang Chien-hou's sons. Tian taught Shi Tiao Mei who taught Tchoung Ta-tchen and others. Tchoung Ta-tchen taught in Vancouver BC, Seattle WA, Gabon, South Africa and Taiwan.

The Yang family styles evolved continuously. One of the earliest styles of Yang family taiji is Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan (Yang Family Hidden Tradition), unknown to the current Yang family lineage holders because Jianhou passed the system not to his sun Chengfu, but to student outside the family, Zhang Qin Lin. Michuan is a "temple" version of the Yang family taiji, with the public version being easier and more widely known. The current lineage holder, Wang Yen-nien (b.1914), lives in Taipei, Taiwan.

Family tree
This family tree is not comprehensive.

LEGENDARY FIGURES | Zhang Sanfeng* circa 12th century NEI CHIA | Wang Zongyue* T'AI CHI CH'ÜAN | THE 5 MAJOR CLASSICAL FAMILY STYLES | Chen Wangting 1600-1680 9th generation Chen CHEN STYLE |   +---+    |                                                                   | Chen Changxing                                                     Chen Youben 1771-1853 14th generation Chen                                    circa 1800s 14th generation Chen Chen Old Frame                                                    Chen New Frame |                                                                  | Yang Lu-ch'an                                                      Chen Qingping 1799-1872                                                         1795-1868 YANG STYLE                                                         Chen Small Frame, Zhao Bao Frame |                                                                  |    +-+-+   |    |                                 |                             |   | Yang Pan-hou                      Yang Chien-hou                   Wu Yu-hsiang 1837-1892                        1839-1917                        1812-1880 Yang Small Frame                     |                             WU/HAO STYLE |               ++-+                      |    |                |                |                 |                      | Wu Ch'uan-yü   Zhang Qin Lin  Yang Shao-hou     Yang Ch'eng-fu          Li I-yü 1834-1902      1888-1967(?)  1862-1930         1883-1936               1832-1892    |            Yang Michuan  Yang Small Frame  Yang Big Frame                | Wu Chien-ch'üan    |                                  |                    Hao Wei-chen 1870-1942     Wang Yen-nien                        Yang Shou-chung         1849-1920 WU STYLE       b.1914                              1910-1985                 | 108 Form                                                                     | |                                                                       Sun Lu-t'ang Wu Kung-i                                                                  1861-1932 1900-1970                                                                  SUN STYLE |                                                                         | Wu Ta-kuei                                                                  Sun Hsing-i 1923-1970                                                                  1891-1929

Note to Family tree table

Names denoted by an asterisk are legendary or semilegendary figures in the lineage, which means their involvement in the lineage, while accepted by most of the major schools, isn't independently verifiable from known historical records.