Chen Style Tai Chi was originated more than 380 years ago, during the Ching Dynasty, from the Chen Village located in Wen County of Henan Province, China. Chen Wang-Ting, an ancestral native of the Chen Village, developed the martial art based upon family-taught fighting techniques in combination with external resources. Since its conception, over almost four hundred years have passed, but only recently, Chen Style Tai Chi has been disclosed to the public. For the majority of its existence, the art was kept secret and was only passed on from generation to generation by males within the Chen Village. Over time, Chen Style Tai Chi slowly began to spread outside of the village and its inhabitants, resulting in the formation of several different styles of Tai Chi. In fact, four of the five main styles of Tai Chi are recognized by the Chinese government (Yang Style, Wu Style, Wu Hao Style, Sun Style, and the fifth being Chen Style) have their origins directly and indirectly in Chen Style Tai Chi.
