In my first class with a new group of students, I generally explain that there are many theories about the origin of tai chi chuan. We may never know who started it, or how tai chi came to be, but two main theories compete for the position of right history of tai chi chuan. Since tai chi is a martial art, it is not surprising that there are two theories opposing each other in a verbal fight.
In this post, I will introduce you to 3 articles:
1) Theory of the Wu Tang mountain monk as originator of tai chi chuan: http://www.taichiandqigong.com/taichi_history.php
2) Theory presenting Chen Wang-Ting from the Chen village as father of tai chi chuan: http://www.chenstyletaichi.com/english/pages/history.html
3) Article presenting both theories, summarized in a beautiful way: http://www.spb300.com/history_of_taichi.html
Enjoy your reading and do not forget to do some practice! Remember: ‘Every movement counts’!