Sun Lu-t'ang

Sun Lu-t'ang or Sun Lutang (1860-1933) was a renowned master of Chinese neijia (internal) martial arts and was the progenitor of the syncretic art of Sun-style t'ai chi ch'uan. 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.

Biography

He was born in Hebei and was named Sun Fuquan (孫福全) by his parents. Years later, his Baguazhang teacher Cheng Tinghua (程延華) gave him the name Sun Lutang. (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: xingyiquan (hsing-i ch'uan) and baguazhang (pa-kua chang) before he came to study t'ai chi ch'uan (taijiquan). 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'uan 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.

Tang

Tang or TANG may refer to:

Brands

Tang (drink), a brand name of instant fruit flavored drinks

Chinese states and dynasties

Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) before 8th century BC

Tang dynasty (唐; 618–907), major Chinese dynasty

Later Tang (唐; 923–937), a state during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period

Southern Tang (唐; 937–975), a state during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period

Places

Tang, Ardabil, a village in Ardabil Province, Iran

Tang, Badakhshan, a village in Afghanistan

Tang, Bhutan, a village in Bumthang District, Bhutan

Tang, County Westmeath, a village in Ireland

Tang, North Yorkshire, a settlement in England

Tang, Shanghai (唐镇), a town in Pudong, Shanghai, China

Tang, Sistan and Baluchesstan, a village in Sistan and Baluchesstan Province, Iran

Tang, South Khorasan, a village in South Khorasan Province, Iran

Tang County (唐县), Baoding, Hebei, China

Tang Gonda, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran

Tang dynasty

The Tang dynasty (Chinese: 唐朝; pinyin: Táng Cháo; Wade–Giles: T'ang Ch'ao), officially the Great Tang (Chinese: 大唐; pinyin: Dà Táng; Wade–Giles: Ta T'ang), also called the Empire of the Great Tang, was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was founded by the Lǐ family (李), who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire. The dynasty was briefly interrupted when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne, proclaiming the Second Zhou dynasty (690–705) and becoming the only Chinese empress regnant.

The Tang dynasty, with its capital at Chang'an (present-day Xi'an), which at the time was the most populous city in the world, is generally regarded as a high point in Chinese civilization, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Its territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivaled that of the Han dynasty. In two censuses of the 7th and 8th centuries, the Tang records estimated the population by number of registered households at about 50 million people. Yet, even when the central government was breaking down and unable to compile an accurate census of the population in the 9th century, it is estimated that the population had grown by then to about 80 million people. With its large population base, the dynasty was able to raise professional and conscripted armies of hundreds of thousands of troops to contend with nomadic powers in dominating Inner Asia and the lucrative trade routes along the Silk Road. Various kingdoms and states paid tribute to the Tang court, while the Tang also conquered or subdued several regions which it indirectly controlled through a protectorate system. Besides political hegemony, the Tang also exerted a powerful cultural influence over neighboring states such as those in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.