第一章　杨式太极拳概述
Chapter 1　A Brief Introduction to Yang-style Taijiquan

第一节　杨式太极拳的历史沿革
Section 1　A Brief History of Yang-style Taijiquan

杨式太极拳，是太极拳的一个流派，创自杨露禅。

Inaugurated by Yang Luchan, the Yang style is one of the schools of Taijiquan.

杨露禅（1799—1872年），名福魁，字露禅，河北永年人。少年时代的杨露禅练习过少林拳，后到河南温县陈家沟，拜投在陈氏太极拳的一代宗师陈长兴的门下，刻苦学习。

Yang Fukui, style name Luchan(1799–1872), was from Yongnian, Hebei Province. In his childhood, he practiced Shaolin boxing, and then studied diligently from Chen Changxing, master of Chenstyle Taijiquan, at Chen Village in Wenxian County, Henan Province.

清同治初年（1862年），出师后的杨露禅来到京城，在端王府教拳。他在不断的交流和教学实践中，对太极拳的技术进行了革新，形成了以抽丝劲、掷放术为代表的技术特点，以及简单易学、实用面广的新拳架。后经其孙杨澄甫（1883—1936年）进一步完善，并于1930年由其传人执笔出版了《太极拳体用全书》，规范成杨式太极拳教学的范本。杨澄甫早期在北京教拳，后在南京、上海、广州等地教学，对杨式太极拳的发展做出了重要贡献。

Having completed his apprenticeship at Chen Village in 1862, Yang Luchan went to the capital, Beijing, to teach boxing at Prince Duan’s Mansion. He innovated and developed the techniques of Taiijiquan through continuous exchange and teaching, which resulted in his invention of a new boxing frame which featured spinning strength, throwing energy, easy practice and wide application. His grandson, Yang Chengfu(1883–1936), further revised the techniques, with his heir later in 1930 writing and publishing A Complete Handbook for Practicing Taijiquan, in which the teaching models of Yang-style Taijiquan were standardized. Yang Chengfu first taught boxing in Beijing and later in Nanjing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, playing a critical role in disseminating Yang-style Taijiquan.

中华人民共和国成立后，太极拳的健身作用受到了党和国家的高度重视。原国家体委以杨式太极拳为蓝本，先后创编了24式简化太极拳、48式太极拳，修订了88式太极拳。20世纪80年代，原国家体委组织创编了“杨式太极拳竞赛套路”，有力地推动了杨式太极拳的进一步发展。

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Communist Party and the State have placed a high premium on the physical fitness aspects of Taijiquan. The former National Sports Commission took Yang-style Taijiquan as a model to create a simplified 24-step Taijiquan, a 48-step Taijiquan, and a revised 88-step Taijiquan. In the 1980s, the same Commission compiled the competition sets for Yang-style Taijiquan for further promotion.