The Yang style Taijiquan martial arts have evolved over the last 160 years as they have been
successfully transplanted around the world by their creative and multi-talented teachers.
Numerous scholars and professionals have been attracted to this internal martial arts
form, to its philosophy, for its personal health benefits, and by its charismatic teachers.
These teachers have helped spread Yang style Taijiquan worldwide by forming schools,
conducting workshops, traveling, and teaching enthusiastically. They have published
articles, essays, translations, biographies, textbooks, reminiscences, and guidebooks.
They have taught on television, videotapes, and now DVDs and VCDs.

This simplified tai chi form was created in 1956 by the National Physical Culture and Sports Commission of the People's Republic of China as part of the drive to document and standardise Wushu training and introduce competition forms.

The Beijing 24 is aimed at the beginner and uses 24 representative moves from the Yang style. Although it has been simplified by reducing the repetition of moves and some of the more difficult kicks it contains the important and traditional characteristics and features of Yang style forms.

The short form enables beginners, old and young, to concentrate on, and appreciate, the essential principles of Tai Chi of effortless movement, relaxation and awareness of the mind and body as one.

Depending on how fast or slow you like to do your form the whole form takes between 4 and 8 minutes to do.

It is said to be the most popular tai chi form practiced today. And because of this you will be able to find lots of books, dvds and classes for you to enjoy.

Yang style Taijiquan is a complex martial art with many levels. The long hand form is
emphasized in this document. It can be done in a high, medium or low stance. The form
is practiced most often for its gentle cultivation of inner strength, its calming effects, and
its graceful and beautiful choreography. However, with proper instruction from a qualified
teacher, good physical conditioning, and dedicated practice partners, its close fighting
martial aspects can be explored to great depths. The Yang style includes short hand forms,
a fast hand form, a sword form, a saber form, a staff form, two person practice sets, drills,
push hands practice and competition, and sparring. There is a considerable body of
literature about the Yang style of martial arts, with many practical and philosophical
insights for scholarly Yang Taijiquan practitioners and martial artists of other styles.

Yang style Taijiquan, as a internal martial art (Nei Jia Quan), is grounded in a group of
core practice principles: relaxation (Song), circular movements, martial applications, rooting
(Gen), moving from the waist (Yao), chi and springy (Jin) energies, softness (Rou), fluidity and
expansiveness, good timing and coordination, fullness and emptiness, deep and coordinated
breathing, becoming calm and quiet (Jing), mind/intent (Yi) leading bodily movements, and
other principles found in the Taiji Classics.

Most new students learning the long hand form need careful and specific instructions from a
instructor that knows the form. If you can learn 3 new movements each week, it will take
you about 6 months to learn to perform the entire form in your solo practice; and many
years to learn about all the nuances and applications of the Yang long form. Some
beginning students benefit from having a written list of the movements to help them
remember the sequence, direction, and some of the nuances of the posture. Some
students need someone to talk them through the postures many times before they
can commit the sequence to memory. Some students without access to teachers
do make steady progress on their own using videotapes, DVDs and books; and then
advance their knowledge by attending workshops and seminars on the form. Everyone,
of course, needs to practice on their own each day in order to make any real progress
in mastering this long hand form. Students will have different learning styles, and successful
teachers will use a variety of teaching styles to facilitate efficient and effective learning.