The outside movement of the body is initiated by the circulation of air flows inside the body and by inner adjustments of substantialness and insubstantialness. The two hands are in charge of their res­pective halves of the body, as one does not infringe upon the other.
The hand never goes farther than the foot. Li Yishe (1832-1892), son of Wu Yuxiang's sister, inherited the Wu Yuxiang style of Taiji. He wrote about his experience of practicing Five-Word Essentials, The Secret to Relaxation: Lift, Guide, Loosen and Release and Es­sentials / or Taiji Movements and Actions. In the first year of the Republic (1911), Hao Weizhen (1849-1920) from Yongnian County taught the Wu Yuxiang style of Taiji in Beijing, and later in Nanjing and Shanghai.
( 5 ) Sun-style Taiji Quan
The initiator of the Sun-style Taiji boxing was Sun Lutang (1861-1932) from Dingxian County in Hebei Province. Sun was a master of Xingyi Quan (free-mind animal-imitating boxing) and Bagua Zhang (Eight-diagram Palm). In 1911, he followed Hao Weizhen to learn the Wu Yuxiang style of Taiji. He later created the Sun style of Taiji boxing by blending the cream of the Wu Yuxiang style of Taiji, Xingyi Quan and Bagua Zhang. The feature of the Sun-style Taiji is that practi­tioners advance or retreat freely with quick and dexter­ous movements, which are connected with each other either in closing or opening stances when the direction is changed.
Besides the above-mentioned five style of Taiji box­ing, there is another style called Five-Star Taiji. This style was initiated by Wang Lanting, butler of Prince Duan of the Qing Dynasty. Wang Lanting learned Taiji from Yang Luchan who served as Wushu master to Prince Duan. After mastering the boxing art, Wang Lanting passed it onto Li Ruidong and Si Xingsan. Li Ruidong then absorbed the cream of other styles of Taiji to form the Five-Star Taiji.
The Chanmen Taiji Quan or Buddhist Taiji Quan which is popular in the area of Pingdingshan in Henan Province was developed by monks in the Shaolin Tem­ple according to the Infinitely Merciful Dharani Scripture. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, it had also absorbed the best of the martial arts practiced by followers of Taoism and Confucianism. As it was first created by Buddhist monks, it was called Chanmen or Buddhist Taiji Quan.
To further popularize Taiji Quan among the peo­ple after the establishment of the People's Republic of China, a simplified set of the Yang-style Taiji Quan was compiled in 1956, by dropping the repeated and diffi­cult movements. The simplified set consists of 24 forms. In 1979, the Chinese State Physical Education and Sports Commission absorbed the strongest points from the Chen-style, Yang-style and Wu-style Taiji, as well as Taiji Wushu, to form a popular, 48-form Taiji Quan.
Although different in style and form, all Taiji boxing routines require their practitioners to be tranquil, calm, relaxed but concentrative. In Taiji Quan the spine is the pivot around which the body moves. Forces and energy should be generated from the spine and waist before reaching the arms and legs. The movements are execut­ed slowly, continuously and softly, but hardness is implied in softness. Substantialness should be distinguished from insubstantialness. Practitioners are re­quired to breathe regularly and smoothly. The inner strengths and energy should be exuded through exter­nal movements and actions.
The theory of Taiji Quan was developed when Wang Zongyue wrote his On Taiji Quan. Taiji Quan theories matured with later writings of the Thirteen-form Frame, Thirteen Postures, Secrets of Thirteen Stances, The Essentials of Martial Artists, Martial Artists' Ballad, Taiji Combats and Five-Ward Essentials.
As mentioned earlier, the Taiji Quan has health enhancing and disease curing functions. This is largely due to its effect on brain function. Practicing Taiji en­ables part of the cerebral cortex to enter a protective inhibition so that partial rest is possible while other parts are excited. As a result brain function can improved and rehabilitated through conscientious and protracted exercises and practices of Taiji Quan. Various chronic diseases resulting from the malfunction of the nerve system can thus be cured or ameliorated.

Xingyi Quan or the form and meaning boxing is also called Xinyi Quan (free-mind boxing), Xinyi Liuhe Quan (free-mind six-combination boxing)* or Liuhe Quan (six-combination boxing). There are two propositions about the name of this school of boxing. One holds that the body actions and movements should be guided by mind and that this school of boxing is an identity of mind and body; the other proposition states that this school of exercises are mere imitations of animal actions and movements and adopted the form and meaning of animal movements.
According to historical records, the creator of Xingyi Quan was Ji Jike (1602-1683) from Village Zuncun in Yongji County in Shanxi Province. A resident of the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, Ji Jike was also known as Ji Longfeng. On his trip south to the Shaolin Temple and Luoyang in Henan Province and Qiupu in Anhui Province, Ji Jike passed his art on to Zeng Jiwu. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, Xingyi Quan was spread in Henan, Hebei and Shanxi provinces. Ma Xueli, a Luoyang resident in Henan, Dai Longbang, a resident of Qixian in Shanxi, and Li Luoneng, Dai's disciple from Hebei, all contributed to the dissemination and development of the boxing. Over centuries, this school of boxing is now practiced in different styles.