After a time, just after the 1911 revolution sixty years ago that toppled the Ching Dynasty, because
Master Wu Chuan Yau was getting old, he left Beijing and moved his family back to his ancestral home
in Ta-hsing district in the province of Hopei, resolutely disbanding his classes. His son was Master Wu
Chien Chuan. Taught from an early age in Beijing by his father, Master Wu Chuan Yau, he had an
excellent foundation. After returning to Ta-hsing, Master Wu Chuan Yau devoted all his attention to
teaching him. The method he used was the same as Master Yang Pan-hous "no pain, no gain."
During this period, Master Wu Chien Chuan counted on suffering. Often when father and son Pushed
Hands, Master Wu Chuan Yau would use his former vigor to throw his son to higher and higher heights,
before crashing down. This method of "no pain, no gain" was the way Master Wu Chuan Yau taught
Master Wu Chien Chuan all his secrets.
After disbanding, Chien Chuan establishes his name
After a time, Master Wu Chuan Yau, in turn, delivered the same speech to Master Wu Chien Chuan that
Master Yang Lu-chan had said to him. He informed him that he had taught Master Wu Chien Chuan all
of the secret methods of Wu Family Tai Chi Chuan. There was no need for him to teach him further, and
he could now watch him receive disciples and teach. Master Wu Chien Chuan respectfully accepted his
destiny. However, Master Wu Chuan Yau did not actually see Master Wu Chien Chuan receive disciples,
as shortly thereafter he died.
After Master Wu Chuan Yau’s death, Master Wu Chien Chuan prepared to carry out his fathers words to
teach Wu Family Tai Chi Chuan to disciples. At that time there was a group in Beijing headed by Hsu Yu-
sheng who went to the Wu home in Ta-hsing to invite Master Wu Chien Chuan to return to Beijing to
continue his fathers wishes to teach Wu Family Tai Chi Chuan in Beijing. Because of this Master Wu
Chien Chuan demonstrated his talent in Beijing for the first time, so that Wu Family Tai Chi Chuan was
developed further.
Smashed furniture and broken slabs Hsu Yu-sheng was adept at learning the Wu Family Tai Chi Chuan from
Master Wu Chuan Yau. After Master Wu Chuan Yau returned to his home, he thought a lot about going there.
Then he heard that Master Wu Chuan Yau had died and that the mantle of the father had passed to Master
Wu Chien Chuan. For this reason, he and a group of people offered to sponsor Master Wu Chien Chuan’s return
to Beijing to continue teaching Master Wu Chuan Yau’s disciples.
They left Beijing for Ta-hsing in Hopei province and sought the Wu Family home to meet with Master Wu
Chien Chuan. What they saw inside the Wu home astonished all of them alike. Chairs and tables,
without exception were broken, and none of the furniture was intact. In addition, the slabs of stairs were
smashed to bits. They at first thought that some untoward circumstance had befallen the Wu home.
Later, they heard Master Wu Chien Chuan explain that this was the result of he and his fathers daily
martial arts practice. In the course of their workouts, they broke chairs and tables, furniture and slabs.
They had "skin of bronze" and "bones of iron".