Prior to studying tai chi, Confucian and Taoist scholar Sun Lutang was an expert in xingyiquan and

baguazhang—two other internal martial arts which, like tai chi, emphasize the use of the mind in moving
the body. Sun Lutang developed a combination style of tai chi that borrows from various martial arts and
tai chi styles. It emphasizes agility by merging the stepping method of bagua (baguazhang) and the leg
and waist methods of hsing-I (xingyiquan) with relaxed body movements of tai chi.
Sun style tai chi incorporates unique footwork and gentle, flowing, circular hand movements. With its
smooth, fluid movements and swift steps, Sun style tai chi mimics a graceful dance.

Practiced by few—even in China—Hao is the least popular of the five styles. This style puts a strong
emphasis on internal qi. Practitioners learn to focus internally and make significant internal movements to
trigger subtle outer movements. Externally, the movements may look quite similar.
Hao is a more advanced style of tai chi. With a strong focus on controlling the movement of qi (internal
force) this style is not recommended for beginners

Tai Chi forms are named after its total number of specific movements
(e.g. Tai Chi 24 form which is also known as the Beijing form or Peking
form; Tai Chi 13 form, Tai Chi 16 form, etc.). The easiest forms can be
performed using our bare hands. Other forms include the use of fan,
sword, spear and stick.