Wu Yuxiang
Chinese scholar from Yongnian (c. 1812–1880), student of Yang Luchan and Chen Qingping, founder of the Wu (Hao) style of taijiquan and author of texts on its theory.
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Wu Yuxiang was a Chinese scholar and founder of a taijiquan style that later became known as the Wu (Hao) style. He was born around 1812 and died around 1880. He came from a wealthy family of officials and scholars in Yongnian, Hebei province. He had two older brothers, Wu Chengqing (1800–1884) and Wu Ruqing (1803–1887).
In the early 1840s he began training under Yang Luchan, founder of the Yang style, from whom he learned the thirteen-postures style (large frame). In 1852 he then studied the small-frame style for over a month under Chen Qingping, learning from him both the Chen and Zhaobao styles.
He developed his style together with his brothers as a family pursuit, without commercial teaching. He is credited with an extensive body of texts on taijiquan theory that influenced the later so-called taijiquan classics. He wrote three key works: Da Shou Yao Yan (The Essence of Combat Encounters), Shisanshi Xingong Xinjie (Explanation of the Thirteen Postures) and Shenfa Bayao (Eight Key Principles of the Body). According to tradition, his brother Wu Chengqing discovered the text Taijiquan lun in the back room of a salt shop in Beijing.
He took on two nephews as students, Li Yiyu (1832–1892) and Li Qixuan (1835–1899); Li Yiyu is the author of several important writings on taijiquan. Through Li Yiyu his teaching reached Hao Weizhen and Ge Fulai, and through Hao Weizhen it reached Sun Lutang, founder of the Sun style.