Chen Wangting, called Zouting, lived during the reigns of Emperor Chongzhen [1627–1644] and Emperor Kangxi [1662–1722]. By the end of the Ming Dynasty [1644], both natural and man-made disasters were occurring, and local government officials had ceased to care about the hardships of the people, who were being taxed severely and for every little thing. In Dengfeng County, the people had no ability to pay for grain. Feeling oppressed by the government, they thus rose up in rebellion, appointing Li Jiyu, a successful candidate in the provincial military examinations, as the head of their cause. Chen, who was Li’s friend, was sent to stop him. He did his best to persuade him, but Li would not listen, however he did promise not to violate the borders of Wen County. Later at the Manchu capital [Beijing], Li was defeated and his whole family was executed with him. 　　There was a man named Jiang who became a servant to Chen. One day, Chen ordered his horse saddled so he could go hunting beside the Yellow River. A rabbit suddenly appeared and bolted away. Jiang then chased it and caught it before he had even gone a hundred paces. Chen remembered that Li had an officer under his command who was able to walk so quick that he seemed to be flying, who even horses could not catch up with. He asked Jiang if he was indeed that man. Chen left behind a portrait of himself with a man standing next to him holding a halberd. It has been said that this man is Jiang Fa. 　　Brilliant in both literary and military affairs, Chen thus created Taiji Boxing. He has left us a free-verse poem, through which we can catch a glimpse of his life: I sigh for years past, oh those days of battle [“donning armor and brandishing a weapon”], vanquishing hordes of bandits, so many moments of risk and danger. I was bestowed with imperial favor – meaningless. Now I am old and weary, and I have ended up with only a copy of the Daoist Yellow Courtyard Classic as my companion. 　　When boredom sets in, I create boxing sets. When busy, I plow the fields. In my free time, I teach some students and grandkids, then I leave it to them to become dragons and tigers in their own time. 　　I spent all my pension long ago, and still I have debts to pay. To be either arrogant or flattering won’t work. To be stoic and humble is the key. 　　Everyone says I’m naïve. Everyone says I’m backward. I often hear these things, but I make no effort to clean up my act. 　　I laugh at every household of nobility. All their finicky concerns do not compare to my heart that hasn’t a care. I seek neither fame nor wealth. I see through their little intrigues and know all about their compulsion to imitate the fashion [“Handan’s Learning-to-Walk Bridge”]. 　　I am content [fishing on the waters]. I feel at home [among the mountains and rivers]. [To be prosperous is of no importance. To be destitute is of no importance. 　　Imagine a world at peace, where indifference for getting more stuff was the norm, no envy, no greed. What’s the point of worrying about the ways of this world and its snobbery for arbitrary appearances? Success is of no importance. Failure is of no importance. 　　Is this not what is means to be an “immortal”? If not, then is anyone?https://brennantranslation.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/taiji-boxing-according-to-chen-ziming/