Since Chen Wanting, many high level experts of Taijiquan has succeeded
along the successive generations.The grandfather of Chen Xin, Chen
Youheng and his granduncle, Chen Youben were already famous Taijiquan
experts, especially Chen Youben who besides of his mastery in boxing,
but also created a new form of Taijiquan known later as “Small Routine”
based of former traditional routines..
The father of Chen Xin, Zhongshen and his uncle Jishen were twin
brothers, during their lives they continued to spread the
reputation of their family in Taijiquan. Chen Zhongshen had an
impressive stature and studied martial arts very early.
The
two
brothers Chen Xin and Chen Yao studied martial arts under their father
Chen Zhongshen instruction, but later after the death of their father
they continued to study with Chen Jishen their uncle.
Chen
Xin started very young to learn principles and methods of martial arts,
but his father imposed him to studied also literature so that he
realized later that he could not achieved the same attainment in
martial arts such as his brother. From this time he decided to write
books and expose without any restriction principles and methods of the
Chen Family Taijiquan.
Chen
Xin wrote many books but most of them will not be published, in the
exception of “Illustrated Explanations of Chen Family Taijiquan”, his
most famous work.
"Illustrated
Explanations of Chen Family Taijiquan" was the fruit of more than
fourteen years of Chen’s personal research, it constitutes the most
systematic and complete summary of Chen style Taijiquan among its
contemporaries. Synthesizing the secret knowledge of generations of top
martial artists belonging to the Chen Family and finally writing it
down, Chen Xin can be considered to be among the most talented martial
artists gifted also with an outstanding knowledge of Traditional
Chinese Philosophy and Traditional Chinese Medicine, as we can
understand through the reading of his book.
Reaching
the end of his life, Chen Xin called his closest relative, Chen
Chunyuan, his nephew and gave him "Illustrated Explanations of Chen
Family Taijiquan". Among his last words Chen Xin said: “Here is the
synthesis of my whole life research, publish it or get rid of it, but
do not pass it to ignorant or presumptuous one.”
Immediately
after his death, Chen Xin did have any funeral ceremony due to its
poverty. His nephew Chen Chunyuan in order to organize his uncle
funerals, called several friends and local personalities for help,
finally they raised 800 yuans and in 1933 "Illustrated Explanations of
Chen Family Taijiquan" was published in several thousand copies.