Preface In order to standardize the forms to meet the needs of international Wushu competitions， masters and experts were grouped by the Chinese Association of Wushu to create the 42-form Taiji Quan in 1989， which was based on the Yang style 48-form. It consists of 40 movements plus the opening and closing form and becomes known as 42-form Taiji Quan. The 42-form mainly comes from the Yang style of Taiji Quan， but it adopted signature techniques from the Chen， Wu and Sun styles as well， combining the different features of each of these four styles. Guided by modern science especially physiology， 42-form puts emphasis on a balanced development of the human body. Its movements inherit all the characteristics of traditional Tai Chi: relax， soft， smooth， natural and continuous. It also fully embodies the Tai Chi spirits: relaxing the body， keeping internal stillness， feeling each movement， combining force with gentleness， etc. With the difficulty and the intensity being enhanced on this basis， the 42-forms came as a stretching， flexible， refined and all-round balanced new form. In comparison with the traditional Taiji Quan，the 42- form has brought more scientific and modern components into the sport. A） It condensed the signature movements of the four major styles， standardized the routine and has been accepted by all the groups. Meanwhile， it remained fully compliant with the requirements of national and international competitions. B） Its enhanced the balance of exercising both sides of the body， eliminated the disadvantages of the original forms， and is therefore more beneficial to human body. C） Its movements were based mainly on Yang style and also combined those of other styles. Enriched in its content while becoming more appealing， it has gained much more popularity. D） The increased difficulty and intensity of the movements also propelled its development and usage in competitions. Taiji Quan belongs to China as well as the whole world. The 42-form Taiji Quan inherited， developed， and surpassed the traditional forms. It continues to advance with the times， and it will surely benefit all the people in the world.