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His direct descendents, the many students he taught and their students have spread the art around the world. He was born into the famous Yang Taijiquan family, and with his older brother Yang Shaohou (楊少侯) and colleagues Wu Jianquan (吳鑑泉) and Sun Lutang (孫錄堂) was among the first teachers to offer Tai Chi Chuan instruction to the general public at the Beijing Physical Culture Research Institute from 1914 until 1928. He moved to Shanghai in 1928. He is known for having "smoothed" out the somewhat more vigorous training routine he learned from his family as well as emphasising a "large frame" (expansive movements in stepping and from the arms using large circular motions) in his training. His smooth motion, evenly-paced large frame form and its hundreds of offshoots has been the standard for Yang style Tai Chi Chuan (and overwhelmingly in the public imagination for Tai Chi Chuan in general) ever since.
His sons have continued to teach their father's Taijiquan, including his first son, the late Yang Shoujong (楊守中), who brought Yang style Tai Chi Chuan to Hong Kong, his second son Yang Zhenji (who is the current head of the family), and his third son, Yang Zhenduo (楊振鐸, born 1926), living in Shanxi Province, who is widely considered the most prominent of the Yang family Tai Chi Chuan instructors living today.