Some schools of thought suggest that Chen Changxing was a maverick who practiced and taught a style of martial art that was not part of the Chen family martial arts tradition, and that was passed to him either directly or indirectly from a tai chi master known as Jiang Fa.

Both schools successfully explain why the tai chi that Yang Luchan's descendants now practice is substantially different from the modern Chen routines, but neither theory can be completely substantiated and thus much controversy remains.

Chen Changxing is said to have been of an irreverent character and was given the nickname "Mr Ancestral Tablet" due to the directness of his posture.

In "The Genealogy of the Chen Family" he is noted as a martial arts instructor, but the detail of the style he taught is not present.

This Chinese biographical article related to martial artists is a stub.