Wudang Tai Chi History

Wudang style Tai Chi Chuan originates from Cheng Tin-hung (1930-2005) who was based in Hong Kong.

Cheng Tin-hung's Life & Training
• 1930: Cheng Tin-hung (CTH) was born in San Xiang village in Guangdong Province.

• Cheng learns Southern boxing from his father Cheng Min-cheung, which they would practice after finishing their chores.

• After his father’s death, Cheng continues to learn Nanquan from his grandfather Cheng Lin, who was proficient in Sothern boxing and taught it for a living.

• Cheng’s grandfather advises him to go to Hong Kong and train Tai Chi Chuan with his uncle, Cheng Wing-kwong, so that he could teach rich people and become a success.

Cheng Wing-kwong trained with the Wu family in Hong Kong and became a top disciple, being one of only three “inside the door students” of Wu Jian-chuan t. He also trained with other masters as he was interested in other versions of sabre and pushing hands. Additionally, he learnt a number of Qigong systems from a wandering Taoist. Cheng Wing-kwong went on to teach widely in Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia. Cheng Wing-kwong and his students never produced any successful Chinese full contact fighters.

• Cheng Tin-hung begins training with his uncle, learning a small to medium frame hand form. As Cheng was a blood relative he did not need to go through the Bai Shi initiation ceremony. Cheng trained every day and his uncle taught him all he knew, including 20 of the 24 Yin/Yang Nei Gong and Xianjia Baduanjin (Immortal Family 8 Pieces of Brocade) Qigong exercises.

• I946: Master Chiu tells Cheng Wing-kwong about a skilled Tai Chi Chuan teacher called Qi Minxuan. Cheng Wing-kwong invites Qi to Hong Kong to teach his sons and Cheng Tin-hung, in return for his board and lodging.

Qi Minxuan was from Wen County, Hebei Dao in Henan Province. His Buddhist name was Zhi Meng (meaning Sagacious Elder). Qi was well-versed in the art of Tai Chi Chuan and Nei Kung, although he was not a professional master. After Qi's family and his lands were destroyed in the Japanese invasion of China in 1930, he became an itinerant teacher of Tai Chi Chuan.

Qi was taught by his father Qi Kesan (who in turn as taught by Wu Quanyou, founder of the Wu style) but his main teacher was a Buddhist monk named Ching Yat (meaning Pure One). Ching Yat learnt from a renegade soldier that he befriended, called Wang Lan-ting. Wang sought refuge at a temple, where Ching Yat resided, after killing some Manchus. (Wang was taught by Chen Keng-yun, the son of Chen Chang-xing, and later from Yang Lu-chan) Wang is known to have been an officer in the Manchu Imperial Guard and a top student of Yang.

As a teacher Qi was harsh, punishing laziness such as high stances, with a slap to the back of the head. Qi expected students to pay close attention and to not have to repeat an explanation, if they made the same mistake twice, he would hit them.

• 1946: In midsummer, Qi Minxuan, perhaps in his fifties by then, arrives in Hong Kong to teach both Cheng Wing-kwong's sons and Cheng Tin-hung. Cheng's sons soon complained to their mother about Qi’s severity as a teacher and she tells them they need not continue, so Cheng Tin-hung is left to train with Qi on his own and eventually undergoes the Bai Shi initiation ceremony with him.

• Cheng Tin-hung practiced with Qi on a daily basis, often when wandering in the hills in the rural parts of Hong Kong and developed a close relationship him. Qi and Cheng spoke different dialects, so communication must have been difficult early on. Qi’s form was medium to large frame, and Cheng said that his technique was so subtle, that sometimes he could not follow him. Qi Minxuan showed applications for spear, sabre and sword using tree branches and sticks. Qi did not practice or teach square form, but did teach mirror and reverse form. Qi taught Cheng Tin-hung the complete syllabus, but his Tai Chi Chuan differed from Cheng Wing-kwong's, and included things such as: all the conditioning exercises, 5 Element Arm, Running Thunder hand, Gyrating Arms, Flying Flower Palm, 6 Secret Words, Spear form, sabre/sword form differences and Nei Gong differences.

• Qi explained the Classics to Cheng Tin-hung, which he had learnt from his father Qi Kesan, and made Cheng chant them while practicing Nei Gong.

• Qi Minxuan never claimed to Cheng that what he taught was Wu family Tai Chi Chuan. Qi Minxuan told Cheng that he was teaching him ‘Wudang Tai Chi Chuan’.

• 1948: In the first month of winter, Qi left Hong Kong, in the throes of civil war, as he felt he had to return to China to see what had become of his home and family in Wen County, Henan Province. Qi never returned. Cheng Tin-hung did write to him but never received a reply.

• Cheng Tin-hung did show some of Qi Minxuan techniques to Cheng Wing-kwong, but he felt he was being taken advantage of, so he stopped.

• 1949: Cheng Tin-hung went with his uncle to visit Wu Gongyi and pushed hands with him, sweeping him to the ground. Wu Gongyi swore at him and Cheng Tin-hung told him his Gong Fu was in his words not in his hands.

• Cheng Wing-kwong called Cheng Tin-hung to come and meet the challenge of William Cheung of Wing Chun, Cheng Tin-hung threw him to the ground.

• 1950: Cheng Tin Hung established his Tai Chi Academy in Hong Kong and started teaching full time. He became known as the 'Tai Chi Bodyguard' because he would stand up for Tai Chi practitioners everywhere, with fist or weapon. Cheng taught the full syllabus from Qi Minxuan but also included elements from his uncle’s teaching, for example Square form, which originally came from Wu Jianquan via his uncle, but was modified by Cheng Tin-hung. The Hong Kong martial arts journalists called Cheng’s art ‘Practical Tai Chi Chuan’.

• 1956: Cheng and students are featured in a Hong Kong movie called 'How Fong Tong-geng Thrice Tricked the Unruly Girl'. Cheng and his students can be seen practicing hand form, applications and pushing hands drills.

• 1957: Cheng Tin-hung entered the Hong Kong Macau Taiwan boxing competition, held in the Sanjun Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan. Cheng was part of a team of 10 Hong Kong martial artists from different styles, led by their team leader Chan Duk Siu. Cheng defeated the head coach for the Taiwanese joint forces (air, sea and land) three times Wushu champion of Taiwan, Yu Weng Tung, who was a middle weight. It was felt that his performance was a credit to the Hong Kong team who returned without any prizes. Cheng Wing-kwong’s wife sent Cheng Tin-hung a wreath after the win.

• Cheng Tin-hung produced other SE Asian Chinese full contact champions.

• 1972: Cheng Tin-hung established the Hong Kong Tai Chi Association.

• 1974: Cheng Tin-hung is a specialist advisor for the production of the Hong Kong movie called The Shadow Boxer (Shaw Brothers) and can be seen demonstrating some techniques at the beginning of the film.

• 1975: In conjunction with the Hong Kong government, Cheng Tin-hung established Taijiquan classes throughout Hong Kong.

• 1980s: Cheng Tin-hung started construction of Tai Chi Heights, part retirement home and part Taijiquan resource centre in his hometown in Guangdong, China.

• 1981 Cheng Tin-hung taught in the UK for the first time.

• 1984: Cheng Tin-hung embarks on a trip with Dan Docherty to his home village of Sanxiang, Beijing, Wudang Mountain, Northern Shaolin Temple, Chen Village, and Wuhan.

• 1986 and 87: Cheng Tin-hung travels to the UK twice to teach with Dan Docherty and Ian Cameron.

• 1988 and 89: Cheng Tin-hung visited Australia to teach twice with Dan Docherty.

• Cheng Tin-hung Tin Hung's tai chi career slowly ended with the onset of diabetes and its debilitating effects.

• 2005: Cheng Tin-hung passed away.