Tai Chi Chuan History · Rooted Alchemy

Tai Chi Chuan History

This is a famous photo the Taiwan Tai Chi Chuan Association started in 1949 by Cheng Man Ching. In this photo are many famous tai chi teachers, including my grand teacher Tchoung Ta-Chen who is sitting in the second row. Although spelled differently when their names were translated to English, Tchoung and Cheng share the same family name and were occasional training partners in Tai Wan. They sometimes were referred to as "Big Cheng" and "Little Cheng" because they both were skilled in push hands.

More history of Tchoung Ta-Chen can be found in the book "Seattle Tai Ji History Explained". He lived a fascinating life. He spent time in the nationalist military and then as a bodyguard for Chiang Kai Shek. After living in Taiwan for sometime he immigrated to South Africa to teach Tai Ji and open a business. His success there paved the way for him to immigrate to North America.

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