Chen Man-ch'ing

Chen Man-ch’ing 1902 – 1975 

“The Gentle Gentleman of Tai Chi”

Born in Yongjia (Wenzhou), Zhejiang, Cheng trained in Chinese medicine, t'ai chi ch'uan, and the three perfections: calligraphy, painting and poetry. During his childhood, his mother took him to find medicinal plants and taught him the fundamentals of traditional Chinese herbal medicine.

In his twenties, he developed a serious lung disease. To aid his recovery, he began to practice t’ai chi chuan. He retired from teaching, devoting himself for several years to the study of tai chi ch’uan, traditional Chinese medicine and literature.

Cheng met well-known master Yang Chengfu (1883-1936) with whom he studied Yang-style t’ai chi ch’uan until Yang died. He continued his teaching, art practice, and medical practice during the Sino-Japanese war. He published “‘Cheng’s 13 Chapters of Tai Chi Boxing” in 1950, translated into English.

In 1964 Cheng and his family moved to the USA, where he taught at the New York Tai Chi Association, Manhattan, later founding and teaching at the Shr Jung Tai Chi school, 87 Bowery New York City, with the assistance of his six American senior students.

Cheng published in collaboration with Robert W. Smith and T.T. Liang “Tai Chi, the Supreme Ultimate Exercise for Health, Sport and Self defence” in English.

He was one of the earliest Chinese masters to teach t'ai chi ch'uan publicly in the United States.

Cheng's changes to the Yang-style form have never been officially recognized by the Yang family and (perhaps partly because of the continued popularity of Cheng's shortened form) his style remains a source of controversy among some t'ai chi ch'uan practitioners.

He passed away in 1975.

Note:  I will be away from April 25 th till May6th.  But I will be making daily emails to my FB pages on Japan and the martial Arts as they happen. Check them out at either Warrenerentertainment or Don Warrener or Budo International English Edition.