Author: Slanted Flying

On December 8th, 2016, Chen Tai Chi master Chen Zhenglei gave a speech to staff members of the United Nations on the subject of Tai Chi Chuan. Master Chen and his students also gave a demonstration of the Chen Family style of Tai Chi Chuan.

Chen Zhenglei is one of the 19th Generation masters of the Chen style of Tai Chi Chuan, as well as an 11th generation direct-line inheritor of the family style. Chen began his training in Tai Chi Chuan under the guidance of his uncle Chen Zhaopi when he was eight years old. When Chen Zhenglei was older, he also trained with his other uncle Chen Zhaokui.

Children at a New York School had the chance to learn some moves from a Tai Chi master visiting from China. Xiao Bing, who comes from Foshan City in China met with students from the Cornwall-on-Hudson Elementary School and the New York Military Academy.

The students were shown various aspects of Tai Chi to get a better understanding of the art. They even got to practice trying to push someone while holding an egg. This was an exercise to teach them not to use too much force, or the egg would be broken!

It is encouraging to see young people learn more about Tai Chi, that it is more than just an exercise for old people in the park. Perhaps one of these students will be inspired Chi and go on to be a Tai Chi expert!

Have you heard about one of the latest online crazes? We have had the Flash Mobs, the Harlem Shake, the Ice Bucket Challenge, and others… Well, now there is the Mannequin Challenge. Participants basically stand as still as a mannequin as someone walks around filming them.

I always thought that people frozen still while practicing their Tai Chi forms would be one of the easier Mannequin Challenges to do, as they are moving so slow to begin with!

Below is a well done video of a the Mannequin Challenge with a Tai Chi Class! If you think you can do better, submit your video and we will share your version of the Tai Chi Mannequin Challenge!

Sad news of the passing of Grand-master Henry Look (1925-2016), who was 90 years old. He left this world on Tuesday morning, November 29th. He was an accomplished martial artist, who specialized in the arts of I-chuan (Yichuan) and the Guang Ping style of Tai Chi Chuan.

Grand-master Look was named to the Inside Kung-Fu Hall of Fame, “Instructor of the Year” in 1997, also named among the 100 “Who Made The Greatest Impact In Martial Arts in the 20th Century”. Recently named to the USA Wushu Kung Fu Federation, Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement Award, Inside Kung-Fu, Hall of Fame, and “Man of the Year” in 2004.

 

See the full bio of Henry Look by clicking HERE

Below is a video of an old interview of Henry Look where he also performs the Guang Ping style of Tai Chi Chuan on a cable TV show.

Grand-master Henry Look will truly be missed by the world’s Tai Chi community. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and his many students. A celebration of his life will be held sometime after the New Year.

Cheng Jin Cai (1953 – 2016) passed away on Sunday, November 6th after a three month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a 19th generation master of the Chen style of Tai Chi Chuan. Cheng began learning the Chen style of Tai Chi Chuan in 1970 under the guidance of Wang Xian, and continued studying with him until 1973. In 1973 he then began training under the famous 18th generation Chen Family Grand Master Chen Zhao Kui (1928 – 1981). He trained with Chen Zhao Kui until his death in 1983.

In 1994, Cheng Jin Cai move to the United States to live in Houston, Texas. It was there that he founded the International Chen Style Tai Chi Development Center in the same year. Cheng Jin Cai then became the only successor of Grand Master Chen Zhaokui in the United States.

Please enjoy the video below of memories of Master Cheng Jin Cai, which was put together by his students.

Cheng Jin Cai was very heavily involved in the Tai Chi community in Houston, the United States, and across the globe. Cheng Jin Cai was President of The US Chen-Style Tai Chi Federation, President of the Southern US Henan Association, Advisor to the United States of America Wushu-Kungfu Federation and US Tai Chi Federation, Leader of the International Chen-style Tai Chi Promotion Center. He was also Honorary President of the Jiaozuo Tai Chi Research Association of Henan Province, China, and Vice President of Jiaozuo City Martial Arts Association.

Cheng Jin Cai was the publisher of a U.S. magazine called “World Kung Fu”, and produced numerous books and videos on the instruction of the Chen style of Tai Chi Chuan. He worked tirelessly to promote the Chen style of Tai Chi Chuan, and taught many students from around the world. He trained some of these students to become teachers to carry on the art that he had loved.

Cheng Jin Cai will truly be missed by the world’s Tai Chi community. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and many students. The funeral service will be held at the Windford Funeral Home in Houston, Texas on Saturday November 12th, 2016 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. All are invited.

Marvin Smalheiser, the founder, publisher, and editor of the popular T’AI CHI Magazine, passed away on October 21, 2016 from undisclosed causes. He was in his mid 80’s.

Marvin Smalheiser began learning Yang style Tai Chi Chuan in 1969 from Marshall Ho’o, who was a student of Tung Hu Ling. After learning from Marshall Ho’o, Smalheiser began learning from Tung Kai Ying, who was the son of Tung Hu Ling. In 1974, Smalheiser took over teaching Tung’s classes at his Tai Chi studio at the Silver Lake location because he was relocating to the West Side of Los Angeles

Smalheiser founded the T’AI CHI Magazine in 1977, at a time when information about Tai Chi Chuan could only be found in the odd book, or a rare article in Black Belt Magazine and Official Karate Magazine. Over the years, Marvin Smalheiser has provided an invaluable service to the practitioners of Tai Chi Chuan.

T’AI CHI Magazine featured interviews of notable Tai Chi masters from China, biographies of famous masters of the past, articles on Tai Chi styles, and training tips.

Our condolences go out to Marvin Smalheiser family, friends, students, and staff of the magazine.

This book is a compilation of Marvin Smalheiser’s own writings from his magazine “T’ai Chi” from its beginning in 1977 up to 2016 when he passed away.

Ma Jiang Bao (1941 -2016) passed away on October 12th, 2016. He was a well respected teacher of the traditional Wu style of Tai Chi Chuan. Ma Jiang Bao came from a long family history of the Wu Family Tai Chi Chuan. He is the third son of the well known Wu Ying Hua and Ma Yue Liang, who were the daughter and son-in-law of the famous Wu Chien Chuan.

Please enjoy the video below of Ma Jiang Bao teaching a Push Hands seminar in the summer of 2008.

Ma Jiang Bao worked hard in promoting and furthering the teachings of the traditional Wu Family style of Tai Chi Chuan which he had learned from his mother and father. In 1986 he went to Europe with his father, Ma Yue Liang to teach the family art. He eventually moved to Rotterdam, Netherlands, where he continued to teach the Wu style of Tai Chi. He traveled to countries such as Germany, Spain, Great Britain, and South Africa to teach seminars on the family’s art.

Check out this interesting interview of Ma Jiang Bao on the Blog of Martin Boedicker.

Our condolences go out to the family of Ma Jiang Bao, as well as his many students.

11,000 Tai Chi practitioners from all across the country gathered together in Handan, which is located in Hebei Province of northern China. On the ancient walls and on the streets of the city, even on the water, they performed a mass demonstration of Tai Chi together.

This type of mass demonstration of Tai Chi in China has been seen lately to promote the art of Tai Chi, one of the treasures of China.