Lineage

Cheng Tin Hung Lineage

The style of Taiji I practice derives from the Wu lineage and passed down to my Grandmaster Cheng Tin Hung who taught a style based on the Wu Family’s own. My Master the late Dan Docherty trained with his Master, Cheng Tin-Hung for many years and brought the style to the United Kingdom. Lineage matters because one should consider the origins of the art they are learning and whether what they are doing is authentic. I teach from the Practical Tai Chi Ch’uan syllabus (PTCCI, also known as Wudang). The style I teach is a complete style that includes martial, health and therapeutic aspects. There is no right age to start and there is always something that appeals to everyone.

The style is common in the UK and across Europe. Whilst the style is generally known as Wudang. It is no longer appropriate to call the style that, since over the years, people have gone to the Wudang Mountains and have learned from masters there. There was often confusion at competitions and it would be better to use a different name for the lineage. Hence we have have the Cheng Tin Hung Lineage. In my native Hong Kong, some schools identify as Wu family, Cheng Style Tai Chi (or a variation of this). This can seem a bit of a mouthful. Please note that the name of the lineage should be used with respect.

Our Origins

Whilst Zhang San Feng is considered the one who created Tai Chi. Modern Tai Chi developed from family based styles which were originally taught family members only. Most history books cite that Tai Chi as we know it originated from the Chen Village in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. Chen Style Tai Chi was originally taught to only members of the Chen Clan. Later Yang Luchan came and learned the art from the Chen Family and he went to Beijing and formed his own style. From Yang Style came Wu (Hao), Sun & Wu styles. There are also many other styles that are not well known and various Daoist temples have their own styles and lineages.

This video is from the start of the Shaw Brothers film "The Shadow Boxer", where Grandmaster Cheng Tin Hung served as technical adviser regarding Taiji. This film was unique for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was one of the few films that featured Taiji and as a martial art. Most Shaw Brothers productions at the time were largely based on themes and folk heroes, Southern Shaolin, Anti-Qing Dynasty sentiment, or Hung Gar vs Bak Mei. Secondly, it is the only film that features our style of Taiji. Thirdly, Grandmaster Cheng actually featured in the the introduction. The gentleman in the blue Tai Chi suit was Grandmaster Cheng himself. These introductions were a typical of Shaw Brother's productions back then usually featured the stars of the film doing a demonstrations. Unlike studios today, Shaw Brothers used actors who actually did martial arts, so the results would look both convincing and genuine.

白馬太極學會
White Horse Tai Chi

Lineage

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