Master Yu Cheng Hsiang of NYC will be conducting a 2-hour workshop demonstrating some of the movements and applications of classical Yang Style Taiji Quan and other traditional fighting arts at Holy Child Academy in Old Westbury on the evening of January 24th from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Master Yu maintains a very busy schedule in New York with his regular students, so he only rarely gets involved in such presentations. The cost of the event is $25 in advance or $35 at the door.
If you are interested in attending this workshop, please be in touch with me by email for details and directions. We are anticipating a good turnout for what is such an infrequent occasion, so we urge all who have interest to let us know as soon as possible.
Mike Welch
Master Yu Cheng-Hsiang
Master Yu Cheng-Hsiang began his martial arts studies -- and his lifelong involvement with traditional Chinese fighting arts -- at 15 in Shanghai with intensive Shaolin Temple boxing and other traditional fighting arts. At the age of 21 he left Shanghai on the eve of the Communist takeover and went to Taiwan where he took up the study of traditional Chinese medicine and began a highly successful career in business.
In Taiwan, Master Yu continued his Shaolin Temple and other fighting arts practice and also studied Taiji Quan with Master Lee Soo Chin, who had been a student of Yang Shaohou, the older brother of Yang Chengfu. When Master Lee died in his late 80s, Master Yu began a long period of study with Cheng Man Ching, who had studied under Yang Chengfu. Thus, Master Yu can be considered to be in the direct lineage of both Yang brothers. Master Yu became one of Master Cheng's favorite students because of his idealistic hunger to learn and perfect his skill and understanding.
In the 1970s, Master Yu came to New York where he has lived ever since and has taught his own 108-posture form, an amalgam of what he learned from Master Lee and Master Cheng. His Taiji Quan teaching emphasizes exactitude, as well as continuous movement throughout the form. But most striking for those who have some familiarity with Taiji Quan as it has been learned here in the United States by most practitioners is Master Yu's insistence that "force comes first." Master Yu is especially well known for his emphasis on helping students develop their own "form skills" and practical techniques.
If you are interested in attending this workshop, please be in touch with me by email for details and directions. We are anticipating a good turnout for what is such an infrequent occasion, so we urge all who have interest to let us know as soon as possible.
Mike Welch
Master Yu Cheng-Hsiang
Master Yu Cheng-Hsiang began his martial arts studies -- and his lifelong involvement with traditional Chinese fighting arts -- at 15 in Shanghai with intensive Shaolin Temple boxing and other traditional fighting arts. At the age of 21 he left Shanghai on the eve of the Communist takeover and went to Taiwan where he took up the study of traditional Chinese medicine and began a highly successful career in business.
In Taiwan, Master Yu continued his Shaolin Temple and other fighting arts practice and also studied Taiji Quan with Master Lee Soo Chin, who had been a student of Yang Shaohou, the older brother of Yang Chengfu. When Master Lee died in his late 80s, Master Yu began a long period of study with Cheng Man Ching, who had studied under Yang Chengfu. Thus, Master Yu can be considered to be in the direct lineage of both Yang brothers. Master Yu became one of Master Cheng's favorite students because of his idealistic hunger to learn and perfect his skill and understanding.
In the 1970s, Master Yu came to New York where he has lived ever since and has taught his own 108-posture form, an amalgam of what he learned from Master Lee and Master Cheng. His Taiji Quan teaching emphasizes exactitude, as well as continuous movement throughout the form. But most striking for those who have some familiarity with Taiji Quan as it has been learned here in the United States by most practitioners is Master Yu's insistence that "force comes first." Master Yu is especially well known for his emphasis on helping students develop their own "form skills" and practical techniques.
