Wu Ta-ch'i (1926-1993) was the descendant of the famous Wu style T'ai Chi Ch'uan founders Wu Ch'uan-yu

Wu Ch'uan-yu

Wu Ch'uan-yu or Wu Quanyou was an influential teacher of t'ai chi ch'uan in late Imperial China. He is credited as the founder of the Wu style t'ai chi ch'uan...

 (1834-1902) and Wu Chien-ch'uan

Wu Chien-ch'uan

Wu Chien-ch'uan , was a famous teacher of the neijia martial art of t'ai chi ch'uan in late Imperial and early Republican China....

 (1870-1942). He directed Wu style T'ai Chi Ch'uan instruction outside of Mainland China

Mainland China

Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...

 after the death of his father Wu Kung-i

Wu Kung-i

Wu Kung-i was a well-known teacher of the soft style martial art t'ai chi ch'uan in China, and, after 1949, in the British colony of Hong Kong. He was also the "gate-keeper" of the Wu family from 1942 until his death in 1970....

 (1900-1970) and brother Wu Ta-kuei (1923-1972) from the Wu style T'ai Chi Ch'uan headquarters in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 internationally.

Born in China to a distinguished martial arts family, Wu Ta-ch'i, with his brother Wu Ta-kuei, sister Wu Yen-hsia

Wu Yen-hsia

Wu Yen-hsia was a Chinese t'ai chi ch'uan teacher of Manchu ancestry. She was the daughter of Wu Kung-i from whom she learned t'ai chi. She also helped in the teaching of her father's students. Wu Yen-hsia was the younger sister of Wu Ta-k'uei and Wu Ta-ch'i, and married Kuo Hsiao-chung, who was...

 as well as his first cousin Wu Ta-hsin

Wu Ta-hsin

Wu Ta-hsin was a Chinese t'ai chi ch'uan teacher who lived most of his life in Hong Kong. He was the great-grandson Wu style t'ai chi ch'uan founder Wu Ch'uan-yu and the grandson of the well-known teacher Wu Chien-ch'uan...

 all endured strict training from their nationally famous grandfather and father. Being the grandchildren of the family, they were traditionally expected to inherit the family art of T'ai Chi Ch'uan whom their great-grandfather Wu Ch'uan-yu had first learned from Yang Lu-ch'an

Yang Lu-ch'an

Yang Lu-ch'an or Yang Luchan, ; also known as Yang Fu-k'ui , born in Kuang-p'ing , was an influential teacher of the soft style martial art t'ai chi ch'uan in China during the second half of the 19th century...

 (1799-1872) and his son Yang Pan-hou

Yang Pan-hou

Yang Banhou was an influential teacher of t'ai chi ch'uan in Ch'ing dynasty China, known for his bellicose temperament.-Biography:...

 (1837-1890).

When Wu Kung-i migrated with his family to Hong Kong in the 1940s, Wu Ta-ch'i assisted his father in the propagation and teaching of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. During the 1950s under the instructions of Wu Kung-i, Wu Ta-ch'i and his cousin Wu Ta-hsin

Wu Ta-hsin

Wu Ta-hsin was a Chinese t'ai chi ch'uan teacher who lived most of his life in Hong Kong. He was the great-grandson Wu style t'ai chi ch'uan founder Wu Ch'uan-yu and the grandson of the well-known teacher Wu Chien-ch'uan...

 (1933-2005) travelled extensively to Malaysia and Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 to start and support academies promoting Wu style T'ai Chi. Their efforts met with success, making the region a key centre of Wu style T'ai Chi Ch'uan outside of Hong Kong and China. Wu Ta-ch'i's chief disciple Chu Weng-Moon in Malaysia and his fellow disciples continue to teach Wu style T'ai Chi Ch'uan.

In 1974, Wu Ta-ch'i was invited by the Chinese Canadian Kuo Shu Federation to teach in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, where he established the first Wu family school outside of Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

. The Canadian school founded by Wu Ta-ch'i was entrusted to his nephew Wu Kuang-yu

Wu Kuang-yu

Eddie Wu Kuang-yu is a Chinese-Canadian t'ai chi ch'uan teacher. He is the eldest son of the late Wu Ta-k'uei and senior instructor of the Wu family and "Gatekeeper" of the Wu-style as taught in the Wu's T'ai Chi Ch'uan Academies internationally since the death of his uncle, the late Wu Ta-hsin,...

 (Eddie) in 1976.

Wu Ta-ch'i was a member of the advisory board of the Martial Art Association in Hong Kong.

External links

• http://www.wustyle.com/ International Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Federation website
• http://www.wustyledetroit.com/ Detroit, Michigan Wu style website