Wu Ta-k'uei
Encyclopedia
Wu Ta-k'uei was a Chinese t'ai chi ch'uan teacher of Manchu
ancestry. The oldest son of Wu Kung-i
, he was born in Beijing
, raised in Shanghai
(where he was first taught t'ai chi ch'uan by his grandfather, Wu Chien-ch'uan
) and spent most of his adult life teaching in Hong Kong
.
Wu Ta-k'uei was active in the resistance to the Japanese invasion of China
, yet he later taught martial arts in Japan
after the war.
Wu Ta-k'uei was reputed to be a fierce fighter, and known as always ready to accept a challenge match. He is reported to have never been defeated, and to have been famous for badly injuring and taunting his opponents in those matches. An attested story circulated about Wu Ta-k'uei was about a fight that started in a Hong Kong dockside bar between an unarmed Wu Ta-k'uei and "over 30" stevedores armed with clubs and boathooks. The dockworkers eventually fled to a local police station for protection from the enraged Wu. Interviews with dockworkers and the police records of this fight led to sensational newspaper headlines in Kowloon and Hong Kong.
Wu Ta-k'uei assisted his father and his uncle Wu Kung-tsao
to set up academies in Hong Kong, Macau
and Singapore
. He also sat on the Advisory Board of the Martial Art Association in Hong Kong and taught martial arts in the Kowloon
Police Force.
His oldest son, Eddie Wu Kuang-yu
, is the current "gate-keeper" of the Wu family.
LEGENDARY FIGURES
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Zhang Sanfeng
*
circa 12th century
NEIJIA
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Wang Zongyue
*
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THE 5 MAJOR CLASSICAL FAMILY STYLES
|
Chen Wangting
1600-1680 9th generation Chen
CHEN STYLE
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Chen Changxing
Chen Youben
1771-1853 14th generation Chen circa 1800s 14th generation Chen
Chen Old Frame Chen New Frame
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Yang Lu-ch'an
Chen Qingping
1799–1872 1795–1868
YANG STYLE Chen Small Frame, Zhaobao Frame
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Yang Pan-hou
Yang Chien-hou
Wu Yu-hsiang
1837–92 1839–1917 1812–80
Yang Small Frame | WU/HAO STYLE
| +-----------------+ |
| | | |
Wu Ch'uan-yu
Yang Shao-hou
Yang Ch'eng-fu Li I-yu
1834–1902 1862–1930 1883–1936 1832–92
| Yang Small Frame Yang Big Frame
|
Wu Chien-ch'uan
| Hao Wei-chen
1870–1942 Yang Shou-chung
1849–1920
WU STYLE
1910–85
108 Form
|
| Sun Lu-t'ang
Wu Kung-i
1861–1932
1900–70 SUN STYLE
| |
Wu Ta-k'uei
Sun Hsing-i
1923–72 1891–1929
|
Wu Kuang-yu
b.1946
2nd generation
3rd Generation
4th Generation
5th Generation
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
ancestry. The oldest son of 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....
, he was born in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, raised in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
(where he was first taught t'ai chi ch'uan by his grandfather, 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....
) and spent most of his adult life teaching 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...
.
Wu Ta-k'uei was active in the resistance to the Japanese invasion of China
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, yet he later taught martial arts in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
after the war.
Wu Ta-k'uei was reputed to be a fierce fighter, and known as always ready to accept a challenge match. He is reported to have never been defeated, and to have been famous for badly injuring and taunting his opponents in those matches. An attested story circulated about Wu Ta-k'uei was about a fight that started in a Hong Kong dockside bar between an unarmed Wu Ta-k'uei and "over 30" stevedores armed with clubs and boathooks. The dockworkers eventually fled to a local police station for protection from the enraged Wu. Interviews with dockworkers and the police records of this fight led to sensational newspaper headlines in Kowloon and Hong Kong.
Wu Ta-k'uei assisted his father and his uncle Wu Kung-tsao
Wu Kung-tsao
Wu Kung-tsao was a famous Chinese teacher of t'ai chi ch'uan. He taught in Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha and Hong Kong. The second son of Wu Chien-ch'üan, he was the grandson of the first teacher of Wu style T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Wu Ch'uan-yü. Wu Kung-tsao was the younger brother of Wu Kung-i and the...
to set up academies in Hong Kong, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
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...
. He also sat on the Advisory Board of the Martial Art Association in Hong Kong and taught martial arts in the Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
Police Force.
His oldest son, Eddie 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,...
, is the current "gate-keeper" of the Wu family.
T'ai chi family tree
This family tree is not comprehensive.LEGENDARY FIGURES
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Zhang Sanfeng
Zhang Sanfeng
Zhang Sanfeng was a semi-legendary Chinese Taoist priest who is believed by some to have achieved immortality, said variously to date from either the late Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty or Ming Dynasty. His name is said to have been Zhang Junbao 張君寶 before he became a Taoist.Zhang's legend is that of...
*
circa 12th century
NEIJIA
Neijia
Nèijiā is a term in Chinese martial arts, grouping those styles that practice nèijìng , usually translated as internal martial arts, occupied with spiritual, mental or qi-related aspects, as opposed to an "external" approach focused on physiological aspects...
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Wang Zongyue
Wang Zongyue
Wang Zongyue was a legendary figure in the history of t'ai chi ch'uan . In some writings, Wang was a famous student of the legendary Zhang Sanfeng, a 13th-century Taoist monk credited with devising neijia in general and t'ai chi ch'uan in particular.Wang is also said to have resided in Tai-Gu...
*
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THE 5 MAJOR CLASSICAL FAMILY STYLES
|
Chen Wangting
1600-1680 9th generation Chen
CHEN STYLE
|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
Chen Changxing
Chen Changxing
Chen Changxing also spelled Ch'en Chang-hsing was a 14th generation descendant and 6th generation master of the famed Chen Family and considered to be an influential martial artist and teacher of taijiquan ....
Chen Youben
Chen Youben
Chen Youben 陳有本 was a 14th generation descendant and 6th generation master of the famed Chen Family and considered to be an influential martial artist and teacher of taijiquan ....
1771-1853 14th generation Chen circa 1800s 14th generation Chen
Chen Old Frame Chen New Frame
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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...
Chen Qingping
Chen Qingping
Chen Qingping or Ch'en Ch'ing-p'ing was a 15th generation descendant and 7th generation master of the famed Chen Family and considered to be an influential martial artist and teacher of taijiquan ....
1799–1872 1795–1868
YANG STYLE Chen Small Frame, Zhaobao Frame
Zhaobao Taijiquan
Zhaobao Taijiquan is a style of taijiquan that is often considered to be a modern style, but actually has a strong documented lineage that confirms its authenticity as an ancient style of taijiquan and as a true transmission from Jiang Fa....
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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:...
Yang Chien-hou
Yang Chien-hou
Yang Chien-hou , was the younger son of the founder of Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan, Yang Lu-ch'an, and a well known teacher of the soft style martial art of t'ai chi ch'uan in late Qing dynasty China. Yang Chien-hou's older brother, Yang Pan-hou, was the senior of Chien-hou's generation, and also...
Wu Yu-hsiang
Wu Yu-hsiang
Wu Yu-hsiang was a Chinese t'ai chi ch'uan teacher and government official active during the late Ch'ing dynasty. Wu was a scholar from a wealthy and influential family who became a senior student of Yang Lu-ch'an...
1837–92 1839–1917 1812–80
Yang Small Frame | WU/HAO STYLE
| +-----------------+ |
| | | |
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...
Yang Shao-hou
Yang Shao-hou
Yang Shaohou along with Yang Chengfu 楊澄甫 represent the third generation of Yang family taijiquan 楊氏太極拳.At birth he was named Yang Zhaoxiong and was later named Mengxiang, and then Shaohou, commonly known as "Mr...
Yang Ch'eng-fu Li I-yu
1834–1902 1862–1930 1883–1936 1832–92
| Yang Small Frame Yang Big Frame
103 form Yang family T'ai Chi Ch'uan
103-form Yang family t'ai chi ch'uan, also called the Traditional Form , is a prescribed sequence of moves used to practice Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan.-T'ai chi forms:...
|
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....
| Hao Wei-chen
Hao Wei-chen
Hao Wei-chen or was a Chinese t'ai chi ch'uan teacher. Hao became a well known and influential teacher of Wu Yu-hsiang style t'ai chi ch'uan, his teacher Li I-yu was Wu Yu-hsiang's nephew. Hao passed the art to his son and grandson, who became respected teachers in their turn, so that the style...
1870–1942 Yang Shou-chung
Yang Shou-chung
Yang Shou-chung , birth name Yang Zhenming , was the eldest son of Yang Chengfu.-Biography:Yang Shou-chung began training in his family's style of t'ai chi ch'uan at age 8. By age 14 he had begun to work with his father as a teaching assistant and at age 19 he was already teaching government...
1849–1920
WU STYLE
Wu style tai chi chuan
The Wu family-style t'ai chi ch'uan of Wu Ch'uan-yu and Wu Chien-ch'uan is the second most popular form of t'ai chi ch'uan in the world today, after the Yang style, and fourth in terms of family seniority. This style is different from the Wu style of t'ai chi ch'uan founded by Wu Yu-hsiang...
1910–85
108 Form
108 form Wu family T'ai Chi Ch'uan
The different slow motion solo form training sequences of T'ai Chi Ch'uan are the best known manifestation of T'ai Chi for the general public. In English, they are usually called the hand form or just the form; in Mandarin it is usually called ch'uan: 拳...
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| Sun Lu-t'ang
Sun Lu-t'ang
Sun Lu-t'ang was a renowned master of Chinese Neijia martial arts and was the progenitor of the syncretic art of Sun-style tai chi chuan...
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....
1861–1932
1900–70 SUN STYLE
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Wu Ta-k'uei
Wu Ta-k'uei
Wu Ta-k'uei was a Chinese t'ai chi ch'uan teacher of Manchu ancestry. The oldest son of Wu Kung-i, he was born in Beijing, raised in Shanghai and spent most of his adult life teaching in Hong Kong. Wu Ta-k'uei was active in the resistance to the Japanese invasion of China, yet he later taught...
Sun Hsing-i
1923–72 1891–1929
|
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,...
b.1946
Generational senior instructors of the Wu family
1st Generation- Wu Ch'uan-yuWu Ch'uan-yuWu 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...
(Wu Quanyou, 吳全佑, 1834–1902), who learned from Yang Lu-ch'anYang Lu-ch'anYang 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...
and Yang Pan-houYang Pan-houYang Banhou was an influential teacher of t'ai chi ch'uan in Ch'ing dynasty China, known for his bellicose temperament.-Biography:...
, was senior instructor of the family from 1870-1902.
2nd generation
- His oldest son, Wu Chien-ch'uanWu Chien-ch'uanWu 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....
(Wu Jianquan, 吳鑑泉, 1870–1942), was senior from 1902-1942.
3rd Generation
- His oldest son, Wu Kung-iWu Kung-iWu 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....
(Wu Gongyi, 吳公儀, 1900–1970) was senior from 1942-1970. - Wu Kung-i's younger brother, Wu Kung-tsaoWu Kung-tsaoWu Kung-tsao was a famous Chinese teacher of t'ai chi ch'uan. He taught in Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha and Hong Kong. The second son of Wu Chien-ch'üan, he was the grandson of the first teacher of Wu style T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Wu Ch'uan-yü. Wu Kung-tsao was the younger brother of Wu Kung-i and the...
(Wu Gongzao, 吳公藻, 1903–1983), was senior from 1970-1983. - Wu Kung-i's younger sister, Wu Ying-huaWu Ying-huaWu Ying-hua ) was a famous Chinese teacher of Wu style Tai Chi Chuan. She was born in Beijing and died in Shanghai. She was the eldest daughter of Wu Chien-ch'uan, the best known teacher of Wu style Tai Chi Chuan...
(Wu Yinghua, 吳英華, 1907–1997), was senior from 1983-1997.
4th Generation
- Wu Kung-i's daughter, Wu Yen-hsiaWu Yen-hsiaWu 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...
(Wu Yanxia, 吳雁霞, 1930–2001) was senior from 1997-2001. - Wu Kung-tsao's son, Wu Ta-hsinWu Ta-hsinWu 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...
(Wu Daxin, 吳大新, 1933–2005), was senior from 2001-2005.
5th Generation
- The current senior instructor of the Wu family is Wu Ta-k'ueiWu Ta-k'ueiWu Ta-k'uei was a Chinese t'ai chi ch'uan teacher of Manchu ancestry. The oldest son of Wu Kung-i, he was born in Beijing, raised in Shanghai and spent most of his adult life teaching in Hong Kong. Wu Ta-k'uei was active in the resistance to the Japanese invasion of China, yet he later taught...
's son Wu Kuang-yuWu Kuang-yuEddie 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,...
(Wu Guangyu, Eddie Wu, 吳光宇, born 1946).