Biography
Eddie Wu is the great-grandson of the late Wu Jianquan,and grandson of the late Wu Gongyi. His two sons,Austin Wu Chung Him (吳仲謙,born 1972) and Edward Wu Chung Wai (吳仲偉,born 1974) are also instructors in their family's school.
Eddie Wu started learning tai chi at the age of 6 from his grandfather Wu Gongyi,with whom he lived till age 12. Thereafter,Eddie Wu moved back to live with his father Wu Ta-k'uei and continued learning until he left for university. He later graduated and worked as an engineer for several years.
In 1975,Wu Daqi started the first western hemisphere Wu family school in Toronto,Canada. Shortly afterwards,he invited his thirty-year-old nephew Eddie Wu to take over the Toronto school's instruction.
Eddie Wu has promoted Wu-style tai chi in Asia,North America and Europe,with schools that recognise his supervision in Toronto,Fredericton,Ann Arbor,Metropolitan Detroit,New Jersey,Hawaii,London (England),Hong Kong,Singapore,Greece and Malaysia. He is assisted by his sister Cynthia Wu Hsiao Fung (born 1949).
Tai chi is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for self-defense and health. Known for its slow, intentional movements, Tai chi has practitioners worldwide and is particularly popular as a form of gentle exercise and moving meditation, with benefits to mental and physical health.
Wu (Hao)-style tai chi is one of the five primary styles of tai chi. It was created in the mid-nineteenth century by Wu Yuxiang, a member of a wealthy and influential family in Yongnian, Hebei, China. Wu trained for approximately ten years with the founder of Yang-style tai chi, and then for over a month with a Chen-style master. Wu also obtained a manual on internal martial arts that formed the core of what are now known as the tai chi classics and include Wu's own writing on the subject. From these sources Wu and his family developed their own style, and may also have developed much of the cultural and intellectual foundation of tai chi as well.
Yang-style tai chi is one of the five primary families of tai chi. Including its variations, it is the most popular and widely practised style of tai chi in the world today. It is second in terms of seniority, after Chen-style tai chi.
Wu Jianquan was a famous teacher and founder of the neijia martial art of Wu-style tai chi in late Imperial and early Republican China.
Wu Gongyi was a well-known teacher of the soft style martial art tai chi in China, and, after 1949, in British Hong Kong. He was also the "gate-keeper" of the Wu family from 1942 until his death in 1970.
Moy Lin-shin was a Taoist monk, teacher and T'ai chi instructor who founded The Taoist Tai Chi Society (道教太極拳社), the Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism and the Gei Pang Lok Hup Academy.
Wu Kung-tsao or Wu Gongzao (1902–1983) was a famous Chinese teacher of tai chi. He taught in Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha and Hong Kong. The second son of Wu Jianquan, he was the grandson of the first teacher of Wu-style tai chi, Wu Quanyou. Wu Kung-tsao was the younger brother of Wu Gongyi and the older brother of Wu Yinghua. The Wu family were originally of Manchu ancestry.
Wu Quanyou was an influential teacher of tai chi in late Imperial China. His son is credited as the founder of the Wu-style tai chi. As he was of Manchu descent, and would have been named by his family in Manchu, the name "Wú" (吳) was a sinicisation that approximated the pronunciation of the first syllable of his Manchu clan name, U Hala.
Yang Shaohou was a Chinese martial arts master who, along with Yang Chengfu, represents the third generation of Yang-style tai chi. Grandmaster of his generation and known for his compact "small frame" techniques, he was a ferocious fighter and a demanding teacher.
Ma Yueliang or Ma Yueh-liang was a famous Manchu teacher of taijiquan. He was the senior disciple of Wu Jianquan, the founder of Wu-style taijiquan, and married Wu's daughter Wu Ying-hua in 1930.
Wu Yinghua (1907–1996) was a famous Chinese teacher of Wu-style tai chi. She was born in Beijing and died in Shanghai. She was the eldest daughter of Wu Jianquan, the best known teacher of Wu-style tai chi. Her older brothers were Wu Gongyi and Wu Gongzao, also well-known tai chi practitioners.
Wu Daxin or Wu Ta-hsin (1933–2005) was a Chinese tai chi teacher who lived most of his life in Hong Kong. He was the great-grandson Wu-style tai chi founder Wu Quanyou and the grandson of the well-known teacher Wu Jianquan. He directed the Wu family's lineage for four years from the Wu family headquarters in Hong Kong after the death of his cousin Wu Yanxia.
Wu Daqi or Wu Ta-ch'i (1926–1993) was the descendant of the famous Wu-style tai chi founders Wu Quanyou (1834–1902) and Wu Jianquan (1870–1942). He directed Wu-style tai chi instruction outside of Mainland China after the death of his father Wu Gongyi (1900–1970) and brother Wu Ta-kuei (1923–1972) from the Wu-style tai chi headquarters in Hong Kong internationally.
The Jianquan Taijiquan Association is a well known school teaching Wu-style tai chi.
Wu Ta-k'uei or Wu Dakui (1923–1972) was a Chinese Wu-style tai chi teacher of Manchu ancestry.
Wu Yanxia or Wu Yen-hsia (1930–2001) was a Chinese tai chi teacher of Manchu ancestry.
Dong Yingjie was a leading master of taijiquan, and a top disciple of Yang Chengfu. Born in Ren County, Hebei, China, his given name was Wenke (文科). Famous in his time for defeating a foreign boxer in a public challenge match, he dedicated his life to the martial arts, training intensively in multiple styles, serving as chief assistant instructor for Yang Chengfu, and going on to found his own thriving taijiquan legacy.
Wu-style tai chi is one of the five main styles of tai chi. It is second in popularity after Yang-style, and the fourth-oldest of the five major tai chi styles. It was developed by Wu Quanyou and Wu Jianquan.
Cheng Wing Kwong was a disciple (Tudi) of Wu Jianquan, the founder of Wu Style Taijiquan. He was born in Niao Shi, Zhongshan, Guangdong, China.
Tibetan White Crane, also known in Cantonese as Bak Hok Pai, is a Chinese martial art with origins in 15th-century Tibetan culture that has developed deep roots in southern China. Tibetan White Crane became so established in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau by the twentieth century that it was accepted as a local martial art in that region. From there it has spread around the world.
