Ma Yueliang or Ma Yueh-liang (1 August 1901 – 13 March 1998) was a famous

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

teacher of

tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...

. He was the senior disciple of

Wu Jianquan Wu Jianquan ( zh, c=吴鉴泉, w=Wu Chien-ch‘üan, p=Wú Jiànquán; 1870–1942) was a famous teacher and founder of the ''neijia'' martial art of Wu-style tai chi in late Imperial and early Republican China. Biography Wu Jianquan was ta ...

, the founder of Wu-style tai chi, and married Wu's daughter Wu Yinghua in 1930.

Biography

Ma Yueliang was also a medical doctor who graduated from the

Beijing Medical College Peking University Health Science Center is the medical school of Peking University, which has 14 affiliated hospitals in Beijing, China. It was formerly the independent Beijing Medical University between 1952 and 2000. History It was first esta ...

in 1929 with a specialty in

hematology Hematology (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to bloo ...

. He established the First Medical Examination and Experiment Office and ran the blood clinics at Zhongshan Hospital in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. Like Wu Quanyou and Wu Jianquan, Ma was of

descent. Ma was educated both in the traditions

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

and Western science. There are accounts that Ma was a gifted martial artist in his youth. He had studied a number of

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

including, Shaolinquan, Three Emperors Pao Chui,

Baguazhang ''Baguazhang'' () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the '' Wudang'' school, the other two being tai chi and '' xingyiquan''. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or ''neijia''). ''Baguazhang'' literally means "eigh ...

and Tongbeiquan. However, Wu Jianquan would accept Ma as a student only if he concentrated on Wu-style tai chi. From about age 18, Ma exclusively studied Wu-style tai chi. Wu Jianquan started the Jianquan Taijiquan Association in Shanghai in 1936, and Ma became the deputy director of the association. Ma studied tai chi with Wu Jianquan until the latter's death in 1942. The Jianquan Association still exists today internationally and remains a resource for the study of Wu-style tai chi. It is difficult to overstate the importance of Ma Yueliang and his wife in the emergence of Wu-style tai chi after the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

in China. Even at an advanced age, Ma was chosen as one of the 100 Best Martial Artists in China. Wu Yinghua and Ma continued to teach in tai chi until their deaths. They taught a large number of students in Shanghai and in their travels to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and elsewhere. They published several books on Wu-style tai chi, including the "Orange Book" relied upon today by Wu-stylists throughout the world. Ma and Wu Yinghua's Wu-style sword/weapons book includes a family picture with several of their closest students. Ma Yueliang also publicly practiced a number of formerly closed door (private or family secret) forms and methods so that they would not be lost. In public, Wu Yinghua would often demonstrate the Wu-style Slow Set and Ma would follow by demonstrating the Wu Style Tai Chi Fast Form. Ma taught many high level students, including Xie Bingcan and Fei Gua-ching, who is still active in the Jianquan Taijiquan Association in Shanghai. Li Liqun is one of Grandmaster Ma's oldest and closest living students. He was the deputy vice-secretary of the Jianquan Association in Shanghai under masters Ma and his wife Wu Yinghua. Ma Yueliang and Wu Yinghua are survived by their children and grandchildren, including: Ma Jiangchun (b. 1931), Dr. Ma Hailong (b. 1935),

Ma Jiangbao Ma Jiangbao (31 October 1941 – 12 October 2016) was a well known teacher of Wu-style tai chi. He was the third son of Wu Yinghua and Ma Yueliang. Biography In 1986 he came with his father Ma Yueliang to Europe to teach Wu-style. Ma Yueliang ...

, and Ma Jiangling (b. 1947).

lived in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and taught traditional tai chi throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Their adopted daughter

Shi Mei Lin Shi Mei Lin is a teacher of Wu-style tai chi. She is the adopted daughter of Wu Yinghua and Ma Yueliang, who were both famous teachers of Wu-style tai chi. A Wushu and tai chi champion in the 1970s and 1980s, she toured with Chinese Wushu team ...

now lives and teaches Wu-style tai chi in

. She also has students in France and the United States.

References

Bibliography

* Wu Kung-tsao. ''Wu Family T'ai Chi Ch'uan (吳家太極拳)'' Hong Kong 1980, Toronto 2006, * Wu Yinghua, Ma Yueliang, Shi Mei Lin (1987). Wu Style Tai Chi Fast Form. Henan Science Skills Ltd. Henan (only available in Chinese) /G122. * Wu Yinghua, Ma Yueliang, Shi Mei Lin (1991). Wu Style Tai Chi Fast Form. Shanghai Book Co Ltd, Hong Kong (only available in Chinese) . . * Wu Yinghua, Ma Yueliang (1993). Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Forms, Concepts and Application of the Original Style. Shanghai Book Co Ltd, Hong Kong. . * Ma Yueliang & Zee Wen (1986, 1990, 1995). Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands. Shanghai Book Co Ltd, Hong Kong. . * Dr Zee Wen (2002) Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan, Ancient Chinese way to health. North Atlantic Books. .

Tai chi lineage tree with Wu-style focus

External links

Google video of Ma Yueliang performing Wu-style fast formQuickTime movie of Ma Yueliang performing 13 posture spear form
* * * * * by

Bill Moyers Bill Moyers (born Billy Don Moyers; June 5, 1934) is an American journalist and political commentator. Under the Johnson administration he served from 1965 to 1967 as the eleventh White House Press Secretary. He was a director of the Council ...

* * *
Ma Jiangbao's Traditional Wu-style Taijiquan websiteWu-style Taijiquan website: Shanghai
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ma Yueliang 1901 births 1998 deaths Chinese tai chi practitioners Manchu martial artists