Wu Yinghua (1907–1996) was a famous

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

teacher of

Wu-style tai chi Wu-style tai chi ( zh, c=吳氏太极拳, p=Wúshì tàijíquán) 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 an ...

. She was born in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

and died 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 ...

. She was the eldest daughter 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 best known teacher of Wu-style tai chi. Her older brothers were

Wu Gongyi Wu Gongyi ( zh, c=吳公儀, p=Wú Gōngyí, w=Wu Kung-i; 1898–1970) 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 unt ...

and Wu Gongzao, also well-known tai chi practitioners.

Biography

Wu Yinghua began studying

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 ...

at age nine, and by age seventeen, she was a full-time teacher in her father's school. In 1921, she was invited to teach tai chi in Shanghai. In 1928, her father followed her to Shanghai and she became his teaching assistant. In 1930, she married

Ma Yueliang Ma Yueliang or Ma Yueh-liang (1 August 1901 – 13 March 1998) was a famous Manchu teacher of tai chi. He was the senior disciple of Wu Jianquan, the founder of Wu-style tai chi, and married Wu's daughter Wu Yinghua in 1930. Biography Ma ...

, who was Wu Jianquan's senior disciple. In 1935, Wu Jianquan founded the

Jianquan Taijiquan Association The Jianquan Taijiquan Association ( zh, c=鑑泉太極拳社) is a well known school teaching Wu-style tai chi. It was founded in 1935 by Wu Jianquan in Shanghai, and in the beginning operated out of the Shanghai YMCA. In 1937 Wu Kung-tsao op ...

(鑑泉太極拳社) in Shanghai. Wu Jianquan died in 1942. 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 ...

, it became possible around 1980 to teach tai chi publicly in China again. About this time, her brother Wu Gongzao was released from prison and moved to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. Wu Yinghua and Ma Yueliang, remaining in mainland China, created a simplified Wu tai chi form, and were again able to have public meetings of the Jianquan Taijiquan Association. 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 ...

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and elsewhere. Together with Ma Yueliang, Wu Yinghua published several books on Wu-style tai chi. The books "''Wu style Taijiquan: Forms, Concepts and Applications of the Original Style''" (commonly known as the "Orange Book"), "''Wu Simplified Taijiquan''", and "''Wu style Taiji Kuaiquan''" ( Wu-style tai chi fast form) have been collected in a single volume in China. They also co-authored a Wu-style sword book. Wu Yinghua was the senior instructor of the Wu family from 1983 until she died in 1996. Ma Yueliang and Wu Yinghua are survived by several 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 ...

(b. 1941), and Ma Jiangling (b. 1947). Ma Jiangbao 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 in

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. He died in 2016. Their adopted daughter Shi Meilin now lives and teaches in

. She also has students in Switzerland,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

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Generational senior instructors of the Wu family

''1st Generation''

Wu Quanyou Wu Quanyou ( zh, c=吴全佑, w=Wu Ch‘üan-yu; 1834–1902) was an influential teacher of the tai chi martial art 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 hav ...

(吳全佑, 1834–1902), who learned from

Yang Luchan Yang Luchan ( zh, c=杨露禅, w=Yang Lu-ch'an, p=Yáng Lùchán), also known as Yang Fukui (1799–1872), was an influential Chinese practitioner and teacher of the internal style tai chi martial art. He is known as the founder of Yang-styl ...

and

Yang Banhou Yang Banhou (Yang Pan-hou; 1837–1890) was an influential teacher of tai chi in Qing dynasty China, known for his bellicose temperament. Biography He was the eldest son of Yang Luchan to survive to adulthood. Like his father, he was retaine ...

, was senior instructor of the family from 1870-1902. ''2nd generation'' His oldest son,

(1870–1942), was senior from 1902-1942. ''3rd Generation'' His oldest son,

(1900–1970) was senior from 1942-1970. ''3rd Generation'' Wu Gongyi's younger brother, Wu Gongzao (1903–1983), was senior from 1970-1983. ''3rd Generation'' Wu Gongyi's younger sister, Wu Yinghua, was senior from 1983-1997. ''4th Generation'' Wu Gongyi's daughter,

Wu Yanxia Wu Yanxia or Wu Yen-hsia (1930–2001) was a Chinese tai chi teacher of Manchu ancestry. Biography She was the daughter of Wu Gongyi (1900-1970) from whom she learned tai chi. She also helped teach her father's students. Wu Yanxia was the ...

(1930–2001) was senior from 1997-2001. ''4th Generation'' Wu Gongzao's son, Wu Daxin (1933–2005), was senior from 2001-2005. ''5th Generation'' The current senior instructor of the Wu family is Wu Daokui's son Wu Kuang-yu.

Tai chi lineage tree with Wu-style focus

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 Meilin (1987). Wu Style Tai Chi Fast Form. Henan Science Skills Ltd. Henan (only available in Chinese) . * Wu Yinghua, Ma Yueliang, Shi Meilin (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. Wen Zee (2002) Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan, Ancient Chinese way to health. North Atlantic Books. .

External links

*
Ma Jiangbao's Traditional Wu-style tai chi websiteWu-style tai chi New Zealand website
* * *
Wu style Taichichuan: Forms, Concepts and Applications of the Original Style
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu Yinghua 1907 births 1996 deaths Chinese tai chi practitioners Manchu martial artists Martial artists from Beijing Writers from Beijing 20th-century Chinese writers Chinese non-fiction writers