Kung Fu Tai Chi July - August 2017

Astute readers will notice some significant differences in this issue. Firstly, I didn’t write any of the feature articles contained herein. I only wrote this Publisher’s Corner, some news items, my Chollywood column (and that’s a unique one too because it’s about my upcoming appearance in EL REY Network’s Man at Arms: Art of War no less, see page 84). This issue was in production while we were diligently working on producing on our Kung Fu Tai Chi 25th Anniversary Festival, which was a herculean task in itself. Several of our freelance writers stepped up to back me up so I didn’t have to write a feature piece or the cover story for this issue. That freed up more of my time to dedicate to Festival production. It eased my…

Over fifty years ago, Ralph Castro started his journey in the martial arts – a journey that has taken him from student to teacher to Great Grandmaster, ultimately to creating his own recognized art, Shaolin Kenpo. These accomplishments were honored on March 18, 2017, at his school in Daly City, California. Great Grandmaster Castro is one of the pioneers of martial arts in the United States. He was one of the first to teach in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has trained alongside such greats as Bruce Lee, Ed Parker Sr., and Wally Jay, to name a few. He also hosted and ran one of the largest Bay Area tournaments in the 1970s and 1980s, the California Karate Championships (CKC). Many school owners throughout Northern California have fond memories…

Kung Fu Granny Zhang Hexian Last year, Zhang Hexian first captured the hearts of the internet with her Kung Fu. Now at age 94, Zhang began practicing Kung Fu at age four and still practices regularly. Web videos surfaced of her practicing alongside men a third her age in her hometown of Liyang in Ninghai County, Zhejiang Province. According to her son Feng Chuanyin, “My mom has never been to the hospital, and would recover from occasional colds after some sleep. She never takes health products such as vitamins or supplements.” She allegedly fought off village bandits years ago, bringing down two and sending the third off running. Zhang practices a folk style passed down in her family for the last three centuries. It originated from Fujian Province and encompasses 15…

Kung Fu Tai Chi isn’t the only one celebrating its silver anniversary. Nineteen-ninetytwo also marked the beginning of the longest-running Wushu competition in America, the Chinese Martial Arts Tournament at the University of California, Berkeley, or CMAT as it is affectionately known. This year, CMAT expanded to two days, March 25–26, 2017, held once again in U.C. Berkeley’s Recreational Sports Facility. In the midst of all the chaos of running a tournament like this, Master Bryant Fong, founder of CMAT and September+October 2014 cover master, shared his thoughts on what a quarter century of Wushu means to him. “Actually I’m quite happy that we managed it that long,” said Sifu Fong with a chuckle. “It’s very hard to run this event because you rely on students to run it –…

In late February, Kung Fu Tai Chi headquarters was visited by Chang Xuegang (常學剛), Associate Senior Editor for Wulin (武林), one of the most prominent martial arts magazines in the People’s Republic of China. Chang works for the Humanities and Chinese Martial Arts Books Department of the Beijing Science and Technology Publishing Company Limited. Kung Fu Tai Chi publishers Gigi Oh and Gene Ching discussed martial arts publishing with Mr. Chang over lunch and tea. Joining them was Maria Wang of the Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco (CCC). The CCC featured a special installation as part of their Year of the Rooster celebrations, Martial Spirit (神武), a solo exhibition by artist Justin Hoover. Martial Spirit sought to break down stereotypes initiatives to activate and build community throughout Chinatown and San…

Grandmaster Fu Shengyuan (傅声远) quietly passed away in Shanghai on March 27, 2017, at the age of 86. Born in 1931, he was the only son of the renowned 4th generation Yang style Taijiquan master Fu Zhongwen (傅钟文) and Zhao Guizhen (赵桂珍), the grandniece of Yang Chengfu (杨澄甫), one of the most prominent masters of the style, from whom many of today’s most popular routines have emerged. In 1940, Fu Zhongwen moved to Shanghai together with his son, and soon started learning Taijiquan from Yang Chengfu. Fu Shengyuan was fortunate to be surrounded by such experts since he was 9 years old, which enriched his experience and understanding of the art as he grew up. In 1944, Fu Zhongwen founded the Yongnian Taijiquan Association, becoming very active in the promotion…