Wu Ta-ch'i or Wu Daqi (1926–1993) was the descendant of the famous

Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan The Wu family style () t'ai chi ch'uan (Taijiquan) of Wu Quanyou and Wu Chien-ch'uan (Wu Jianquan) 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 ...

founders

Wu Ch'uan-yu Wu Quanyou (1834–1902), or Wu Ch'uan-yu, was an influential teacher of t'ai chi ch'uan in late Imperial China. His son is credited as the founder of the Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan. As he was of Manchu descent, and would have been named by his ...

(1834–1902) and

Wu Chien-ch'uan Wu Chien-ch'uan or Wu Jianquan (1870–1942) was a famous teacher and founder of the neijia martial art of Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan in late Imperial and early Republican China. Biography Wu Chien-ch'uan was taught martial arts by his father ...

(1870–1942). He directed Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan instruction outside of

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

after the death of his father

Wu Kung-i Wu Kung-i or Wu Gongyi (1898–1970) was a well-known teacher of the soft style martial art t'ai chi ch'uan (taijiquan) in China, and, after 1949, in the British colony of Hong Kong. He was also the "gate-keeper" of the Wu family from 1942 unt ...

(1900–1970) and brother Wu Ta-kuei (1923–1972) from the Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan headquarters in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

internationally.

Biography

Born in China to a distinguished martial arts family, Wu Ta-ch'i, with his brother Wu Ta-kuei, sister

Wu Yen-hsia Wu Yen-hsia or Wu Yanxia (1930–2001) was a Chinese t'ai chi ch'uan teacher of Manchu ancestry. Biography She was the daughter of Wu Kung-i (1900-1970) from whom she learned t'ai chi. She also helped in the teaching of her father's studen ...

as well as his first cousin

Wu Ta-hsin Wu Ta-hsin or Wu Daxin (1933–2005) 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'u ...

all endured strict training from their nationally famous grandfather and father. Being the grandchildren of the family, they were traditionally expected to inherit the family art of

t'ai chi ch'uan Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called "shadowboxing", is an neijia, internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and medita ...

whom their great-grandfather Wu Ch'uan-yu had first learned from

Yang Luchan Yang Lu-ch'an or Yang Luchan, also known as Yang Fu-k'ui or Yang Fukui (1799–1872), was an influential Chinese practitioner and teacher of the internal style t'ai chi ch'uan (taijiquan). He is known as the founder of Yang-style t'ai chi ch'ua ...

(1799–1872) and his son

Yang Pan-hou Yang Pan-hou or Yang Banhou (1837–1890) was an influential teacher of t'ai chi ch'uan (taijiquan) in Ch'ing dynasty China, known for his bellicose temperament. Biography He was the senior son of Yang Luchan to survive to adulthood. Like ...

(1837–1890). When Wu Kung-i migrated with his family to Hong Kong in the 1940s, Wu Ta-ch'i assisted his father in the propagation and teaching of t'ai chi ch'uan. During the 1950s under the instructions of Wu Kung-i, Wu Ta-ch'i and his cousin

(1933–2005) travelled extensively to

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

to start and support academies promoting Wu-style t'ai chi. Their efforts met with success, making the region a key centre of Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan outside of Hong Kong and China. Wu Ta-ch'i's chief disciple Chu Weng-Moon in Malaysia and his fellow disciples continue to teach Wu-style t'ai chi ch'uan. In 1974, Wu Ta-ch'i was invited by the Chinese Canadian Kuo Shu Federation to teach in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, Canada where he established the first Wu family school outside of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

. The

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

school founded by Wu Ta-ch'i was entrusted to his nephew Wu Kuang-yu (Eddie) in 1976. Wu Ta-ch'i was a member of the advisory board of the Martial Art Association in Hong Kong.

References

External links

* http://www.wustyle.com/ International Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Federation website * http://www.wustyledetroit.com/ Detroit, Michigan Wu style website 1926 births 1993 deaths Chinese tai chi practitioners Manchu martial artists {{PRChina-martialart-bio-stub