Yang Zhenduo (1926 – 7 November 2020), a native of Yongnian Hsien County,
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...
, was born in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,
China, into the famous Yang family of martial artists. A son of
Yang Cheng Fu and a great-grandson of
Yang Lu Chan (the creator of the
Yang style of t'ai chi ch'uan), Yang Zhenduo was a fourth-generation descendant of the Yang Family 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 internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. ...
, and was the fourth lineage-holder of the style.
Biography
Yang Zhenduo began studying the
soft style martial art
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
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 internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. ...
(taijiquan) at age 6 with his father, and continued studying with his elder brothers
Yang Zhen Ming (Shou Zhong),
Yang Zhen Ji, and his younger brother
Yang Zhen Guo after his father died. Studious, patient, modest and unassuming like his father, he possessed a consummate martial arts skill. He has the deep admiration and esteem of t'ai chi ch'uan enthusiasts worldwide. Yang Zhenduo carried on the aspirations of his ancestors and has dedicated his life to the spread and popularization of
the style
''De Stijl'' (; ), Dutch for "The Style", also known as Neoplasticism, was a Dutch art movement founded in 1917 in Leiden. De Stijl consisted of artists and architects. In a more narrow sense, the term ''De Stijl'' is used to refer to a body ...
. He has promoted Yang style t'ai chi ch'uan in order to expand the ties of friendship between the citizens of China and the rest of the world.
He has lived in
Taiyuan,
Shanxi Province,
China, since 1960, teaching the
large frame of the
Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan
Yang family-style () T‘ai-Chi Ch‘üan (Taijiquan) in its many variations is the most popular and widely practised style in the world today and the second in terms of seniority among the primary five family styles of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.
History ...
, and has been invited many times to teach and hold seminars in many countries around the world.
He served as vice-president of the
Shanxi Wushu Association since 1980. In 1982 he founded and served as president of the
Shanxi Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Association, and was its ''honorary lifetime president''. This association has now grown to over 30,000 members throughout the Province and is the largest martial arts organization of its kind in China. In October 1998 Yang Zhenduo founded the
International Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Association
The International Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching, promotion and propagation of the Traditional Yang-style tai chi. It was founded on October 29, 1998 by Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo and hi ...
, serving as its chairman of the board. Under his leadership, the association has now grown to 28 centers in 12 countries with more than 2000 members worldwide.
In 1996 the Chinese Wushu Academy recognized Yang Zhenduo as one of the ''Top 100 Wushu Masters in China''
. That same year he received the honor of being proclaimed ''Honorary Resident'' by the mayor of
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, and in 1997 he received the ''Golden Key to the City'' of
Troy, Michigan
Troy is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. Its population was 87,294 at the 2020 U.S. census, making Troy the most populous city in the county and the 13th most-populous municipality in the state. Troy is a northern suburb of Me ...
from its mayor.
Yang Zhenduo has appeared several times on the covers of T'ai Chi Magazine and other martial arts publications. He has authored many articles and written books on the study of t'ai chi ch'uan, as well as produced 3 complete sets of teaching videos of the art.
While retaining his position as
chairman of the
International Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Association
The International Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching, promotion and propagation of the Traditional Yang-style tai chi. It was founded on October 29, 1998 by Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo and hi ...
until his death, Yang Zhenduo retired from his regular teaching activities, his position as president of the association, and appointed his student
Yang Jun, his grandson, as its new president to continue his work.
In July 2009, at the First International Tai Chi Chuan Symposium,
Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo announced that Master
Yang Jun is the fifth lineage-holder of the Traditional Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan.
Disciples
Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo acknowledged the following people as his
Disciples. These individuals have studied and promoted the
Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan
Yang family-style () T‘ai-Chi Ch‘üan (Taijiquan) in its many variations is the most popular and widely practised style in the world today and the second in terms of seniority among the primary five family styles of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.
History ...
for many years.
* Hu Buyun, 胡步云
* Yang Yongfen, 杨永芬
* Guo Jiansheng, 郭建生
* Ge Jingang, 戈金刚
* Xie Wende, 谢文德
* Wang Dexing, 王德星
* Gao Junsheng, 高俊生
* Zhang Suzhen, 张素珍
* Yang Liru, 杨礼儒
* Miao Guangzhao, 苗光照
* Li Chunhou, 李存厚
* Sun Gangchen, 孙刚臣
* Cheng Xiangyun, 程相云
* Yang Chunru, 杨春如
* Zhou Yazhen, 周亚珍
* Lin Qiuya (Malaysia), 林秋雅（马来西亚）
* Wang Wen, 王 文
* Zhang Guiying, 张桂英
* Hua Xiaolong, 滑小龙
* Mei Mei Teo (Sweden), 张美美（瑞典）
* Duan Yinglian, 段英莲
* Li Shoutang, 李寿堂
* Li Xiuying, 李秀英
* Han Hoong Wang (USA), 王涵蓉（美国）
* Yan Fengxiang, 阎凤祥
* Jia Chengping, 贾承平
* Li Qimei, 李七梅
* Qiao Rongjian, 乔荣建
* Tian Xianwen, 田宪文
* Song Bin, 宋 斌
* Geng Ying, 耿 英
* Yang Wenshen, 杨文升
* Luo Haiping, 罗海平
* Yao Junfang, 药俊芳
* Wang Baixuan, 王白玄
* Jian Guiyan, 简桂妍
* Liang Xiufang, 梁秀芳
* Niu Xinzhong, 牛新中
* Li Tiancai, 李天才
* Andy Lee
* Bill Walsh
* Dave Barrett
* Frank Grothstruck
* Jean-Marc Geering
* Andre Leray
See also
*
103-form Yang family tai chi chuan
103-form Yang family t'ai chi ch'uan, also called the Traditional Form (or, Long Form), is a prescribed sequence of moves used to practice Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan.
T'ai chi forms
The different slow motion solo form training sequences of t'ai ...
(Long Form)
*
Two-person Pushing Hands
References
External links
International Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Zhenduo
Chinese tai chi practitioners
Sportspeople from Beijing
1926 births
2020 deaths