Chinese Tai Chi Chuan Association of Canada

The Chinese Tai Chi Chuan Association, under the leadership of its teacher Master Tchoung Ta Tchen is celebrating 25 years of teaching in Vancouver. The 25 years will be celebrated with a conference on Tai Chi which is jointly presented by the Vancouver Chinese Cultural Center.

The Chinese Tai Chi Club started in Vancouver in the early 70's at 500 Cordova St. As Master Tchoung's skills became better known the club expanded. Often the space could not accommodate the number of students that came to practice. On warm days the club often practiced outside at the adjoining Opperheimer Park, attracting park patrons and passerbys. As the city grew demand for commercial space also grew, forcing the club to re-locate. The club is now at it's third location.

Master Tchoung's studies of internal martial arts started with a study of Qigong at Omei mountain in Sichuan province in China in 1942. Then in 1959 Master Tchoung learned Tai Chi from Shi Diao-Mei. In 1961 Master Tchoung started to study Tai Chi from Master Cheng Man Ching, notably Cheng's push hands technique.

Master Tchoung's teaching career started in 1970 when he was recommended by the Taiwanese government to teach Tai Chi Chuan to President Bongo of Gabon. Later in 1971 Master Tchoung established the South Africa Chinese Health and Self-Defense Club in Johannesburg. When he came to Canada, he established the Chinese Tai Chi Chuan Association of Canada in Vancouver.

Many students came to learn from Master Tchoung because of the completeness of his Tai Chi Chuan. With the Double Yang Style that he created, Master Tchoung teaches a balanced form in that there is a left side and a right side to the forms. Believing that Tai Chi is not simply a set of exercise, Master Tchoung also teaches applications for Tai Chi. This is accomplished by instilling in his students his personal belief in the need to practice and master push-hands, San Shou (the two person form) and Section 9. Master Tchoung also believes in the need to preserve the classical route to attain full mastery of the art. Consequently, he also teaches various weapon forms: Tai Chi Short Stick, Tai Chi Sword, Tai Chi Broad Knife, and Double Sword.

Master Tchoung have always held the view that Tai Chi Chuan is a living cultural treasure of China and that it should be globally disseminated so that all can reap the benefits from studying Tai Chi. Consequently, Master Tchoung's club was one of the handful of martial arts club that opened it's door to all. As his reputation grows so does the number of students who come to learn from him. As a consequence there are instructors in Vancouver, White Rock, Toronto, Kitimat, Terrace, Nelson, Seattle, and California who are certified by him to teach his Double Yang Style and who also hold the belief in applying the techiques of Tai Chi in various situations.

To celebrate Master Tchoung's 25th Anniversary in Vancouver there will be a Tai Chi Chuan conference in Vancouver which is jointly presented by the Chinese Cultural Center. This festival will be the first of its kind in Vancouver and will feature seminars and workshops on the theme of "Tai Chi Chuan And Modern Lifestyle". So far we have scheduled 19 presenters. The topics will range from Qigong to health benefits of Tai Chi to applications of Tai Chi Chuan.

Tchoung Ta Tchen

Sifu Tchoung grew up as a sports enthusiast and picked up Tai Chi in 1942 when he learned Chi Kung on Omei Mountain from a senior Taoist monk. In 1959 he studied Tai Chi Chuan from Sifu Shi Diao-Mei, then in 1961 from Sifu Cheng Man Ching. Sifu Tchoung began teaching in 1970 when he became Tai Chi Chuan instructor for President Bongo of Gabon. The next year he established the South African Chinese Health and Self Defense Club in Johannesburg. He moved to Canada in 1972 and established the Chinese Tai Chi Chuan Association where he has to date taught for a quarter of a century. His students, hence teaching, have spread to many places in the world.