John Chung Li was an internationally renowned Internal Martial Arts Grand Master. He was immensely skilled in the three major Internal Martial Arts systems. He was highly distinguished and respected by the greatest internal martial arts masters of his time, including the famous T'ai Chi Masters T.T. Liang and Cheng Man-ch'ing who are credited with bringing the Yang T'ai Chi system to America.
Grand Master Li began his Kung Fu training at the age of 18 at the Chin Woo Athletic Association of Shanghai. He studied many styles of Kung Fu before settling on Lop Hop Pak Fat (Liu Ho Pa Fa). He became an instructor and master of the art and taught in Hong Kong for many years. Master Li moved to the United States in 1968 and called the art Hwa-Yu T'ai Chi Ch'uan Kung Fu.
Master Li instructed the internal health care science of Hwa-Yu T'ai Chi and the advanced Chi Kung exercises of the "One Yin Circle Palm Internal Art" to many university students around the country including Yale, Harvard, MIT, BU and the New England Medical Center. He instructed more than 700 seriously committed students while living in America. He translated the "Five Word Song 134 Verses" and produced a pictorial training manual thoroughly detailing the coveted elite self-defense movement patterns of Lop Hop Pak Fat calling the art "Yon Ch'uan" (Soft Fist, Cotton Over Steel). Grand Master Li was head of the Hwa-Yu T'ai Chi Health Institute in Chinatown, Boston, Massachusetts. He passed the legacy of Yon Ch'uan Martial Arts and Hwa-Yu T'ai Chi Ch'uan to Master Robert Xavier in 1980. Grand Master Li died two years later.
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"Those who set out to learn the exercise, do not misjudge the value of The Chinese Five Word Song."
Verses 133-134
"The Chinese Five Word Song" was written by Master Li Tung Fung during the early part of China's Sung Dynasty. Master Li learned Hwa-Yu T'ai Chi Ch'uan (Liu Ho Pa Fa Ch'uan Fa) from Master Chen Hsi-I, creator of the martial art and health exercise. Master Li Tung Fung took refuge in the mountain of Yun, southeast from the Lok district. While living on Yun, he authored the famous Chinese Five Word Song, which serves today as the only extant treatise explaining the principles of the original Liu Ho Pa Fa.
Hwa-Yu T'ai Chi Ch'uan was a closed-door martial art for almost 1,000 years. Master John Chung Li opened the door to hundreds of students in China, the United States and Europe. Master Li translated The Chinese Five Word Song and added his commentary to each of the 134 verses to help students understand the truth within Internal Martial Arts. We are privileged to now offer the insights to this phenomenal martial art and healthcare science through the publication of The Chinese Five Word Song.
We are extremely pleased to announce the publication of The Chinese Five Word Song. It's filled with tremendous insights into the philosophy and guiding principles of Internal Martial Arts from one of the true masters of the 20th Century.
You can purchase "The Chinese Five Word Song" from top online book sellers (Barnes and Noble, Borders Books, Amazon.com and Books A Million).
Contact Mark McGee by e-mail if you would like to receive a signed copy of the book.
For more information about Hwa-Yu T'ai Chi Ch'uan
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