Originally published by Harvey Kurland in 1999
Even though he preferred to keep to himself and not boast of his ability, Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-Tchen was a well-known figure in the Tai Chi Ch’uan world of Taipei, Taiwan; Seattle, WA; and Vancouver, BC. When experts who truly understood Tai Chi met him, there was no question that they had encountered a true grandmaster of the art.
Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-Tchen moved to Canada in 1972. In Canada, he was welcomed by Tai Chi students who were hungry for real knowledge of the true art of Tai Chi. Before moving to Vancouver, he taught in Africa and Taiwan. Tchoung was originally from Hunan and became a professional soldier. As an officer in the cavalry, he fought with Chiang Kai-shek against the Japanese. When Chiang fled to Taiwan, Tchoung and many other notable masters followed. Tchoung became the head of the T’ai Chi Ch’uan Health and Defense Institute of Taipei and was a member of the Chinese T’ai Chi Ch’uan Association (the main Tai Chi Ch’uan organization of Taiwan).
In Taiwan, he had several notable friends and practice partners. A few of his friends were Cheng Man-Ch’ing, Kuo Lien Ying, Liang T’ung Tsai, Wang Shu Chin, Wang Nien Yien, Yuan Tao, and others, most of whom were related in some way to Chiang’s government and fled Mao’s China. Tchoung studied the pushing hands method of Cheng Man-Ch’ing and trained with Cheng and other masters. He was well known in Taiwan for his fa-jin and rooting ability. More recently, he taught pushing hands in Mainland China to groups of Chinese students and masters in an attempt to bring real Tai Chi Ch’uan energy back to China.
According to Sifu Laurens Lee, when Tchoung was in Taiwan, there was a statement in martial arts circles: “Big Tchoung cannot be moved; little Tchoung cannot be pushed off balance.” Little Tchoung referred to Tchoung Ta-Tchen.
Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-Tchen was asked by the Chinese Tai Chi Chuan Association of Taiwan to be the personal tutor for President Bongo of Gabon. Tchoung taught President Bongo O’Mei Ch’i Kung (Emei Qi Gong) and Tai Chi Ch’uan. Later, Tchoung moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he taught his unique style.
According to Master Martin Lee, chairman of the Vancouver Tai Chi Chien Masters and Friends Club:
“He (Tchoung) has extraordinary Tai Chi power. His pang-jing (peng-jin) is super-powerful. Whenever he pushes with anyone, he always wins—he has never been defeated by anyone. Only one or two people can break even with him. When Master Tchoung pushed hands, both arms were soft like cotton; when you touched his arm, you felt nothing. He was truly reaching the level of ‘invisibility.’ When he attacked, he moved like a speeding arrow, with great power. Many martial arts champions and Tai Chi followers respect Master Tchoung’s methods.”
Tchoung had a number of Tai Chi champions come out of his school, and several masters of Kung Fu and Ch’i Kung studied with him.
As a young man, Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-Tchen studied his family style of Tai Chi Ch’uan and Tui-Na. He was also a track athlete. He became a professional soldier and army officer. He traveled throughout China, seeking out top masters. In 1943, he studied Ch’i Kung (Qi Gong) and Tai Chi Ch’uan with the senior Taoist, Abbott Hui Kung, at the O’Mei (Emei Shan) Mountain Monastery in Sichuan Province.
Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-Tchen studied the Old Form of Yang Family Style based on the lineage of Tian Zhao Lin (Tian Shaolin) of Hangzhou. Tian (also spelled Tien by some) was a famous student of Yang Chien-Hou, though some say he studied with Yang Shou-Hou, or both. In 1959, Tchoung studied with Shi Tiao-Mei, a student of Tian and the head of the police academy.
Tchoung also studied Natural School (Nature School) Boxing, also called the Natural Style of Kung Fu, with Hsiung Chien-Yuan, a famous teacher of Nature School Boxing. Hsiung was called the Great Old Man of Hangzhou. Tchoung learned Pa-Kua Chang (Baguazhang) from his friend Wang Shu Chin and Hsing I Ch’uan (Xing Yi Quan) from his friend Yuan Tao. He studied Tai Chi San Shou with the famous Hsiung Yang Ho, who was also a student of Yang Shao-Hou. He also learned the unique knife style of his friend Wu Ta Nan, passing these forms on to his students.
Tchoung had a particular interest in studying sword and stick forms. He learned several sword styles from the top masters of the day. These sword forms had names such as Green Duckweed Sword, Green Bamboo Sticks of the Beggar’s Style, Kun Lun (Kwin Lin) Sword, Heaven and Earth Sword, as well as the Tai Chi Sword, Double Sword, and Yang and Wu Tai Chi Knife Sets. He developed his own Tai Chi Tuan Kune, or walking stick form, which he taught to his students.
His philosophy was to teach his students everything he could—not to hold back, as many teachers did. That is why so many students left their previous schools to study with him. He told his students from the beginning that he could teach them the method, but it was up to them what they did with it. If they did not train hard, they would not achieve their potential. He said there were no magical secrets, just hard training and coaching.
He saw a decline in the quality of Tai Chi Ch’uan in China and worldwide. The art was becoming more of a calisthenic exercise or performance art, losing its martial value and traditional methods. He believed that the previous generation’s skill was being lost or watered down because teachers often held back knowledge from students. With each generation, a little more was lost, so that even the top names of the time were merely shadows of the older art—very few had real skill.
Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-Tchen wanted to push his students so that the art would be elevated. He hoped that his students would surpass him and, in turn, that their students would surpass them. The long setback after Mao took over, followed by changes to the form turning it into a calisthenic exercise, contributed to the decline. Tchoung traveled to China, where he taught pushing hands to masters there in an effort to improve their skill and raise the level of Tai Chi in China.
Tchoung believed that due to differences in body type and nature, everyone would impart their own essence to the art. Just as handwriting varies even among students who learn the same method, Tai Chi also reflects individual expression. The goal was not to clone the teacher but to allow each individual’s unique energy to express itself. He also allowed variations in technique depending on a student’s abilities or limitations.
For example, in one morning class, two advanced students asked him about the correct way to perform a technique. Each student demonstrated a different variation. Tchoung told them, “It depends on the use.” He was more interested in correct principles than in producing mindless robots. He often said that all Tai Chi Ch’uan styles were valid as long as the principles were correct.
He taught a unique style based on what is called the Old Yang Style. He developed a dual form, or symmetrical form, where each technique was performed on both the right and left sides. This was his version of the form, ensuring balance in the body.
Tchoung published his masterwork, The Annotated Theoretical and Practical Tai Chi Chuan, a 328-page book written in English and Chinese, in 1995.
Even in his late 80s, Grandmaster Tchoung Ta-Tchen continued practicing his art and working with his advanced students. He remains one of the lesser-known greats of the Tai Chi world. Tchoung passed away on February 22, 2000.