Dr. Wu Chengde and his wife, the late Madame Wang Jurong, were martial arts royalty. Madame Wang, who passed away on Christmas Day in 2005, was the daughter of the Grandmaster Wang Ziping, one of the leading martial figures of his generation. Wu married Madame Wang in 1955 and four years later, he accepted the Director chair for the illustrious Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He also served as a Professor and Medical Doctor-in-Chief at the Longhua Hospital in China. They immigrated to Houston in 1989. Dr. Wu had a private TCM practice and together with Madame Wang, they became major proponents for the advancement of Chinese martial arts in the United States. Their three daughters, Helen, Grace and Xiaoping, are all noted masters with their own schools, part of an exemplary martial dynasty.

Gigi Oh, our publisher emeritus, has fond memories of Dr. Wu and Madame Wang. After she first took over as publisher of Kung Fu Tai Chi in 1994, she traveled extensively to tournaments across the country in order to promote the magazine, network and make friends. She remembers meeting them on many occasions. “They were everywhere,” recalls Gigi. She remembers how courteous they were despite their notoriety. Madame Wong was at the forefront while Dr. Wu, although an established master in his own right, would attend from the background. “He was always very quiet – so peaceful and supportive.”

I have fond memories of the good doctor too. We crossed paths many times, mostly at Master Jimmy Wong’s superb Texas gatherings, The Taiji Legacy which evolved to become Legends of Kung Fu in 2009. I became good friends with his daughter, Master Grace Wu-Monnat, and they often gave me a lift from hotel to venue and around town because I’d l fy in and they’d have a car. Master Grace has always been one of our strongest supporters of our own tournament, The Tiger Claw Elite Championships. I think that is in part in due to how her parents raised her. She knows the importance of supporting the Wulin gatherings, a crucial role in perpetuating them.

Gigi and I never met Dr. Wu together, but we share the same observations. I found Dr. Wu to be a quiet man, serene and always supportive, with a keen eye. One of my earliest encounters with him stands out in my mind. This was before I knew Grace well, when I was just starting out reporting on the Taiji Legacy. Dr. Wu was sitting by himself up on the VIP table eating a box lunch provided for judges and staff. In those early years, I was tentative about sitting up there. I had a job to do – shoot and report – and I didn’t feel comfortable as a newcomer to that VIP circle. I think he sensed my discomfort. He waved me to come join him, and even got up and retrieved another box lunch for me. He made an extra effort to make me feel at ease. We watched the tournament together from that lofty VIP perch, enjoying our lunches, and not once did he have the slightest negative comment about any of the competitors or proceedings. Tournaments can be so full of posturing and bravado. Dr. Wu was always humble, encouraging and respectful.

I always wanted to ask him about his courtship Madame Wang but was never able to corner him. Masters Grace or Xiaoping were always around and that seemed awkward to inquire about that with them there. Can you imagine what it must have been like to have Grandmaster Wang Ziping as your father in law? It must have taken some courage to ask for his prized daughter’s hand in marriage. In retrospect, I really should’ve asked because I’m sure he had some charming stories from those days and his daughters would’ve been amused too.

With every memoriam that I write for KungFuMagazine.com, I find myself remembering such small gestures of kindness from the great masters. Everyone in the Wulin during those years got to see them demonstrate their Kung Fu. Many of those demos are on YouTube now. I had a unique privilege of getting to know them informally, off stage and more unguarded. It’s during those times when you might catch a glimpse of their true character and Dr. Wu never did anything untoward or unbecoming. I’m grateful for the time I was able to spend with him. While I never took a lesson from him, his gentlemanly attitude taught by example for any who had the honor of being in his presence.

Everyone at Tiger Claw expresses our sincerest condolences to his family, students, and patients. I’m especially sympathetic to Master Grace. Ironically, I had just texted her a few weeks prior. She sent me a thoughtful white bouquet when she heard my father had passed a few years ago and it popped up as a memory on Facebook, so I texted her to thank her again. In her reply text, she mentioned how she was hoping to visit her father more often.

But it’s like that, isn’t it? We take so things for granted like our parents, like Kung Fu Tai Chi, like tournament gatherings. But now, the world is waking up to the fact that everything can change in an instant. It can go away forever so quickly, especially now in 2020. All things are impermanent. The passing of Dr. Wu is a tremendous loss in so many ways. A humble martial master, a prestigious healer, a noted scholar, a tireless contributor to the Wulin, and a loving father - they just don’t make them like Dr. Wu anymore.