Table of Contents
Wu Ying-Hua
Lineage
- Teachers: Family, probably Wu Jian-Quan
About
Wu Ying-hua 吳英華 was born in Peking in 1907 and died in Shanghai in 1996. She was the eldest daughter of Wu Chien-ch'uan, the best known teacher of Wu style Tai Chi Chuan. Her older brothers were Wu Gong-Yi and Wu Gong-Zao. She began studying Tai Chi Chuan at age nine, by age seventeen, Wu Ying-hua was recognized as a teacher in Peking. In 1921, she was invited to teach Tai Chi Chuan in Shanghai. In 1928, her father followed her to Shanghai and Wu Ying-hua became his teaching assistant. In 1930, she married Ma Yue-liang who was Qu Jian-Quan's senior disciple. In 1935, Wu Chien-ch'uan founded the Chien-ch'uan Tai Chi Chuan Association in Shanghai. Wu Chien-ch'uan died in 1942.
After about 1980 and the Cultural Revolution, it became possible to teach Taijiquan publicly in China. About this time her brother Wu Gong-Zao was released from prison and moved to Hong Kong, Wu Ying-hua and Ma Yueh-liang were the senior Wu family members remaining in mainland China. Wu Ying-hua and Ma Yueh-liang created a Simplified Wu Tai Chi Chuan Form and were again able to have public meetings of the Chien-ch'uan Tai Chi Chuan Association. They taught a large number of students in Shanghai and in their travels to New Zealand, Germany and elsewhere. Together with Ma Yueh-liang, Wu Ying-hua published several books on Wu style Tai Chi Chuan. “Wu style Tai Chi Chuan: Forms, Concepts and Applications of the Original Style,” “Wu Simplified Tai Chi Chuan,” and “Wu style Tai Chi K'uai Chuan or Wu Style Tai Chi Fast Form” have been collected in a single volume in China. They also co-authored a Wu style weapons/sword book. Wu Ying-hua was recognised as the senior instructor of the Wu family from 1983 until she died in 1996.
Ma Yueh-liang and Wu Ying-hua are survived by several children and grandchildren, including: Ma Jiang-chun, Dr. Ma Hai-long, Ma Jiang-bao, and Ma Jiang-ling. Ma Jiang-bao lives in the Netherlands and teaches traditional Tai Chi Chuan in Europe. Their adopted daughter Shi Mei-Lin now lives and teaches in New Zealand. She also has students in France and in the United States .