Professor Cheng Man-Ching (1902-1975) is one
of the most significant Taiwanese martial arts teachers of modern times. Many
regard Cheng Man-Ching as the man who brought Tai Chi and Chinese philosophy to
the West. He was not only a remarkable martial artist but also an accomplished
painter, poet, scholar and doctor of Chinese medicine . Because of his skills
in these five areas he was often referred to as the "Master of Five
Excellences.
As a child he suffered from a head trauma
and was in coma for a short time . To regain his motor abilities he was sent to
calligraphy classes and soon he started to practice painting. He studied
painting with with Prof. Wang Hsiang-Ch’ian . In 1913 he moved to Shanghai and
continued his studies with well known artist Chang Kwong-Hong in Shanghai. In
1916 he to Hangchou where studied painting, poetry, and calligraphy with several
prominent teachers if the time .In 1919 he moved to Beijing to finish his
studies and soon after he started his academic career at Yu-Wen University
where he taught poetry . In 1922 he became a professor of Chinese Ink Painting
at the Peking Academy of Fine Arts and 3 years later he taught at National
Chi-Nan University and served as Director of painting Department of Shanghai
School of Fine Arts.
At that time Cheng developed a chronic lung
condition and a local doctor suggested that he take up Tai Chi to remediate his
condition. He Studied T’ai Chi Ch’uan with Yang Cheng-Fu for seven years . He
also started studies of traditional Chinese medicine with Dr. Sung You-an.
Additionally, he achieved mastery of traditional gynecology, and orthopedic
medicine.
In 1949 he moved to Taiwan and continued
his career as a physician and as a teacher of his t'ai chi ch'uan form, as well
as actively practicing painting, poetry, and calligraphy. He published Cheng's
13 Chapters of T'ai Chi Boxing in 1950 . He started the Shih Chung T'ai Chi
Association in Taipei and he was one of the first Chinese martial teachers who
accepted and taught foreigners. As much as he left a strong impact on Taiwanese
martial arts his work in the area of classical arts , mostly painting is more
important. He was on of the most important figures in foundation of the
Republic of China Fine Arts Society .He was a head of the Chinese Painting and
Calligraphy Exhibition and was elected as a lifetime professor at the College
of Chinese Culture.
In 1964, Cheng moved with his family to the
United States, where he taught at the New York T'ai Chi Association
In 1967 in collaboration with Robert W.
Smith, and T. T. Liang, Cheng published "T'ai Chi, the Supreme Ultimate
Exercise for Health, Sport and Self-defense,". He wrote over a dozen other
books on a variety of subjects, including the I Ching, the Tao Te Ching, the
Analects of Confucius, books of poetry, essays, medicine, and art collections.
He returned to Taiwan in 1974 and passed
away a year later .
Cheng saw Tai Chi as an embodiment of
natural laws and as a path of human growth – a way to live, a way of finding
meaning, balance and peace and he taught his students in that manner. He was
one of the first Chinese teachers who came to the west and openly taught his
art, not to mention he taught foreigners much before famous Bruce Lee .Cheng
Man-Ching was open minded and he changed his art making it easier for practice
and understanding . Through his martial art school and his painting he
introduced to the west all the treasures of classical Chinese culture ,
philosophy and art . He laid a foundation for all the Taiwanese martial artist
who later came to the west and spread traditional Chinese martial arts
