Every few years I check on Youtube to see who is currently offering videos related to T’ai Chi.
As I age, T’ai Chi offerings seem to evolve as well. I’m happy to report that the direct Wu Style lineage is doing well and is still in Toronto.
I am fourth generation. My teachers, Mr. And Mrs. Chow, studied for 17 years with Dr. Young, who spent many years studying with Wu Chien Chuan.
I feel very lucky to have studied with with the Chows for many years, since 1976, and and to have received teacher training as well, until they retired around the beginning of this century.
Their style, Late Wu, is very traditional and is very much in line with the Wu Family Lineage.
The weight is shifted 100%. (Mrs Chow would point out when students were ‘Double weighted”, or “Floating”, when their form lacked this.)
The angles, both within the body (elbows, knees, etc.) and in body or foot orientation (facing direction), were precise. Because of this, Mr. Chow would point out that his form would end in the exact location that he began.
He said that in the Walk, the back foot in Late Wu would be facing forward, parallel to th front foot, while in early Wu, the back toes would be pointed out 45 degrees.
In our style, the hands were very rarely raised above the head, and the wrists rose to shoulder height when the arms came up. When the elbows bent they dropped down rather than out, and held at 90 degrees.
When the knees bent they did not extend past the toes.
Also, Mr. Chow never blinked while doing the form.
Mrs. Chow would sometimes practice the form slowly, and sometimes very fast, always with perfect precision.
Mr. Chow taught the “Square”, or “Step by step” form, with each movement having it’s own count. (I believe this count for each part was Mr. Chow’s contribution).
He would teach the entire Square form before teaching the students the “Continual”, or “Round” Form.
His Continual form might be described as circles within circles, his hands sometimes “Holding a ball” as they moved and encircled the energy, always with perfect economy of movement and always originating from his center.
Mrs. Chow’s form was more martial, and similar to that of their teacher, Dr. Young.
Football players would come to learn from her.
She was small and short, and they would be astonished when she easily pushed them over again and again, when practicing “Tu Sho”, (“Push hands”).
Mr. Chow was a Healer, and seemed to be working with the Energy. Mrs. Chow was very strict, and they wonderfully complemented each other’s styles, that weren’t at all different.
Rather, it was as though each had their own handwriting style; the same rules, but each had their own unique manifestation, both writing in the same language.
They were not only my Mentors, they were my friends.
Chinese Watercolor Painting
The Chows taught Painting and T’ai Chi. At some point, their painting students asked them to teach them T’ai Chi.
They never advertised, but would sometimes give demonstrations.
I was always amazed when Mr. Chow would dip his brush into 3 different paints, and with one brushstroke create a bird’s tail with all the colors in exactly the right place!
Best to All,
Daniel