Chang Style Tai Chi was created by 'The Flying Butterfly' Chang Dong Sheng (1908-1986). He trained from childhood in everything from Wrestling to Kung Fu, Hsingi to Bagua. Eventually being trained by the sword master General Li Chien of Yang Style Tai Chi.
He altered Yang Style to create his own version which contains elements of all the other arts he had learnt.
Rumoured to have been a secret agent, he also trained troops in hand to hand combat during the second Sino-Japanese War. Later he moved to Taiwan to teach at the National Police University under a Presidential edict.
His leg sweep was unstoppable - while young a wrestling master taught him how to catch grasshoppers (to feed his birds) by sweeping his foot across the ground to flick them up into his opposite grasping hand.
In 1975 King Hassan the Second of Morocco had him test his security team - which he trounced. He turned down the offer to become the new head of security (he was 68 by then!), but the king still rewarded him with a traditional curved dagger of ivory, gold, rubies and emeralds (I'm not telling Natalie that!).
Even though Chang Style is based off Yang Style it is performed very differently which can be quite an eye opener. Considering Changs stature his Tai Chi was still silky smooth in its own way (see comments).
Blessings
Mathew
Facebook Post 15th May '23
