Teaching Chinese Kung Fu Around the World
This is an article from the official Chinese martial arts magazine “Chinese Wushu” and has been translated to English. We have also provided the original articles. Clicking on the images will enlarge them.
Zhang Yunchao (originally from Anqiu, Shandong Province) was born in 1968 and raised in Shenyang.
In the 1970s and 1980s, martial arts were extremely popular in the northeast, including Shenyang. In 1974, at the age of 6, Yunchao began his martial arts training under Mr. Wang Qingzhai, a famous mantis boxer.
"To walk on earth, one shall learn Mantis Boxing". As the leading figure in the traditional martial arts community in Shenyang at that time, Master Wang Qingzhai was well known in the martial arts world, in terms of both his skills and his character. Wang Qingzhai trained in martial arts since he was young in Dalian, under the Seven-star Praying Mantis Boxing master Wang Shaofei. In the 1930s, by chance, a Shaolin Praying Mantis Boxing master, Sun Wenbo, went to Dalian to teach martial arts. Wang Qingzhai trained under Sun Wenbo, and he mastered Mantis Boxing and studied Yang Style Qing Ping Jian (Sword) and Luo's Duan Men Qiang(Spear). In 1937, Wang Qingzhai moved to Shenyang, where he passed the strict examination of the Fengtian Martial Arts Promotion Association. He became the director of the Association, established the "Twenty-sixth Training Center of the Fengtian Budao Association" and opened a school to teach students.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Wang Qingzhai taught his disciples martial arts at the south gate of Bitan Park, located in Huanggu district. Out of the 50 or 60 disciples, Yunchao was the first to arrive at each training session. He would clean up the practice area and wait for Master Wang Qingzai to arrive. He would run up to the master to give him a deep bow, then set aside the master's bike for him. Despite his small stature, Yunchao never showed weakness in his daily practice of martial arts; and he became one of his master’s most enlightened and diligent students. Zhang Yunchao practiced hard and enthusiastically for decades, and under Master Wang Qingzhai he achieved true mastery in Seven-stars Praying Mantis Boxing, Shaolin Mantis Boxing, Yang Style Qing Ping Jian (Sword), Wu Zi Gong and Luo's Duan Men Qiang(Spear) as well as other martial arts. At the same time, he also learned from the master the willingness to take on hardships and the qualities of virtue. Under the master's careful guidance and strict training, Zhang Yunchao became one of Master Wang Qingzhai's most successful disciples in the master’s later years. His master’s careful tutelage opened the door for him to a lifetime of martial arts practice and laid a solid foundation for his future achievements in martial arts. In 1988, Master Wang Qingzhai, then 83 years old, took Zhang Yunchao back to Dalian, where he had learned martial arts as a teenager, to visit and make friends with former members of Dalian's traditional martial arts circle. The many teachers and friends introduced by Master Wang became valuable assets in Zhang Yunchao's future path of martial arts training.
In 1992, Zhang Yunchao, representing Wang Qingzhai's Mantis Boxing, participated in the International Mantis Boxing Competition held in Yantai city (Shandong Province), and he was awarded first place in Jianshu (swordsmanship).
Wang Qingzhai studied under six masters throughout his life. He often taught Zhang Yunchao that: "To learn traditional martial arts, it is important to sharpen one’s will as dripping water would penetrate stone, and it is also important to visit competent masters to gather the strengths of different schools. It is a rare for a martial arts practitioner to meet a master who is highly competent and has a good way of teaching, and even more important, is the bond between the master and the disciple. I am one of the lucky ones who have visited a good master." In 1991, while under the instruction of Master Wang Qingzhai and his fellow teachers, Zhang Yunchao was introduced to Mr. Wu Haiqing, a 70-year-old fourth generation of Wu Style Tai Chi Quan master. With Wang Qingzhai’s warm approval, Yunchao then began to study Wu Style Tai Chi Quan. Mr. Wu Haiqing started his martial arts practice as a young man, was deeply influenced by Mr. Ge Fulai, a third generation of Wu Style Tai Chi Quan master, and was profoundly skilled in Tai Chi Quan.
In 2003, Zhang Yunchao started training with Zhang Guoliang, the eldest disciple of Xin Jianhou, the "King of Northeast Boxing", as his master for Shang Style Xing Yi Quan. Master Zhang Guoliang was so fond of Zhang Yunchao that he gifted him a published boxing book which he had authored, with a special inscription inside the cover.
In the history of the martial arts community in Shenyang during the Minguo Period (Republic of China, 1911-1949), there were two northeast martial arts tournaments, known as the two "Guo Shu Kao” (Full Contact Fighting). The first "Guo Shu Kao” (Full Contact Fighting) took place in September 1931, hosted by General Zhang Xueliang, also known as “Young Marshal”, then commander-in-chief of the northeast Army. More than 100 martial artists competed in the public stadium in Xiaoheyan, Fengtian city (now Shenyang city), and martial artists such as Xin Jianhou, a famous master of Shang Style Xing Yi Quan, Lv Qinggui, a famous master of Ba Ji Quan, and Liu Baorui, a famous master of Cha Quan, topped the list. After the "September 18 Incident" (Manchurian Incident) and the "July 7 Incident"(Marco Polo Bridge Incident) took place, the Northeast National Academy of Traditional Martial Arts existed in name only. In September 1947, the second "Guo Shu Kao” (Full Contact Fighting) was held in the International Stadium (now the Shenyang City People's Stadium), where Xin Jianhou, Liu Baorui, and other martial arts celebrities served as judges with many foreigners in the audience. After a week of fierce competition, Wang Qingzhai, Zhang Guoliang, and other martial arts celebrities won the Silver Shield Awards.
In 1980, Master Wang Qingzhai was interviewed by American media, and his article was published in an American martial arts magazine, making him famous around the world. That year, Zhang Yunchao was 12 years old, and this inspired his dream - to promote Chinese Kung Fu outside of China.
In 1992, at the age of 24, Zhang Yunchao was invited to Moscow, the capital of Russia, to teach traditional Chinese martial arts. It was the first time he left his hometown to go to a foreign country as a martial arts instructor, to teach the martial arts he learned as a child to foreigners who were fascinated by the traditional culture of China. In 1997, Zhang Yunchao went to South Africa to promote his martial art. This trip further opened his horizons and introduced to him the charms of spreading Chinese martial arts in a foreign country.
In 1999, having accumulated a certain amount of martial arts teaching experience overseas, Zhang Yunchao decided to go to the United States. His first stop in the United States was in Los Angeles, California. Master Wang Qingzhai’s teaching that "martial art practitioner is the hair of the bull and achiever is the horn of the bull" kept him in high spirits and working hard, no matter how difficult things were. He trained without a break, and he continued to develop his skills.
Gradually, Zhang Yunchao met fellow members of the traditional Chinese martial arts community in the United States and had the opportunity to teach martial arts and participate in martial arts competitions. In April 2001, at the American National Martial Arts Competition held at the University of California, Berkeley, Zhang Yunchao won three gold medals in Mantis Boxing, Jianshu (Swordsmanship), and Tai Chi TuiShou (Push hand).
In August of the same year, he participated in the Disney Cup International Martial Arts Tournament held by the USAWKF (United States of America Wushu Kungfu Federation) in Orlando, Florida, where 29 countries sent teams to compete. Zhang Yunchao won the championship in Mantis Boxing and the second place in Jianshu (Swordsmanship).
For his outstanding contributions to martial arts competition and teaching, Yunchao Zhang was awarded the President's Education Awards Program by then-President George W. Bush. In 2002, he was interviewed by Inside Kung Fu, a famous American Kung Fu magazine.
In the United States, it is difficult to get a firm foothold in the martial arts world without some real skills. And due to his small stature, Zhang Yunchao did not make a strong first impression on people—until they experienced his skills. In 2006, he met Joel Castillo, an American boxer with a passion in traditional Chinese martial arts, who had started learning martial arts at an early age. He was also a world champion and the founder of Aspen’s White Phoenix Kung Fu Academy in the United States for more than 10 years. Joel was well known in the martial arts world. After being introduced by a friend who was into martial arts, they met and competed against each other. Although Joel was tall with explosive strength and good in practical fighting, Zhang Yunchao defeated him in just a few moves. Joel then gladly invited Zhang Yunchao to teach at his kung fu academy in Aspen, Colorado, where he later became Zhang Yunchao’s student and then friend.
During Zhang Yunchao’s time teaching in Aspen, the American boxer was happy to share how Zhang Yunchao and he met, and that attracted a former Shotokan karate world champion from the 1970s, Jeffrey Klein. A veteran fighter, Mr. Klein was in 1970 honored by being selected to the United States team representing America in the first World Karate-do Championships, held in Tokyo, Japan. One day, Jeffrey visited the kung fu academy. He wanted Zhang Yunchao to have a match with him. He was a strong man, accompanied by two strong men, and the first thing he said was "Chinese martial arts look pretty but are actually useless." Zhang Yunchao knew that he had to defeat him swiftly to give him a proper understanding of traditional Chinese martial arts. In three strikes, Zhang won the match. Instead of getting angry, Jeffrey laughed, believing that he had seen the real traditional martial arts. Joel and Zhang Yunchao went to a bar for a celebratory drink, while Jeffrey made a call to Joel and shared the story with others.
As of today, Zhang Yunchao has been teaching traditional Chinese martial arts in the United States for over twenty years and has established a martial art school called Master Yun (Yun long in Chinese) Traditional Tai Chi and Kung Fu in the beautiful seaside city of Santa Barbara, California. The students include practitioners in the martial arts industry, entrepreneurs, scholars, artists, lawyers, Hollywood actors and others who love traditional Chinese martial arts. He not only teaches his students martial arts routines and practical applications, but also integrates Chinese traditional culture, allowing students to fully embrace the great wisdom inherent in traditional Chinese martial arts.
"You must appreciate the source of water when you drink (Have gratitude)." To this day, in his martial arts school, Zhang Yunchao still hangs pictures of the two great grand masters, Wang Yunpeng and Sun Wenbo, and his three instructors, Wang Qingzhai, Wu Haiqing, and Zhang Guoliang. Before practicing martial arts every day, he asks his students to salute the pictures of the great grand masters and instructors, as he did back then.