Professor Cheng Man Ching (鄭曼青), born in 1902, began his study of Chinese medicine and art with his mother. He continued to apprentice in the arts until he became a college professor of painting and poetry. He studied with Yang Cheng Fu (楊澄甫), ghost-writing Yang’s second book and later teaching Tai Chi at the Central Military Academy of the Republic of China. He later moved to Taiwan, where he served as personal physician to Chiang Kai Shek and painting teacher to Soong Mei-ling. In 1964, Professor Cheng came to New York City, where he founded the Shr Jung Tai Chi Chuan Society (時中太極拳社會).
Wolfe Lowenthal studied with Professor Cheng in New York City from 196X to 1975 and is known as one of the “Little SIx” of 12 senior students. After Professor’s death, Wolfe continued to practice and teach Tai Chi in New York, founding Long River Tai Chi Circle. He eventually relocated to Western Massachusetts and wrote three books about his experience studying with Professor Cheng. These books reached wide, bringing Long River to communities across the United States, Canada, Colombia, Spain, France, Scotland, and England.
I came to Long River in 2017, after a lifelong study of hard-style martial arts, and found the soft, playful practice of Tai Chi to be a revelation. I later received an MA in Chinese Language and Literature for the purpose of teaching Chinese as a second language and expanding Long River’s access to Professor Cheng’s previously untranslated work. I have been fortunate to study with Wolfe Lowenthal and Ed Young, both direct students of Professor Cheng and have their sage wisdom in my translation efforts.