Oct 30, 2019
Mark Chen has written a valuable new book called "Chen Style Taijiquan Collected Masterworks: The History of a Martial Art." The book is a translation into English of some important documents that date back to the earliest days of Taijiquan. In this interview, Ken Gullette talks with Mark about the challenges of translating Chinese to English, and they explore the stories, legends and facts behind some of the Chen family's greatest masters, including Chen Wangting, Chen Changxing, and how Chen Zhaopi and Chen Fake went to Beijing and boosted the reputation of Chen Taiji as a martial art. Chen Zhaopi was born in 1893 and lived in the last generation when Taiji fighters would battle "bandits" (often revolutionaries) with swords. In the 21st Century, is Taiji more academic than it is practical? Is it still worth pursuing? Mark Chen is a formal rumen disciple of the late Grandmaster Chen Qingzhou.