Sifu Liang De Hua – Martial Arts History

Sifu Liang could you please share how you first came to study Taijiquan?

I was born in Hong Kong. My father came from Foshan. We are Cantonese people. My father knew some Hung Gar fist and also some Wu style Taiji from Hong Kong, so when we moved to Thailand, he started to teach me both of those arts. When I was in high school I became involved in some fights with gangs and other students, so because of this, my father decided that he would stop teaching me. I later went on to study at university but was still having many problems in my life and found myself involved in several dangerous situations. Then one day I saw a movie about Zhang Sanfeng. It was a kung fu movie that talked about Taijiquan and philosophy. The film made me look at myself and helped me to realize that I needed to make some significant changes and try to improve my life. So I started looking for Taiji, even though I didn’t know anything about the style. Even when my father was teaching me, I wasn’t aware and didn’t understand that he was showing me Wu style. In Thailand, at that time there weren’t any books you could read to learn about Taiji, and there wasn’t any internet available, so the only option I had was to look for someone who could teach me. With the help of some friends, I found a teacher. He explained that what he was practicing is Yang Chen Fu style Taijiquan. I had no idea who Yang Chen Fu was. I just wanted to learn. I visited him many times asking him if he would teach me, until one day he finally agreed and accepted me as his student. After around six months of training with that Sifu, he explained that his older cousin from China would be visiting Thailand and I should learn from him. When he told me this, I was confused and didn’t know why I needed to learn from anyone else when I already had a teacher. However, he explained that this master is very skilled because he has learned many styles including Yang Chen Fu and Yang Shaohou style. So following my Sifu’s recommendation, I began to learn from him.

What did the Master from China teach you?

When I began training with him, he taught me the middle frame, longhands and two small framesets. Also, he showed me the fast frame and several push hand techniques including how to use your fingers when pushing. How to strike the pressure points. How to seize the tendons and many other things. Even at that time I still didn’t fully understand the history of Yang Chen Fu or Yang Shaohou, I just trained hard and continued to learn it. Before learning with these two masters, I was drinking a lot and was involved in many bad things like I mentioned before. But after learning from him, I never touched alcohol again and returned to university to complete my studies. My life began to improve dramatically.

When you first crossed hands with the Master how did he feel?

When we first met, I can say that I wasn’t convinced about his skill. When we touched the first time, I placed my guard in front of my face, and he just pushed my fist into my nose. Then not too long after, I got the opportunity to touch with him again for the second time. He touched my arm and used Fa-Jin, sending me flying out of the store into the road. I had no idea what happened or how he did it.

Was training with this Master intense?

Yes, sure. He would come to the store where I was working every day to teach and train me. I was living in the store with my first teacher, so I would practice with him in-between also. Sometimes the Master would have to leave Thailand and fly back to China for a few weeks, so I would train with my original teacher when he wasn’t there. I still feel fortunate to have found these people who shared something extraordinary with me and helped me get my life back on track.

Have you trained any other styles since learning Taijiquan?

Yes, I have learned Xingyi, Bajiquan and also studied some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I have also studied some throwing techniques and Shuai Jiao (Chinese wrestling). You know after several years of training my ability to perform other styles is decreasing. However, my Taiji is improving. As my age increases, everything else decreases, only Taiji is following my age. So I have quit and stopped training everything else, I just concentrate on Taiji now. You know Taijiquan is about understanding. Understanding yourself and understanding your opponent. Your ability to truly understand something seems to improve as you get older and wiser.

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting to learn Taijiquan or any other Chinese martial art?

Well because I can read Chinese, I have done a lot of research into Taijiquan. I have read many books written by the old masters and learned about the Taiji principles. I would say when it comes to the old books; I have read most of them. So I think that nowadays it’s okay because we have the internet and China has opened up their country. Not like 20 years before when it was hard to gain access to the information. I believe that there are no secrets now. You can even go to Amazon and buy the books, everything is available, and it helps. This gives you the opportunity to understand the art and even in some cases find a good teacher that can help. Even videos of old Masters using Fa-Jin are available to watch on the internet, so you can see for yourself what is Taiji. Learning how to suspend your crown and understand the difference between Sōng and relaxing, for example, can defiantly help too. So do more research and find a good teacher.

Learn the traditional Taiji spear training of the Yang-family with Sifu Liang Dehua