Professor Huo Chi Kwang

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Alan Ludmer
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Professor Huo Chi Kwang

Post by Alan Ludmer » Mon Jun 16, 2008 10:56 am

Dear Scott,
Some questions have been raised on this site regarding Professor Huo Chi Kwang, his linage, the Yang Personal Family Form, and his relationship to Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan. I was a private student of Professor Huo from 1969-1972 and studied regularly with him from 1974 through the mid 1980s. The Professor taught several Tai Chi forms, Ba Gua, Hsing I, and sword. My primary study was a highly complex form which the Professor called the Yang Family Personal Style. It appears to be very similar to your Michuan form. The Professor stated to me that he learned this Personal Family Form from the Yang Family. He did not claim personal authorship. Although, a student of Yang Shao Huo, the Professor never stated that he learned this form from Shao Huo. To the best of my knowledge, he never mentioned Master Wang or Michuan.

I find it impossible to believe that a person of Professor Huo’s professional standing and personal integrity would tell students that he stole this form from another teacher. All his long term students agree that the Professor: was reticent about his personal life and linage; had limited English skills, and from 1970 on grew increase deaf. I believe that what some student (?) of the Professor may have stated is due to a miss-understanding.

The Professor moved to Taiwan in 1949 and worked with a number of noted masters. Master Wang stated that the Professor studied with him and that the Professor had a form mastered when he came to Taiwan. With all respect, we probably will never have an authoritative understanding of where and how the Professor learned the Personal Family form and what he may or may not have received from Master Wang. The key point is that we respect one another and strive to be worthy students of our arts.

With all respect and best wishes to you and your school,

Alan Ludmer
Alan Ludmer

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Huo Chi Kwang & the Yangjia Michuan System

Post by Scott M. Rodell » Mon May 10, 2010 3:40 pm

Alan Ludmer wrote:... regarding Professor Huo Chi Kwang, his linage, the Yang Personal Family Form, and his relationship to Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan... It appears to be very similar to your Michuan form. The Professor stated to me that he learned this Personal Family Form from the Yang Family. He did not claim personal authorship. Although, a student of Yang Shao Huo, the Professor never stated that he learned this form from Shao Huo. To the best of my knowledge, he never mentioned Master Wang or Michuan.
In a different thread, I questioned the claim that teacher Huo had studied taijiquan with Yang Shao-hou. As I explained at that time, the reason I questioned this was that there were students of his who were teaching the Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan form who were also stating that Huo had learned this form from Yang. I also explain that several of his students came to me to correct their form & they stated that they knew this claim to be false & that Huo had learned the form from Wang Yen-nien. Furthermore, several of my Chinese classmates had told me they were present when Huo learned the Michuan form from Wang Yen-nien. Understandably, students & grand-students of Wang Yen-nein took exception to this. Though I was the only one who said anything publicly.

After I was contacted directly by Alan Ludmer, I believe I understand where the misunderstanding, on all sides, has came from. (See below statement concerning the relationship of WYN & HCK). Alan explained to me that teacher Hou's English was not particularly good & that he rarely discussed lineage. This apparently lead to students & grand-students of Huo misidentifying where their version of the Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan form came from. My statement that Huo's claim to be a student of Yang Shao-hou was false was based on this incorrect claim, that his version of the Yangjia Michuan form came from Yang Shao-hou. Having spoked with Alan, I can accept that Huo did study with Yang. But in fairness, part of the blame for the error in my statement must be placed with Huo himself for not making his lineage clear to his student. I do not say this as an attack on Huo, but I believe that any member of his lineage who has taken offense at anything I said, should considered that the misunderstanding began with this lack of information. And in fairness, they should also understand why students of the Michuan Lineage have felt that our lineage had been slighted. After all, if one of us learned something from Huo, but didn't give him proper credit, would not they also take exception to that?
Alan Ludmer wrote:... I find it impossible to believe that a person of Professor Huo’s professional standing and personal integrity would tell students that he stole this form from another teacher. All his long term students agree that the Professor: was reticent about his personal life and linage; had limited English skills, and from 1970 on grew increase deaf. I believe that what some student (?) of the Professor may have stated is due to a miss-understanding.
I do not recall any of the students who said they understood that the Michuan form that came thru Huo to have been learned by Huo from Wang, saying that Huo stated he stole it. My sense was that they were frustrated by the lack of clarity & not knowing the source & thus being unable, for a time, to study in the Michuan lineage..
Alan Ludmer wrote:... Master Wang stated that the Professor studied with him and that the Professor had a form mastered when he came to Taiwan...
"What is the relationship between Professor Huo Chi-kuan's secret family style and Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan?
Huo Chi-kuan (HCK) was a native of Shanxi Province, as I am, and he was a member of the Republic of China's National Assembly in Taiwan. I was invited to teach Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan to members of the National Assembly and HCK attended those classes.

Many people told me his taijiquan did not look exacly like Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan and they wondered why Huo Chi Kwang did not teach or practice neigong when teaching taijiquan.

The differences in the form are probably because even before taking classes with me at the National Assembly, he already knew a Yang Style of taijiquan, which he had learned in mainland China, and therefore mixed together what he knew from before with what he learned with me later.

As for why he did not include neigong in his practice of taijiquan, I cannot explain."

Quoted from -
http://www.ymti.org/us/modules/xoopsfaq ... at_id=6#q7
Alan Ludmer wrote:... The key point is that we respect one another and strive to be worthy students of our arts... With all respect and best wishes to you and your school...
& to you Alan... I hope our two schools have an opportunity to train together & mutually advance our skills & the art we love. I doubt that either Huo or Wang would want us to waste energy contending with each other...

Don
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Re: Professor Huo Chi Kwang

Post by Don » Mon Oct 18, 2010 11:28 am

Much of the "controversy" has been enabled by 3 generations of Huo Chi-kwang's students who assert[ed] that he learned the Michuan form from Yang Shou Hou as in the following:
With these abilities as a foundation, Yang Lu Shan created his own style Tai Chi Chuan. The style could be used and practice with very small steps and actions. Yang taught his sons and his inner circle this new technology, the Yangjia Michuan. However, it takes years to develop these deeper skills, so he created forms and drills that gradually transitioned an external style fighter into an internal Tai Chi stylist. To this end he created a form, the Old Yang form, which later would be the foundation of the Wu style of Wu Chuan-yu His oldest son Yang Pan Hou continued to train and teach this small frame style to senior officers of the Imperial Guard while his other son Yang Chien Hou taught a larger frame to the lesser Imperial Guards. Lu Shan's grandson Yang Shao Hou perfected the entire system and trained Professor Hou Chi Kwan in the Yangjia Michuan.
-- http://www.whitewillowtaichi.com/home/a ... i_Chi.html

As an aside, it is interesting to compare Michael Felkoff's <i>Seven Golden Movements</i> with Wang Yen-nien's Basic Exercises:
Master Felkoff has been featured in many newspapers, magazines and television appearances over the years. He also produced an excellent instructional video on Tai-Chi Chuan, specifically a short Chi Kung form entitled, The Seven Golden Movements, which is from the “Secret Family Style” of Yang.
-- http://www.themedicalspas.com/featured_ ... elkoff.php

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rich46341
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Re: Professor Huo Chi Kwang

Post by rich46341 » Tue Oct 26, 2010 3:44 pm

Master Felkoff I know of him from when I study Tegners tai chi he said that name a few times, and remember him from Chicago back in the 60s.
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Re: Professor Huo Chi Kwang

Post by Scott M. Rodell » Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:05 am

Don wrote:Much of the "controversy" has been enabled by 3 generations of Huo Chi-kwang's students who assert[ed] that he learned the Michuan form from Yang Shou Hou as in the following:
... Yang Shao Hou perfected the entire system and trained Professor Hou Chi Kwan in the Yangjia Michuan. Professor Hou taught his version of Michuan.
That is certainly a historically incorrect claim, please see comment from above:

"...I was contacted directly by Alan Ludmer, I believe I understand where the misunderstanding, on all sides, has come from... Alan explained to me that teacher Hou's English was not particularly good & that he rarely discussed lineage. This apparently lead to students & grand-students of Huo misidentifying where their version of the Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan form came from..."

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