Master Ma Hong

Born in 1925, he lived in Shi Jia Zhuang in Hebei Province until his death in December 2013. He was introduced to Yang-Style Taiji Quan for health reasons in later life and subsequently turned to Chen Style under Chen Zhao Kui, the most iconic master of the penultimate generation of the Chen family and son of Chen Fa Ke, the style’s greatest proponent of the last century.

Studying with him in Beijing from 1972 to 1980, he twice spent several months in the house of the master in the Chen family village. Alongside his undoubted skill and learning, he possessed a powerful visual memory that allowed him to remember how a particular technique had been executed by the great masters.

He was in Italy for more than a month in August 1996 as a private guest at the home of Master Daniele, to whom he imparted knowledge of the forms (Lao Jia and Pao Chui) as Chen Fa Ke had handed them down to Chen Zhao Kui.