Our Teachers and Lineage
Ma, Long
Ma Long was born in Heilongjiang Province, China. From 1993, during his college years in Beijing, he began to learn Chen Style Taijiquan with Mr. Deng Jie, who was the student of the 9th Chen Taiji descendent, Chen Fa-ke. In 2003, Ma Long met Ma Laiwang, a well-known traditional Chinese martial art master, and continued to study Chen Style Taijiquan with him since then. In 2018, with a formal ceremony, he became an official disciple of Master Ma Laiwang.
During his studies with Teacher Deng Jie, Ma Long had already started teaching for the teacher. After coming to the United States in 2006, he began to teach Taijiquan to Americans, and nowadays his students are gradually dispersing throughout America. In the combined process of teaching while learning, Ma long has accumulated tremendous teaching experience. His teaching is not limited to the form, but is very individualized to the characteristics of each student, so that each person can form his or her own style according to one’s own personality.
After becoming a disciple and under the devoting guidance of Master Ma Laiwang, Ma Long had more profound understanding of Taijiquan theory and great improvement of Taijiquan practice. It sets solid theoretical and practical foundations for his future teaching career.
Adhering to the respect for traditional culture, and strictly following Master Ma Laiwang’s instruction on “Returning to the origin of Chinese martial arts” and “Be an unequivocal teacher”, Ma Long determined to be the successor and advocate of Chinese traditional martial arts. During his teaching, he strives to guide the students to truly understand Taijiquan, enjoy Taijiquan practice, and fully experience the charm of Taijiquan. At the same time, he helps the students to explore as much as possible the influence of Taiji Yin Yang culture on life beyond Taijichuan practice, and let Taiji become a life attitude.
Ma, Laiwang
Mr. Ma, LaiWang belongs to the 19th generation of the Chen Style Taijiquan heritage. He is a master of Chinese traditional martial arts, and a well-known practitioner and educator who advocates and promotes the culture of kung fu to the general public.
Master Ma was born in Beijing. His ancestors taught family inherited martial arts. He started learning this family rooted arts from a very young age, and thus established a very solid foundation. He started practice in wrestling when he was 7 years old with his father and his junior sports school teacher, Mr. Ma Xing. Later, he followed his father’s good friend, Yang Wenrong, to learn a family inherited Hongquan as well as an esoteric Taijiquan, Wu Xing Tai Yi Taiji, which has a longer history than the Chen Style.
At the age of 10, he was introduced by Yang Wenrong to Mr. Lin Qingshan, from whom he studied Neigong (Internal vital energy) and Family Yinyang Palm and Cape Blade (also known as Qiankun Ruyi Blade). A veteran of the Martial Arts, Mr. Lin Qingshan is a Buddhist monk in Mount Emei, who went to Beijing in the early 1950s, aquatinted and made friends with some Buddhists and many Martial Artists of different styles. Under Mr. Lin’s guidance, Ma LaiWang practiced both internal and external skills of martial arts, and well prepared for the future integration of various styles of martial arts into his own.
After age 15, per Mr. Yang Wenrong’s recommendation, Ma LaiWang started to practice Chen Style Taijiquan with Lei Muni, one of Master Chen Fa-ke's first disciples in the capital city. Two years later, in 1971, Lei introduced Ma LaiWang to Master Chen Fa-ke's son, Chen Zhaokui, to learn the form and usage. Lei Muni then introduced him to Master Feng Zhiqiang, who formally accepted Ma, Laiwang as his disciple in July 1971, witnessed by Lei Muni and Yang Wenrong. From then on, Master Ma received comprehensive instruction and training in many aspects of Chen style Taijiquan forms as well as push hand, Fist Boxing and Qin Na (joint lock) from Lei Muni, Chen Zhaokui, Tian Xiuchen and Master Feng Zhiqiang, collectively known as the “Four Brothers of Chen Style Taijiquan in Beijing”. After years of practice, his Chen-style Taijiquan has been highly praised by Master Feng Zhiqiang as the most authentic Taiji Kungfu.
In 1978, Beijing Institute of Physical Education initiated a filmmaking project of Chen Style Taijiquan. With other masters' recommendation, Ma, LaiWang was invited to take part in the preparation and organization of the shooting. For the first time, the 83-form and 71-form styles of Chen Style Taijiquan, performed by Master Chen Fa-ke's disciples, were video recorded. It has now become extremely valuable historical material. Then Master Ma accompanied Tian Xiuchen in teaching Chen style Taijiquan in Beijing Institute of Physical Education. This was the beginning of Master Ma‘s teaching career of Martial Arts.
In the late 1980s, with Master Feng Zhiqiang's consent, Master Ma started to teach traditional kung fu to the general public. He has been teaching at Peking University, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fa Yuan Temple (aka. Chinese Academy of Buddhism). For decades, tens of thousands of people have studied martial arts with Master Ma, and his disciples and students are now all over the world.
In his martial arts, Master Ma inherited the essence of many traditional schools and styles. He has profound understanding in the internal and external techniques as well as skills of various traditional weapons. In particular, Taiji Yinyang Palm, Taijiquan, Cape Blade, Songxi Sword are his four signature skills. Ma's martial arts attainments perfectly illustrate the achievements of Chinese traditional martial arts, which aims at actual combat in the cold weapon era.
Master Ma, LaiWang has led a life of high virtues in martial arts. For many years, he has been devoting all his efforts to the development of Chinese traditional martial arts. Master Ma a has set a great example in martial arts practice and is deeply respected and loved by his students as well as martial arts lovers.