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.....Cha'ng,
Tung-sheng was born in 1908, the lunar year of the monkey, in the
Hopei province of China. His martial arts training began when he
was a young boy, and by the time he was in his late teens, he was
already widely acclaimed as a master. The nickname of "Flying
Butterfly" was given to him early in his career for his ability
to swiftly circle and ensnare his opponents. Grandmaster Ch'ang's
teacher was the famous Chang, Fang-yen who was well known as the
foremost expert in Pao-ting Shuai-chiao - the fastest and most powerful
of the three main branches of the art. Chang, Feng-yen was the top
disciple of Ping, Jing-yee, the legendary grandmaster of Chinese
Wrestling. General Ma, the first of the great masters to compile
ancient Shuai-chiao techniques for publication, was another prestigious
student of Ping, Jing-yee.
.....In
the 1933 National Kuo Shu (kung-fu) Elimination/Examination Tournament
(involving over one thousand participants), it was Master Ch'ang,
Tung Sheng who, at the age of twenty-five, emerged victorious as
the heavyweight Champion. The government sponsored games included
masters from all of China, in various styles, being examined (fist
forms or Talu) and battling each other in (free-sparring or San-shou)
all-out combat for supremacy. Fifteen years later, after traveling
throughout China, Grandmaster Ch'ang proved he was still number
one when he finished on top in the 1945 National Athletic Meet and
Shuai-chiao tournament. Having won the championship in the fifth,
and seventh national tournaments, Grandmaster Ch'ang moved on to
teach at the Central Police Academy in Taipei for nearly thirty
years. During that time, he was also the chief official for the
national tournaments, and Shuai-chiao competitions held in Taiwan.
In February of 1982 Grandmaster Ch'ang began promoting the art of
Shuai-chiao by traveling around the world. In the United States,
Grandmaster Ch'ang gave demonstrations and workshops to kung-fu
organizations, police departments,and universities. He also presided
over three US National tournaments.
.....The
unexpected death of Grandmaster Ch'ang on June 18, 1986, left the
world with many unanswered questions about Shuai-chiao. With his
passing, he took with him many secrets that have yet to be discovered
by those who still practice the art. However, Grandmaster Ch'ang
did leave some documented works that are currently being used by
some major Universities and Shuai-chiao organizations. These include
the standardized belt rank system that has been adopted by the USSA,
instructional videos and books, and the poem of Shuai-chiao. This
thirty character poem, which contains the essence of the Pao-ting
style of Shuai-chiao, has passed on through the generations and
is now the central core by which the true spirit of Shuai-chiao
perpetuates.
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