Cheng Tin-hung
Cheng Tin-hung was born in the village of San Xiang in Guangdong Province in 1930. He learned Tai Chi Chuan from his uncle Cheng Wing-kwong initially and then from Qi Min-xuan. In 1950 Cheng Tin-hung became a full time Tai Chi Chuan instructor in Hong Kong at a time when many famous teachers were active in Hong Kong. The competition included Yang Sau-chung, Wu Kung-yi, Tung Ying-jie and Cheng Wing-kwong, his own uncle. He trained Full-contact fighters who more often than not smashed their hard style Kung-Fu opponents to defeat. He trained teachers to train teachers. He was known in his younger days as the tai chi bodyguard because he would stand up for Tai Chi practitioners everywhere with fist or weapon. He has written four books on Tai Chi Chuan.
The Late Dan Docherty, founder of Practical Tai Chi Chuan
Dan Docherty was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1954. He graduated LL.B in 1974.
He served as an inspector in the Royal Hong Kong Police Force from 1975 - 84. He has been training in Tai Chi Chuan under Cheng Tin-hung since 1975.
He has represented Hong Kong in Full-contact fighting, in
1980 winning the Open Weight Division at the 5th South
East Asian Chinese Pugilistic Championships in Malaysia.
In 1985 he was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in
Chinese from Ealing College, London.
He was based in London and travels extensively teaching
and writing about Tai Chi Chuan. Dan passed away in 2021.
Link below is for Dan's website.
https://www.taichichuan.co.uk/
Introduction - what is Tai Chi Chuan
By Cheng Tin-Hung and Dan Docherty
Tai Chi Chuan is a Chinese form of exercise derived from Taoism, one of China's oldest belief systems. The practice of Tai Chi Chuan is beneficial to health and it is also a subtle, sophisticated and scientific method of self-defence.
Since this system of exercise is suitable for people of all ages and requires little or no special equipment, it has gained an enthusiastic reception all over the world.
Tai Chi Chuan evolved to help people improve their physical health, equip them to defend themselves against wild beasts and bandits, and also improve their powers of meditation. In other words, Tai Chi Chuan enables people to survive through fitness and self-defence.
Advantages of practising Tai Chi Chuan are good exercise which enables us to develop a healthy body as well as an alert mind. It is a system of exercise suitable for people of all ages.
This exercise requires little or no special equipment. It can be practised in a relatively small area either indoors or outdoors. When performed in a slow and relaxed manner, the Tai Chi Chuan Hand Form offers a balanced drill for the body's muscles and joints through the execution of complex manoeuvres in
conjunction with deep regulated breathing and the contraction and expansion of the diaphragm.
The deep breathing promoted by the slow practice of the Hand Form causes the diaphragm to expand
outwards and downwards and contract inwards and upwards. This movement of the diaphragm gently 'massages' the liver and intestines. Deep breathing also promotes a greater intake of air into the lungs
than usual. Thus a greater amount of oxygen is available for consumption which increases blood
circulation. In so doing it also expands the blood vessels which serve the heart and intestines.
Therefore Tai Chi Chuan helps prevent thrombosis and many other ailments of the heart and intestines.
The performance of the Hand Form creates a tranquil state of mind through concentration
on the movements. In the long term, Hand Form stimulates the central nervous system, which increases the well-being of all the organs of the body. As our muscles move when practising Tai Chi Chuan, they exert pressure on our veins, forcing our blood to flow towards the heart, improving our
circulation.
The exercise that the stomach muscles receive will improve the digestion, leading to an increased appetite and the prevention of constipation. The graceful movements of Tai Chi Chuan can lead to changes in our disposition, making us more even-tempered and slow to anger.
Practical Tai Chi Edinburgh 