Origins of Dayan Qigong: Grandmaster Yang Mei Jun
For 1,700 years Dayan Qigong was transmitted from a grandmaster to a carefully selected apprentice. In 1908 Grandmaster Yang De Shan, the lineage holder at that time, selected his 13-year-old grand daughter as his apprentice. When she agreed to pursue this destiny, she was instructed not to tell anyone, and not to teach anyone until she reached the age of 70.
Yang Mei Jun kept those promises and devoted herself to the practice of qigong and martial arts for the rest of her life. Her story is a tale of courage, supreme dedication, instincts, wise vision, and service to humanity.
At age 70 Grandmaster Yang realized that it was time to share the gifts of Dayan Qigong with the world. So, breaking with tradition, she started teaching all across China. She also cultivated a group of “inside students” in whom she invested a considerable amount of time and energy. Through this small group of trusted and devoted protégés, she successfully shared one of China’s most important gifts of health, wellness, and peace throughout the world. On July 23, 2002, just days before her 108th birthday, Grandmaster Yang transitioned peacefully knowing that her teachings would continue and that her dreams had been fulfilled.
One of Grand Master Yang Mei Jun’s hand-picked protégés was Master Liu Hui Ju, of the Wen Wu School of Martial Arts, in El Cerrito, CA. Master Liu was born in Hopei province, in a village 300 miles north of Beijing. Her father Liu Ru Tung was a scholar and a master plum blossom painter Her mother was an expert cook and clothing designer. As a child Master Liu practiced martial arts and painting, and walked over 20 miles a day to attend school. Her impressive academic achievements enabled her to become the only girl in her village able to seek higher education. She taught painting at various high schools and colleges in Taiwan for many years before immigrating to the U.S. with her husband, Shifu/Dr. Chiang Yun Chung, and their growing family.
In 1972 Shifu Chiang and Master Liu co-founded the Wen Wu School of Martial Arts that is currently located in El Cerrito, CA. Over the years they have taught thousands of students in many venues across the U.S.A., in Europe, Taiwan, and in China. They are the recipients of many international awards and recognitions as masters of martial arts, qigong, Chinese painting, and Chinese calligraphy.
In 2004 Master Hui Liu was honored with the International Qigong Master of the YearAward by the World Qigong Association. In 2000 Shifu Chiang and Master Liu retired from teaching to devote more time to painting, meditation and writing, and cultivating WWS teachers to continue the legacy of the WWS grandmasters.
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