I have never met two of the most important men in my life. Professor Cheng Man-ching, one of the greatest tai chi masters of modern times, died in 1975, while Dr Wang Ju-yi, a giant in the global Chinese medicine community, passed away in 2017. Both men excelled in their fields and both taught far and wide from their native China. Which is why, living in London as I do, I feel their influence every day, from the moment I start my day with rounds of t’ai chi, to the hours in clinic applying classical Chinese medicine to modern ailments.
What Professor Chang and Dr Wang had in common was the desire to spread their knowledge to as many people as possible. National borders did not constrain them. They had many senior students inside and outside China, who in turn made it their goal to transmit this knowledge faithfully and with precision.
The other day I read a notice from Jason Robertson, one of Dr Wang's senior students, to mark the second anniversary of the doctor's passing. On that day I was attending a tai chi training in Sardinia, facilitated by four senior students of Patrick Watson, who studied with Professor Cheng. I felt so fortunate to be a recipient of such ‘transmission’ of knowledge. In my own way I am passing this on to future generations. Long may that continue.
What Professor Chang and Dr Wang had in common was the desire to spread their knowledge to as many people as possible. National borders did not constrain them. They had many senior students inside and outside China, who in turn made it their goal to transmit this knowledge faithfully and with precision.
The other day I read a notice from Jason Robertson, one of Dr Wang's senior students, to mark the second anniversary of the doctor's passing. On that day I was attending a tai chi training in Sardinia, facilitated by four senior students of Patrick Watson, who studied with Professor Cheng. I felt so fortunate to be a recipient of such ‘transmission’ of knowledge. In my own way I am passing this on to future generations. Long may that continue.
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