back to home
-History
of Wu Tang
-The Goals of Wu Tang
The
Wu Tang Chinese Martial Arts Center was founded in 1971 by Grandmaster
Yuen- Chiao Liu in Taiwan. His purpose was to organize, research and exalt
authentic Chinese martial arts. By 1992, when he passed away, Grandmaster
Liu and his disciples had instructed more than thirty thousand students
and were on the teaching staff of over 20 colleges. The Wu Tang Chinese
Martial Arts Center has become the largest and most popular independent
Kung Fu school in Taiwan. Grandmaster Liu's effort in the development
of Wu Tang played a crucial role in the modern history of Chinese martial
arts by bringing the accessibility and popularity of Kung Fu training
back into the Chinese community.
Grandmaster Liu was a native of Ho Pei province
which had produced many famous martial artists in the history of China.
He began his training in 1915 at the age of six to improve his physique
under the guidance of his family bodyguard. Later he learned his trademark
of Pa Chi Chuan under Su-Wen Lee and studied with Lee for almost twenty
years. With unique opportunities, Grandmaster Liu also studied with the
finest Grandmasters of the era in the disciplines of Praying Mantis, Tai
Chi Chuan, Pa Kua Chuan and many classical weapons, most famously the
long spear. In 1968, General Ling- Sheng Kung recommended Grandmaster
Liu to serve as the head trainer for President Kai- Shek Chiang's bodyguards.
In addition, 
Grandmaster
Liu also trained members of the National Security and Intelligence, including
the very famous military special force, The Night Eagle. All four presidents
of Republic of China (Taiwan) respected Grandmaster Liu and treated him
as a "Mentor" during the time of his service. Grandmaster Liu's training
background, military career, his relationship with 
the
presidents and the effort to expand Chinese martial arts world wide had
made his life a truly unique experience that no
one else can match.
In 1981, Master Chang-Lin Charles Chen established Wu Tang Chinese Martial Arts Center USA ("Wu Tang USA") when he was perusing his Ph.D. in computer science in United States. A first generation disciple of Grandmaster Liu, Master Chen studied with him for more than twenty years and was in charge of the Wu Tang Chinese Martial Arts Center in Taiwan for years before he came the United States. In close to twenty years of hard work by all of the people involved, the Wu Tang USA not only has maintained the original spirit and style of martial arts training but also has devoted on developing and integrating training programs, standardizing form materials and establishing the Wu Tang ranking system.
The words Wu Tang literally mean "a place of martial arts"; and imply to all aspects of martial arts, including the people, the culture and the tangible techniques. Here at Wu Tang, the training of Chinese martial arts is to achieve the following six goals:
1. To understand Chinese culture
through the physical training of martial arts 
Chinese martial arts is the core of the
Chinese culture; it has incorporated the three main beliefs of China
into it: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The Buddhism teaches people
to be without desire, or materialistic expectation. Only when a practitioner
truly understand the mindset of the Buddhism can one progress in the
training of Chinese martial arts. The Taoism study helps to open people's
mind in the observation of the nature, 
and
further understanding the principles of the world. With these knowledge
of nature principles, one can be in harmony with the world under all
different situations. Confucianism is the practical part of Chinese
philosophy. Focusing on the interpersonal communication and relationships
of the society, Confucianism is still valid in today's world and is
essentially the dominating philosophy in the majority of the Asian societies.
Chinese martial arts is the Chinese culture; they can 
not
be separated or filtered through so one can learn just one or the other.
After the students have learned and practiced Chinese martial arts,
they will find the balance in the world and start to enjoy their life
on a total different level.
2. To develop a total personality through the practice of Chinese martial arts
Different from military training, or recreational sports, training in the Chinese martial arts helps everyone to explore the unlimited potential of each individual and how we can achieve the goals we set for ourselves. Each student at Wu Tang would develop the characters of wisdom, kindness, braveness, persistence and humbleness. They also learn the virtue of loyalty, humanity, faith, peace, filial piety, love, friendship and equality. These qualities not only help each person to reach a higher level in the martial arts field but also enhance each individual's interpersonal skills.
3. To provide a modern facility of training in Chinese martial arts
Wu Tang has established standardized materials for the students to train and progress through a systematic approach. With a clear guideline on promotion and ranking of the students, Wu Tang opens its door to people of all ages and training background to participate in a program that is scientific and time-proven. In addition, the academic portion of Wu Tang curriculum encourages students to research the subject of martial arts and formulate their own opinions so that each student can become a complete martial artist.
4. To further research and develop Chinese martial arts
After almost a whole century of war and instability in the Chinese society, many great masters and their knowledge are lost forever. With recent increased popularity of Wu Shu which emphasizes on performance and showmanship, recovering and reconstructing Chinese martial art has become that much more important for people who want to learn authentic Chinese martial arts for the reasons other than performance and exercises.
5. To promote a healthy life style through regular and proper exercise
Cardiovascular (heart) and pulmonary (lung) related diseases have been among the top five causes of death in industrialized countries, including the United States. Exercise done properly on a regular basis has been shown to reduce many risks of health problems and are recommended by everyone in the medical field. For the purpose of improving health, Chinese martial arts utilize the soft and gentle movements combined with specific breathing pattern to condition the heart and lungs of each individual through the steady and continuous demand of exercise on the body. Instead of burning calories in the form of exercise like aerobic, jogging or resistant training, the Chinese martial arts cultivate the body internally by converting the energy of "Chi" to build strength. The result of these specifically designed movements is that they strengthen the body externally, adjusting and stimulate the organs internally and improve coordination systematically. The enormous benefits of practicing Chinese martial arts are shared by millions of people world wide.
6. To reunite the art and combat skill in Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts is very practical in the everyday life. Besides the culture and philosophy discussed above, one also enjoys the confidence of knowing that these combat techniques can be used in many dangerous situations. An increased confidence in the Chinese martial arts training can translate into an increased productivity in both the classroom for students and performance in the work field for the professionals.