National Taiji successor – Zhai Weichuan

Zhai Weichuan, born in January 1942 in Yongnian Guangfu City, is a fifth-generation outstanding Wu 武 Taijiquan practitioner, an inheritor of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage, an eighth-degree Duan of the Chinese Wushu Association, a national Taijiquan master, a consultant to the Taijiquan Committee of the Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association, an expert of the Taijiquan Committee of the Chinese Senior Physical Culture Association, an expert member of the World Blue Book of Taijiquan, and an expert of the Taijiquan Working Committee of the Chinese Sports Education Training Center. He is currently the honorary director of the Yongnian Yuxiang Taijiquan Research Institute, a member of the China Wushu Association, an expert member of the Hebei Wushu Association, vice president of the Hebei Wushu Culture Promotion Association, a visiting professor at Henan University, a visiting professor at Handan College, a consultant for the Handan Taijiquan Sports Promotion Association, and honorary president of the Hong Kong Wu Taijiquan Association. He also serves as a consultant and honorary president of numerous other martial arts organizations both domestically and internationally.

Zhai Weichuan began studying Wu Taijiquan at the age of 12. He studied successively under fourth-generation Wu Taijiquan masters Wei Peilin and Yao Jizu. He studied Taijiquan theory and methods comprehensively and systematically, thus coming to understanding the essence of Wu Taijiquan. He inherited and developed this knowledge, eventually becoming a renowned master.

During his 50 years of teaching, he traveled extensively throughout the country, popularizing the Wu Taijiquan style also in Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and other countries and regions. Over 10,000 people followed him to learn Wu Taijiquan. His inner circle disciples included Zhai Shizong, Jia Haiqing, Chen Jiqiang, Zhang Jiahuan, and over 200 others.

Since the 1980s, he has repeatedly formed teams that have participated in international and national martial arts competitions, winning over 50 individual awards, over 20 team awards, and over 300 team member accolades. He has been repeatedly elected as Deputy Secretary General of the annual China Jiaozuo International Tai Chi Conference and as a consultant to the China Handan International Tai Chi Conference. As a Wu Taijiquan master, he has been invited to participate in Taijiquan conferences in Hong Kong, Wudang Mountain, Hangzhou, and elsewhere, where he leads masterclasses and provides expert mentoring. He has lectured at Henan University, Peking University, Guanghua School of Management, Beijing Institute of Technology, Handan University, and other institutions of higher education, explaining in an accessible way the cultural connotations, internal training methods, and fundamentals of practical applications of traditional Wu Taijiquan, helping students understand the appeal of Wu Taijiquan.

In addition to teaching Taijiquan, Mr. Zhai wrote extensively. Over 30 articles have been published in journals such as Chinese Wushu, Wulin, and Wudang. He participated in compiling the official Wu-style competition form. He assisted his mentor, Yao Jizu, in preparing the “Complete Book of Wu-style Taijiquan.” His printed works include “Wu Style Taijiquan”, “37 Sequences of Wu Style Taijiquan”, “13 Repeated Sequences of Wu Style Taiji Sword”, “Wu Style Taiji Broadsword”, “Wu Style Taijiquan Pole”, “Explanation of Wu Style Taijiquan”, “Old Frame of Wu Style Taijiquan”, “Small Frame of Wu Style Taijiquan”, “Tui Shou of Wu Style Taijiquan”, “Traditional 108-Movements Form of Wu Style Taijiquan”, “46-Movements Competition Form of Wu Style Taijiquan”, “37-Movements Essential Form of Wu Style Taijiquan”, “28-Movements Simplified Form of Wu Style Taijiquan”, “Basic Exercises of Wu Style Taijiquan”, “26-Movements Form of Wu Style Taijiquan for Seniors”, “Literary Traces of Martial Art”.

He has also published numerous video CDs: “108 Movements Traditional Form of Wu Taijiquan,” “36 Movements Simplified Form of Wu Taijiquan,” “58 Fighting Methods of Wu Taijiquan,” “Sword and Broadsword of Wu Taijiquan,” “Spear and Pole of Wu Taijiquan,” “Zhan Zhuang and Small Frame of Wu Taijiquan,” “Four Types of Tui Shou and Methods of Using Force in Wu Taijiquan,” “Mental Work in Taijiquan,” “Body Methods in Taijiquan,” and “Practical Applications of Taijiquan.” These works and video are widely distributed both domestically and internationally. Information about him can be found in dictionaries such as “Dictionary of Chinese National Martial Artists,” “Directory of World Celebrities,” “Dictionary of the Chinese Soul – Chinese Talents in All Industries,” and “Dictionary of Contemporary Chinese Martial Artists.”

Translated from Chinese by Andrzej Kalisz