From The Director

When I began studying Tai Chi twenty years ago I was looking for a healthy physical exercise, a gentle martial art I could continue to practice as I got older. But I soon began to realize that Tai Chi was much more than that.

Professor Cheng Man-Ching was part of a centuries old lineage. He left China for New York to spread Eastern philosophy.

I have been fortunate to study with some of the leading Tai Chi teachers, all students of Prof. Cheng. As Cheng’s senior students aged I realized that an incredible legacy of timeless teachings was in danger of being lost. So Ken Van Sickle and I began work on this documentary in 2002.

Our interviews include: Maggie Newman, Ed Young, Bill Phillips, Natasha Gorky, Rene Houtidres, Don Hauser, Don Ahn, Ken Van Sickle, Harold Naderman, Carol Yamasaki, Claire Hooton, Myles McVane, Genny Kapuler, Kwok Hugh Ming, Robert Morningstar, Lori Reinstein and Katy, Patrick, Ellen & Wayne Cheng.

Cheng Man-Ching is an overlooked transformational figure whose valuable lessons are important and of practical value for Westerners. From his modest studio in Manhattan’s Chinatown he promoted understanding and taught his students how to try to live ethically and joyfully, a universal message that brings people together in peace. “Do unto others...” was more than a saying, it was Cheng’s way of life. 

Barry Strugatz