White Crane Tai Chi Chuan

The complete name of our style is Frost & Sun White Crane Gentle Yielding Boxing (Shuang Yang Bai He Rou Ruan Chuan), however we refer to it as Shuang Yang for short. It’s history is somewhat shrouded, however, it’s earliest recorded mention is from Master Ang of the Nam Yang Association in the 1950’s.

Master Ang learned the art from Mioa Sian Meng who was a monk from the Chuan Chew Shaolin Temple. Apart from snippets of information that have been passed on very little else is known about the origins of the art but it is recognised as a legitimate style of tai chi by the Chinese Wushu Association.

It survives as a very rare example of white crane that is only taught by a handful of schools around the world. In fact, we are the first and only school in Scotland to be teaching Shuang Yang. The art is pragmatic, authentic, and direct and can be practiced for martial skill, but also for it’s multifarious benefits such as strength, balance, mental well-being, and overall health regardless of one’s physical abilities.

The style consists of one long form of 66 moves, a shorter version, and various two person drills. The style is slow and relaxed and utilises a wide variety of stances and principles. It is a unique and fascinating art in its own right. After many years of practice students often transfer their skills to weapons forms also such as the straight sword (jian) or sabre (dao).