Tai Chi Sydney provides tai chi and qigong classes workshops and seminars in Sydney and Bowral.
Master Huang refined and developed the white crane forms to reflect the true taiji principles (therefore the fighting or competitive aspect is not emphasised).

White crane classes in Centennial Park Sydney and Coogee and Randwick embrace beginners and intermediate students and form part of the taiji syllabus. Individual attention to white crane forms, applications and techniques is by enquiry, as are individual and group instruction in taiji.

We focus on the the San Feng Kuai Chuan or ‘Quick Fist’ ( dedicated to Chang Sanfeng, founder of taiji ) which is Master Huang’s fast taiji form and occassionally, BaPuLien (this form is inspired by the ‘call of the crane’ and develops power based on the breathing. or ‘Eight Continuous Steps’) and for the advanced students we practice the ‘drinking crane’.

White Crane is based on the late Fujian Daoist Sage Master Xie Zhongxian, teacher of the late Master Huang Sheng-Shyan in his Daoist medical, spiritual and martial arts system of white crane which includes drinking crane, feeding crane and breathing crane and these systems’ associated exercises.

1 is breathing crane
2 is drinking crane
3 is flying crane
4 is eating crane – sanfeng quaiquan (quickfist dedicated to Chang sanfeng, founder of taiji)
5 is secret crane

These forms were taught alongside the taiji curriculum.
If taiji is analogous to the ‘drawing of the bow’, ‘releasing of the arrow’ is the power of white crane.

Public tai-chi and qigong classes are also held every Saturday morning in
Centennial Park at 8.30am (view map) Sydney at 8.30am or at
Grant Reserve Coogee on Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8.30am (view map)

History
Although there are several versions as to how Fujian White Crane originated, they all acknowledge the founder as being a woman by the name of Fang Chee-Niang. It is most widely believed that one day while washing her clothes at the river’s edge a white crane became overly inquisitive. To discourage the bird Fang Chee-Niang attempted to ward it off with a stick. To her surprise the crane did not retreat and effortlessly deflected all her attacks. Over the next few days the crane persisted and the scene repeated itself. Her father Fang Wei-Shi, a disciple of Shaolin Gongfu who had fled to Fujiou to escape persecution from the Manchu government, had taught her martial arts from an early age. Eventually she recognised the significance of the crane’s movements, and began incorporating them into her training pattern.

Past Masters
Of the well-known White Crane Masters of this century, Xie Zhong Xiang is perhaps the most famous. Having learnt from Pan Yu Ba, Xie Zhong Xiang became the first-generation master of the Whooping Crane. The founder of Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate Do – Chojun Miyagi, was a student of Higashionna Kanryo, who learnt White Crane from Xie Zhong Xiang. Okinawan’s also refer to Xie Zhong Xiang as Ryuruko. Master Huang Sheng-Shyan also learnt Fujian White Crane directly from Xie Zhong-Xiang, from the age of 14. After a few years of personal tutorage, Huang Sheng-Shyan still only in his late teens, was sent by Xie Zhong-Xiang to study full-time for two years with his eldest disciple Ch’en Shih Ting.

In 1930 Master Huang went on to train with another famous White Crane exponent P’an Ch’un-Nien, who also began teaching him the use of medicinal herbs, and stimulated an interest in Huang for other Chinese Martial Arts. In pursuit of these Huang Sheng-Shyan moved to Shanghai, where he first began teaching White Crane.