Liang,
Qiang-Ya
International
WuDang Association
Liang, Qiang-Ya
In 1931, Liang, Qiang-Ya was born in GuangZhou, China.
In the summer of 1945, Liang Qiang-Ya was not yet 14 years old. Fu Zhen Song had come to GuangZhou for the second time. He met his top student, Sun BaoGang (Liang's older KungFu brother and husband of his aunt, his father's sister). Sun Bao-Gang invited Fu Zhen Song to live with Liang. Liang was very happy to have the opportunity to learn day and night. Liang officially became the disciple of WuDang Master, Fu Zhen Song. Liang is therefore one of Fu's youngest disciples. Though Fu was 64 years old, he trained Liang in the secrets of reaching one's highest potential energy by practicing and interacting in the forms of art. Together, they practiced swordplay and boxing. Liang mastered the spirits of Tai-Chi and excelled in the bagua powers of push hands. Liang was able to learn all of Fu Zhen Song's techniques. He learned from Fu in the morning, noon and night. Whenever Fu taught or performed, he always brought Liang with him. Liang later assisted Fu in his instruction, and was also sometimes asked to perform. Fu had Liang perform in several different events, large and small. At Fu Zhen Song's request, Liang Qiang-Ya became an instructor of the Fu system by the time he was 15 years old.
With this opportunity, and his diligence in practicing, even when Fu Zhen Song was not present, Liang was able to progress rapidly. Fu Zhen Song taught Liang boxing. At the age of 17, Liang entered his first competition in boxing and defeated two of the best boxers of the Canton Province Boxing Competition. Liang defeated the silver-medallist in the lightweight division in the first round and was given the name "Lightening Fist." In another competition, with no weight limit divisions, his opponent was 20 pounds heavier. Liang used the Bagua technique of evasion. He was able to blacken his opponent's right eye until it was swollen shut. This person's nickname was "Big Hammer" for his ability to hammer nails into wood with his bare fist. After Liang defeated "Big Hammer," his name was made.
Before Liang retired, he was an engineer. In 1987, his older Kungfu brother, Sun BaoGang and the Hong Kong Bagua Chuan Wushu Society invited him to Hong Kong as a special guest advisor and consultant of bagua, tai chi, and push hands. Afterwards, Liang was continuously invited to return to Hong Kong to be the guest advisor and consultant.
In 1995, when Liang Qiang-Ya was 64 years old, the WuDang
Association Chairman, together with Liang and his younger KungFu brother, went to
the second annual Chinese International Martial Arts Research Center, which
sponsored the 2nd Annual Bagua Conference and Competition. Liang and
the Chairman (who was Liang's younger KungFu brother) competed in the Bagua push
hands and together received the highest recognition of excellence among the
Bagua practitioners.
In 1953, Fu Zhen Song passed away. After so many years, from then until the present, Liang has continued to do as Fu had encouraged him to do; to continue to progress and not become stagnant. Liang has remembered to do what Fu once told him when he was youngto continue to progress and to continue to make changes when necessary:
- Must be committed to practice continuously.
- Must unceasingly advance and innovate.
- Must continuously absorb those good things.
These three points became an important teaching guideline for Liang. Liang has therefore continued to learn other systems and develop the Fu system. Liang has continued to diligently make progress. From that point on, Liang has held many positions of influence in the martial arts world:
Director, GuangZhou WuShu Committee
Executive Director, Vice-President and Chief Training Officer of GuangZhou WuDang Association
Advisor and Guest Coach of Hong Kong Association for Advancement of Bagua Martial Arts
Coach of Martial Arts Association of GuangZhou Herbal Medicine, Herbalist University
Coach of Martial Arts Association of GuangZhou Institute of Medicine
Coach of Martial Arts Association of GuangZhou Foreign Trade College
Advisor of GuangZhou-Hong Kong Tai Chi, Push-Hand Competition Organizing Committee
These are positions to which he has been appointed. From the
time of his appointment to the GuangZhou association, the others have followed.
In GuangZhou park, Liang taught Bagua, Tai Chi, and various internal weapons. He created the WuDang Continuous Sword, the Bagua Soaring Dragoon Sword, Fu style 48 movements Tai Chi, and then wrote the four volumes of the WuDang Spear.
He has also created instructional videos, which have been sold throughout the U.S., Canada, and the rest of the world. In 1996, he came to the United States, as part of his continuing effort to spread Fu style internal martial arts throughout the world.
Liang has taught martial arts "realistically." Liang is a hard master, but also a gentle one. A retired engineer, Liang uses the laws of physics, in conjunction with his martial arts instructions. He teaches how to defend against many opponents, rather than just one. As a result of his scientific, rather than mystic, approach to his instruction, he has been a very popular instructor in many countries. He has taught many students from Sri Lanka, Brazil, Spain, Venezuela, Taiwan, Hong Kong, England, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Mongolia, Africa, U.S., and other countries.
In 1993, '94 and '95, in GuangZhou, his students have competed in Tai Chi, the sword and won Grand Champion awards. In GuangZhou, first place awards have been won in Bagua, Long and Short Weapons. In GuangZhou, Jiao Hsin, and Hong Kong most of his students have received awards, and over half of the Gold Medals have gone to his students.
In March of 1996 he moved to the United States. In November of 1996 he had students compete in the San Francisco International WuShu Championship. His female student received 1st place. Afterwards, in every competition in which they entered, his students have received more and more Gold Medals.
In Winchester, Virginia, at the 1998, A Taste of China's (ATOC),
all Taiji USA Championship, his students won 8 awards. In the A.T.O.C
competitions, all levels of students compete together. One of his students
received Grand Champion in Bagua, 2nd and 3rd in Tai Chi. His student, received
the Fu, Yong-Hui Bagua Grand Champion award. During the same year, in the month
of August, in Baltimore, Maryland, at the USA WuShu-KungFu Federation's 1998
International Martial Arts Competitions, he had 3 students compete. His students
received 8 awards, among them a first place in the Bugua and long weapon. In
1998, his student, Haruwn Wesley won the San Francisco International WuShu grand
championship in internal style using Bagua Zhang.
In May 2000, in Dallas, Texas, at "The Taiji Legacy's International Martial Arts Championships," his student, May Lee, competed in 8 internal forms and received 8 first place awards and the Grand Champion in internal award. His other student, Haruwn Wesley, received 4 first place awards and two 2nd places.
In July 2000, in Winchester, Virginia, "A Taste of China's All Taiji USA Championship, May Lee, won the Fu Yong-Hui Bagua Grand Champion award for the 2nd time.
Since his arrival in the United States, Tai Chi Magazine and the Bagua Journal have interviewed and featured him on the cover articles. Almost half of each magazine was devoted to his perspectives and insights on tai chi chuan and bagua zhang. These interviews centered on techniques and theory of the internal styles, and also included advice on how to practice.
In the Bagua Journal, Liang Qiang-Ya gave step-by-step details, with corresponding photos on some fundamental techniques in order to disseminate his system throughout the West.
Presently, Master Liang Qiang-Ya wishes to continue making further WuDang
Boxing Series video tapes in order to allow the martial arts world to learn and
understand more about the Fu style's unique characteristics. For more
information, contact master
Liang at: sifuliang@wudangboxing.com.