Official Chen Village school in London
In the 13th Century renowned martial artist Chen Bu settled and founded what is today known as Chenjiagou (Chen Village) in Henan province, China. In the 17th Century a retired Ming dynasty general, Chen Wanting (9th generation) codified the boxing training into several routines incorporating principles of Yin Yang and Chinese medicine theories, giving rise to the idea of Internal Martial Arts. Chen Changxing (14th generation) further distilled the training giving rise to the Chen style tai chi we know today, and from that all of the major modern Tai Chi styles evolved. Today the village remains the widely celebrated home of Chen style Taijiquan, known for its low stances, dynamic movements and explosive energy release or fajin. Today, the official Chenjiagou school is run by master Chen Ziqiang under the stewardship of his father Chen Xiaoxing and his uncle, Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang.
It is under their direction that Shifu Liu, a disciple of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, has opened the first official Chenjiagou school in London. Shifu Liu has also been honoured to host Master Chen Ziqiang on a number of occasions and work with Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang during their visits to London.
Prior to founding Taiji Circle Lucky Dragon, Shifu Liu was Director of the Tai Ji Circle charity in London along with Chris Jones, who is also a disciple of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang.