In honor of the teachers that have made us who we are. The following is an attempt to summarize the lineage that has lead to thefounding or Rou Long Ma. As you can see, our roots run deep within our arts. A teacher of special note and relationship to Dr. Jay, Kathleen and Lao Ma was Jou Tsung-Hwa(1917-1998) Here we see a picture of Grandmaster Jou Tsung-Hwa working out at the age of 74. Grandmaster Jou approached the study and teaching of taiji holistically, that is, he taught all its aspects: as a martial art, as a spiritual practice, as a philosophy, etc. He disapproved of those who taught the art in a fragmented fashion. Taught properly, he believed that all benefits became an effective byproduct of diligent taiji practice. Taught in fragmented fashion the benefits are equally fragmented. He understood that not everyone was the same. As such he taught people to begin their study by tailoring their practice to their body’s limits. He encouraged everyone, however, to extend those limits to their utmost.  Taijiquan Bei Quan Kathleen Cusick/Dr. Jay Dunbar Kathleen Cusick has studied taijiquan since 1984 with a variety of teachers, including Greg Mucci, Jou Tsung Hwa, and Yang Zhen Duo. She teaches classes and seminars in Yang style, qigong, push-hands, san shou, and taiji staff with the Magic Tortoise Taijiquan School. Dr, Jay,the Founder and Director of the Magic Tortoise Taijiquan School,  began Taijiquan studies in 1975 with Ruby Blaurock, a student of W.T.R. Chung, who was in turn a student of Kuo, Lien Ying, who brought the Guang Ping lineage to this country. In 1976 he traveled to San Francisco to study with Chung and Kuo, and met Henry Look, his primary Yiquan teacher, for the first time. In 1978 he began a discipleship with Jou, Tsung Hwa which was to span the next 20 years, until Master Jou’s tragic death in an automobile accident on August 3, 1998. Kathleen and Jay team teach intensives of the 88 posture two person San Shou Yang Family application set.     Almanzo "Lao Ma" Lamoureux is Senior Teacher with the Magic Tortoise Taijiquan School in the Triangle area of North Carolina. He has practiced Chinese arts for over three decades. Living and working in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China from 1985 to 1988, he was the first and only foreign student at 91 year old Grandmaster Ding, Hong Kuai's Wuchang Snake Hill Pavilion School. Under Ding "YeYe's" tutelage, LaoMa placed first in weapons competition in Hankou's Hubei Provincial Wushu Tournament in 1987 where he demonstrated guaigun (hooked cane). Yang Zhen Dou 1926-  Yang Zhen Duo is from the fourth generation of the Yang family and is officially the Lineage Holder of the Traditional Yang-style Tin 1926 and is the third son of Yang Chengfu. He started studying with his father when very young and continued studying with his older brothers after his father died. Studious, patient, modest and unassuming like his father, he possesses a consummate martial arts skill. He has the deep admiration and esteem of t'ai chi ch'uan enthusiasts worldwide. Yang Zhenduo carries on the aspirations of his ancestors and has dedicated his life to the spread and popularization of the style   Ding "Ye Ye" Hong Kui 1895-1986 "Ye Ye" taught martial arts at the Snake Hill Pavilion in Wuhan, Hubei Province China. He was nationally renowned as a practitioner and teacher of the  推拳(Tang Quan - Tang Dynasty Boxing). As a young man, he was known for full contact fighting, and in his 90's won an all China national open tournament. He was also a practitioner and teacher of WudanShan Taijiquan. Yang Chen Fu 1883-1936 the son of Yang Chien-hou and grandson of Yang Luchan Known as 'Yang the Invincible' Yang Chengfuis known for having "smoothed" out the somewhat more vigorous training routine he learned from his family as well as emphasising a "large frame" or "Da Jia (大架)" with expansive movements in stepping and using large circular motions with the arms.   Yang Ban Hou 1837-1892 Yang Ban Hou, the son of Yang Luchan,apparently became a very adept practitioner of Tai Chi, however he found few that he could work with, he had a reputation of being very rough and of hurting his students. The 88 posture two person San Shou that we practice probably comes originally from Yang Ban Hou     Yang Luchan 1799-1872 Yang Luchan was born in Guang-ping  He is known as the founder of Yang-style taijiquan. There are many accounts as to how Yang Luchan learned Taiji, all however point to him learning from the Chen Family.  After emerging from Chenjiagou(Chen Village), Yang became famous for never losing a match and never seriously injuring his opponents. Having refined his martial skill to an extremely high level, Yang Lu-ch'an came to be known as Yang Wudi (楊無敵), Yang the Invincible