Yang style tai chi master Jiang Xirong (1925–2018) demonstrates applications of the Tai Chi sword, showing the strength in the use of the weapon. Jiang Xirong was a disciple of of Ye Dami, who was a disciple of Tian Zhaolin and then later learned from Yang Cheng Fu.

Ye Dami founded the Wudang Tai Chi Club in Shanghai in 1926, where he taught Yang style Tai Chi, Tai Chi sword, and Push Hands. Jiang Xirong, began studying under Ye Dami in 1947 after earlier training in martial arts and Tai Chi.

Jiang Xirong quickly established himself as a respected instructor and became one of the leading representatives of Ye Dami’s lineage. During the 1950s, he was recognized within the Shanghai martial arts community as one of the foremost practitioners of the Tai Chi tradition of Ye Dami. He served as a member of the Shanghai Wushu Association, represented Shanghai at national martial arts events, and played an important role in promoting Tai Chi throughout the city.

For a time, Jiang Xirong taught Tai Chi at Fuxing Park located in Shanghai. After the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Tai Chi was labeled as one of the “Four Olds.” Jiang Xirong was forced to stop teaching and was transferred to work at the Shanghai No. 4 Machine Tool Factory.

Afterwards,  Jiang Xirong provided guidance to Tai Chi instructors across Shanghai while continuing to teach and serve as a competition judge. Through decades of teaching, he trained many students who helped spread his teachings throughout China and internationally, including the United States, Europe, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. His contributions were instrumental in the preservation, development, and worldwide dissemination of the Wudang Tai Chi tradition which he inherited from Ye Dami.

Click on the image below to see the writings on Tai Chi Sword by Chen Weiming, which have been translated by Barbara Davis.

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