Heritage

Wutan Surrey is overseen by Master They Soon Tuan of the Wutan UK Martial Arts School.

Grand Master Liu Yun Qiao

1909 - 1992, Taiwan.

Grand Master Liu retired from his post as Chairman of the Civil Defence Force in The Republic of China in 1966, He is accredited by many Chinese and Japanese martial artists to have been amongst the greatest masters in the world. He accepted twelve students to pass down his skills to, and named his school Wutan. Most of his students were already highly-skilled martial artists before training with him. Some had been teaching in their own right for a long time and consequently brought all their students with them to the school. One of these students was Master Wu Song Fa.

An obituary detailing Grand Master Liu’s life and achievements has been translated and can be found at The Legacy of the Late Grandmaster Liu Yun Qiao.

Master Wu Song Fa

- 2018, Malaysia.

Master Wu began his Wushu training in the Chin Woo Athletic Association whilst he was still a boy. After many years he had acquired an outstanding reputation in Chin Woo, and achieved a high level of proficiency. In his early twenties he travelled all over Taiwan, from school to school and from master to master, looking to develop his skill. He trained under strict supervision for six hours a day, for many years with Grand Master Liu. After three years Grand Master Wu appointed him a Master. He was subsequently instructed to return home in order to promote the teaching of Wutan.

After many years of teaching, Master Wu had many students in Malaysia and twelve senior student’s here in the UK.

All members of Wutan UK were directly under Master Wu’s guidance. One of these students was Master They Soon Tuan.

Master They Soon Tuan

Southampton, UK.

Master They arrived in the UK to learn business studies in 1977. He taught traditional Kung Fu styles and Tai Chi Chuan, under the name of the Lucky Crane Tai Chi School.

In 1986, Grand Master Liu Yun Qiao granted the school permission to use the Wutan name. Wutan is now the UK’s largest Traditional Chinese Martial Arts School.

Further Information

The information presented here has been abstracted and abridged from Wutan UK Martial Arts.

Wutan Surrey Instructors

Anita Chi Wai Ho, Senior Instructor

On retiring from the engineering industry after 30 years, Anita took up teaching Tai Chi as another career in 2012. This has enabled her to pass on her skill in this, and the other wonderful internal arts, to all that attend her classes.

As well as enjoying her Tai Chi, Anita regularly practices and teaches Ba Gua and sometimes includes elements of Xing Yi in her classes.

She teaches and regularly demonstrates the Chinese broad sword, and advanced students may be taught sets combining the straight sword and staff.

Anita is also proficient in a beautiful set that demonstrates how something as innocuous as a fan, can be used both defensively and offensively.

Dr Ben Watson, Senior Instructor

Dr Ben Watson, started his training With Wutan Martial Arts in 1992 and trained continuously for 18 years from 1992-2010 under the instruction and guidance of Sifu Chris Dyson, Master Soon Tuan They - Wutan UK founder, and Master Wu Song Fa, a disciple of Grandmaster Liu Yun Qiao: the former head trainer to the bodyguards of President Chiang Kai Shek and last student of Li Shuwen, the nineteenth century Baji Quan Master.

Ben founded and maintained martial arts clubs for Wutan, in Coventry, led the Portsmouth school after Stewart Becket (Beijing Olympics 2008 European judge) and previously led the Basingstoke Branch with Ian Ellery, George Papaioannou and Simon Rawlinson.

Travelling extensively for his training and teaching others for over 12 years, Ben then took some time to focus on bringing up a young family, completing his Doctorate and professional registration as a Chartered Engineer, whilst maintaining and developing his personal training from 2010-2018.

Now a Visiting Professor, Ben returned to formal lessons and teaching from 2018, further developing his martial arts, to include Tai Chi Chuan, Qigong, Baguazhang and Xing Yi Fist, under the instruction of Anita Chi Wai Ho.

Ben’s training also included western boxing, Chinese kickboxing and full contact grappling for many years, in addition to training with the Shaolin Monks from the ‘Wheel of Life’ theatre production, during their time with the Wutan School of Chinese Martial Arts in the UK, at the Wutan Southampton HQ.

Ben’s teaching style is very inclusive and adaptive to all abilities with the acknowledgment that we may have different goals for learning, strength development, practical self-defence and more general well-being.

Steffan Stringer, Instructor

Steffan studied Zoology and Genetics and was a consultant and freelancer in the life sciences sector. He currently works within software development for one of the world’s largest companies offering health information technology and clinical research services.

At University, he trained in Shukokai karate and following that spent 10 years learning Taekwondo at clubs in Cardiff, Leeds and High Wycombe. He’ll be the first to admit that whilst he enjoyed kickboxing, he was never very good, and often turned up to work the next day bruised, battered and with black eyes!

With advancing years, his focus is now on the internal martial arts and he is thrilled to be developing new skills, balance and strength in his practice.

He has been training with Anita in Tai Chi, Ba Gua and Xing Yi and joins Ben’s Kung Fu classes when he can.

Steffan assists with the Tongham / Ash Green class and teaches at The Thames Club in Staines.

Notes

All instructors have regular DBS checks.