Master Zhang's Childhood Studies

Master Zhang Xuexin has studied external ("waijia") martial arts since he was nine years old.

Master Zhang's Taiji Lineage:

Master Zhang Xuexin is the senior indoor student of Feng Zhiqiang, the 18th-generation master of Chen-style Taijiquan.

Master Zhang's Chen Style Taijiquan Studies:

Master Zhang Xuexin began studying Chen-style Taijiquan in 1963.  He studied both the "Lao Jia" and "Xin Jia" forms of Chen-style Taijiquan.  He studied from:  Li Reiyuan (Chen Fake's stepdaughter) in 1963, Rui Mongni (an early student of Chen Fake) in 1965, and Chen Zhaokuai (Chen Fake's second son) from 1966 to 1970.   Chen Zhaokuai's training emphasized "qinna" (joint-locking and grappling) and "silk-reeling" techniques.  In 1970, he settled in Beijing and studied with Feng Zhiqiang, one of Chen Fake's senior students.  Feng Zhiqiang's training focused on internal power, push-hands, and sparring.

Arrival in the U.S.

Master Zhang came to the United States in 1990.  He was the first Taiji instructor to teach and emphasize the importance of the silk-reeling spiral training exercises in the United States.