Grandmaster Aiping Cheng is one of the world's foremost authorities in Chinese Martial Arts (CMA). With over 40 years of training, competing, coaching, and teaching at the highest levels, few can match her credentials. In 1999, Grandmaster Cheng was awarded Top Level by the International Wushu Association, reserved for martial arts masters with at least 30 years of outstanding experience and was also presented with the Award for Outstanding Achievement. In 2008, Grandmaster Cheng was awarded the 8th Duan from the International Wushu Sanshou Dao Association for her skill, knowledge,and teaching. This recognition is rare outside of China. In 2008 Grandmaster Cheng was also named one of the Top 100 Chinese Martial Artists in World by the World Culture Science Acadame in Hong Kong, recognizing her for her lifelong achievements in Chinese martial arts.
In 1996, Grandmaster Cheng began teaching tai chi to American students. The Aiping Tai Chi Center is located in Orange, Connecticut. Grandmaster Cheng currently resides in Austin, TX.
In 1996, Grandmaster Cheng began teaching tai chi to American students. The Aiping Tai Chi Center is located in Orange, Connecticut. Grandmaster Cheng currently resides in Austin, TX.
Early Wushu Training
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Grandmaster Cheng was born in Hangzhou, China. In 1970, at the age of 15, she was selected to try out for the Zhejiang Wushu Team. Hundreds of children from the Zhejiang province of China endured a vigorous month of intensive wushu practice to earn a spot on their provincial professional wushu team. Grandmaster Cheng was selected for one of seven spots on the team (three girls and four boys). She moved into the Zhejiang Wushu Team training dormitories and began her martial arts career studying wushu, tai chi and sports medicine.
Every year, the wushu athletes from each provincial team compete against the other teams for a place on the elite China National Team. The wushu athletes on their provincial teams are the best in their provinces. The wushu atheletes on the China National Wushu Team are the best of the best. Grandmaster Cheng was first selected to be on the China National Wushu Team in 1973 after placing 1st in Long Fist and 3rd in All-Around in the 1973 national wushu competition. |
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President Richard Nixon greeting the China National Wushu Team in the White House Rose Garden in July 1974. Grandmaster Cheng directly facing President Nixon.
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Grandmaster Cheng was selected to be on the China National Wushu Team again in 1974. The 1974 China National Wushu Team is the most famous and historically significant of all the teams. 1974 was the year President Nixon opened relations with China and engaged in a series of cultural exchanges between the two countries. The 1974 China Wushu Team was invited on a performance tour in the United States and performed for President Nixon on the White House lawn. Grandmaster Cheng, along with Jet Li and other fellow team members, introduced wushu to a fascinated American public.
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1974 China National Wushu Team in Washington DC. 1: Yu Hai, Shandong; 2: Mo Shaoneng, Guangxi; 3: Zhang Lingmei, Shanxi; 4: Cheng Aiping, Zhejiang; 5: Cui Yahui, Beijing, 6: Zhao Linyan, Jilin; 7: Guo Pei, Shanghai; 8: Lu Yan, Beijing; 9: He Weiqi, Shanghai; 10: Xu Bin, Anhui; 11: Li Lianjie (Jet Li), Beijing.
Grandmaster Cheng was selected to be on the China National Wushu Team four more times in 1975, 1979, 1987, and 1988.
Tai Chi Specialist
In wushu competition, each team is required to have athletes compete in long fist (changquan), southern fist (nanquan) and tai chi (taijichuan) categories. While training on the Zhejiang Wushu Team, Grandmaster Cheng demonstrated exceptional abilities in tai chi. She was sent to train intensively with traditional tai chi masters to deepen her tai chi knowledge and abilities. She has studied extensively with Li Tianji, Li Yulin and Sun Jianyun in Sun style tai chi, with Fu Zhongwen in Yang style tai chi, and with Chen Xiaowang and Chen Zhenglei in Chen style tai chi. Grandmaster Cheng is one of the only Chinese martial artists trained at an elite level in both contemporary wushu and traditional tai chi. She is a three-time winner of the All-China National Taijichuan Championships.
1986 committee that established the first competition standards for tai chi.
In 1986, Grandmaster Cheng was one of 16 tai chi masters tasked by the Beijing Sports Committee to establish the first ever Chinese National Competition Standards and Rules for taijiquan, taijijian (tai chi sword), and push hands competitions.
1988 China National Taijiquan Team. Notable mentions: Bottom row - Zhang Shan, China National Wushu Association, and Cheng Aiping, Zhejiang. Middle row - Su Zifang, Yunnan. Top row - Chen Zhenglei, Hunan and Chen Sitan, Fujian.
In 1988, Grand Master Cheng was selected to be on the China National Wushu Team a sixth time. She was also part of the China National Taijiquan Team, along with Chen Zhenglei, Chen Sitang, Suzi Fang, and other now famous tai chi masters.
Also in 1988, a competition form was developed for Sun style tai chi. The prestigious Chinese Wushu Research Institute produced the first teaching video of this new Sun style tai chi competition form with Grandmaster Cheng demonstrating the movements. This video was used as the standard bearer to learn the new competition form.
Coach and Teacher
In 1981, Grandmaster Cheng began her studies at the Shanghai Sports College studying sports medicine history, sports physiology, sports psychology, principles of coaching and sports theory. While attending Shanghai Sports College, she was also the school's wushu and tai chi coach. In 1989, the year after Grandmaster Cheng was selected to the China National Wushu Team a sixth time, she was made the head coach of the Zhejiang Wushu Team. She was head coach of the Zhejiang Wushu Team until 1996, training and coaching many wushu athletes to outstanding achievements. The first World Wushu Championship was established in 1993 and under Grandmaster Cheng's coaching, the Zhejiang Wushu Team place first in long fist competition at two World Wushu Championships.
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When Grandmaster Cheng emigrated to the United States and opened the Aiping Tai Chi and Wushu Center in Connecticut, she brought her vast knowledge of martial arts, sports medicine, and coaching techniques to her American students. Her American students have benefited from her teaching and coaching methods to go on and win numerous wushu and tai chi competitions and championships both in the US and in China. Many hundreds more have benefited from her teaching, learning tai chi and Qigong to improve their health, physical conditioning, and understanding of internal martial arts.
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Aiping Tai Chi Center's 2005 Tai Chi Competition team.
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