Joseph Chen Zhonghua (), also known by his courtesy name Dongliang is a Chinese martial arts practitioner, teacher, and author from Shandong, China. Chen studied under two experts of the eighteenth generation of Chen-style tai chi, Hong Junsheng and Feng Zhiqiang (冯志强, 1928-2012). In 1985, Chen and his family emigrated to Canada, where he began to promote Hong's version of Chen-style tai chi to a western audience. In 2005, Chen was designated by Hong family as the International Standard Bearer of Hong's Practical Method, during a ceremony held in Jinan. Since 2006, he has overseen a residential tai chi training program on Daqingshan in Shandong.
Early life and training with Hong Junsheng
Chen was born in 1961 in Wulian County, Shandong province, China. Due to his frailty since childhood, he embarked on studying martial arts at the age of 9 to enhance his health. Chen sought training from several local martial arts masters and delved into various traditional styles, including Tongbeiquan, Bajiquan and Chaquan.
In 1979, Chen was admitted to the Department of Foreign Languages, Shandong University in Jinan. While pursuing his studies, he continued his martial arts training under the guidance of Han Boyan (韩伯言, 1907 – 1996), who himself had trained with the renowned Xingyiquan master Shang Yunxiang. It was during his time in Jinan that Chen heard rumors about a group of martial artists practicing near Black Tiger Spring. Intrigued, he made several visits and discovered that they were training in Chen-style tai chi under the instruction of Hong Junsheng.
Hong Junsheng was one of the longest-serving disciple of Chen Fake. Chen Fake himself was a well-known martial artist and the first to teach Chen-style tai chi to the general public. Hong was a traditional martial artist and did not actively promote or advertise his group. Initially skeptical about the effectiveness of Chen-style tai chi, Chen became convinced of its value after training and collaborating with the group. Following a period of intensive training, he became Hong's disciple, dedicating himself solely to Chen-style tai chi as taught by Hong, also known as the "Practical Method" (陳式太極拳实用拳法).
In Canada
In 1985, Chen made the decision to emigrate to Regina, Saskatchewan, in order to pursue his master's degree in linguistics at the University of Regina. While studying, he began teaching tai chi part-time at the university. After completing his degree, Chen became a Social Studies teacher within the Canadian secondary school system in Edmonton, Alberta where he continued to teach tai chi on a part-time basis. During this period, Chen combined his exposure to the Western interpretation of taijiquan with his training under Hong Junsheng to develop his own martial arts ideas.
Chen eventually decided to dedicate himself to teaching martial arts full-time. He established his first school in Edmonton. To ensure his own continued training and to foster connections with his teacher and fellow tai chi practitioners, he regularly returned to China with his new students.
Disciple of Feng Zhiqiang
In 1996, Hong Junsheng passed away. Following this loss, Chen's fellow tai chi practioners introduced him to another prominent figure in the Chen Style, Feng Zhiqiang (冯志强, 1928-2012). Feng had the distinction of being one of the last students of Chen Fake, with whom he trained from 1950 to 1957. Through his interactions with Feng, Chen was exposed to a different interpretation of Chen tai chi, enriching his understanding of the art. Eventually, Chen became a disciple of Feng and continued to study under his guidance until Feng's passing in 2012. During this period, Chen learned various aspects, including the sword form, the long staff form, Zhan zhuang methods, and Feng's unique elaboration on Chen Fake's teachings, which Feng referred to as Chen-style xinyi hunyuan tai chi (陈式心意混元太极拳).
In 2002, Chen authored "The Way of Hunyuan", an introductory text for this training system.