CLUB LINEAGE/CREDENTIALS

CREDENTIALS:

NG YEET HEANG (Malisa)
Head Teacher/Founder Chen Taiji Centre NZ
Certificated Chen Village 20th Generation Teacher (Zhu Tian Cai)
Direct Disciple of Zhu Tian Cai (Chen Village China) - formally accepted March 2004.

ASSOCIATED CLUBS
Executive member Chin Woo Athletic Association (New Zealand)
Co-founding Organiser World Tai Chi & Qigong Day (Auckland Committee)
Member New Zealand National Tai Chi Chuan Association
Member Chin Woo Athletic Association (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Member Chenshi Taichicise (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

Master Yap 2003

Ng Malisa (born 1950s) grew up on the West coast of the Malay Peninsula. In her late teens moved to Kuala Lumpur and took up Taekwando - eventually winning Malaysian National titles. (She loved to spar with the boys and laughs that they were very scared of her fists).

Master Wong 2003

In the early 1980s the "new" Chen style TaiChi teaching came to Singapore in the person of Grandmaster Zhu Tian Cai - one of the famous "Four Tigers" of Chen Village, China. Two Chinese Wushu Masters from Kuala Lumpur (amongst others) regularly come down to Singapore for training from him (Masters Yap and Wong). They eventually became adept enough to begin teaching Chen style in Kuala Lumpur

Around this time Malisa let go of her beloved Taekwando to take up Tai Chi, happening to seek training under Masters Yap and Wong. Under their guidance Ng Malisa eventually began entering Chen competions both locally and overseas. In time her diligence, perseverence and natural talent paid off - attaining significant ranking at international Tai Chi competitions/conventions in both Malaysia (1997) and China (1996, 2002).

In 1999 Malisa married a New Zealander and settled in Auckland where she promptly founded her own club and began teaching at local community centres. The club has grown significantly since that time with two new teachers trained and certificated in the last few years (David and Miranda).

Master Wee Kee Jin 2009

Discipleship Ceremony GMaster Zhu Tian Cai

Wee Kee Jin generously accepted to guide and partner Malisa in discovering the Chen family internal skills/principles that Yang style itself originally learned through Chen style. Malisa discovered that the internal skills/principles behind the "external" Chen Form/Push Hands training patterns are very much the same for both Chen/Yang styles. She is now able to quickly advance her own students' Chen Push Hands and Form learning considerably faster than locally available Chen training allows.

As above, Malisa's Chen style lineage originally came from her two Malaysian teachers: Masters Wong Sow Hong (Taijicise) and Yap Hon Fei (Chin Woo) who are in turn 20th Generation disciples of Master Zhu Tian Cai of Chen Village. As Grandmaster was known to Malisa from her time in Malaysia the club invited Grandmaster Zhu Tian Cai to NZ for his first workshop here (Chen Form and Push Hands).

After the workshop Grandmaster invited Malisa to become his direct disciple. On receiving permission from Master Yap Malisa became an official 20th generation Teacher, recognised by Chen Village in the line of Grandmaster Zhu Tian Cai. She is one of five women teachers to have received this honour from Master Zhu in his world-wide travels.

CLUB ACTIVITIES:

Club Students Performing 2003

Knowledge of Chen style is spreading (not just in New Zealand) and TaiChi "newbies" are becoming more savvy and discerning of the different styles available.

The Club (with the help of senior members) now runs a variety of Chen style tai chi classes from Grey Lynn in the North to Papakura in the South. These classes attract a wide range of enthusiastic participants including European and Chinese Kiwis, teenagers and senior citizens and various ethnic community groups for a range of purposes: health, exercise, martial art skill.

Club at World TaiChi Day 2003

The Club is regularly sought after for assistance with demonstrations, talks, short courses, formal presentations, promotional days, cultural events and health exercise programmes by many different organisations (Govt health sector, ethnic or community groups, sporting institutions and coprorates). Our subsidised lessons target a wide audience (Chinese or European) including less advantaged groups and senior citizens.

This website, dedicated as an International Chen style Resource, went online mid 2000. The offer of free video clips (well before YouTube) proved very successful with 70 free Chen TaiChi video clips being downloaded by 45 interested visitors each day.

The Club operates an Internet based Tai Chi Discussion Forum with Chen style technical advice generously offered by International Chen author, Master Tu-Ky Lam of Wellington.

Presently Malisa devotes herself full-time to teaching public classes (both martial and health), training teachers, rigorous daily practise and promotion of the Chen family tai chi art-form in New Zealand and Australia.