Kwan Sai Hung (The Wandering Taoist)
Kwan Sai Hung is the last of his kind, a true Scholar Warrior.
Born in 1920, his youth was spent being trained as a Taoist Monk at South Peak Monastery, Huashan Mountain, Northern China, eventually being fully ordained into the Zheng-Yi Path of Taoism.
Mr. Kwan (he doesn't care to be called Master, as he says "My teachers, they were the Masters...") was born into a prominent Martial Arts family and his family and Master's ties afforded him the introduction to many of the high-level Chinese Martial Artists of his time. It was this training, combined with his Taoist Arts practices, that served to mold him into a well-rounded practitioner of the Arts.
Mr. Kwan has now been practicing his Art for over 90 years, and has pursued scholarly and martial studies through a long and eventful life, including through two wars, specializing in hand-to-hand combat and use of the saber and spear in battle. Mr. Kwan is truly a Scholar Warrior.
Mr. Kwan has always passed his Art on in a very humble way, not seeking accolades or attention.
As of this writing (2018), Mr. Kwan is 98 years old and prefers to spend time in seclusion, concentrating on his own personal practices. However, he occasionally will teach the Taoist Health Arts to students in the belief that these Arts should benefit as many people as possible, while preserving the Arts that were almost destroyed during the tumultuous times in China while he was there.
Mr. Kwan's life story can be found in Deng Ming-Dao's classics "The Wandering Taoist" and "Chronicles of Tao: The Secret Life of a Taoist Master" (Harper Collins 1993).
I have been fortunate to know Mr. Kwan for over twenty-six years, and would like to describe his teaching style as being very generous to his students with his Art, sharing it in a very sincere, inspiring way, with a touch of humor. He is a modest, private person and does not seek attention. However, I am presenting this writing, as it is my mission to preserve his Art and pass on the ancient styles, particularly Qigong and Tai Chi Chuan, that he learned from the old Masters, some of which are techniques rarely taught today, even in China.