Ming Tao gets its lineage from three Masters: Liang Tung Tsai, Choi Wai Lun, and Shu Kuang (Ray Hayward). From Liang Tung Tsai, via Ray Hayward we get Yang family T’ai Chi Ch’uan, and from Choi Wai Lun (also via Ray Hayward) we get Yang T’ai Chi, Hsing I, Pa Kua, and Liu Ho Pa Fa. Ray Hayward also brings many other teachers into the lineage like William C. C. Chen, Gin Foon Mark, and Leung Kai Ch'i. We've provided some biographical information on these masters along with some important lineage diagrams.
In an interview, Master Liang said he had 15 teachers, but still considered Cheng Man Ch’ing to be the best. Master Liang was a senior disciple of professor Cheng and studied with 7 other teachers in the Yang Family T’ai Chi lineage.
Master Liang also studied Praying Mantis and many weapons forms from various teachers in China before moving to the United States with Cheng Man Ching to aid in the teaching of T’ai Chi to American students.
Grandmaster Choi has studied many martial arts, both external and internal styles. The internal styles are Yang T’ai Chi, Pa Kua Chang, Hsing I Ch’uan, Liu Ho Ba Fa, and I Chuan. The external (or hard) styles include Northern Shaolin, Lama....
Grandmaster Choi used external styles in full contact fights on rooftops in China. He wanted to be able to fight without losing his breath and stamina so, he decided to learn some internal styles to achieve that goal.
Ray Hayward has been studying martial arts for over 40 years. He started out studying Kempo Karate and then learned T’ai Chi from Liang Tung Tsai.
He is still studying with his current teacher Grandmaster Choi Wai Lun from Chicago, Illinois. He has been concentrating on the internal styles of T’ai Chi, Pa Kua Chang, Hsing Yi Ch’uan, Liu Ho Pa Fa, and Yi Ch’uan.
