[Global Linkage] Professor Yu Shen's Transmission

Author: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Time: July 12, 2025, Saturday, 7:47 PM

In my vast and complex journey of life, I have encountered many admirable figures, but those who truly inspire my heartfelt admiration are few and far between. Professor Yu Shan is one of them. He is not only a respected senior but also a spiritual role model on my path of martial arts and academia. His presence has traversed between international scientific summits and traditional Chinese martial arts, and his thoughts are rooted in rigorous rational logic while nurturing profound humanistic philosophy. What moves me the most is that, even at an advanced age, he still stands tall and exudes sharp sword intent. Not only does he demonstrate Tai Chi sword at the "International Tai Chi Day" event, but he also graciously accepted the invitation to serve as the honorary president of the "Australian International Qigong Tai Chi Academy" that I founded. This is not merely an honor; it is one of the highest affirmations of my lifelong pursuit of Tai Chi.

I met Professor Yu Shan during a Tai Chi event on October 12, 2024. He is an elderly man with white hair, but his gaze is profound and his demeanor is calm. At that moment, I was struck; this is not an ordinary practitioner, but a master of Tai Chi who has cultivated both internal and external skills. Later, I learned that Professor Yu does not come from a martial arts background, but is a highly educated intellectual with a background in science and engineering. In 1959, he obtained an opportunity to study in the UK, where he studied mechanical engineering at the University of Manchester, earning both bachelor's and master's degrees, and subsequently completed his doctoral studies at the University of Salford (though he humbly claims, "I am not a doctor," his academic training has far exceeded that of the average person). He later devoted himself to engineering research, specializing in magnetic and pulse technology, and taught at prestigious universities in the UK. He later joined the "Center for Cosmic Neutrality" to study the structure of cosmic energy, discussing cosmic field theory alongside Nobel laureates and other scientists. To be present at such an international scientific conference and share the stage with Professor Sabata, an academician of the New York Academy of Sciences, his credentials have long determined that he is not an ordinary "Tai Chi teacher."

He has always said, "Tai Chi is not for performance, but for self-cultivation and survival." This statement aligns perfectly with my long-held theory of "structural Tai Chi." What I pursue is not the form, but the structure; not the posture, but the flow of primal energy. And Professor Yu Shen, without the need for words, can be seen through his Tai Chi sword form that he is not "trained," but "enlightened."

On October 12, 2024, at the "International Tai Chi Day" event, he was invited to attend as a distinguished guest, and after his speech, the audience erupted in applause. I quietly sat in the audience, but my heart was filled with immense respect—because I knew he was a scholar who had reached the peaks of global science yet was willing to humble himself and root himself in Eastern culture.

It was during that event that I formally invited Professor Yu Shen to serve as the honorary president of the "Australian International Qigong Tai Chi Academy." This academy is the culmination of my decades of efforts in promoting Tai Chi and practicing the wisdom of cross-disciplinary martial arts. Having Professor Yu as the honorary president is not only an honor but also a historical testament. He nodded without hesitation and said, "What you are doing is bringing Tai Chi back to the position it truly deserves in the world. I support you." This simple statement deeply moved me.

With his support, the international influence of the Australian International Qigong Tai Chi Academy has rapidly increased. Whether it is the construction of Chinese and English websites or the recognition and participation of representatives from multiple countries around the world, significant progress has been made in a short period of time. Professor Yu's name appearing in our advisory team is like a stabilizing anchor—making it clear to everyone that we are not just a group practicing martial arts casually, but a new type of Tai Chi system built on the integration of scientific spirit, structural logic, and the principles of nature.

Nowadays, whenever I reflect on my various interactions with Professor Yu Shan in the quiet of the night, a sense of reverence naturally arises within me. He is the kind of person who truly makes one believe in "learning leads to excellence in martial arts," and he is a practitioner who "seems to do nothing, yet accomplishes everything." And I, to be able to walk alongside such a figure, to share the teachings together, is already a rare fortune in this vast tide of the times.

He spent his life telling me: science and Tai Chi are not in conflict; only by connecting internally can one manifest it externally. He enlightened me with a sword: Tai Chi is not about imitating others, but about becoming your true self.

——This article is dedicated to Professor Yu Shan.

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Professor Yu Shen Tai Chi Sword

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On October 12, 2024, Professor Yu was invited to attend the "International Tai Chi Day" and performed Tai Chi improvisationally after his speech.

From left: Lin Wenhui, Yu Shen, Wu Zhaohui

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Above: A photo taken at the International Center for Cosmology in Italy during a conference in the late 1990s.