Real Skill Revealed: An incident with Tai Chi Chuan Grandmaster William C. C. Chen

I recall meeting Grandmaster William C.C. Chen (Chen Chi-Cheng) for the first time more than 40 years ago. In our first meeting he asked that I call him “William.” I was taken aback by such humility, but I have always addressed him as “Master Chen” out of the respect that I have for him.

There are many stories to be told about Grandmaster Chen’s skill, and having followed him for so many years, I have experienced his innovative and ingenious teaching skills innumerable times. His touch is hardly discernible, and his issuing of energy is like an enveloping wave. 

We often judge a person’s skill by what we see and experience on the martial arts training floor. On rare occasions, however, we can witness skills beyond the imaginable, in what takes place during our everyday lives. I experienced such an incident more than 20 years ago during one of Grandmaster Chen’s workshop visits to Florida and I would like to recount that experience.

It was the first weekend of February. On an unusually chilly early Monday morning, I picked up Grandmaster Chen from his hotel to drive him to the airport. He was waiting for me in the lobby with a cup of coffee in hand. There was a lot of construction across from the hotel due to an overpass that was being built. The car windows were a bit foggy, and I went over a bump that was difficult to see. 

Alarmed, I quickly looked toward Grandmaster Chen expecting to see that the coffee had spilled all over him. I was in awe and disbelief watching him rise out of his seat and settle back down without spilling a drop of coffee. His demeanor never changed, as if the jarring had never happened.

I have thought about this countless times since and still recall the incident vividly. I thought to myself, “How elevated is Grandmaster Chen’s skill.” It has inspired me to apply myself more assiduously to my own Tai Chi practice and to not miss a day of doing Grandmaster Chen’s Tai Chi form.

I have shared this incident with some of my students, but this is the first time that I recount it publicly.