Instructor Background

Yuan De’an (袁德安 )

Master Yuan De'an has practiced martial arts since childhood, having had the good fortune of studying Taichi Chuan under various well-known masters.

In her early years, she studied Chen Style Taichi Chuan under Master Li Chipeng – a disciple of Chen Zhaokui.

In 1986, she became a formal disciple of Master Fu Zhongwen (a fourth-generation descendant of the Yang family, and a disciple of Yang Dengfu), learning the traditional Yang Style Taichi Chuan 85-form.

Then, in 1996, she became a disciple of Master Sun Jianyun (1913-2003), daughter of Sun Lutang, the founder of Sun Style Taichi Chuan).  Sun Jianyun, in her own right, was regarded as one of the top ten martial arts masters in modern China.

Wang Guirong  (王桂榮 )

Master Wang Guirong, an 11th-generation inheritor of Chen-style Small Frame Taichi Chuan, began her practice in 1985. She trained under Grandmaster Shi Lei from 1987 and began assist-coaching in 1989.   During this period, she also practised Baguazhang, Sun-style Taichi Chuan, and sword techniques under another Grandmaster, Sun Shurong.  In 2000, she founded her own Taichi Chuan center.  A champion in the 1994 Henan Provincial Taichi Chuan Tournament of National 42 Forms, she was recognized as a Provincial First-Class Martial Artist and Outstanding City Coach.  In 2001, she achieved the sixth duan  (ranking) in Chinese martial arts. After immigrating to Ottawa in 2011, she actively engaged in community work. Since 2015, she has taught at OTCA, fostering a dedicated group of practitioners, earning community respect for promoting Taichi Chuan and charitable efforts.

Marc Carrière 

Marc Carrière first began learning Taichi Chuan in 1991 under Guro Gerry “Nonoy” Gallano, and went on to learn the Southern Wu Style from Lee Pui-man in 2005-2006.  Then, in 2008, he began learning Northern Wu Style Taichi Chuan under Wang Gang, whose lineage traces back to the style’s founder, Wu Quanyou.  Marc is well versed in the 83 form, 37 form and the 16 form routines, not to mention push hands, self-defence applications as well as the theory and healing aspects of the routines. He has conducted classes for OTCA since 2016, and serves on its Board of Directors.

Brennan Toh (卓盛森 )

Brennan Toh is a 19th generation practitioner of Chen Style Taichi Chuan, studying for over 15 years with his master, Chen Zhonghua. Chen is the International Standard-Bearer of Hong Junsheng’s (1907-1996) Practical Method. Brennan has trained extensively in China, completing multiple full-time courses and entering competitions there. In 2017, Brennan participated and taught internationally in workshops in Australia, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Germany, Poland, Austria, U.S., and Canada. 

James Tam (譚華沾 )

James Tam originally studied karate and aikido in Toronto for over a decade.  In the late 1980s, his mother introduced him to Master Eddie Wu (a current Gatekeeper) under whom he learned Wu-family Taichi Chuan. Then, after moving to Ottawa in 1989, he began training in Chen-Style Xinyi Hunyuan Taichi Chuan and Qigong, not to mention Chen-Style Practical Method, under Master Chen Zhonghua. 

Chen Zhonghua opened his own school in Edmonton, Alberta as well as a residential training centre on Mt Daqing in Shandong.  James assisted Chen in his efforts to train his first batch of new students in Ottawa. 

Currently, James leads online sessions on Hunyuan Qigong and relevant Taichi exercises for the Ottawa Taichi Chuan Association. 

Vinh Truong (張國榮 )

Vinh Truong became passionate about Taichi Chuan while working at Nortel Networks as an Engineer. Recognizing its tremendous health benefits, he decided to study various styles of Taichi Chuan, including traditional Yang style Taichi Chuan, Yang Taichi Sword, and Sun-style Taichi Chuan with Master Yuan De'an.  He also learned Chen-style Small Frame with Master Wang Guirong, Wu style with Master Wang Gang and Tai Chi Qigong and Tai Chi Fan with instructor Holly Heng. He now has over 30 years of Tai Chi experience to share with his online students.