Yang Family Tai Chi
Yang Family Taijiquan by Sifu Derek Frearson Master Ou was born in November 1919 in the famous boxing city of Foshan in Guangdong province South China. He was a sickly child and a doctor made two recommendations that he should drink green tea every morning and also practise Chinese Martial Arts.At the age of 11 he joined the Foshan Chin Woo Athletic association to start his martial arts training. His first area of study was to learn the Chin Wu standardised forms from Master Cai Liqu. He then studied Seven Star Mantis style and Eagle Claw Boxing. In 1946 he moved to Guangzhou to study the Yang family Taijiquan from Master Yang Chengfus eldest son Yang Zhenming (Yang Sau Chung) he learnt the Yang Family Fist Form, Broadsword, Straight Sword, Single Spear and Two Person Spear sets and Pushing Hands.
In 1947 Master Huang Baixiang taught him the Six Combinations and Eight Methods Boxing a very rare internal system. In 1952 he began the study of Wu family Taijiquan, Push Hands and Wu Daliu with one of the great masters of Wu style Wu Gongzao.
After 28 years of study he began to teach in 1958 and his students number in their many thousands including his first foreign student to have learnt the complete Yang Taijiquan system from him Sifu Derek Frearson. He has travelled to Hong Kong, Malaysia and Beijing to demonstrate and exchange experiences with other Masters including Fu Zhongwen and Dong Yingjie. Foshan city organised a competition in 1957 and Master Ou was the winner of the Taijiquan and Taiji Sword event. He also represented Guangdong Province in a national event and gained third place in the Taijiquan category.
