Did Ch'eng Man Ch'ing ( Zheng Manqing) study with Yang Chengfu?

The title of this post is a question that seems to be perpetuated in various forums.The implication being that he didn't.  My favourite one is that Ch'eng Man Ch'ing didn't appear in the "training diary" of Yang Chengfu, who was , I believe, illiterate. Work that one out!

However, in Louis Swaims translation of Yang Chengfu's  " The Essence and Applications of Taijiquan" he has a passage on page xi which is  a quote from Yang Zhenji, 2nd son of Yang Chengfu, which states "Taijiquan tiyong quanshu was written by my father's disciple, Zheng Manqing, according to my father's performance narratives and requirements. This is factual."

Good enough for me. No comments required.

Short Cuts

It never ceases to amaze me when I hear about some idiot who will only study with a teacher if they can teach them the "Essence" or the "Real Deal Stuff".

Looking for a short cut? Visit the Barber.

Looking for Essence. Try a cosmetics shop.

The Real Deal - honour your teacher, practise daily with honesty, sincerity and humility.

There are no short cuts.