DC Tai Chi

RIP 一路走好

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/aug/24/largest-review-of-its-kind-confirms-benefits-of-tai-chi-and-other-chinese-exercises?CMP=share_btn_url

Largest review of its kind confirms benefits of tai chi and other Chinese exercises Analysis finds ‘high certainty evidence’ of their effectiveness for the 1.7bn people worldwide with musculoskeletal conditions

🔗: https://voguemagazine.visitlink.me/sfGFzY

At the link, experts break down everything you need to know about the deliberate and intentional practice.

☯ This year, we celebrate Master Bow-Sim Mark and the 50th anniversary of C.W.R.I. (Chinese Wushu Research Institute)—one of the first schools to bring Chinese martial arts to the West, shaping generations of students along the way.

A student of the legendary Li Tianji and mother of film star Donnie Yen, her impact is truly immeasurable. 🙏🏻

A very Happy Birthday to my Shifu, Bow Sim Mark and congratulations on the 50th anniversary of the founding of her school, the Chinese Wushu Research Institute in Boston, MA. Like so many others, training with Shifu changed the course of my life. Forever grateful.

Special 50th Anniversary Episode of “In Discussion With”

This Sunday, 19 July, I will be joined by Jean Lukitsh and Stephan Berwick, two senior students of Master Bow Sim Mark, for a very special conversation celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Chinese Wushu Research Institute.

Founded by Master Bow Sim Mark in Boston in 1976, the Institute was a pioneering centre for the study and promotion of Chinese martial arts in the United States. Master Mark is particularly renowned for her mastery of the Chinese martial arts, as well as being the mother of Donnie Yen.

Jean Lukitsh began studying with Master Mark in 1978 and became one of her senior students. Alongside her decades of martial arts practice and teaching, Jean has worked extensively to preserve the history and traditions surrounding Master Mark and the Institute.

Stephan Berwick joined the Chinese Wushu Research Institute in the early 1980s. With Master Mark’s support, he later travelled to China with Donnie Yen for intensive professional wushu training before appearing in severa Hong Kong action films. He has since become an established martial artist, teacher, author and researcher, particularly within Chen-style Taijiquan.

Together, we will explore the history of the Chinese Wushu Research Institute, Master Bow Sim Mark’s teaching and vision, life inside the school during its formative years, and the remarkable legacy she has passed on to martial artists around the world.

Submit Your Questions

Members of the public are invited to submit questions for Jean and Stephan. Leave your question in the comments or send it to me directly through the contact form at www.mushinmartialculture.com, and I may select it to be included during the interview.

Join us for this special celebration of 50 years of the Chinese Wushu Research Institute and the extraordinary life and legacy of Grandmaster Bow Sim Mark.

A true kung fu pioneer, Grandmaster Bow Sim Mark was the first to bring Combined Taiji to the West. She emigrated to the Boston area in 1975 and founded the Chinese Wushu Research Institute in 1976.

Beyond her role as the mother of martial arts cinema icon Donnie Yen (Zhēn Zǐdān)—renowned for his portrayal of Ip Man—Master Mark's own place in martial arts history stands entirely on its own. Long before her son's ascent in the Chinese film industry, she had already cemented her legacy: first as a direct student of the legendary Grandmaster Li Tianji (李天骥), and later as the first to bring their Combined Taiji to the United States.

In 1991, she introduced her own simplified Taiji form to cable television with "A Taste of Tai Chi". This show captures a master at her absolute peak—exuding the precision, flowing grace, and quiet authority that only decades of dedicated practice can produce.

She was—and will forever remain—the living bridge between the old masters and the modern era. Though she no longer stands before a class, her Combined Taiji form lives on in the hands and hearts of those she trained, carrying her spirit forward with every breath and every movement. 🙏

🎥 Watch clips from the show here:
https://youtu.be/4pnqqWqBlAU?si=xUTp-ZnC7kedgcuF