Syphilis Killed Yang Cheng Fu

[BGZ BadBoy]

I found this bit of possible historical information interesting, although unverifiable from any other existing source. Here's the link to the original article by John Chow:
http://www.yellowbamboohk.com/Tai_Chi/wutaichi/Wu_lineagetree.html

This might explain Yang Cheng Fu's untimely death at the age of 53 (if the story is indeed true). Of course, many of the old masters were Opium addicts as well, yet this is something that is rarely discussed (one of Kung Fu's dirty little secrets, I suppose..lol).
Again, I found it interesting (if not irrelevant) and, being somewhat bored this afternoon, I thought I'd post it. Peace.

[uki]

I found this bit of possible historical information interesting, although unverifiable from any other existing source. Here's the link to the original article by John Chow:
http://www.yellowbamboohk.com/Tai_Chi/wutaichi/Wu_lineagetree.html

This might explain Yang Cheng Fu's untimely death at the age of 53 (if the story is indeed true). Of course, many of the old masters were Opium addicts as well, yet this is something that is rarely discussed (one of Kung Fu's dirty little secrets, I suppose..lol).
Again, I found it interesting (if not irrelevant) and, being somewhat bored this afternoon, I thought I'd post it. Peace.better to die a master who has experieced the lesson of life rather than a student who is too afraid to progress. :)

[taai gihk yahn]

I was under the impression that it had something to do with his rapid and excessive weight gain (Type II DM, CAD, CHF, u name it) - look at the difference between the set of pics in, I think, his 30's and then the later set, maybe only 10-15 years later? I think he suffered the ill-effects of being a famous / successful sifu, with all the wining and dining that it entailed; of course, contracting syphilis could also be a by-product of that lifestyle, LOL!

[Scott R. Brown]

better to die a master who has experieced the lesson of life rather than a student who is too afraid to progress. :)

Syphilis creates a long, horrible, painful death. You also go crazy at the end. I would not call that having a profitable "lesson of life"; it is, rather, an accident of fate.

[uki]

an accident of fate.there are no accidents when fate is involved. :)

[YouKnowWho]

The story that I was told was different from this.

The God of Sword Taiji master Li Jing-Lin and my teacher walked in the park. YCF was teaching his students. Li mentioned to my teacher, "Yang is cheating on his students again." Next day Yang quitted his teaching and left that city. Li, a warlord at that time, won't allow Yang to stay in that city (Shanghai ?). Yang died soon after that. My teacher said that Yang's death was mentally (died of anger) and not physically.

My teacher told me there are 2 stories that most of Chinese don't know the truth. One is "The true reason of YCF's death". The other is "Whether 汪精衛 (Wang Jing Wei) was a true traitor or not. The assassination order that my teacher received from his boss 戴笠 (Dai Li) was - hurt him but don't kill him. It was a "fake assassination" show for the Janapese.

[David Jamieson]

I was going to write something and all I could come up with was: why does this matter?

It reads like a cheap swipe at a dead man over some misplaced puritan ideal with an added school boy giggle of looko how the great tai chi man's pee pee got him in trouble.

meh. It doesn't matter. A lot of people, famous or otherwise died of syphilis. It was a real problem for everyone up until the late 1950's really.

[SPJ]

my brother had Syphilis.

he got treated for it in the late 1970s.

he later had kids, too.

one of my kung fu pals, his grand grand teacher studied yang tai chi in courtyard of Yang Chen Fu's house.

he had tai chi classes for actors and actresses every monday in hollywood.

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[SPJ]

cheng tin hua was shot by German.

talking about untimely early death.

Cheng never got to teach his sons quite fully or at all b/c of early death.

however, both of his sons learned more ba gua from Cheng's students

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I meant both yang chen fu's art and cheng tin hua's art live on.

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[Scott R. Brown]

A lot of people, famous or otherwise died of syphilis. It was a real problem for everyone up until the late 1950's really.

Like Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln!

I had a patient who died of syphilis. It was very painful and agonizing and he went crazy. He might have been crazy before, but in the final stage of syphilis it attacks your central nervous system and your brain.

[taai gihk yahn]

I was very painful and agonizing and he went crazy.
on a side note, isn't it fascinating how the omission of one letter changes the entire meaning?

[bawang]

why wud u get historical information from yellow bamboo

[Scott R. Brown]

on a side note, isn't it fascinating how the omission of one letter changes the entire meaning?


What omission?:confused::confused:

[taai gihk yahn]

BTW, I also meant to mention that Video Killed the Radio Star...

[kfson]

I had a patient who died of syphilis. It was very painful and agonizing and he went crazy. He might have been crazy before, but in the final stage of syphilis it attacks your central nervous system and your brain.

How did his condition progress so far without being discovered?

[sanjuro_ronin]

How did his condition progress so far without being discovered?

Its a venereal disease dude, the fact is that most people don't get it treated untill it's too late because of what it is.

[kfson]

Its a venereal disease dude, the fact is that most people don't get it treated untill it's too late because of what it is.

Are you saying the individual was embarrassed so he let it eat him up instead of seeing a doctor?

[Scott R. Brown]

BTW, I also meant to mention that Video Killed the Radio Star...

You just broke my heart......:(


How did his condition progress so far without being discovered?

Syphilis goes dormant for many years after the initial exposure. If I recall correctly it can be up to 15-20 years.

By then many people do not recognize the symptoms. Uneducated people do not always go to the doctor too.

[mickey]

Greetings,

Scott R. Brown is right on about the dormancy issue.

The thing about this disease is that it is never erradicated. It can only be forced into dormancy. There have been cases of reactivated syphilss. A lot of people do not know this. This may have been the case with YCF. He may have had it addressed only to, unknowingly, have it resurface years later.

As far as YCF having this I have heard it before. It is no big deal to me.

mickey

[bawang]

guy the info is from that cult yellow bamboo not ery reliable.
if yang chengfu died from sex disease its not shameful. whats shameful is he destroyed taijiquan and made it useless

[sanjuro_ronin]

Are you saying the individual was embarrassed so he let it eat him up instead of seeing a doctor?

Probably a combination of factors, like Scott mentioned.

[kfson]

whats shameful is he destroyed taijiquan and made it useless

The world's first Hippy?

[SPJ]

yes. he removed some difficult moves and modified postures for health oriented people.

it is usually refered to as the yang chen fu large frame.

however, there were also unmodified postures passing on

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[SPJ]

yes. he removed some difficult moves and modified postures for health oriented people.

it is usually refered to as the yang chen fu large frame.

however, there were also unmodified postures passing on

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which in turn made tai chi popular---