February 22, 2012
20 martial arts masters celebrate the 20th Anniversary of KFTCM
Violet Li
Tai Chi Examiner
To the global martial arts community, the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine(KFTC Magazine) is one of the largest events in 2012.
Established in 1992,Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine started as a quarterly and became a bimonthly in 1996. In 2000, it changed to a monthly but went back to a bimonthly in 2001. It is the largest English publication for Kung Fu, Wushu, Tai Chi and Qigong. The magazine is distributed in over 40 countries, although many countries only get a few copies through selected distributors. KFTC Magazine has always been a newsstand magazine. It is available in many major chains such as Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million. Due to the recent decline in newsstand distribution, all niche magazines have limited distribution and many have been taken off newsstands. But KFTC Magazine is still proudly selling on the newsstands. After the closure of Border Stores last year, KFTC Magazine ventured into the electronic space and worked with Zinio, the largest online newsstand. Now KFTC Magazine is available for Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Barns & Noble’s Nook, HTC’s Flyer, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, and other e-readers.
People in the global martial art community appreciate the contribution KFTC Magazine has made over the past two decades in promoting Kung Fu, Wushu, Tai Chi and Wude (martial arts ethics). Through its in-depth and unbiased reports,martial arts practitioners learn martial art philosophy, principles and techniques as well as exciting stories of masters of our time. Equally important to the writing is the photos they use in every issue of KFTC Magazine, which clearly illustrate martial arts in details.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the management of KFTC Magazine has been working hard to put together a world-class program in conjunction of its annual Tiger Claw Kungfu Magazine Championship (TCKFMC). Its Organizing Committee consists of Grandmaster Dennis Brown, San Jose City Councilmember Kansen Chu, Promoter Joe Ellis, Grandmaster Fu Biao, Grandmaster Lily Lau, Grandmaster Liang Shou-you, Coach Christopher Pei, Grandmaster Ren Guang-Yi, Coach Wu Bin, Dr. James Yu, KFTC Magazine Publisher Gigi Ou, and KFTC Magazine Associate Publisher Gene Ching. The celebration will take place in San Jose, CA on June 9 – 10. As of now, 20 masters and grandmasters already committed to attend tthis event. They will demonstrate their astonishing martial arts skills at the Gala in the evening of Saturday June 9th and some may host workshops as well.
The 20 prominent masters/grandmasters are: Fanziquan and Zhaobao Tai Chi Grandmaster Bai Wenxiang, Hop Gar Kung Fu and Guang Ping Tai Chi Grandmaster David Chin, Hung Gar Kung Fu Grandmaster Chiu Chi Ling, T'ien Shan P'ai Grandmaster Dennis Brown, Chen Style Tai Chi Grandmaster Ren Guang-Yi, San Da and Qin Na Master He Tao, Eagle Claw Grandmaster Lily Lau, fighting champion and Grandmaster Hoy Lee, Hung Gar Kung FuGrandmaster John Leong, Choy Lay Fut Grandmaster Li Siu Hung, Internal Style Martial Arts Master and Water Boxing creator Helen Liang, Qigong and Internal Martial Arts Grandmaster Liang Shou-Yu, Wing Chun, Tae Kwon Do and Tai Chi Grandmaster Benny Meng, Chain Grandmaster Dino Salvatera, Jing Quan Dao Grandmaster Alex Tao, Iron Crotch Grandmaster Tu Jin-Sheng, Chen Style Tai Chi and weapon Grandmaster Wang Zhihai, Chin Woo and Wu-Hao Tai Chi Grandmaster Jimmy Wong, Superstar Jet Li’s teacher Wu Bin, and Shaolin and Yang Style Tai Chi Grandmaster Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming. You can learn more about each master/grandmaster by clicking his/her name. You can also see their photo in the slide show on the left hand side.
Associate Publisher Gene says that more masters and grandmasters will be attending this event. You can check their wetsite for the updated list later. This will be a rare occasion that so many outstanding masters/grandmasters will be performing underneath one roof. It would be an unique experience for martial art enthusiasts to cherish for years to come. Get your ticket to the Gala soon before they are all gone. You can click here for more info.