Tai Chi Chuan's Little China Doll Comes to America, Part 3
by Sandy Wong
Reminiscing about her home in China, Mark-Yen recalls that she assisted a sifu in instructing both children and adults in the arts of tai chi chuan and swordsmanship. Her ability as an instructor seems unquestionable and she places much emphasis on being a good martial artist. “Just like when you study, you start from the basics first.” Then she explains that the basic principles of tai chi chuan are much like a solid foundation for a building. In other words, if the emphasis is placed on a strong foundation, just as in the construction of a building, it will not crumble because of poor planning. In this way, Mark-Yen feels that if one starts with the basics, the art form will not suffer.
But Mark-Yen also takes her personal life as seriously as she does her study of martial arts. She is the mother of two children and presently resides with her husband, a music professor, in Brighton, Massachusetts. Having just recently moved to the United States after a year spent in Hong Kong, Mark-Yen is still uncertain whether Brighton will be their permanent home. And although she has received many offers to teach in various schools all over the country, she has not yet committed herself.
Her children are also involved in the arts and both have appeared in exhibitions while staying in Hong Kong. Although Mark-Yen was pleased with her children’s performance and their coverage in a Hong Kong newspaper, she feels that she must not force them into studying the arts merely because of the publicity or because she is so involved with the martial arts herself. She feels that if her children do prefer to learn the martial arts the final decision would be left up to them.
Also during their stay in Hong Kong, Mark-Yen published a book on the basics on tai chi chuan. The book, which incorporates several family styles including Yurng, Chan, Shien, Mo and Fu families, will hopefully be published in English and be available to American readers in the future.
