Stephan Berwick, M.A., has a martial arts background spanning over thirty years. Bow Sim Mark was his early mentor. He began intensive Chen taiji training under Ren Guangyi, and other Chen family members of Chenjiagou. He holds an M.A. from Tufts University in cooperation with Harvard University. Asr Cordes has studied martial arts since the age of eight and has focused on internal martial arts training since 1992. A senior student of Cheng Jincai, he currently is a professional Chen-style taijiquan instructor, international gold medalist, and freelance martial arts writer. Michael DeMarco, M.A., founder of the Journal of Asian Martial Arts, received his degree from Seton Hall University's Department of Asian Studies. In 1964 he began his martial arts study in Indonesian kuntao-silat; since 1973 he has focused on taijiquan. He studied Chen style in Taiwan under Tu Zongren and Du Yuze (1886-1990), in the lineage of Chen Yanxi. David Gaffney, B.A., received a bachelor's degree from Manchester University, England. He martial arts training in 1980 and received his instructor's certificate from the Wenxian Chen Taiji Research and Promotion Center in 1997 and a fifth-degree grade with the Chinese Wushu Association. He has been training with some of the leading figures of Chen taiji. Miriam O'Conner, M.A., has been practicing taijiquan in the Zheng Manqing lineage for over a decade. She holds an M.A. degree from the University of Auckland and a master of Chinese from the Université de Provence. O'Connor taught languages at the University of Auckland and the Cultural University in Taiwan. Wong Jiaxiang was born in 1925 in Heilongjiang province and later moved to Taiwan. He studied many forms of Daoist exercise in addition to taijiquan. In Taiwan he became the leading disciple of Chen-style master Du Yuze. As a leading scholar of taijiquan, he has numerous publications various taiji styles.