A remarkable cohort learned the Yang Style at the San Francisco Chinatown YMCA from the 1960s through the early 1990s. Teachers, artists, theater-makers, poets — each carried the lineage forward in their own direction.
Master Choy Kam Man taught for over thirty years in San Francisco's Chinatown. The students who completed his curriculum did not all become professional Tai Chi teachers — many became poets, playwrights, musicians, scholars, parents, and quiet daily practitioners. What links them is the form itself: the 108 Movement Long Form, push hands, sword and saber, taught with rigor and warmth.
This page is a working directory of those students. Click any card for a deeper page where one exists. If you studied with Master Choy and aren't listed, tell us and we'll add you.
Began studying with Master Choy in 1969. Operates Gilman Studio in Port Townsend, Washington — one of the longest-running Yang Style schools in the United States. Author of books and instructional DVDs on the form, push hands, and the deeper internal principles.
One of the most senior students in the Choy lineage, recognized as a senior disciple by the master himself. Quiet, devoted practice over decades.
Son of Master Choy Kam Man and grandson of Choy Hok Peng — making him a 6th-generation lineage holder in the Yang family tradition by direct descent.
The first non-Chinese student Master Choy accepted in the Chinatown courtyard — a quiet milestone in the lineage's transition into a broader American practice. Now teaches as Silver Tai Chi in Utah.
A figure of the Beat Generation who carried a multi-discipline arts practice into the Chinatown courtyard. Poet, flamenco dancer, author, yogi — and a student of Master Choy.
Alumnus of the legendary Living Theater, the avant-garde New York experimental troupe. A playwright in development. Husband to Jodi, father of daughters Lake and Grace.
Another student of Master Choy whose practice is documented in video — a clean demonstration of the short form available on YouTube for anyone studying the lineage.
The author and operator of taichipaul.com. Studied directly under Master Choy Kam Man in the Chinatown YMCA. Continues to teach and preserve the form.
Are you a fellow student of Master Choy not listed here? Email paul@taichipaul.com. New students are added as they are confirmed. The page is a living document.