Master Charlie Chang

Master Charlie Chang, born in 1953 in Shanghai, began studying under Mr. Wang Zhuang Hong) at the age of seventeen, learning Tai Chi, Xingyi, and Bagua. He accompanied Master Wang for many years, also serving as his assistant, and personally witnessed the creation of Wang's Water Style Tai Chi. In 1985, Master Chang moved to the United States, but he and his teacher remained in regular contact, never losing touch. During a reunion in Hong Kong in 2004, Master Wang personally imparted key teachings to him. It was around this time that the Water Style Tai Chi became fully complete, combining the principles of Yin and Yang into a unified whole, and evolved into its current form of sinking, rising, floating, and drifting.​

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Master Charlie Chang lived in California for many years, practicing Tui Na (Chinese therapeutic massage) and injury rehabilitation in the tourist town of Palm Springs. In his spare time, he taught martial arts and practiced Han Chinese Esoteric Buddhism. He retired in 2020, devoting himself to organizing and preserving Water Style Tai Chi, with the mission of passing on Master Wang’s martial arts. To this end, he established the Palm Springs Institute website, providing a convenient platform for dedicated students.

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Palm Springs is where Master Chang lives a quiet, reclusive life. The words for "spring" (泉) and "fist" (拳) have the same pronunciation in Chinese (Chuan), and "spring" also signifies the nature of water and a source. The "institute" is a place for learning the arts. Passing on the teachings and continuing the legacy is a mandate from his honored teacher, and he remains ever dedicated to this mission.

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