Translations (译文)
Connections is available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Chinese. We are very grateful for our translators who volunteered to translate: Rubén Coirini, Daniela Famulari, Gennaro Ripa, Françoise Desagnat, Jean-Claude Miremont, Thilo Krienke, Milena Locci de Oliveira de Lazzari, and Li Mingyang. Thank you very much! Here are the links to the other languages:
Welcome to Our New Members
I would like to welcome all new members who have recently joined Yang Family Tai Chi. Thank you for joining us and welcome to our tai chi family! I am happy you have chosen to join us and hope that you feel welcome and receive great value from your membership.
I hope that all members will have a long and fulfilling relationship with our association. For those members who have been with us through the years, I appreciate that you have chosen to stay with us as we continue to spread tai chi chuan worldwide to help humankind.
Sincerely,
Yang Jun
President
China Adventure - October 2026
 
Are you ready for a once-in-a-lifetime journey? Yang Family Tai Chi China Adventure starts in October!
First stop: Mount Emei, in Sichuan Province, the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China. Martial arts have been practiced in the monasteries for centuries.
An international tournament will be held in Emeishan City, where athletes take part in individual and group events, culminating in award ceremonies, master demonstrations and international group performances.
A defining highlight is the Centennial Birthday Commemoration of Grand Master Yang Zhenduo, featuring scholarly presentations, personal remembrances and a vibrant disciples’ celebration that honors lineage, excellence and shared purpose. For people not participating in the tournament, there are lots of activities planned in Chengdu!
Please remember to send in your completed tour package form and full payment by July 15, 2026.
If you are with a group, please give your tour registration forms to your group leader for group submission to the International Association. If you are not with a group, please send your tour registration forms and payment directly to the International Association.
More information about the trip can be found at:
Website
Registration Form
March Issue of Connections Newsletter
Questions? Email: chinatrip@yangfamilytaichi.com
Videos for Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo's 100th Birthday Celebration
This year Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo's birthday falls on August 2. Because it is his actual 100th birthday day, the request is for videos of people performing the 49 Form. Please send your videos to Pam Boyde (pamboyde@yangfamilytaichi.com) by July 22. That will give us time to create the “international” compilation video that will be sent to China for the special event that will happen on his birthday. Thank you for your contribution to this important event!
Shanghai Center Opening
On April 12, the Yang Jun Studio and the Yang Family Tai Chi Development Center were inaugurated in Shanghai’s Qingpu District. The ceremony was attended by local sports and cultural officials, as well as representatives from various sectors of society.
Training Standards Department
Congratulations to the following instructors who have recently changed their instructor status! Here are their new levels:
Reminder: All instructors whose certification expires June 30, 2026 should submit their renewal documents as soon as possible to the Training Standards Department at ts-dept@yangfamilytaichi.com or contact the department with any question they may have. Thank you.
Upcoming Ranking Events
The following is a list of upcoming ranking exams. Please see our website for more information and email contacts.
Plovdiv, Bulgaria (distance ranking event): July 19, 2026
(Application due by July 10)
Sunnyvale, CA, USA: September 7, 2026
(Application due by August 7)
Master Yang Jun's Seminar Schedule
Taiyuan, China
July 22-26: 4th Push Hands Seminar, Part 1
July 30 - August 3: 1st Push Hands Seminar, Part 2
Kunming, China
August 7-11: 6th Instructor Seminar, Part 2
Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
August 20: Saber Form
August 21-22: Essential Form
August 23: Push Hands
Please visit our association's website for more information as it becomes available.
Seminar in France - April 2026
From April 25-30, the 23rd YFTC Center Paris seminar led by Master Yang Jun was held in France. This seminar also marked our 25th anniversary of collaboration with Yang Family Tai Chi and the fifth lineage holder of the style, Master Yang Jun.
Master Yang went above and beyond by offering us six days of intensive training. Under his benevolent gaze, we completed three days of hand form training with the "basics" of tai chi chuan and in-depth study of the Essential Form (22) and the Senior Form (26) supplemented by theory inspired by the classics, its martial applications, the Five Directions, and understanding the energy of Fajin.
Push Hands and martial applications, another highlight, offered us an ever more precise perspective in the study of tai chi.
Then we enjoyed a 2-day sword seminar with legendary tales as only Master Yang can tell them. Inspired by historical legends, his story of the sequences is an additional gift. "Ne Zha Explores the Bottom of the Sea" and its eight immortals or "The Green Dragon Comes Out of the Water" from the Monkey King Sun Wu Kong, connected us to the depths of his teaching.
For all the practitioners, it was a delight to receive such a high level of teaching. We were very happy and proud to welcome a large number of participants from all over the world, mainly from Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Iran, USA, and Canada. All our warm thanks to the practitioners from France, coming from many Yang Family Tai Chi schools, centers and clubs.
This year, 2026, also marks 25 years of collaboration with Yang Family Tai Chi. Master Yang gave a moving speech, to celebrate all these years of working together.
Finally, certificates were handed out at the end of the seminar. (Apologies to those from whom we did not receive a photo.)
Our greatest happiness is and will remain to build strong links with all the clubs and practitioners faithful to the spirit of the Yang family.
Photo: Yang Family France Directors, Instructors, Teachers, and Students
(Brest – Cherbourg – Asnières YFTC School and so many friends)
The humility, generosity and kindness of Master Yang is such an inspiring model of teaching. All our gratitude to him for his exceptional seminar!
Thank you to everyone for your wonderful presence!
Duc and Carole
Directors, YFTC Center Paris
Seminar in Mexico
In May, we had the pleasure of hosting a Saber and Essential Form (22) seminar with Master Yang Jun. The seminar took place in Cuernavaca City, 45 minutes from Mexico City. Around 90 people attended.
Many thanks and our heartfelt gratitude to Master Yang for his dedication and excellent teaching.
Daniel Corona
Director, YFTC Center Mexico
With Master Yang Jun's teaching still fresh in our minds, Martine Salane of YFTC Center Michigan taught three days of review and corrections for students who were about to take their ranking exams at our ranking event at the end of the week. Thank you, Martine, for helping the students improve their technique and apply what they learned in Master Yang's seminar.
YFTC Mexico City Participates in National Wushu Tournament
Members of YFTC Mexico City competed in the National Wushu Tournament of the Mexico Wushu Federation (official representative of the International Wushu Federation (IWUF). The tournament took place in Monterey City from March 13-15. Winners from this tournament are eligible to be part of Mexico's national team in all IWUF events in China.
Daniel Corona Aguilar (1st place in Tai Chi Traditional Sword Forms and 2nd place in Traditional Hand Forms)
Rodrigo Garcia Mayoral (1st place in Traditional Hand Forms (Senior Category) and second in Broadsword)
Women's Seniors Category (Traditional Hand Form)
María de la Paz Medina Alaniz (1st)
Reyna Magdalena Delgado Sanchez (2nd)
María Patricia González Campa (3rd)
Seminar in Uruguay with Claudio Mingarini
In April, we had the honor of hosting Professor Claudio Mingarini in Montevideo, Uruguay. He taught a wonderful seminar on Tui Shou and martial applications. Practitioners and instructors from Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil, including six disciples of the 6th generation of the Yang Family attended.
Professor Mingarini belongs to the first generation of Disciples of Master Yang Jun. He holds the IYFTCCA ranking level 7 (Bronze Dragon), is Director of the YFTC Center Rome, Italy and National Director of the IYFTCCA Teachers' Academy in Italy and is a Senior Instructor with Yang Family Tai Chi.
We thank Professor Mingarini for his generosity, clarity and kindness in passing on his knowledge. Also, thank you to all who participated, especially foreigners, for the trust, friendship, joy and the spirit of practice.
Leonardo Ratto
Director, YFTC School Montevideo
Ken Ning Interviewed on Television
In May, Chicago’s WGN Channel 9 did a story on tai chi to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Ken Ning (disciple of Master Yang Jun) was grateful and honored to be interviewed.
Tai Chi Chuan Training in YFTC Center Ribeirão Preto
In February 2026, a special Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan training took place over three days, featuring training in the Essential Form (22), the Senior Form (26) and Tui Shou. The training took place in the Ribeirão Preto City, Brazil.
Fernando De Lazzari
Director, YFTC Center Ribeirão Preto
Tai Chi Demonstration - Rosario, Argentina
In May, YFTC School Rosario participated in the 2026 CREAR Games Fan Fest. These games are celebrated annually by Rosario City in Argentina. We had fun in a very beautiful place, the Independence Park.
Also, Rubén Coirini was invited to guide some active breaks during Pediatric Update Sessions, organized by Rosario Pediatric Society.
Thanks to everyone who made these events happen.
Rubén Coirini
Director, YFTC School Rosario
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day 2026
Journal Gem
"Weapons Safety and Etiquette" by Pat Rice. Issue #29 (2011), pages 10-13.
This article can be found in our Members-Only Area on our website.
Contribute to Our Journal
Volunteer Opportunities
Yang Family Tai Chi depends on volunteers who donate their time and talent to make our association a success. We currently need more volunteers to help our association as we move forward into the future. We have an immediate need for people with skills such as website updating and management, writing, translating, video editing, social media, and assisting our department heads and executive with various tasks. We also welcome volunteers in other areas.
Do you have any skills or knowledge you would like to share? If you would like to volunteer but aren't sure how you can help, please just send an email telling us you would like to help in some way and we will suggest some ways you could volunteer.
We are very grateful to all our volunteers who have helped make our association and its events successful. Building a strong group of new volunteers will help us improve our service to our members and also reach more people around the world! Please contact Pam Boyde (pamboyde@yangfamilytaichi.com) if you would like to volunteer.
Join Our Association
Become a member of Yang Family Tai Chi! For more information about membership benefits and how to apply, please visit our membership page on our website.
Posting to Yang Family Tai Chi's Social Media Pages
Want to post news on Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages? Yang Family Tai Chi would like to keep its social media pages updated with current information from the association, centers, and schools. Ana Horta is managing Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. If you would like to share news on Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages, please send an email to Ana at anamaghorta@gmail.com.
VISIT YANG FAMILY TAI CHI'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES
Previous Issue
Did you miss the last issue of Connections? You can read it here.
Next Issue of Connections
Connections is published in March, June, September, and December. We publish association news and school news (upcoming events, recent past events, awards, other news) but not general school advertisements.
The next issue of Connections will be published in September 2026. Please send any announcements to me at carolyn@yangfamilytaichi.com by August 22, 2026.
Carolyn Fung,
Editor
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