Shifu Fong Zhang
Originally from China, Shifu Fong Zhang was introduced to Tai Chi at age 7 by her father, a life long Tai Chi Practitioner. She learned Yang Style Simplified 24 Form as well as a love and appreciation of Tai Chi from him.
Later, Shifu Fong sought to improve her knowledge of Tai Chi and learned from several Tai Chi Masters. One of them was Master Li Jun Feng, the former coach of Beijing Wushu Team, who had trained many famous world champions and movie stars, such as Jet Li and Donnie Yen. Shifu Fong trained with Master Li on Contemporary Tai Chi for many years.
Looking to improve the depth of her skill, Shifu Fong later trained in Traditional Tai Chi with several teachers, gaining a deeper understanding of Tai Chi and its origins.
In addition to physical training, Shifu Fong studied some of the classical literature of Tai Chi as well as the Traditional Chinese Medicine to gain a broader understanding of the art and its relationship to health
For close to 20 years, Shifu Fong has been practicing Tai Chi extensively. In that time she volunteered to teach Tai Chi at community centers and public high schools. In 2019, Shifu Fong joined Aiping Tai Chi Center of Austin to advance her Tai Chi training with Grandmaster Aiping Cheng.
While helping Grandmaster Aiping with regular class instructions and the business aspect of the school, Shifu Fong went through rigorous Tai Chi Instructor training. In 2021, her teacher retired and passed the school to her. Shifu Fong is now the Lead Instructor at Aiping Tai Chi Center - Austin.
Shifu Fong is interested in both Traditional and Contemporary Tai Chi practices. She was a gold and bronze medalist of Yang and Sun Style Tai Chi forms from internationally organized Martial Art competitions. She pays attention to the details of the movements in her classes. By doing this her students build a strong foundation for their Tai Chi practice.
Additionally, her teaching focus is on the health and wellness aspect of the Tai Chi practice. Through sharing her knowledge of traditional Chinese Martial Arts with everyone and promoting Tai Chi as an effective practice to improve one’s health and wellbeing, Shifu Fong would like to build a healthy, supportive, and loving community.
Besides her achievements as a Tai Chi Practitioner, Shifu Fong’s other educational credentials include a Bachelor’s Degree in English, a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from The University of Texas at Austin, as well as studies of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) from an accredited graduate TCM school. She has worked as a translator and has over 10 years of public service at various agencies in Texas.
Shifu Fong enjoys sharing her tradition and culture in her Tai Chi classes. She likes to incorporate the Chinese language as well as the cultural aspect into her teaching. Students will not only learn the movements themselves, but also the Chinese names of each movement, pronounced in Mandarin Chinese and explained in English.
Besides teaching and practicing Tai Chi, Shifu Fong also enjoys traveling, camping, and spending time with her family. She has traveled back to China regularly with her family where she continued her training with great Tai Chi teachers. She has also traveled to over 45 states in USA and parts of Canada and enjoyed the greatest sites in North America.
