Interview with Chungliang Al Huang: Tai Ji Master Extraordinaire

Chungliang Al Huang is a human dynamo and just listening to him raises one’s spirits about what is possible.  He is one of the most skilled masters of Tai Ji in the world but has also made his influence known in many other disciplines throughout his life.  

He was born and grew up in Shanghai in the 1930s and his family moved to Taiwan early on and he was trained in many of the classic disciplines.  Longing to move to the West, he came here in the roaring ’60s ostensibly to study Architecture and Choreography. But soon after, he befriended Alan Watts and became a part of the Human Potential Movement, then sweeping the country’s young spiritual seekers, as a teacher of Tai Ji.

 Chungliang was at the right place at the right time and collaborated with many of that era’s luminaries, including Alan Watts, Joseph Campbell, Gregory Bateson, and John Blofeld, who was an early mentor. But he is also a gifted dancer and performing artist, much of which is based on his Tai Ji philosophy and practice.  He auspiciously danced with Sammy Davis Jr. on tour, performed with martial artist Bruce Lee, and danced at Jacob’s Pillow, the renowned performance space in the Massachusetts Berkshire Mountains. 

Chungliang has also written and collaborated on over a dozen books including his treatise on Tai Ji, Embrace Tiger Return to Mountain: The Essence of Taiji that has been translated into 14 languages. Much of Master Huang’s teachings, creations, and collaborations can be found at Livingtao.org, the organization he founded to support his work and philosophy.

Much of our conversation is a free-flowing movement from topic to topic, beginning with his early life and how he rediscovered himself again and again.  His energy, humility, and positivity is self-evident throughout, and it was my pleasure to speak with him about his life. 

During our conversation, at about the 38:13 mark in the podcast,  Master Huang held up to the camera and discussed 3 Chinese characters which represent particular Tai Ji principles. If you’d like to view the video of that portion of the conversation,  you can find a link for it here,  which links to my Unconditional Healing YouTube channel.