Today we’d like to introduce you to Jean Lukitsh.
In 1976, a young Chinese woman named Bow Sim Mark, a recent immigrant to Boston from Guangzhou via Hong Kong, opened a martial arts school in Chinatown. She was the first to teach competition wushu in the USA, but her roots were in the Chinese internal arts of the Fu Zhensong tradition: Taiji, Bagua, xingyi, and Wudang sword.
She taught in Chinatown and at MIT, Harvard, and Boston University for almost 40 years. Her son Donnie Yen, who used to practice jump kicks on the playground at Tai Tung Village, is now an international movie star. Grandmaster Mark retired in 2012, but her students carry on her traditions in Chinatown and elsewhere.
Has it been a smooth road?
For the current non-profit version of the school, I think we all wondered if we could keep it going after Sifu Mark retired. She always said she hoped the students would run the school when she retired, and, with the help of her daughter Chris Yen, now we are. We teach her exercises and techniques, and when we have a question, we ask her. We still practice with her. But the responsibility of passing the art to a new generation is on us.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi Arts Association – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi Arts Association offers classes and training material in the Chinese internal martial arts systems of Taiji, Bagua, xingyi, Wudang sword, and related arts as practiced and taught by Grandmaster Bow Sim Mark. Taiji, or tai chi, can be practiced by young or old, as a health exercise or combat art. The other systems are more advanced, building on the body awareness and control developed in the introductory forms.
For beginning and advanced students alike, another advantage of our school is becoming part of the lineage, the internal tradition that goes back to the great taiji and bagua masters of the early 20th century. Grandmaster Bow Sim Mark was the student of two well-known martial experts, Fu Wing-Fay and Li Tianji. Her son, Donnie Yen, and many of her students are now highly regarded teachers and martial artists.
To see Grandmaster Bow Sim Mark’s artistry, go to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqavWkIDkuQ
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We love being part of Boston’s Chinatown, where our main school has been located since 1976: first on Beach St, then in Tai Tung Village on Harrison Ave, then Lincoln St. in the Leather District, and now we meet in the Metropolitan Building next to Tufts Medical Center, thanks to the Asian Community Development Corporation. And we love going out to eat in Chinatown after class!
The only downside to being in Chinatown is parking. But it’s convenient by T.
Pricing:
- $70/month for 2 classes/week (Tuesday 6:30 PM and Sunday 9:30 AM)
- $20/class for drop-in (Tuesday only)
Contact Info:
- Website: http://taichiarts.com
- Email: cwriboston@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bow-Sim-Mark-Tai-Chi-Arts-Association-114431485311811/
Image Credit:
Joseph Prezioso
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