Chen Family Lineage

Grandmaster
Chen Chunlei

陈春雷

A 19th-generation descendant of the Chen family, an 11th-generation direct-line successor of Chen-family Taijiquan, and the father and first teacher of Master Chen Huixian.

Grandmaster Chen Chunlei practicing Chen-family Taijiquan — Grandmaster Chen Chunlei (陈春雷)

19thGeneration descendant of the Chen family

11thGeneration direct-line successor of Chen-family Taijiquan

Chen ZhaopiSenior disciple of the legendary grandmaster

1980s–1990sChief instructor at the Chenjiagou Taijiquan School

A life in Chenjiagou

Preserving the art where it was born.

Grandmaster Chen Chunlei (陈春雷) was born and raised in Chenjiagou, Henan Province, the birthplace of Taijiquan.

He dedicated his life to preserving and teaching his family’s martial tradition. As a senior disciple of Grandmaster Chen Zhaopi, he inherited a direct transmission of Chen-family Taijiquan and became one of the important teachers responsible for carrying that tradition into the modern era.

During the 1980s and 1990s, he served as one of the chief instructors at the Chenjiagou Taijiquan School. There he taught generations of Chinese and international students as worldwide interest in authentic Chen-family Taijiquan began to grow.

Chen Chunlei and Chen Zhenglei practicing traditional weapon sparring in Chenjiagou — Grandmaster Chen Chunlei and Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei practicing traditional weapon sparring. This photograph is displayed in the Chenjiagou Taijiquan Museum.

Skill in application

A tradition practiced, tested, and shared.

Chen Chunlei’s teaching encompassed barehand forms, push-hands, weapons, conditioning, and the practical body methods at the heart of Chen-family Taijiquan.

Historical photographs preserve something written biographies cannot fully capture: the physical directness of his instruction and the living training culture of Chen Village.

Training and demonstration

The breadth of the family art.

From long-pole power training to push-hands and straight sword, Chen Chunlei taught the complete tradition through close, hands-on instruction.

Grandmaster Chen Chunlei practicing Chen-family Taijiquan long pole — Practicing the Chen-family Taijiquan long pole in Chenjiagou.

Chen Chunlei teaching push-hands to his son Chen Yingzhan — Teaching Chen-family push-hands to his son Chen Yingzhan, Master Chen Huixian’s older brother.

Chen Chunlei guiding his daughter Chen Huixian in straight-sword form — Grandmaster Chen Chunlei guiding his daughter, Master Chen Huixian, in the Chen-family straight-sword form.

Father and first teacher

Passing the tradition to Chen Huixian.

Beyond his accomplishments as an instructor, Grandmaster Chen Chunlei is remembered for passing the traditional art directly to his daughter, Master Chen Huixian, whom he began training in childhood.

His instruction gave her the foundation for a lifetime devoted to preserving, practicing, and teaching authentic Chen-family Taijiquan. The precision of his corrections, his emphasis on traditional method, and the example of his own practice continue through her teaching today.

Read Master Chen Huixian’s biography

The Chenjiagou school

Among the teachers who opened Chen Village to the world.

Chen Chunlei belonged to the generation of instructors who helped establish formal Taijiquan teaching in Chenjiagou and welcomed a growing number of students from outside the village.

Original coaches of the Chenjiagou Taijiquan School — Some of the original coaches of the Chenjiagou Taijiquan School. Chen Chunlei stands at far left; Chen Zhenglei is third from right; Chen Xiaoxing is second from right; and Chen Zhaosen stands at far right.

Chen family Taijiquan masters and officials in Chenjiagou — Chen Zhenglei, Chen Chunlei, Chen Quanzhong, Gene Chen (陳進鴻), Zhu Tiancai, Chen Qingzhou, and other officials in Chenjiagou.

Historical group at the Chenjiagou Taijiquan School — Chen Chunlei with instructors, students, and members of the Chenjiagou Taijiquan community.

Chenjiagou physical education school group in 1986 — Fellow practitioners and teachers associated with the former Chenjiagou physical education school, 1986.

Chen family masters gathered during Feng Zhiqiang's visit to Chenjiagou — Chen-family Taijiquan masters and instructors gathered during Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang’s visit to Chenjiagou.

A personal recollection

A Remembrance of Chen Chunlei

Martial arts researcher Jarek Szymanski shared this remarkable personal recollection from a visit to Chenjiagou in the autumn of 1992:

Grandmaster Chen Chunlei performing Dà Gùn in Chenjiagou during a 1992 demonstration — Performing Dà Gùn (大棍), the Taijiquan long-pole form, during a special 1992 demonstration for an early Japanese documentary crew visiting Chenjiagou.

“Near the demonstration platform, several villagers were struggling to repair a large wooden cart, trying unsuccessfully to lift one side so they could mount a wheel. Chen Chunlei saw them, walked over in his white uniform, squatted down, and with a shout lifted the side of the cart by himself, holding it in the air until the wheel was fitted.
Several of us witnessed it and were deeply impressed. The men working on the cart were strong farmers themselves, yet Chen Chunlei accomplished alone what several of them had been unable to do.
Later he demonstrated with a very long, heavy pole, at least four meters in length. In his hands it bent almost like rubber. His technique was impressive, but what remained unforgettable was his extraordinary power.”

Recollection of Jarek Szymanski, martial arts researcher and longtime student of traditional Chinese martial arts, recalling Chenjiagou, 1993.

Film archive · Chenjiagou, 1992