A statement from David Chang:
It has been 15 years now that I have been carrying on the unfinished life work of my late grandfather Chang Tung Sheng and in that time I have never forgotten his aspiration - that aspiration being the promotion of shuai chiao to all corners of the world so that martial arts lovers everywhere can experience and appreciate this great art. My grandfather first introduced me to shuai chiao when I was 7 years old, and he continued to teach me over the next 13 years until his death. Because we lived together I was fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from him intimately. From the beginning, I have always tried to seek the truth and to promote and popularize shuai chiao.
Years ago, my late grandfather traveled around the world to establish shuai chiao organizations and promote shuai chiao. He did not do such things in order to glorify himself for he had already established an enduring legacy in the history of martial arts and Chinese culture. So I must do my best to accomplish what my grandfather set out to do – promote shuai chiao to the world – and that is the single most important thing in my life. I believe I am not alone in this quest. I believe that everyone who truly follows the shuai chiao of my grandfather has the desire to overcome any obstacle that stands in the way of this goal. Self-boasting, idol worship, and other trivialities are all counterproductive to this end.
My grandfather spent his life as a soldier, a policeman, and a teacher. Unfortunately, he never had the opportunity to learn any foreign languages – including English. He had great respect for the knowledge that was bestowed upon him by his teacher Zhang Feng-Yan, and therefore it was simply not possible for him to teach the highest levels of shuai chiao, fist forms, and chi kung to any foreigners due to language and time constraints. It was certainly not because he did not want to teach this knowledge to foreigners. It was simply against his principle to undertake such a thing if there was not sufficient opportunity to do it to in way that upheld the integrity of his system.
It has been a long time now since I inherited my late grandfather’s unfulfilled dreams, and I have never ceased in promoting shuai chiao. Yet recently, there has been one foreigner who has spread false information on the Internet. He claims that he is the world’s leading authority on shuai chiao and has shamelessly slandered me. In regard to this, I am confident that the true students of shuai chiao around the world see this for what it really is – their eyes are bright as snow. I hope that in the interest of the promotion of shuai chiao culture, my grandfather’s students will expose this fraud. I also sincerely expect that the larger body of Bao Ding Kuai Chiao will not let selfishness, self-profit, and self-conceit keep us from recreating the cooperation and harmony that existed when my grandfather was still alive.
Like the sun rising in the east, I hope that the future of shuai chiao will be filled with brightness and strength.
David Chang
September 11, 2001
Taipei, Taiwan