National Central Police University

The National Central Police University was originally established in Nanjing, China in 1936. When the communist army took control of the Mainland in 1948, the Nationalist government relocated to Taiwan. Six years later, in 1954, the school was reestablished in Taipei, Taiwan as the National Central Police College. At that time Chang Tung Sheng, due to his undisputed reputation as a top martial artist and his long record of faithful government service, was appointed as one of the original faculty members of the school. Chang Tung Sheng was originally introduced to the school as a candidate for a teaching position by Huang Jie, the former governor of Taiwan, and Bai Chung Xi, the Minister of Defense. Chang specialized in teaching police tactics. Chang Tung Sheng remained in his position at the Central Police College for almost 30 years before finally retiring.

After Chang Tung Sheng’s retirement, his student Frank Chu (Chu Yuh-Lung) took over the Shuai Chiao program at the College. Frank Chu (at left with Chang Tung Sheng) is still in charge of the program to this day. In addition to his duties as program administrator, he still teaches weekly Shuai Chiao classes, and serves as head judge at National Shuai Chiao tournaments.

Another important figure in the Central Police University Shuai Chiao program is Frank Huang (Huang Fu Yuan) (right). Master Huang was a student of Chang Tung Sheng and took first place in the shuai chiao division of the 1977 Taiwan Athletic Meet. After obtaining his Ph.D. in the United States he has risen to the top echelon of the University and is currently Professor and Dean of Student Affairs.

Eventually, as land in Taipei became increasingly scarce and expensive, the Central Police College relocated to a large tract of land in Guei-Shan (which translates as “Turtle Mountain”) – an area on the outskirts of Taipei. In 1995, the Central Police College became a full-fledged university and was accordingly renamed the National Central Police University.

There are currently 13 different departments of study. After graduation, students are obligated to perform government work according to their specific field of study for at least 7 years. At the end of 7 years they are free to pursue other careers if they wish, but few choose to do so because of the competitive pay and benefits offered by the government.

Martial arts study is required for all Central Police University students according to their scholastic department (ex. Criminal Investigation, Law Enforcement, Traffic Control, etc.). The different martial arts disciplines taught at the university are judo, Shuai Chiao, and chin-na. However, as is typical of many universities, there is a variety of extra curricular martial arts sports clubs on campus. In the case of Shuai Chiao, there are 4 classes, a club, and a team. Frank Chu, the Shuai Chiao program administrator, teaches 2 classes, and his student Chou Liang Tu, teaches 1 class. David Chang teaches 1 class and is also the head coach of the Shuai Chiao team.

The Shuai Chiao team represents the school at all Shuai Chiao events. There are normally 3 national level Shuai Chiao tournaments every year, which are open to any competitors. There are also various invitational tournaments throughout the year as well as 4 internal university Shuai Chiao events.

Readers of the Chinese language may refer to the Central Police University’s website at http://www.cpu.edu.tw for more information.