The teacher
Master Liu Quanjun
His journey
Master Liu Quanjun has practised martial arts since he was young, laying a foundation across a range of internal and external disciplines within Qigong and Gong Fu. Under the influence of his mother and brother he also learned the methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine for treating illness and first aid.
In 1991 he graduated with a martial arts major (coaching class) from the Sports Department of the Wuhan Institute of Physical Education, specialising in Gong Fu, Qigong and Taiji — disciplines he has taught and developed over more than thirty years. Alongside his teaching he has built extensive experience in Chinese medicine, developing his own approach centred on working with qi to support vitality and unblock the meridians.
A 20th generation disciple of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, Shifu Liu went on to open the first official Chenjiagou (Chen Village) school in London, where he teaches weekly public classes in venue and online, holds monthly workshops, and continues his Chinese medicine practice. Since 2006 his London students have won more than 27 medals in major UK Taiji and Wushu competitions, and have trained with him in Chenjiagou and at the Wang Shi Sanmen Quan school in Henan; today his focus is health preservation, longevity and sharing the practice widely.
He has also carried the art well beyond the classroom — coordinating Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang’s 2013 visit to the Chinese Embassy and a Taijiquan-and-calligraphy seminar at SOAS, delivering a TEDx talk at Loughborough University, appearing on the BBC’s “Dr in the House”, performing at the 2012 Olympic torch relay celebrations, and representing Chen Taijiquan across Edinburgh, Oxford and London on the 2019 Jiaozuo “Belt and Road” cultural tour. He has judged national and international competitions, including the SENI London Wushu Open alongside Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei and the celebrated Wu Bin. Beyond his Chen lineage, he is an 8th-generation holder of Wang’s Sanmen Quan and holds the 6th Duan Wei of the Chinese Wushu Association.
Lineage
Chen Style Taiji traces an unbroken line from Chen Village to today. Master Liu stands in the 20th generation, a direct disciple of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang.
Credentials
Liu Quanjun is:
- 20th generation teacher and disciple of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, 19th generation lineage heir of Chen family Taijiquan
- Director Member of the Council of the Chen Xiaowang World Taijiquan Association
- The only authorised Chen Taijiquan teacher of the Chenjiagou Taijiquan Association in London
- 2nd generation Da Bei Qi Gong (Shaolin monk Hai Deng and Grandmaster Ji Po lineage)
- 8th generation Wang's Sanmen Quan, and manager in UK and Europe
- 6th Duan Wei level from the Wushu Association of China
- Member of CAHMA, The Chinese Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Alliance UK
In their words
What students say about training with Master Liu and Taiji Circle.
Kaya
“Shifu Liu is a generous, dedicated and deeply knowledgeable teacher. Since I joined in 2019, his teachings have helped me to know my body better, improve my posture and strength and be more grounded in every aspect of my life.”
Natalie
“I am so happy and grateful to have found Shifu. His mastery, humility and compassion evoke trust in his teachings and inspire me to deepen my practice and his transmission illuminates the way to a happier and healthier body and mind.”
Luke
“Shifu Liu's deep, rich and expansive knowledge is taught with great compassion and patience. He is an anchor and embodies what he teaches revealing constantly that it is possible, if we listen, to feel stillness within movement and movement within stillness.”
Vessela
“Studying with Shifu feels very authentic and I'm extremely grateful for all his teaching, guidance and patience. All the skills he shares complement each other and slowly lead us towards better understanding of ourselves and everything around.”
Ally
“We are very fortunate to have Shifu Liu teaching us here in London. The depth of his teaching is extraordinary and transformative.”
Adriaan
“Through Taiji, Shifu Liu has given me an instinctive understanding of reality that both completes and ridicules the intellectual understanding I thought I had.”
Chen Village & the school
In the 13th century the martial artist Chen Bu settled and founded what is today Chenjiagou (Chen Village) in Henan province, China. A retired Ming dynasty general, Chen Wangting (9th generation), codified the boxing training — incorporating Daoist philosophies of Yin Yang and qi gong and Chinese medicine theory — into hand and weapon routines, which gave rise to the concept of internal martial arts. Chen Changxing (14th generation) distilled the training into the Chen style Taiji we know today — from which all the major modern Taiji styles have subsequently evolved.
The village remains the celebrated home of Chen Taijiquan, known for its spiralling and dynamic movements, low stances and explosive energy releases (fajin). Today the official Chenjiagou school is run by Master Chen Ziqiang under the stewardship of his father Grandmaster Chen Xiaoxing and his uncle, lineage heir Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang. It is under their direction that Shifu Liu Quanjun opened the first official Chenjiagou school in London.
The Tai Ji Circle story
Tai Ji Circle was founded in London in 2004 by Chris Jones (who started learning Chen Taijiquan with Shifu Liu in 2002). In 2005 Shifu Liu Quanjun became the Executive and Martial Arts Director, teaching a full-range syllabus of Chen Taijiquan and qi gong training in classes and workshops. To expand the aims of the school, the Tai Ji Circle charity (registered charity 1151369) was set up in 2013. Directed by Shifu Liu, it ran for over 10 years with the additional help of student trustees and volunteers until 2023.
Though the charity has closed, Taiji Circle Lucky Dragon carries its charitable aims forward — sharing the practice of Chen Taijiquan and Qigong for health and wellbeing with our wider community.