Est. 1997 · North America
Golden Eagle
Martial Arts Resource Center
An archival record of Chinese martial arts in North America since 1997 — preserving lineages, masters, classical texts, and historical documents.
- 1997
- Founded
- 28+
- Years of Archive
- 4
- Major Traditions
- 100+
- Historical References
The Archive
A record, not a brochure.
GEMAC is a digital archive. Its purpose is to preserve, document, explain, and connect the history of Chinese martial arts as it was transmitted in North America — beginning with a school founded in Alabama in 1997 and the traditions it carried: Choy Li Fut kung fu and Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan. Every document in the archive is sourced, dated, and cross-referenced.
Martial Arts Traditions
System · Since 1836
Choy Li Fut
Founded by Chan Heung in 1836. History, lineage, forms, and weapons — including the Nine Dragon Trident.
System → History → Lineage → Forms → Weapons
System · Yang Family
Yang Style Tai Chi
The Yang family tradition: the long form, pushing hands, and the classical texts that anchor the art.
System → Masters → Forms → Push Hands → Classics
Featured Masters
All masters →1864–1934
Li Shuwen
Li Shuwen (1864–1934) was a martial artist associated with Bajiquan, remembered for his spear skill. His life, lineage, and influence on Bajiquan transmission.
Known for: Spear technique; Bajiquan transmission
1883–1936
Yang Chengfu
Yang Chengfu (1883–1936) standardized the large-frame Yang Style long form and carried Tai Chi to the public. His life, lineage, and legacy.
Known for: Standardizing the Yang large-frame long form
1806–1875
Chan Heung
Chan Heung (1806–1875) founded Choy Li Fut in 1836, combining the teachings of Choy Ah Fook, Li Yau San, and Chan Yuan Wu. His life, teachers, and lineage.
Known for: Founding Choy Li Fut in 1836
The Archive
Visit the archive →1997
Foundation
Golden Eagle Martial Arts Centers opens in northern Alabama, teaching Choy Li Fut kung fu and Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan.
2000s
Early Digital Archive
The school’s early websites document lineages, weapons, and classical texts for the North American martial arts community.
2010s
Expansion
Instruction grows across Huntsville, Athens, and Florence. Translations of Tai Chi classics and historical notes accumulate online.
2020s
Digital Preservation
The archive is re-established as a scholarly resource, preserving three decades of records, references, and historical documents.
Research & Theory
All theory →Concept
Wuji
Wuji (無極) is the undifferentiated state before yin and yang separate — the root concept of Tai Chi theory. Its meaning, sources, and practice.
Concept
Standing Meditation
Standing meditation (Zhan Zhuang, 站樁) is the foundational stillness practice of the internal martial arts. Its method, posture requirements, and Wuji theory.
Concept
Push Hands
Push hands (推手, Tuishou) is the two-person practice of Tai Chi that trains sticking, neutralizing, and issuing. Its method, four classical errors, and competition.
Concept
Four-Character Secret
The Four-Character Secret of Wu Yuxiang names four verbs — spread, cover, confront, swallow — as the fighting method of Tai Chi. Text, translation, and application.
About GEMAC
A quiet archive with a long memory.
Golden Eagle Martial Arts Resource Center continues the documentation work that began with Golden Eagle Martial Arts Centers, founded by Steffan de Graffenried in Alabama in 1997. The archive records how these traditions were taught, transmitted, and practiced — and cites its sources.
Read about the archive’s history