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Sifu Mai Du, 8th generation of the Wah Lum Tam Tui Northern Praying Mantis
Kung Fu Style, has been practicing kung fu for more than 20 years and
teaching for more than 15 years under the instruction and guidance of Sifu
Bob Rosen, Chief Instructor of the Wah Lum New England Headquarters in
Boston and Grandmaster Chan Pui, founder of the Wah Lum System in the U.S.
Sifu Mai is one of the few female certified Wah Lum instructors and kung fu
instructors in the Greater Boston Area. She has competed locally,
nationally, and internationally, winning a gold medal in 1994 and silver and
bronze medals in 1994 and 2001 in China.
Sifu Mai strongly believes that kung fu is a form of fitness for all ages
and practicing it can greatly benefit the body, mind, and spirit, as well as
promote physical and mental health, self-discipline, self-confidence,
respect for self and others, fellowship, and hard work. A Tufts University
graduate, receiving both a BA and M.Ed, Sifu Mai especially advocates for
children and young people learning kung fu as a form of exercise and
self-defense to positively guide their development to healthy and
socially-aware adolescence and adulthood. The traditions that are rooted in
the kung fu culture are so rich and grounding to one’s identity that Sifu
Mai is proud to be one who will help continue these traditions with the
generations to come.
Through kung fu, Sifu Mai hopes to foster healthy and caring citizens, and
thus a healthy community. Sifu Mai also practices Yang Style Tai Chi and
Qigong. She believes that the internal art of Tai Chi and Qigong should be
practiced alongside kung fu to harmonize the internal and external energy
forces and to bring balance to the hard and soft. The ultimate goal is to be
in harmony with one’s own body, energy system, and the surrounding
environment.
Sifu Mai is very involved in various nonprofit organizations in the Greater
Boston Area. She is a past-President of the Board of Directors for the YWCA
Malden and a former YWCA of the U.S.A. Delegate to the 2007 World Council in
Kenya. She worked for the American Red Cross of Mass Bay for eight years as
Director of Youth Programs, Volunteer Resources, and International Social
Services. She continues to serve the Red Cross as a volunteer for both the
local chapter and its National Office. She also serves on the Board of
Directors for the Asian American Civic Association in Boston and is the
co-Founder of Youth A.C.T., a statewide youth leadership organization aims
to promote peace, justice, health, and green space.
Seminar: Wah Lum Tam Tui Northern Praying Mantis Fourth Form
Wah Lum Tam Tui Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu populalized by Grandmaster Chan Pui in the United States for 40 years, has its roots in Shantung Province in Northern China with the late Grandmaster Lee Kwan Shan, 5th generation of the Wah Lum Tam Tui Praying Mantis Style. Wah Lum Kung Fu, as a northern style of praying mantis emphasizing “*jut sow -* wresting hands” and “*tam tui -* seeking leg” often requires much athleticism to perform, is also characterized by some southern traits of low stances and short range techniques. Wah Lum Fourth Form is a traditional Wah Lum Tam Tui Praying Mantis form that is usually taught to and practiced by advanced practitioners. The quick foot and fluid body work, fast change of directions, low stances, and high leg techniques in this form epitomize the agility of the Wah Lum Praying Mantis practitioner as a fighter.