Generations in Chinese martial arts and Wutan
Chinese martial arts traditionally preserve knowledge through lineage and generations, a system that identifies the relationship between teachers, disciples, and the transmission of the art across time. In classical styles such as Bajiquan, Praying Mantis Kung Fu (Tanglangquan), or Baguazhang, generations function much like a family genealogy. A practitioner’s generation is determined by their direct teacher, and this establishes their place within the historical lineage of that specific style. This traditional system reflects the deeply personal teacher-disciple relationship that has always been at the heart of Chinese martial culture.
The Wu Tan (武壇) system, created by Liu Yun Qiao, follows a different but complementary structure. Rather than representing a single martial lineage, Wu Tan was established as an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting multiple traditional Chinese martial arts. For this reason, Wu Tan uses its own organizational generational sequence, derived from the characters of its name and mission, to identify practitioners within the Wu Tan community worldwide.
Because these two systems serve different purposes, they are not mutually exclusive. A practitioner may simultaneously belong to a traditional generational lineage within a specific martial art, for example in Bajiquan or Tanglangquan, while also belonging to a generation within the Wu Tan organization. The traditional lineage identifies one’s place in the historical transmission of the art itself, while the Wu Tan generation reflects one’s position within the broader organization founded to promote and preserve those arts.
Understanding this distinction helps clarify an important point: Wu Tan generations do not replace or alter traditional lineages. Instead, they exist alongside them, representing the organizational structure through which the teachings of masters such as Liu Yun Qiao have been preserved and shared internationally.
It is important to know that in traditional Chinese martial arts, becoming part of a generational lineage, whether within a specific style such as Bajiquan or Praying Mantis Kung Fu, or within the Wu Tan organization, traditionally requires formal acceptance by a teacher through a Bai Shi (拜師) ceremony. Bai Shi literally means “to bow and acknowledge a teacher,” and it is a traditional ritual in which a student formally becomes a disciple. During the ceremony, the student offers respect to the teacher and the lineage, symbolically and formally entering the martial family. From that moment, the disciple is recognized as part of the lineage and may be assigned a generational position within that tradition or organization. The Bai Shi ceremony emphasizes the values of respect, commitment, and responsibility that are central to the transmission of Chinese martial arts.
Wu Tan generational sequence and its meaning within the organization.
The Wu Tan organization, named the disciples’ generation characters follow this poem:
武壇光輝照耀寰宇，術德兼修，道貫古今
Meaning roughly:
“The Wu Tan shines across the world;
cultivating both skill and virtue,
the Way connects past and present.”
So, each generation uses one of those characters as its generation marker and is related to the years when each generation began
武 / 壇 → 光 → 輝 → 照 → 耀 → 寰 → 宇 → 術 → 德 → 兼 → 修 → 道 → 貫 → 古 → 今
The Wu Tan generational poem is not just a sequence of characters for organizing disciples. Historically, it reflects the philosophy of Chinese martial culture that Liu Yun Qiao wanted the organization to preserve.
What makes this interesting is that the poem is structured around three classical principles of traditional Chinese martial arts:
- 武術 — Martial Skill
The first part emphasizes the practice and transmission of martial arts themselves.
This reflects Liu Yun Qiao’s mission to preserve all the traditional systems during a time when many traditional teachings were disappearing in mainland China.
- 武德 — Martial Virtue
The middle section 術德兼修 literally means “to cultivate skill and virtue together.”
In traditional martial culture, technical ability alone is not considered sufficient; practitioners are expected to develop discipline, humility, loyalty, and moral character alongside their martial training.
- 道 — The Way
The final phrase 道貫古今 reflects a deeper philosophical idea:
the martial arts are part of a cultural tradition that connects past and present generations. The “Dao” here represents the continuity of knowledge and values passed from teacher to disciple across time.
Why Liu Yun Qiao chose this structure
By embedding these ideas into the generational poem, Liu Yun Qiao created more than an organizational system. The poem acts as a guiding principle for the Wu Tan community, reminding each generation that the purpose of training is not only to learn techniques, but also to preserve the spirit, ethics, and cultural heritage of Chinese martial arts.
In this way, every new generation within Wu Tan symbolically continues the mission of keeping the tradition alive while transmitting it to the future.