Master Han’s grandfather graduated first in the first graduating class (1930) of the Nanjing Central Guoshu Institute, where students were expected to master a full range of empty-hand and weapons forms and applications. 

Through many years of painstaking effort, Master Han has consolidated the vast expertise of his grandfather’s system. Just as importantly, he is an expert teacher, able to impart even the most complicated concepts with clarity and directness. His teaching is demanding without feeling demanding: the depth of his understanding combined with his keen eye for detail ensures that he always catches his students’ mistakes, but he corrects them with a sense of humor and enthusiasm. The effectiveness of his teaching has been proved by the endless stream of medals won by his students of all ages in both forms routines and fighting competitions.

As for his martial ability, I have never seen Master Han demonstrate a form that he cannot use to devastating effect. With weapons, his mastery of strategy, technique, and timing is immediately apparent; every movement has a convincing application. All of his empty-hand techniques are of the highest level, and he can strike and throw an opponent at will from a variety of angles. No matter how the opponent tries to counter, Master Han responds with a fluidity and power that only the very best martial artists are capable of. In over thirty years of practice here in Taiwan, I have seen and felt this level of skill in only a handful of teachers, and they are now nearly all gone. 

In fact, if traditional martial arts were given the respect they deserve, Master Han would be considered a national treasure, a respository of knowledge and skills passed down over many generations. Martial arts truly exist only in the bodies of those who practice them. Now, through online instruction, Master Han can share his familial and national legacy with the world. I feel very lucky to be able to learn from Master Han, and can only encourage everyone interested in traditional martial arts not to miss this opportunity to make this legacy their own.

T.J. Sellari