Ma Yueh-liang 馬岳樑 was a famous teacher of Taijiquan (born August, 1 1901, died March, 13 1998). He was the senior disciple of Wu Jianquan, the founder of Wu style Taijiquan, and married Wu's daughter Wu Ying-hua in 1930. Ma Yueh-liang was also a western trained medical doctor who graduated from the Beijing Medical College in 1929 and specialized in Hematology. He established the First Medical Examination and Experiment Office and ran the blood clinics at Zhon Shan Hospital in Shanghai. Like Wu Quanyou and Wu Jianquan, Ma was of Manchurian descent. Ma Yueh-liang had roots both in the traditions of China and in western science.
There are accounts that Ma Yueh-liang was a gifted martial artist in his youth. He had studied a number of Chinese martial arts including, Shaolinquan, Three Emperors Pao Chui, Baguazhang and Tong Bei Quan. However, Wu Jianquan would accept Ma as a student only if he concentrated on Wu Style Taijiquan. From about age 18, Ma Yueh-liang exclusively studied Wu style Taijiquan. Wu Jianquan started the Jianquan Taijiquan Association in Shanghai in 1936. Ma studied Taijiquan with Wu Jianquan until the death of his teacher in 1942. The Jianquan Association in Shanghai still exists today and remains a resource for the study of Wu style Taijiquan.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of Ma Yueh-liang and his wife in the emergence of Wu style Taijiquan after the Cultural Revolution in China. Even at at an advanced age, Ma Yueh-liang was chosen as one of the 100 Best Martial Artists in China. Wu Ying-hua and Ma Yueh-liang continued to teach in Taijiquan until their deaths. They taught a large number of students in Shanghai and throughout the world and published several books on Wu style Taijiquan. Ma Yueh-liang also publicly practiced a number of formerly closed door (or private forms and methods) so that that they would not be lost. Often Wu Ying-hua would publicly demonstrate the Wu style Slow Set and Ma Yueh-liang would demonstrate the Wu style Fast Set. English translations of some of Ma Yueh-liang's writings were done by Dr. Zee Wen, one of this students who eventually opened a Wu style school in Tucson, Arizona before he died. Ma Yueh-liang taught many high level students, and perhaps his top student was Fei Gua-ching who is still active in the Jianquan Taijiquan Association in Shnaghai.
Ma Yueh-liang and Wu Ying-hua are survived by their children and grandchildren, including: Ma Jiangchun (b. 1931), Dr. Ma Hailong (b. 1935), Ma Jiang-bao (b. 1941) who lives in the Netherlands and teaches traditional Taijiquan throughout Europe and Ma Jiangling (b. 1947).