Gene Chen

Gene Chen was born in Shanghai 1938, the Year of the Tiger. He lived there with his father, mother, two older sisters and two younger brothers until the family fled to Hong Kong due to the Chinese Communist Revolution following World War II.

As a boy, Gene and his younger brothers would often be surrounded and harassed by neighborhood bullies when walking home from school. Gene stood his ground and did what he could to protect his younger brothers. Since these bullies had learned martial arts, Gene decided that he needed to learn a system that he could use to defeat them. He approached Chu Yu Hing's top disciple, Dong Yet Long and asked to learn Chu Gar Southern Mantis style. Master Dong was a cook at a local school when young Gene first met him. Master Dong initially refused to teach, denying any knowledge of martial arts. Gene was persistent though, and after making offerings of chicken, pork and wine, with his mother by his side, he was finally accepted as a student. Shortly after, Gene was introduced to Chu Yu Hing, and for the next for 7 years, under their tutelage; he patiently devoted himself to learning Southern Praying Mantis. He had discovered his lifelong passion for martial arts.

In 1959, along with his family, Gene Chen moved to the US and settled in San Francisco. On the boat trip across the Pacific Ocean, he met Choi Gam Man, a student of Yi Sui, Master of Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis. He asked Choi to teach him Chow Gar, but as Choi's purpose in going to America was to join his father Choi Hok Peng to help teach Yang-style tai chi, he would not teach Mantis. He did agree to teach Gene Yang's tai chi and they passed the long trip days practicing martial arts together.

Over the decades that followed, Gene worked to make a living and to save money for his return trips to study in China. He was trained as a drafter and had an impeccable hand, but disliked being confined inside an office and having to wear a starched shirt and tie. Eventually he left drafting and took a series of odd jobs to make money, such as serving as a translator for Vietnamese refugees and working as a bellhop. Gene was so focused on his martial arts that when his job was a shipping receiver in one of the Jack Tar Hotels' loading dock, he installed his wooden dummy in a nearby storeroom so he could get in some extra practice when things were slow. Over the years he took many extended trips back to Hong Kong, often staying for 6 months at a time to get intensive training with Yi Sui, Chu Yu Hing and Dong Yet Long. In 1970 Master Dong conferred on Gene Chen the title of Chief Instructor with certificate and Chu Yu Hing granted the title of Instructor with certificate in 1971. With his certificates in hand, he began his career as a martial arts teacher. In 1971, Gene opened his first school in the Richmond District, San Francisco. When the rent got too high at the first location, they relocated class to the basement of a local Japanese church. However, the school still was not providing the financial return on his time and effort that Gene desired and he closed it for good in 1975. He continued to teach Yang's tai chi, Southern Praying Mantis and Wing Chun at his house through 1980. During these years Gene especially enjoyed going out to different martial arts schools to test himself against other martial artists and other fighting styles. His Praying mantis training served him very well in these encounters.

Family was very important to Gene and he remained close to his relatives all his life even though their interactions were often contentious and dramatic. He was always ready to help out his siblings, whether it was taking care of his sister's rental properties or driving his old VW Beetle down to Los Angeles to help his brother move. Gene took his role as the eldest son very seriously and even remodeled the lower floor of his house to make a comfortable room for his mother to live. For the better part of 20 years she lived at his home. Eventually Gene settled down and married. His only child, a daughter was born the next year. Near the end of his life, Gene confided to his brother that the best times in his life were practicing martial arts with his students and seeing his wife and daughter happy.