Chan Tai San  (1920–September 1, 2004) was a Chinese Martial arts Grandmaster. Chan had often been referred to as one of China's "Living Treasures", and featured as such on a cover of Inside Kung Fu magazine.

 Early years

According to a recorded interview conducted with Chan Tai San, he began his Kung-Fu training at the age of eight years old under Yee Hoi-Long, a stone mason who worked for the Chan family. Yee taught Hung Fist (Hung Kuyhnn—often called "village style" and the predecessor to modern Hung Ga) and "Hung Tao Choy Mei" (literally "Hung Head Choy Tail"). Hung Tao Choy Mei was the older name for what is now Jow Ga, a system combining strong Hung style fist work with active Choy style footwork. Chan learned from Yee for approximately six years.

At the age of 13, after the death of his father, he was sent by his family to the Green Cloud Temple where he began training in Kung-Fu and Buddhism. He was primarily a student of Jyu Jik Chuyhn . Chan also was trained by Gaai Si Wu Song (Monk Gaai Si) at the temple, at the temple, he trained mostly in the Choy Lee Fut Style.

At 17, Chan Tai San left the monastery to fight against the Imperial Japanese Army. He enlisted in a division comprising peasants, but also featuring some of the best traditional Chinese martial arts fighters of the time. While in the army, Chan Tai San trained with and served with Cheung Lai-Chung (Bak Mei, White eyebrow Style), Baahk Mo Jyu, nicknamed the "White Haired Devil" (Hung Fut Style) and many more.  

After the war, he travelled the country meeting and training with more Sifu, like Mok Jing-Kiu (Head of the Mok Family Style) and Chan Sai-Mo of the Choy Lay Fut style. He returned in his 40s to the Clear Cloud Temple and learned Lama Pai  from Jyu Jik Chuyhn.

He devoted his entire life to training and promoting Chinese Martial Arts in China and abroad. In China, the respect the martial arts community had for Chan was evidenced by his many appointments to important positions. He was the coach of the Guangdong Province Martial Arts Demonstration Team from 1980–1982, a hand to hand fighting (San Da) instructor for an elite Fut San military unit, member of the executive committee of the Toi San region martial arts association and a member of the national demonstration team.

Accomplishments

As a member of the national demonstration team, and during demonstrations at national level tournaments in the United States, Chan demonstrated skill in "internal martial arts" (Chi Kung), iron palm and iron body. These are examples of his Chi-Kung demonstrations: [1] [2]

Chan Tai San was one of the only instructors to openly teach the Lama Pai style, at the time he opened his classes to Americans there were only approximately five other public Lama Pai sifu in the world. Chan Tai San, his school, and the Lama Pai system he taught also received coverage in other martial arts magazines such as "Kung Fu Wushu".

Chan Tai San is also mentioned (transliterated in the article in the Mandarin pronunciation "Chen Tai Shan") in a 1987 article on the culture of lion dancing in Chinatown

Of interest may be some pictures of Chan Tai San actually teaching students that were taken over the span of more than a decade.

Chan's Choy Lay Fut, Lama Pai, Bok Mei and many other styles have been passed down to Sifu Gus Kaparos