Tai Chi Cultural Center

The Tai Chi Cultural Center was founded by Dr. Martin Lee, a Stanford University physicist, and his wife, Emily in 1974.

Dedicated to the preservation of a traditional form of Tai Chi passed down through the legendary Grand Master Yang, the Lees have synthesized modern science and ancient philosophy into their "do nothing extra" method, a pioneering approach to understanding Tai Chi, health, nature and the self.

Since its inception, the Tai Chi Cultural Center's work with numerous private and public institutions have helped establish the Center as a well respected destination for learning and research. In 2001, the Center was selected by the Center for Disease Prevention at Stanford University to participate in the first in-depth study of the effects of Tai Chi on aging.

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Martin and Emily Lee

Martin Lee, born in Canton, China, spent his early years studying traditional philosophy and martial arts, complementing an early aptitude and passion for the study of science and mathematics. Dr. Lee graduated with High Honors in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley earning a BS in 1960. He went on to receive an MS two years later from New York University, completed while he was working at Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey. In 1967, he received a PhD from Stanford University. In 1962, four years prior to receiving his doctorate, Dr. Lee joined a team of engineers and physicists at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Since then he has been a key member in the design and commission of all particle accelerators and storage rings at SLAC. Although much of his lifelong work has been dedicated to these scientific endeavors, Dr. Lee has through the years managed to integrate his western knowledge with his eastern heritage, spanning the study of ancient Chinese philosophy and martial arts, including Tai Chi and Chi Kung.

Martin and his wife Emily began their formal training in Tai Chi with Grand Master Kuo Lien-Ying in 1968, becoming Kuo’s inner-disciples in 1972. It was during this time that they first began teaching Tai Chi for Total Fitness classes; they continue to do so, in the U.S. and abroad. From 1980-1982, the Lees also studied Ch’i Kung with Professor Yu Pen-Shi, a Grand Master of Shing Yi Internal Martial Arts. In 1981, Professor Yu accepted them as his god-son and god-daughter (an honor rarely bestowed to disciples in the martial arts tradition).

The Lees are authors of two books on Tai Chi—Ride the Tiger to the Mountain: Tai Chi for Health (1989) andThe Healing Art of Tai Chi: Becoming One with Nature (1997) which, due to its popularity, has since been republished with a new title: Restore Yourself with Tai Chi (2002). They have also produced an award winning video—Mind-Body Fitness: Ch’i Kung Tai Chi (winner of the Joey Award for best consumer video in 1989).

The Lees are also involved with the WISE Project, supported by the NIA and Stanford University. At the Stanford Center for Research on Disease Prevention, this project aims to document the physical effects of the Do-No-Extra method of Tai Chi practice on seniors 65 and older. They are also in the process of publishing their recently completed English translation of the Tao Teh Ching.

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