2004 Recipient: Award of Excellence
Master Mark was born in Guangzhou, China She began studying martial arts at elementary school, training seriously in high school and then at Wushu training schools, studying standard wushu forms and specializing in styles of Taijiquan and Northern Shaolin.
Mark learned Fu Style by training under Fu Yong Hui for 10 years; Yong Hui was the eldest son and top student of Grandmaster Fu Zhen Song She was an instructor at Fu Yong Hui’s school from 1968-73. In 1973 she was the Chief Instructor of the Women’s Wushu Association in Hong Kong. While in Hong Kong she was also an instructor of Traditional Chinese Dance. She gave many wushu performances in Hong Kong and in the United States Master Mark moved to Massachusetts in 1975. In 1976 she founded the Chinese Wushu Research Institute in Boston. She has taught and presented at numerous colleges in the Boston area. In 1984 she won a gold medal for her Taijiquan performance at the first International Tournament of Taijiquan in Wuhan City. She was named Black Belt magazine’s Kung-Fu artist of the year for 1995. Black Belt Magazine also named her one of the Most Influential Martial Artists of the 20th Century. Small, but mighty, she has inspired many martial artists with her extreme power and flexibility and astonished more with her artistry in performance. It is no surprise that her son is the movie star, Donnie Yen. In addition to teaching and performing, she has written many books and produced videos on martial arts, including books on Taijiquan, Advanced Sword, Broadsword, and Wushu Basic Techniques and Training.