Discover the Best Books Written by Chungliang Al Huang
Chungliang “Al” Huang (Chinese: 黃忠良) is a notable philosopher, dancer, performing artist, and internationally acclaimed taijiquan master and educator, having received the Republic of China’s most prestigious award in the field of education, the Gold Medal Award, from its Ministry of Education.
As the Keynote speaker at the Major World Gatherings in India, Switzerland, Germany, and Bali, Chungliang "Al" Huang appeared with many notable world leaders of religion and spiritual philosophy, including the Dalai Lama.
Huang is the founder-president of the Living Tao Foundation based on the Oregon Coast of the United States and the International Lan Ting Institute, located in the sacred mountains of China. Huang was featured in the inaugural segment of Bill Moyers’ renowned PBS series A World of Ideas (1988, 1990).
Throughout his career, Huang established many close alliances with highly regarded philosophers and scholars of our time. Notably, his colleague and collaborator, the late philosopher scholar Alan Watts, mythologist Joseph Campbell, and his mentor John Blofeld.
Huang was born in Shanghai in the 1930s. His family moved to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese civil war. He grew up with a rich background in the classics, fine and martial arts, and the Beijing Opera techniques. He moved to the United States in the 1960s to study Architecture, Cultural Anthropology, and Choreography.
Huang became a taijiquan teacher with the encouragement of Alan Watts and became involved with the Human Potential Movement. His 1973 book Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain greatly helped to popularize taijiquan in the West. It went on to be published in 14 languages.
He has taught at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA, since the late 1960s. Huang was a close colleague and collaborator with the late scholar Alan Watts, mythologist Joseph Campbell, Gregory Bateson, Laura Archera Huxley, John Blofeld, and Huston Smith.