Chen Xiaowang, a 19th-generation inheritor of Chen-style tai chi. [Photo by Cui Meng/China Daily]

Chen's victories in competitions in the 1980s earned him a spot on Henan's sports commission. His 350 yuan ($56) monthly salary was much higher than the 30-yuan average.

"I kept practicing," he recalls.

"Even though I couldn't remove my socks from my swollen feet or turn over in bed, I felt happy."

He has since shifted "from quantity to quality", he says.

Chen has appeared in kung fu films and became a leader of Henan's sports commission.

His first international foray was a 1990 visit to Sydney. Few Australians knew about tai chi then, he says.

Chen continues annual consultations to tai chi studios around the world, including China.

Chen Daoyong, who has practiced tai chi for a decade and opened a tai chi gym in Beijing, says: "Chen Xiaowang is brilliant at tai chi. He seems invincible."

Every March, Chen Xiaowang brings disciples to his hometown and stages a ceremony to honor his ancestors.

Niu Lina, who started learning tai chi from Chen in 2006, says: "Chen is admirable as a moral man and tai chi master."

Under his guidance, she opened her own tai chi studio in Henan's provincial capital Zhengzhou.

Contact the writer at dengzhangyu@chinadaily.com.cn.