Chen Fake

陳發科 Chen Fake
An older Chen Fake plays the "xin jia" form he introduced to the world
Born	1887 (1887) Chenjiagou, Henan, China
Died	1957 (aged 69–70)
Nationality	Chinese
Style	Wushu: Chen-style taijiquan
Teacher(s)	Chen Yanxi (陈延熙)
Rank	9th gen. Grandmaster of Chen-style taijiquan
Notable relatives	Chen Changxing, Chen Youben, Chen Qingping
Notable students	Hong Junsheng

Chen Fake or Ch'en Fa-k'e (陳發科; 1887–1957) was a Chinese martial artist who taught Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan. He was born and raised in Chen Family Village (Chenjiagou, 陳家溝) in Henan province. In 1928, Chen Fake moved to Beijing to teach his family’s inheritance; Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan. After defeating all challengers, Chen attracted a group of students that included many already well known martial artists. Chen Fake was a martial artist and not a scholar and so he did not leave a written record of his achievements. His life story was recorded and told by his sons or students, notably Hong Junsheng. By the time of his death in 1957, Chen had established a martial arts tradition of Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan that is practiced worldwide.

Chen Fake (陳發科), courtesy name Fusheng (福生), was born in 1887, in the village known as Chen Jia Gou (陳家溝), Wen County (溫县), Henan Province (河南). This area was known for their martial arts expertise since the establishment of the village in 1374.

Chen’s great grandfather was Chen Changxing (1771–1853), who taught Yang Luchan (1799–1871), the founder of Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan. Chen Fake’s father, Chen Yanxi (陈延熙; 1820 ? – ), was an armed escort by profession. This occupation required him to maintain a reputation in martial arts as he traveled around the country protecting his convoys.

Chen Fake was born when his father was in his sixties and both of his older brothers had died. As a result, he lived a relatively pampered life. When Chen was young, he was often sick and sometimes bedridden. Due to his illness, he did not practice his family’s martial art.

This all changed when his father went to Shandong province to teach martial arts to the family of Yuan Shikai (1859–1916) around 1900 when Chen Fake was fourteen. Since this position required Chen Yanxi to be away for an extended period, Yanxi asked his relatives to look after his family. One evening, Chen Fake heard his relatives criticizing his weakness suggesting that he failed to live up to the expectations of his ancestors. (「延熙这一支，辈辈出高手，可惜到发科这一辈就完了，他都十四岁了，还这么虚弱，不能下工夫，这不眼看完了吗？」 ) This disturbed Chen greatly. He wanted to prove his relatives wrong but feared it was too late. He was very poor in terms of martial arts ability, when he compared himself to others within Chen village. This question hounded him until he realized that if he dedicated himself to the practice of his family’s art he could improve his skills. For the next three years, while others rested or relaxed after their daily chores, Chen would practice the various forms in Chen’s family tai chi chuan. If he had any questions, he would ask every one around him for help. His single minded focus made him one of the best practitioner’s in Chen village. His father was pleased with Fake’s achievements when he returned for a visit.