Bow-sim Mark

Mark was born in Guangzhou, Republic of China in 1942. She began studying martial arts at elementary school, training seriously in high school and then at Wushu training schools, specialising in tai chi and Northern Shaolin. Mark learned Fu-Style Wudangquan by training under Fu Wing Fay for 10 years; Wing Fay was the eldest son and top student of Grandmaster Fu Chen Sung. She was an instructor at Wing Fay's school from 1968 to 1974.

After living for years in Hong Kong, Mark emigrated to Brighton, Massachusetts in 1975, and founded the Chinese Wushu Research Institute in July 1976.{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gdYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA49|title=Tai Chi Chaun's Little China Doll Comes To America|last=Wong|first=Sandy|date=December 1975|work=Black Belt Magazine|access-date=22 January 2010}}{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n9QDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA18|title=M.I.T. students study combined Tai Chi Chuan|date=February 1976|work=Black Belt|access-date=22 January 2010}} She still teaches and performs in the Boston area. She was one of the first to provide Chinese wushu instruction in the West,{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rdsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28|title=Combined Tai Chi in the U.S. Stepping out of China's shadow|last=Carrabis|first=Joseph-David|date=April 1984|work=Black Belt|access-date=22 January 2010}} and is credited with popularizing the term Wushu outside of China. She gave the first demonstration of Combined tai chi in the United States, and published the first description of the technique in 1975.{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=INQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45|title=The New Wu Shu|last=Kwan|first=Paul W.L.|date=April 1978|work=Black Belt Magazine|access-date=22 January 2010}} Mark won a gold medal at the first International Tournament of tai chi in Wuhan City in 1984.{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7toDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA16|title=Tai Chi Tourney a Hit in Mainland China|date=October 1984|work=Black Belt|access-date=22 January 2010}} She was named Black Belt magazine's Kung-Fu artist of the year for 1995.{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S9kDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA163|title=Awards so far|last=Gracie|first=Rickson|date=October 1996|work=Black Belt|access-date=22 January 2010}}

One of her specialities is her Wudang sword dance. She played the part of a 'kung fu diva' in a play, Mum and Shah at the Lyric Stage theater in Boston in 1995.{{cite news|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1995/7/7/mum-and-shah-blends-motion-fancy/|title=Mum and Shah Blends Motion, Fancy|last=MacMillan|first=Valerie J.|date=7 July 1995|work=The Harvard Crimson|access-date=22 January 2010}}

Black Belt magazine named her one of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century.{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2011/06/19/bow_sim_mark_created_a_martial_arts_dynasty_movie_stars|title=The way of the ribbon and the sword|last=Charles P. Pierce|date=June 19, 2011|work=The Boston Globe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707062615/http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2011/06/19/bow_sim_mark_created_a_martial_arts_dynasty_movie_stars|archive-date=7 July 2014|url-status=dead}}

Mark is married to the newspaper editor Klyster Yen. They have two children, a son, martial arts movie star Donnie Yen,{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ENIDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA115|title=Yen Yearns for Stardom in Hong Kong Films|last=Lukitsh|first=Jean|date=February 1994|work=Black Belt Magazine|access-date=22 January 2010}} and a daughter, Chris Yen, who placed All-round Third division in the First International Wushu tournament in 1986 as the youngest competitor,{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QdwDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA112|title=Youngster wins Wushu award|date=February 1986|work=Black Belt Magazine|access-date=22 January 2010}} and who has also joined the film industry.{{cite web|url=http://www.taichi-arts.com/article/chi-ching-yen/|title=Chris (Chi Ching) Yen|work=Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi Arts Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172441/http://www.taichi-arts.com/article/chi-ching-yen/|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=22 January 2010}}{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/08/kung_fu_daughter/|title=Kung Fu daughter|last=Rosenbaum|first=S.I.|date=8 March 2009|work=Boston Globe|access-date=22 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090311023756/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/08/kung_fu_daughter/ |archive-date=11 March 2009}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100326120206/http://www.taichi-arts.com/article/master-bow-sim-mark/ Profile from the Chinese Wushu Research Institute]

(Wayback Machine copy)

• [http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?author=bow+sim+mark&st=xl&ac=qr Bookfinder.com's catalog of Bow Sim Mark titles]
• [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gky4Pb0euUA Profile from Mass. Culture Council], including a video of her performance.
• [https://danversmartialarts.com/about-us/ Instructors – United Martial Arts Center]

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Category:1942 births

Category:Chinese tai chi practitioners

Category:Hong Kong emigrants to the United States

Category:Living people

Category:Sportspeople from Guangzhou

Category:Martial artists from Guangdong

Category:Martial artists from Boston

Category:American people of Chinese descent

Category:People from Newton, Massachusetts