Shudong Li

Violet Li

Master Violet Li, a 12th Generation Chen Style Tai Chi Inheritor and Qigong master, is dedicated to teaching and promoting the healing arts of Tai Chi and Qigong. With over 800 published articles, her work has reached audiences in more than 40 countries and has been translated and syndicated both in the U.S. and internationally. She is also a columnist for Chinese Wushu, China’s premier martial arts magazine. Recognized for her contributions, she received the Best Media Award from the World Congress of Tai Chi, Qigong, and Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as Tai Chi Gala. As a respected mentor, she has trained instructors worldwide and is known as a “Teacher’s Teacher.” For more details, visit www.violetli.com.

CJ Rhoads

Dr. Christine "CJ" Rhoads has been studying Tai Chi and Qigong for more than thirty years. She is the managing director of Health, Prosperity, and Leadership Institute, an umbrella organization with over 30 programs devoted to helping everyone, everywhere achieve health, attain prosperity, and develop leadership. She is also a Professor in the College of Business at Kutztown University, and an avid integrative healthcare researcher on integrative health practices such as Tai Chi and Qigong.
She is a prolific writer, and has authored eleven books and over 250 articles. She has published many articles on the pain management mechanism of Tai Chi & Qigong, and has been instrumental in the NQA Research and Education Committee "Know the Evidence" analyses of systematic reviews of Tai Chi and Qigong for health.
She is the founder of the Taijiquan Enthusiasts Organization, and has run dozens of Tai Chi & Qigong Festivals and Symposiums, both on-line and in-person. She has received the "World Congress of Qigong Tai Chi TCM & Natural Healing Leadership Award", the "Top Faculty Researcher of the Year" Award, the "Taijiquan Promoter of the Year" Award, and was admitted to the "Hall of Fame" by the Fellowship of United Martial Artists. She is also a gold medalist for woman's push hands. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Kutztown University, a Master of Arts in Education Psychology and Instructional Design from Temple University, and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Technology from Lehigh University.

Guoyan (Emily) Yang

Dr. Guoyan (Emily) Yang, MMed, PhD, is an Adjunct Research Fellow at National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) Western Sydney University. Her research focuses on evaluating complementary and integrative medicine therapies, particularly Tai Chi-based interventions for health and wellbeing, in the management of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal conditions, and mental disorders. Her expertise includes clinical trials, systematic reviews, mixed methods, qualitative studies, and guidelines.

Dr. Yang has published over 80 research papers in peer-reviewed journals (Google Scholar total citations: 3296, h-index: 33) and been recognized as the prestigious Stanford University and Elsevier’s World’s Top 2% Scientists in 2022. She has presented her research findings in numerous domestic and international conferences. Dr Yang is a member of many professional organisations, such as the International Society for Complementary Medicine Research, Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association, Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture Society of Australia, and the Tai Chi Association of Australia. She is the Executive Editor of Advances in Integrative Medicine, serves on the editorial boards of the European Journal of Integrative Medicine and the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences, and serves as reviewers of several peer-reviewed journals.

As a Tai Chi master and health researcher with 19 years of teaching experience and the President of Boyuan Tai Chi for Health Association, she integrates deep academic insight with hands-on practice, drawing on eight years research on Tai Chi for health conducted in China and ten years in Australia. Dr Yang teaches Tai Chi at the Next Practice Western Sydney Integrative Health clinic, part of the National Health Research Institute (NICM) at Western Sydney University. Through the Boyuan Tai Chi for Health Association, a non-for-profit organisation, she also leads multiple community classes, promoting wellness and mind-body movement. Her dedication to public education is evident in more than 30 health talks delivered at libraries and community organisations, where she shares practical strategies for holistic health and wellbeing.