THE direct descendant of Tai Chi's founder was in Bury on Wednesday to pass on the skills and secrets of the ancient art.

It was in the 1660s that Chinese General, Chen Wang Ting, first devised the system which has now become one of the world's most popular forms of Kung Fu.

Direct descendant, Grandmaster Chen Zheng Lei, visited the regular Tai Chi class held at the Arts and Crafts Centre in Bury.

Local Tai Chi tutor Sue Johnson has been studying under Grandmaster Chen since 1998. In 1999 and 2001 she travelled to China to take part in an international advanced training course. However, it was in October of last year that her current teacher, Master Liu Yong, came to Britain. He was so pleased with the progress that students in Bury were making, that he recommended the Grandmaster to come and see it for himself.

Said Sue: "This was a unique opportunity for Bury's Lifelong Learning students to meet with the head of the system and to see him perform. His visit was a great honour for myself and my students who have made excellent progress. The visit gives our school great credibility, not just here in Britain, but in China as well.