Chen Dacan graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1964 and taught there for another 20 years. Apart from being an accomplished erhu player he is also a specialist in Chinese religious music. He edited and published “Chinese Daoist Music” 1986-7 and produced a series of television programmes and recordings in China about Chinese religious ceremonies. He contributed a chapter on Chinese religious music to the “Great Encyclopaedia of China”. During 1988 and 1989 he conducted research in Chinese music in France and gave concerts in over forty French towns. In 1990 he moved to England and was the founder of London Chinese Orchestra and the UK Chinese Ensemble. He has engaged into many major concerts in the UK and published many CDs. In recent years, Chen also composed and played for several major Hollywood film soundtrack such as “Gangs of New York” (Martin Scorsese); “Shanghai Noon” (Jackie Chan), “We are Soldiers” (Mel Gibson).
‘Laoba’ Desmond Murray is President of the International Daoist Society and Overseas President of the Weihai Wushu Association, and is recognised as a Daoist Wushu master at the highest levels in China. The International Daoist Society was built on the foundations that were originally laid down by Professor Chan Kam Lee who started the first Daoist Arts School in London in the 1930’s. The Presidency was continued by Grand Master Chee Soo from 1954. Chee Soo passed the Presidency to Mr Murray before his death in 1994.
Alex Boyd has been one of Laoba Desmond Murray’s students for over 20 years and has been teaching Weihai Lishi Quanfa himself since 1990. He is Deputy Principal of the College of Chinese Physical Culture and has been responsible for applying Lishi whole-body breathing methods to school, university, hospital, community and workplace settings. Through the development of applied teaching methodologies he has enabled Lishi to be respected by professionals in sport, the arts, health and education and to be funded by various trusts, foundations and government agencies.
Henry is a retired multi disciplined public servant and a lawyer with experience of both the public and private sectors. Highly experienced in administration, organisation, human resources and communications. He is bilingual and is fluent in several Chinese dialects. Henry is also a music and sports lover. He has been practising Qi Gong for more than 30 years. He acquired skills and techniques from a well known Qi Gong late master P.K Ting and the grand master S.W Chu respectively. A booklet of “100 DAY FORCE QI GONG “, written in Chinese, in commemoration of his later master Ping has been published recently.
Stephen is a highly respected UK film producer of 14 feature films, which have received 11 Oscar nominations and 2 Oscar wins. Stephen began his career in the City of London and became a member of the London Stock Exchange in 1973. In 1989, he teamed up with Kenneth Branagh and founded Renaissance Films. The pair made the acclaimed movies Henry V, Peter’s Friends and Much Ado About Nothing. From 1994, Stephen took sole charge of Renaissance and cemented his position at the forefront of UK film production with a string of critically and financially successful hits, including The Madness of King George, Wings of the Dove and The Luzhin Defence. Stephen Evans’ track record of nurturing upcoming talent includes the screenwriting career of Hossein Amini (Oscar nominated for his first screenplay, The Wings of the Dove) and the film directing careers of Kenneth Branagh, Nicholas Hytner (The Madness of King George) and Iain Softley (Wings of the Dove).
Most recently, Stephen has executive produced Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (directed by George Clooney starring Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore), Disco Pigs (starring Cillian Murphy), The Safety of Objects (starring Glenn Close), The Reckoning (with Paul Bettany and Willem Dafoe) The Mother (directed by Roger Michell, with Daniel Craig – selected for Cannes Director’s Fortnight 2003). He then executive produced Dear Frankie (starring Emily Mortimer and Gerard Butler), which has been distributed by Pathe in the UK and has sold around the world for Miramax. Currently, Stephen is the managing director of Britannia Film and TV Ltd.
Stephen always has great passion and interest in Chinese culture and music. His favourite Chinese philosophy is based on ancient Daoism of the book of I Ching.