David was taught Tai Chi and Kung Fu by Andrew Carter, one of They's high-ranking senior instructors in the Wutan school. When Andrew introduced Wutan to Bath in 1991 – initially with 5-hour sessions on Sunday afternoons – David completed the Tai Chi short form in 16 weeks and also began Sensing Hands, Pa Gua, a Stick routine and Wu-style Tai Chi.

Andrew had to return to the Wutan UK headquarters in Southampton after a year. David Rutherford, along with Steve Kruk and Martin Chivers, were determined to continue the school's presence in Bath, so they travelled to Southampton on Sundays for training with Master They Soon Tuan, the head of Wutan UK. At Southampton, David continued his training and also completed the 8 Palm Pa Gua sequence, Tai Chi Sword form and Broadsword form, along with their applications. It is natural to try and emulate your teacher in order to maintain the original ‘message’, and for years David has structured his class around Andrew's words and methods.

From a young age, Marick has always been interested in the Chinese martial arts and the philosophy behind it. Throughout childhood he suffered from poor health, and when he started playing the flute, he realized that he needed to improve his health. He originally started to learn martial arts to help his flute playing and develop his focus – but not only did his health improve quickly, he discovered something much deeper in his inner being.

Marick began his Tai Chi training with David Rutherford and studied Kung Fu and Chinese kickboxing under Martin Chivers at Wutan Bath in 1995. He trained wholeheartedly every hour he could and was soon training with Master Wu Song Fa during his regular visits to the UK. After Martin stopped teaching, Marick took on his Kung Fu classes and was invited to teach Tai Chi as well. Marick is fully committed to spreading Wutan's teachings.

After doing Yoga for 7 years, James felt he wanted something more active to complement the progress he had made with Yoga. He also needed to find a way of looking after himself physically to help his recovery from various injuries. He started with Kung Fu and Kickboxing. He then went to Tai Chi as a kind of ‘why not?’. He didn’t expect it to offer anything different to Yoga and Kung Fu, but not only did he find that Tai Chi complemented both of them beautifully, it also has much to add. While he has benefited greatly physically, the emotional and psychological well-being he has experienced have been life changing, and he has made many friends and great memories along the way.

James feels honoured to be teaching for the Wutan school. He feels traditional Chinese martial arts are truly a treasure that can really help our collective future. He is joined by his partner in teaching his classes and is proud that their children are all still actively training and assist them with teaching. He will always be grateful for the day he joined Wutan and believes that training in Tai Chi, Kung Fu and Kickboxing with Wutan for the last 20 or so years has provided him with so much.

James Davies’ partner, also a fully qualified Tai Chi instructor.

Siobhan started her training with the Bath branch of the Wutan school in 1997 and soon realised the amazing benefits for mind, body and inner well-being. What started as a once-a-week class as a hobby soon turned into many hours of dedicated and fun training, with life changing effects, under the guidance of They Soon Tuan and Master Wu Song Fa. After being asked to teach by They, Siobhan began a journey of instructor training and personal development within the arts.

The comprehensive and progressive syllabus of the school gives a great foundation and a lifetime worth of knowledge to students, whether they prefer a short course or on-going training. Over many years of teaching, Siobhan has seen students benefitting profoundly, in so many ways, and finds it to be a rewarding experience and a privilege to be part of her students' journey and development. Siobhan feels honoured and grateful to be able to share such a gift benefitting students, herself and our wider communities.