Master He (何曉東)

Master He (Hal), Xiaodong, is the Tai Chi instructor for the Visitacion Valley Community Beacon Center since May 2002. She started with a handful of students. Now the head count for the regular attendees is in excess of 50 with an additional 10 to 15 drop-ins to attend her Saturday and Sunday classes in McLaren Park in San Francisco. This huge increase in membership is just by word of mouth. The popularity and rapid growth of her classes are a testament to her friendliness and her ability to teach Tai Chi.

He, Xiaodong studied and excelled in the Chinese Martial Arts since her youth. She studied and trained with some of the finest martial arts masters in China since 1970. She has a diverse martial arts background. After studying various Chinese Martial Arts, she was drawn to Wushu and Tai Chi. But her true love is Tai Chi.

She taught and coached Tai Chi in China from 1992 until she moved to the U.S. in 2000. To her students, she is known as He (Hal) Sifu. Sifu means teacher in Chinese and is a title that is used with respect and honor. She is like family to many of her students. Her love of the art comes through her wealth of knowledge and depth of understanding. She delights in her art and she takes joy in teaching it. She has a keen awareness of her students that enables her to teach and demonstrate Tai Chi movements that are fun and easy to understand.