Yang Yu-ting (1887-1982) was a teacher of Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan. He was Wang Mao Zhai's primary disciple and studied with him from 1916 to 1940. He began training in martial arts from the age of nine. He had a number of masters and learned Tan Tui, Chang Chuan, Xing Yi Chuan, Ba Gua Zhang and Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan.[1]
He reformed his Wu Style training training to make it more systematic and standardised the Wu Style Tai Chi he had learned from Wang Mao-zhai. After his death he became the leader of the Wu Style Beijing group.[1]
He was a respected teacher in Beijing for 75 years and at the time of his death was the vice-chairman of the Beijing Martial Arts Association. Wang Pei-sheng, Li Jing-wu and Li Bing-ci were all his students.[1]
Wu style was created by a Manchurian named Wu Ch'uan-yu (1834 – 1902). Wu was a student of Yang Lu-ch'an, (founder of the Yang style), and Yang Pan-hou. Wu Ch'uan-yu’s son, Wu Chien-ch'uan (1870-1942), loved martial arts from his youth and studied under the tutorship of his father. After 1912 he continuously developed the teaching Tai Chi Chuan at the Beijing Sport Research Society, gradually refining his father’s style.