Nei Jia Insights - Peter Gilligan - About Peter Gilligan

Peter was the first person to teach open public Tai Chi Ch’uan classes in Belfast and Northern Ireland starting in 1990. In 1997 he opened the first and only full time “Qi quan” (Training Hall) for Nei Dan Chinese Internal Arts in Belfast. He has been teaching continuously in Northern Ireland for the last 16 years.

He has been a student of Tai Chi for 39 years. He commenced his physical practice of the Ch’uan form 29 years ago with John Pollex, a student of Pyt Geddes who was the first person to teach and demonstrate Tai Chi Ch’uan in the UK in 1953. Pyt has honoured Peter by recommending him to her students as a resource for Qi Gong and martial applications.

Peter has spent time in the Chinese National Health service studying the therapeutic and medical application of Tai Chi Ch’uan and Qi Gong in Chinese regional hospitals.

Peter's experience of Tai Chi Chuan includes exposure to all five of the traditional family styles of Tai Chi Chuan - Chen, Yang, Wu, Hao and Sun. Although he regards himself primarily as a carrier of the Yang family tradition, he also teaches the related internal art of Xingyiquan (Hsing Yi Ch’uan) at his school of Chinese Internal Arts at 119a Woodstock Road Belfast.

Peter’s background in Tai Chi Ch’uan is extensive and wide ranging, he has studied from the martial perspective as well as the health-giving and philosophical ones. His firm belief is that an understanding of the self-protection methods of Tai Chi is a very important factor in a thorough learning process.