Teachers’ Bios

Lydia Tillianaki, the main teacher of the Association, started her study on Tai Chi chuan & Chi gong in 1984 in Belgium &  England .After 10 years of intense study  with her teacher San gee tam and Master Chu she returned to her home in Athens. After having already some experience teaching Tai Chi she started a small group in her flat  in Nea Smyrni and in 1998 she creates the Tai Chi Chuan Nea Smyrni Association moving to a bigger location. Looking to find more original sources in Tai Chi Chuan in 1995 she organizes various workshops with important Tai Chi Chuan & Chi kung Masters. Having discovered that she wants to stay with one basic Master and one basic Tai Chi Chuan style she comes in contact with Dong Family through her first teacher San gee tam. Master Alex Dong 4th generation descendant in Dong Family, (a family of Tai Chi Masters from the time of Yang Chen Fu), became her main Tai Chi Chuan Master. Since 1998 she invites him to Greece for workshops and she also travels to be taught for her own development. Recently her teacher gave her the title of senior instructor of this system. Except Tai Chi Chuan she is also learning and teaching therapeutic Chi Kung. She was trained in Chi Kung by Master Wen Mei Yu whom she has invited several times in Greece for workshops. Her former Chi Kung teachers are Karel & Eva Koshkuba founders of Chinese Internal Arts Association.

Yiannis Zoumproulis was born in Athens and started training in Chinese martial arts in 1992. During his training, he has practiced Wudang Taijiquan, Eagle Claw Kung Fu and Yang style Taijiquan. He started his training with Master Alex Dong in 2002. He is dedicated to continuing his Taijiquan studies with Master Alex Dong, who gave him the title of senior instructor of his system and is the founder of Athens Taijiquan Association.

Thanos Touralias has been a student of Lydia Tyllianaki since 2004. He has attended intensive workshops with Master Alex Dong and the last few years has been teaching at Nea Smyrni Tai Chi Chuan Association.

Manolis Patiniotis is a historian of science. He has been practicing taiji chuan since 2004 with Lydia Tylianaki. He has attended seminars with master Alex Dong, and has been teaching at the Tai Chi Chuan Center since 2017.