Hong Junsheng (Chinese: 洪均生), born in 1907 in Henan, China, was a Chinese martial arts practitioner, teacher and author. Hong was the longest serving disciple for the Chen-style tai chi master Chen Fake. Starting in 1930, Hong trained uninterrupted with Chen for fifteen years. In 1944, Hong moved to the city of Jinan in Shandong Province. In 1956, he returned to Beijing to study again with his teacher, Chen Fake. Later, Hong expressed his understanding of Chen Fake's teachings of tai chi through his own teachings and writings. These theories and training principles are now known as the Chen-style tai chi Practical Method.

Throughout the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, Hong maintained his dedication to the enrichment of his art. During the Era of Restructuring, Hong trained a new generation of Chen stylists and wrote several articles to illuminate the mysteries of Chen-style tai chi. As China opened up to the international community, Hong was rediscovered as an important link to this ancient Chinese martial arts tradition. Tai chi enthusiasts from all over the world came to train with this remarkable man. Fame and fortune did not change Hong; he remained steadfast to the ideals of the Tao. Even in his old age and ill health, he maintained his daily tai chi training schedule and looked forward to doing pushing hands with his students. In 1996, during his 90th year according to the Chinese calendar, Hong died. He is survived by his family, dedicated disciples, and the lasting legacy of his Practical Method.

Hong Junsheng was born in 1907, Yuxian County (now Yuzhou) in Henan Province. His grandfather was a government official in the Qing court. At an early age, Hong's family moved to Beijing, where they enjoyed affluence, providing Hong with a leisurely lifestyle and a classical Chinese education. However, Hong was physically weak and often sick during his youth. By the time he turned seventeen, his illness prevented him from continuing his education. Even after getting married at the age of 20, Hong still felt weak and decided to improve his health through physical activity. He began by walking around the Beijing neighborhoods and park.

In 1930, Hong embarked on learning Wu-style tai chi from Liu Musan (刘慕三) to further enhance his well-being. Liu, originally from Wuxi in Jiangsu Province, was the director of the Telegram Service Department at Beijing Telegram Bureau and a respected protégé of Wu Jianquan. It was a time of change within the tai chi world, coinciding with Hong's training with Liu.

Before 1930, tai chi was mainly associated with the Yang family and the Wu family, but the arrival of Chen Fake and his promotion of Chen-style tai chi reshaped this perception. Chen Fake had moved from Chen Village in Wen county, Henan, to Beijing to openly teach his family style, accepting and winning all challenges in accordance with Chinese martial arts tradition. Chen's remarkable feats and accomplishments were widely reported in the press. Liu decided to investigate the validity of these claims and invited Chen for a demonstration of the form and friendly push hand competition. Impressed by Chen's abilities, Liu, along with his students, including Hong, chose to study Chen-style tai chi. For the following fifteen years, Hong dedicated himself to diligent study under the careful guidance of Chen Fake.

Initially, Chen Fake lived with Hong due to Hong's affluence. Among the students, Hong was always the last to receive personal instruction, which allowed him to closely observe Chen's teachings and engage in occasional discussions about tai chi throughout the day. Over time, Hong's health improved, providing him with further motivation to continue his tai chi training. Despite his increasing family responsibilities with six sons and declining fortune, Hong remained committed to training closely with Chen. As Hong's wealth diminished, Chen's reputation soared, and Chen extended an invitation for Hong's family to stay with him. This arrangement allowed Hong to receive additional detailed instructions from Chen. Out of the hundreds of students Chen Fake taught in Beijing over a thirty-year period, only a handful were considered disciples (入门弟子), and Hong was one of the earliest and most dedicated among them, studying closely with Chen for an extended duration.

In 1944, Hong's financial situation deteriorated, leading him to move from Beijing to Jinan, Shandong Province, where he would spend the rest of his life researching and practicing Chen-style tai chi in accordance with Chen Fake's teachings. During this time, he would have one more opportunity to meet his master.

In 1956, Hong was able to visit Beijing once again to train with Chen Fake. In Jinan, Hong had diligently practiced and delved into the meaning of Chen-style tai chi, accumulating numerous questions. Now, with his teacher, it was a time for review and clarification. After thoroughly reviewing every move, application, and counter in the Yilu and Erlu, Hong raised a fundamental question regarding the discrepancy between the skills (gōng, 功) taught by Chen Fake and the movements in the form (fǎ, 法) did not match exactly. He inquired whether he could modify his form to align the gōng (功) and fǎ (法) as demonstrated in the form Chen had taught him. Over the following months, Chen and Hong worked together daily, meticulously examining each move in the Yilu. When they had completed the entire Yilu, Chen Fake proclaimed, "This set of tai chi does not have one technique which is useless. Everything was carefully designed for a purpose" ("这套拳没有一个 动作是空的, 都是有用的”). They made some basic modifications to the Erlu, but Hong was summoned back to Jinan for a wedding, cutting their visit short. It was an intensive six months of refining Hong's interpretation and understanding of Chen-style. At the end, Chen Fake informed Hong that his skills had reached a satisfactory level and that he should now teach tai chi (陈发科: “你的功夫已经达到了我所期望的水平，回去后，你可以教拳了。”) Hong heeded his teacher's advice. Hong followed his teacher's guidance, and upon his return to Jinan, he earnestly began teaching Chen-style tai chi. Just a year later, in 1957, Chen Fake died, making Hong one of the last remaining links to the traditional Chinese martial arts as practiced in the previous century.