UCLA Taekwondo instructor Scott Dilalla & Sifu Cheng

During the hiatus from college study, Sifu Cheng met Sifu Andrew Ching, one of the early students of Sifu Arthur Y.S. Lee, the grandmaster of Sil Lum Fut Ga. Sifu Ching shared his knowledge of Fut Ga and gave Mark Cheng many introductions to the San Francisco Bay Area's famed Chinese martial artists, including Sifus Clarence Lee, Ming Lum, Andrew Foster, and Chi-hsiu Daniel Weng.

Weng Chi-hsiu was a student of the legendary Ch'ang Tung-Sheng, an undefeated fighter who was the acknowledged "King of Shuai-Chiao". The Shuai-Chiao system had grappling and powerful throwing techniques that weren't emphasized in Cheng's earlier training, and he accepted Weng's offer to train him. Later that summer, Weng stayed with his new student in his dorm room on a visit to Los Angeles, where he tried to muster support for the fledgling USA-Wushu Kung-Fu Federation. The two spent time training on the Intramural Field, a dry dirt field at UCLA. It was there that the importance of proper breakfalling was most apparent. By 1997, Cheng earned his black belt and became an active national level Shuai-Chiao and Sanshou referee under Dr. Weng. By that time, Cheng had introduced Dr. Weng to Los Angeles area martial artists such as Burton Richardson, Mark Stewart, the late Ted Lucaylucay, and Daniel Yu Wang.

Cheng Yu-Nien and the UCLA Kung-Fu class

During his years at UCLA, Sifu Cheng created and led the UCLA Kuoshu Club, later to become the UCLA Kung-Fu class. His class was to become one of the most popular on campus, with enrollments rivaling those of the ever popular Taekwondo club. With a ferocious workout that left even the hardiest athletes drenched in sweat and a well-rounded combat curriculum that drew students from other clubs, Sifu Cheng's class gave him the foothold from which he'd leap into the martial arts spotlight. It was at this time that he founded the Chung Hua Kung-Fu & Tai-Chi Institute, which was made up of students of his from around southern California.