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.
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.
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.
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.
Despite his increasing family responsibilities with six sons and declining fortune, Hong remained committed to training closely with Chen.
[3] 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.
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.
[5][6] They made some basic modifications to the Erlu, but Hong was summoned back to Jinan for a wedding, cutting their visit short.
Just a year later, in 1957, Chen Fake passed away, making Hong one of the last remaining links to the traditional Chinese martial arts as practiced in the previous century.
Stripped of his wealth, unemployed, and burdened with the responsibility of supporting a large family, Hong tenaciously persisted in his study of tai chi.
Gradually, he assembled a dedicated group of core students who joined him in experimenting and testing his understanding of Chen Style.
When the government sponsored push hand competitions, the team trained by his student Li Enjiu (李恩久) astonished the country with their remarkable performance.
Japanese tourists showed a keen interest in China's authentic martial arts heritage and explored various regions, including Chen Village and Jinan.
Japanese martial arts associations encountered Hong during their visits near Black Tiger Spring (黑虎泉), where he trained regularly.
[9] Hong's legacy lies in his extensive research and profound understanding of Chen-style tai chi as taught by Chen Fake.
Hong Junsheng can be regarded as the 10th generation practitioner of Chen Style tai chi, as depicted in the Chen-style lineage tree.