China Trip 2009 Part 2: People
Before the memories fade, I’d like to thank the excellent people who contributed so much to my trip:
Master Chen, first and foremost. I spent a lot of time with Master Chen, talking about teaching and learning, and being taught and (hopefully) learning. Master Chen is one of the brightest people I’ve met and brings a unique and usually very funny perspective to everything. He is also very generous with his time, his instruction and his hands-on time with students. It was a real gift to get to spend the whole gamut of possible interactions, from hanging out in Beijing and Suzhou, to instruction on Daqingshan, to formally being introduced to all sorts of Taiji people and dignitaries.
Master Sun Zhonghua, a friend of Master Chen’s with the same first name. Master Sun teaches Hunyuan Taiji and Qigong. He is a retired diplomat, having worked for Chinese N.G.O. and at the U.N. His English is very good and, as he taught himself from language trainin records, he has a slight British accent and idiom. Master Sun was very chatty and we had numerous interesting conversations about qigong and about Western style oil painting, which is his passion. He also knew a lot about a Wudang gongfu form I practice, the Taiyi Wuxing Quan, and confirmed some of the research I’d done about the origins and transmission of the form. Master Sun also sported the most eccentrically classy item of the trip – the electric cigarette!
Masters Ni and Qi. Master Ni runs a residential martial arts school in Shandong. He has over 1000 students. He is a first class wrestler. He also runs a visual arts school, teaching traditional Chinese painting. He was very warm and welcoming and invited us all to visit his school. His ‘student’ Master Qi is the Shandong provincial push-hands champion. Master Qi recently won a gold at Chen Village, a difficult feat for an outsider (the judges are notoriously jingoistic!). He was on Daqingshan for instruction from Master Chen. We all had a chance to push with him and feel what a professional athlete who wrestles for a living feels like. While it started off as a training drill in Taijiquan, push-hands in China is now a combat sport in its own right. Much like judo, athletes train a small number of throws and have extensive conditioning. They usually learn traditional Taiji after they retire from competition! Master Qi was like an iron statue. There was no place to enter and he had his pick of sweeps and throws on all of us. It was enlightening to see him unable to throw or sweep Master Chen. I’m quite sure he was trying hard and not merely being polite. He was very professional and quiet, with a disarming smile.
I’d also like to mention Daqingshan class, who were funny, friendly and hard working company. It was also great to get to know my nephew Steve Chan, whom although he lives in Ottawa, I only usually see at Master Chen’s workshops.
And the great Suzhou people a the Hunyuan Conference; Herb, Don and Karen (fresh and tough from their 3 month stay on Wudangshan), our translator Nelson and ‘Charlize’ our local guide.
Good times indeed.
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