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Qi Magazine is published by the Tse Qigong Centre.Its aim is to bring you information not readily availablein the West.

Editor: Michael TseDeputy Editor: Darryl MoyDesign Assistant: DavidDrennanAssistants: SarahBloomfield

John HayesMartin Gale

Subscription: Gill HarbachLegal Adviser: Tony Walsh

Proof Reading: Yvonne Dixon

Marketing/Distribution: Jessica BlackwellSweden: Barbro Olsson

Consultants (Listed in alphabetical order):

Grandmaster Chan Chi HoGrandmaster ChenXiao Wang

Grandmaster Ip ChunGrandmaster Yang Meijun

Columnists: Glen GosslingJ. Reynolds NelsonDr. ShulanTangSihn KeiAdam Wallace

Readers may contact any of our contributors c/oQi Magazine.We encourage all our readers to contribute articles, lettersor questions for possible inclusion in future issues ofQi Magazine.Articles appearing in Qi Magazine do not necessarily reflectthe opinion of the editor. Adverts appearing in themagazine are not necessarily endorsed by it or the editor.Exercises appearing in Qi Magazine are for referencepurposes only. Thus anyone wishing to study should seekqualified tuition.

Michael Tse 2002.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored or transmitted in any way without thewritten permission of Michael Tse.

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http://www.qimagazine.comISSN 1358-3778

Continued on page 7

Around 2,800 years ago, China wasstill divided into several smallercountries. There were two

countries; one was called Qin and theother one was called Zhao. Qin was themuch stronger than Zhao. However, Qinheard that the State of Zhao had themost beautiful jade, the best in all theworld.

The more the King of Qin thoughtabout this jade, the more he wantedsome for his own. At that time, jade wasvery precious and used especially formaking a personal seal that was used asa person’s signature. It was a ‘chop’. Sothe King of Qin sent an emissary to theKing of Zhao and said that he wouldexchange fifteen of his cities for one pieceof jade. When King Zhao got the letter,he became very nervous. He knewthat even if he gave the jade toKing Qin, he may not givethem the cities in return.He also knew if herefused him, thenKing Qin mightsend his armies toattack them.

King Zhaohad heard abouta very wise mancalled, Lin XiangRu, and he sentfor him and askedhim his advice. LinXiang Ru told theKing that he mustarrange an exchangeof the jade and the cities.King Zhao said, “But they maynot give me the cities and then I will havelost the jade.”

Lin said, “That is not yourproblem. It will be their fault, not yours.However, I guarantee, that if they do notgive you the cities, I will make sure thatthe jade is returned to you.”

It was arranged and Lin Xiang Rubrought the jade to the King Qin’s palace.He showed the jade to the King and theKing held the jade and lost himself. Heturned the jade this way and that andlost all thought for anything else, he wasso excited by it. As Lin Xiang Ru watchedthe King, he knew that the King hadforgotten his promise of an exchange ofthe cities. So he said to the King, “Your

Majesty, did you know that the piece ofjade you are holding has a scar on it?”

The King was quite shocked andsaid, “Really? Show me! Show me!” Asthe King handed Lin Xiang Ru the jade,Lin backed quickly away towards a post.He then looked back at the King andsaid, “Your Majesty, the jade does nothave any scar, but I find you are notsincere to exchange your cities for myjade.” The King started towards him, butsuddenly Lin held up the jade to the postand said, “Your Majesty, if you really wantto catch me to have this jade, I wouldrather smash this jade and my head onthis pole together.”

TheK i n g

said, “No,no, no! I don’t

mean that. Here! Here is a map and thefifteen cities in this big area. You canhave all of them. Just give me back thejade!”

Lin said, “Your Majesty, beforepresenting this jade to you, my Kingprepared himself by way of a specialceremony. He bathed himself for fivedays, he ate no meat and made aceremony to heaven. Can you too dothis and prepare yourself to receive this

Qi Magazine Sept/October 2002 page 1

Cover Feature...Cover Feature...Cover Feature...

Cover Feature...Cover Feature...Cover Feature...22 Philosophy of Taijiquan

Taijiquan is built upon somevery profound principles andphilosophies. When youpractise you have to embodythese in movements youmake. Moreover they start toseep into your entire life andprovide a guide for you tofollow. Thus it is important tounderstand them before youcan take them on board.By Michael Tse

1 Editorialwith Michael Tse.

3 PO Box

8 Hair Combing ExercisesOver the centuries Qigong masters have made great studiesinto what can improve your health. As a result there are agreat many exercises and movements. Some are quitecomplicated and some are simpler, some are also quiteunusual.By Zeng Qingnan & Liu Daoqing

10 A beginners guide to Chinese Herbs: Pu Gong Ying –DandelionThe herbs used in Chinese Medicine often seem very exoticand foreign. However this is not the case. Many herbs canbe found growing in your very garden. Here we begin aseries on common herbs you can grow yourself.By Dr. Shulan Tang

12 Basic Self Defence: Qinna LockingContinuing our series on self defence techniques and locking.By Xai Bai Hwa

14 Basic Wok SkillsMuch of Chinese cooking is done in a wok. How to use thewok is a skill in itself, but it is not a complicated as youmight think. There are a few basic principles and then therest is up to you.By Sihnkei

16 In the Absence of the MasterOne of the most basic principles of Taiji is not to force things.This is not only true in your practice, but it also applies tolife. When you cannot go forwards you have to let go andgive your self space. Then things will sort themselves out.By J. Reynolds Nelson

18 To My Sifu: Grandmaster Yang MeijunSifu Michael Tse pays a fond tribute to his Qigong Master.By Michael Tse

26 Culture ShockHow many times have you been on holiday and thought“I would like to live here”. The author did just that whenhe went to China. So a little while later off he went, butwhen he arrived, he found the reality of living there slightlydifferent to the holiday.By Peter Andersen

29 Instructor InsightA look at two more Tse Qigong Centre instructors.

30 Speaking Out of PlaceWe can all speak out of place, sometimes this is because ofnaivety, and sometimes it is due to ignorance, rudeness oreven arrogance. Your words can have a big effect, so youshould choose them carefully.By Darryl Moy

35 Healthy Living Gong Part IIHealthy Living Gong has three parts. Having covered thefirst part we now move onto Part II which, contains newmovements and has a different emphasis.By Michael Tse

40 Count Down to Hawaii Qigong and Martial Art DemoEarlier this year, the Tse Qigong Centre held a demo inHawaii. How was the idea born, how was it put into actionand even more importantly how did the students from theUK cope with the heat?By Jessica Blackwell

44 The Challenge of Hard QigongHard Qigong is a very exciting subject. When you mention itpeople instantly think of the amazing demonstrations ofstrength and power. However the training itself offers manychallenges, more than you might think.By Adam Wallace

45 Feng Shui for the Living Room Part iiContinuing our look at what makes the energy of your livingroom good and how it will affect you energy and your life.By Michael Tse

page 2 Qi Magazine Sept/October 2002

POBox POBox POBox...

Mastering LifeDear Sigong,

I just wanted to reiterate myappreciation and thanks for your latestvoyage to the northwest. I thoroughlyenjoyed the Great Sadness Gong Iseminar. The polishing seminar was alsovery educational and proved to be agreat help for me in my ongoingpractice. I learned a great deal overthose few days and I am confident that Iwill make some real improvements fromthose teachings. Your attention to ourneeds does not go unnoticed, and weare all well aware what an honour it isto learn these skills directly from you. Iknow you are extremely busy with all ofyour practice, classes, seminars, books,the magazine, and of course yourpersonal life. I hope you are able to fita little fun-time into your schedule too.

You set a great example for yourstudents though. If each student couldjust show one quarter of the dedicationthat you show to the system, then they

Fond Thoughts & Memories:Stephen Trollope

A long time member of the TseQigong Centre, Stephen Trolloperecently passed away. Stephen will beremembered as the quiet one at theseminars, but always ready to learn andalso help others. He had a gentlenessto him that made him easy to talk toand be with. He was always thoughtfulof others, remembering a passingcomment, never forgetting his teacherat the holidays. He was one to send asurprise small gift or card unexpectedly,obviously chosen with much thought andcare. Although he is not here with uslike before, we feel that he is here inanother way, in our hearts and spirit.So it is not goodbye, but until we meetagain. We say, ‘man jo’, a partingsalutation used in China, meaning goslowly and safely on your journey.

Poet andDon’t Know It?

In the past, much skill was remembered through memorisation. This includedthe Confucian classics, Feng Shui formulas, Chinese herbal remedies and diagnosisrules, and even Qigong. They would do this by creating a poem and then reciting itover and over. If the poem could create some picture or image, then it would makeit so much easier to remember. The movements in the Dayan Qigong form alsocreate a story. It begins with this bird of longevity opening its wings, stretching andfeeding and finishes with it making a nest and peacefully recovering Qi.

We would like to offer you the opportunity to create a poem for Part I ofHealthy Living Gong using the essence of the names of the movements below. Thepoem should follow the order of the exercises and create a concise, easy to rememberstory/poem to help people remember each move. The author of the chosen poemwill receive a complimentary one year membership with the Tse Qigong Centre andeventually have the poem published when the Healthy Living Gong book is released.

Name of movements:-

1. Collecting Qi to the Dantian2. Separating the Fog to Look for the Clouds3. Catching Fish by the Side of the Pond4. Golden Dragon Stretches Its Claws5. Old Tree with Winding Roots6. Jade Ladder Climbing to the Sky7. Holding the Beautiful Ball8. Looking for Treasure at the Bottom of the Chest9. Child Swinging

Do You Have AnyGood things toShare?

Have you ever been the recipientof an unexpected kindness? Has anyoneever said words that changed your lifeor uplifted you? Have you been inspiredby someone or something? We wouldlike to hear from all of you and we willinclude some of your letters in each issueof the magazine. Too often we can getdiscouraged by hearing about all thenegative things in the world today andoverlook the simple kindnesses offeredto us by a teacher, a friend or familymember or even a total stranger.Kindnesses, inspiring words, all help usto grow as a human being and can helpto change the environment around us tobe more positive as our own hearts arehappy.

Send your poems, stories, anecdotes (less than500 words if possible) by mail or email to QiMagazine, c/o Good Things to Share. Look in backof magazine for appropriate office/email address ineither USA or UK.


Dear Michael Tse,I study Buddhism and try to meditate. Even though I have strong faith

and wish to experience Enlightment one day, I find cultivation very difficult.Sometimes I can’t concentrate, sometimes I am ill, and sometimes trying to sitfor a long period of time is like hell. I was very sad about this because my desireto practise is very strong. I have heard that Qigong would be able to help mewith these problems. I live in Manchester so I can come to your centre. Pleasecould you give me some advice.Yours sincerely,T, Manchester

Dear T,Often when we begin meditation, we find it very difficult. However,

meditation is about patience. The longer we can stay, no matter what is happeningin our minds, then the more patience we will develop. With patience, we will seethings more clearly and eventually reach a state of emptiness.

Qigong can help you in this as sometimes when the mind is too busy, thenmovement can help. We have all experiened this feeling of finding it hard tofocus our attention.

Once you have done the Qigong exercises, we do meditation. After youpractise, you will have released a lot of negative Qi and the channels will

have begun to open so that Qi can flow. This will make you feel calmer andmore relaxed.

Qigong meditation is firstly for storing Qi, but when the body hasstored sufficient Qi, then also the mind and spirit will develop, also leadingto emptiness. Sometimes different kinds of meditation postures help ifyou are still finding that your mind is wandering. Instead of always

doing a sitting posture, like lotus, you will be introduced to somestanding Qigong meditation postures in the class which are very

good.Even so, this is a test for you. If everything in life were

easy, then we would not need to learn how to practise, how tocultivate. It would just happen and we would all be healthyand happy and reach enlightenment without effort.With kind wishes,Michael Tse

would undoubtedly do a world of goodfor themselves and for those aroundthem.

Myself, I was fortunate enough tohave been raised by wonderful parentsand have always tried to live my life as agood man, but my greatest enemy hasalways been my laziness. I have notpracticed as much as I should, and feelsomewhat ashamed when you see myskill level after a full year of studying. Iwas very competitive as a child and amsomewhat of a perfectionist now. I holdmyself to a high standard, and I know Icould be much better right now were I tohave focused more on my practices overthis last year. Life sometimes gets fartoo complicated when it should really bequite simple. I have been making slowprogress on this problem though, and Iknow that it will only get better over time.This is much in part to your owngenerosity and willingness to share yourskill with us. If you hadn’t been so giving,I may not have gotten to this point in mystudies, and that would have been a realshame. I thank you for that.

In the seminar you spoke brieflyabout the term “master” and whatit means to be a “master” inqigong or martial arts. I amcertainly a novice in theseregards, but in my eyes,one must first attain anextremely high skill levelin their chosen art.More than that,though, one musthave the character ofa master. Theyshould be humbleto the world andcertainly beforetheir chosen art. Itis a never-endingjourney with noapparent ceiling tothe skill, just as ourgrowth as men orwomen should onlyend with our passingfrom the physicalworld.

One’s mindshould always be keptopen, for there is always something newto learn. Simplicity has become a dyingbreed in this fast-paced world of flashycolors and buzzing noises. However, Ihave found simplicity to often be a signof wisdom, understanding, and evenhumility. People complicate things fartoo much unnecessarily.

M a n yother traits thatmake up a“good person”are certainly

key to becominga master as

well. Forinstance: kindness,

generosity, a sense ofhumor, and calmness of spirit

when things don’t go the way we wouldlike them to. You explained in theseminar that you cannot be a masteruntil someone worthy of that judgmentcomes to you and tells you that you are.I agree with this idea completely. Icertainly don’t know you very well as aperson, but I have always been a pretty

good judge of character. I also fullycomprehend that my young and noviceopinions have little value to most people,but when I compare you to all of whatmakes a great master to me, you clearlyfit the bill. I am very fortunate to belearning these skills from you and yourstudents. After my short time in thefamily it is clear to me the merit of theseskills. Wherever the river of life takes mebefore I wash into the great ocean, I haveno doubt that I will always practise whatI have learned (and am yet to learn).This tree grows slowly but steadily, andcould one day reach up high into theheavens growing from such rich soil asthe Kunlun Dayan System provides.

You are a master gardener in theQigong Garden and I am honored to

Meditative PatienceMeditative Patience


walk among the beautiful flowers andtrees that grow within. We all havemuch to learn in life and I wish you wellon your path. May it lead to happinessand wisdom!Respectfully,Gabriel McCallum, Seattle WA.

“Something opens our wings.Something makes boredom and hurtdisappear. Someone fills the cup in frontof us: We taste only sacredness.”

Rumi

GettingIn the FrameHi, it’s Charlie again,

Thank you for your advice on myflexibility in last month’s article, I am nowpracticing martial arts along with deepstreches every day, and even if it’s onlyfor 10 or 20 minutes, its proven to showmajor improvments to my kicks and evenmy balance. I have also been doing alot of running which is increasing thestrength of my legs which I believe hashelped contribute towards theseimprovements. My dad is also teachingme various Qi techniques to help too.

I am a regular trainer with martialarts, yet I am slacking a bit because Ihave the summer holidays now, free fromschool. I will often wake up with a goodmind and positively saying that I will do

a good amount of training todayincluding running and weights. Then,later on into the day I excuse my trainingby saying things like ‘theres nowhere totrain’, ‘I’m not in the mood’ or ‘I am toobusy’. Sometimes my friends call on meand I go out with them knowing full wellthat I was going to train, which is anotherway of excusing my training. My parentshave always seen my talent for beinggood at something if I practise on aregular basis and stick with it, yet i neverstick with it long enough to really advance

The truth is, I’m not lazy, I justhaven’t got the right frame of mind totrain properly every day. I usually endup thinking about training more thanactually taking action. Whenever I watcha martial arts film with Jean Claude VanDamme, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and manyothers which are very inspirational tome, my mind has the motive to trainharder, but withoutthese films, Iwouldn’t be a bigfan of training.

I know thatthe harder I train ,the moresuccessfull I willbecome in martialarts, so I am askingwhether you havea n y t h i n k i n gtechniques, train-ing tips or chiexercises for mewhich might helpme to put trainingbefore any poorexcuses of mine ormy social life.Thank you onceagain,Charlie Molden

Dear Charlie,In this sit-

uation, I believe

you know what you should you do.Martial arts training is not just abouttraining our bodies. It is also abouttraining the mind and heart. No one canforce you to practise as you are a bigboy now and know what you want. Littlechildren do not know what they want andso it is easier to set a schedule of trainingtimes for them to follow. This would belike in primary school.

Now you are older and it is likegoing to university. Your parents will notusually be there to tell you that you must

study. However, you know that if you donot study, you will not pass your examsand so will not be able to get the positionor career you want. So in martial artstraining or even Qigong, we know weneed to practise to get what we want.Do we want to practise for health? Forsocial reasons? Do we want to practiseto learn how to defend ourselves? If you

consider whyyou want tolearn thatart, then itcan be easierto disciplineyourself topractise.Evenif you lovewhat you aredoing, thereare timeswhen youwill be lazyand not feellike doingyour practise.Everyone hashad this ex-perience I amsure.

Evenso,we shouldstill carry on.That is howJackie Chan,Jet Li, BruceLee all be-came good.This is how

all my Sifus became good. They didnot think about training or worry abouttheir training, they just did it. Most ofus practise for self defense or healthand so the time comittment for such isnot so difficult. However, if you aredoing competitions or want to be inthe movies and famous, then you mustthink about what it takes to reach thiskind of level.

I am not saying you have to set agoal to train one hour everday day orto be able to do 100 sit ups in amonth. Setting goals can even have theopposite result. Instead of motivatingyou, they can seem like too big of aburden and so you will try do other thingsinstead of training.

I have many people who havestudied with me non-stop for several yearsnow. Many of them have even been withme for five, eight, even ten years or more.I know that when they started, they did

“The harder I train,the more successful Iwill become.”


Everyday we receive many letters from people all over the world, sometimes asking for advice, sometimes justsharing their experience. Unless specifically asked otherwise, we will consider these letters for possiblepublication in Qi Magazine. In this way, we all come together like a family and share and help each other.That is the reason I began Qi Magazine and particularly the PO Box. - Michael Tse

If there is anything you wish to share with others, any news or any announcements you would like to make,send them to us. We also welcome articles (800 - 1000 words in length) on topics appropriate.

Please write to:

UKQi MagazinePO Box 59,

Altrincham WA15 8FS. UK.email [email protected]

USATse Qigong Centre

PO Box 15807,Honolulu, HI 96830. USA.

email [email protected]

News::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & Seminarsnot think about how many years theywanted to study or what forms theywanted to complete. They did what isperhaps the hardest thing of all to do.They just kept putting one foot in frontof the other and carried on. They carriedon with their practice through ups anddowns and even though at times they mayhave been disheartened, thinking thatthey were not making progress.

Actually, themore we want, theless we gain. Theless we want, themore we gain if wejust do the rightthing. Only you cananswer for yourselfwhat is the rightthing for you.With best wishes,Michael Tse

CreativeLifeDear Sigong,

I am sitting upstairs in my practiceroom, the swish of traffic outside. Thesky is clear and tranquil after a day ofsudden storms. With the QigongInstructor’s course approaching, I havereflected on the letter you sent to usinstructors, talking to us about ourreactions to being tested.

I realise that when I am afraid ofmaking mistakes, I become anxious andtry too hard rather than simply to relaxand be as I am. The result – tension! Thefear of failing is worse after beingsuccessful, because there is more to lose– or so it seems until I see what’shappening. Actually, I cannot lose the giftand experience of Qigong practice andcan only continue to learn.

It seems to me that centering inthe Dantian makes all the convolutedtrails of thought and emotions lessoverwhelming and fosters a deep senseof strength and awareness, connectingwith the source of who I am really.

Integrating Qigong practice withmy daily life is becoming easier as Iunderstand better what that means.Listening to my body and following theenergy, knowing what I want takingresponsibility for my actions, I discoverthat living creatively gives me moreenergy.Warmest regards,Helen Massey,Norwich

8 Pulling Waist GongThis is one of the shorter forms

from the Dayan Qigong system and isespecially good for releasing negative Qi.Unlike most seminars this was a one daycourse which attracted people fromdifferent parts of the country.

Some of the movements are alittle unusual and involve some quite

vigorous shaking of thebody. A few people got alittle carried away, whichstraight after lunch wasnot such a good idea butit gave everyone,including themselvessomething to laughabout.

A martial artistattending the courseasked one interestingquestion. He had takenup some simple Qigongas he felt his back wasgetting weaker and so hewanted to strengthen it sohe could keep training.

However he found that sometimes itached quite a lot and was wonderingwhether he was doing his Qigongcorrectly. The answer however, did notlie in the Qigong exercises he was doing.He martial art training was in fact puttingtoo much pressure on his lower back andhe was using more energy in thistraining than his Qigong. It is like money,if you spend more than you earn, youwill always be in debt. So just becauseyou do Qigong, does not mean that youwill be healthy, this also depends onwhat else you do in your life. So I advisedhim to be careful with his martial arttraining and examine the techniques hedid to identify which ones hurt his back.Then he could adjust them and makethem more healthy.

Green DragonSword

This was the first time that thisform had been taught in public. It is oneof the most spectacular forms I have seenas it uses a sword with a very long tassel.The tassel is very important and unlikesome sword techniques that have tasselson them, this is not just for meredecoration. The tassel must be used andcontrolled as carefully as the sword. Forexample, there are movements wherethe tassel must make a large circle,whistling through the air, and otherswhere the tassel is whipped around yourneck as you jump into a crouchingposture. One of the participantscommented on how “cool” this was.

Apart from the form, there aresome basic exercises that needed to bemastered, and these proved to be quitetricky in themselves. However everyoneeventually got the hang of them andfound them very useful when theymoved onto the form.

One of the younger members ofthe group asked had just started doingsome weight training as he did not thinkhe was strong enough. He asked whetherI thought this was a good idea.

At his age, strength is not soimportant, as he grows and gets bigger,then his strength will also develop. Sohe would be better developing hiscoordination, balance, flexibility andposture. Many people only concentrateon building strength and miss trainingthese other areas. As a result they buildbig muscles, but make themselves stiffand can easily become injured. Strengthis quite easy to build; howevercoordination, and balance are not so easyto develop. The younger you start todevelop these things the better as themind is more adaptable.

Darryl Moy


precious jade as my King prepared himselfto give the jade to you?”

King Qin had no other choice andso he made arrangements for the fivedays of eating no meat and ceremony.While King Qin was making thesepreparations, Lin secretly gave the jadeto his servant and sent him back to KingZhao on a fast horse.

On the fifth day, King Qin askedLin Xiang Ru for the jade. He said, “I nolonger have the jade. I sent it back toKing Zhao. You can do with me whatyou want.”

King Qin knew then that if hetortured or even killed Lin Xiang Ru,that he still would not obtain thejade. He also admired Lin’s braveheart and so he set him free.When Lin Xiang Ru went backhome, King Zhao was so happythat he promoted to be his specialadviser.

However, the Qin king was stillupset over the case and so invited KingZhao to meet him at the Yellow River,the border of both their lands. King Zhaoknew that King Qin wanted to use thisopportunity to capture him and so he wasvery scared. He did not know what todo. Lin Xiang Ru told him to go and thathe would go withhim. King Zhao’smost famousgeneral, Lian Po,also agreed to theplan so that KingZhao would not loseface to the King ofQin. King Zhaoagreed.

General LianPo said to KingZhao, “Your Magesty, it will take younearly a month to go and come backafter finishing your party there. If afterthirty days you still have not returned, Iwould like your permission to place yourson on the throne and make him Kingso that the King of Qin cannot use youas a pawn.” King Zhao agreed to this aswell.

When King Zhao and Lin XiangRu arrived to the party, King Qin said,“King Zhao, I heard you are very goodat playing the zither. How about playingus a tune.” Of course, King Zhao couldnot refuse but he was not happy as itwas treating him like a hired servant,

there to entertain people, not as a king.While he was playing, King Qin reallyenjoyed himself and hummed along.

All the while, Lin Xiang Ru waswatching. He knew how embarrassed hisown King was and what an insult it wasto have him treated like that. He waiteduntil the song was over and then he roseand walked over close toKing Qinand said, “Yourmajesty, I heard youare very good forplaying thedrums. How

about you give us a sample of your skill.”King Qin ignored Lin, but Lin came

even closer. The King’s body guardsstarted forward, but Lin said, “You cancome if you want, but I can spill my bloodall over your face, King Qin, and it willnot look good for you.” King Qinacquiesed and picked up a drum andplayed a tune. This made both sidesequal and at the end, King Zhao returnedsafely back to his own country.

Upon their return, King Zhaorewarded Lin Xiang Ru for his loyalty andcleverness by making him his PrimeMinister. It seemed everyone was veryhappy. But not General Lian Po. He toldhis men, “I have given my life and blood

to this country and King and yet this Linhas been promoted to be my superior.”

When Lin Xiang Ru heard aboutLian Po’s complaint, he did what he couldto avoid meeting him. If there was ameeting in the palace and Lian Po waspresent, he would plead illness andleave. If Lin Xiang Ru saw Lian Po comingin the street, he would go another wayso their paths would not cross.

One of the Lin Xiang Ru’s friendsasked him, “Why are you afraid of LianPo when you are his superior?”

He replied by asking his friend aquestion. “Between King Qin and LianPo, who is the most frightening?” Hisfriend said, “Of course the King of Qinwith all his soldiers.”

Lin Xiang Ru said, “I am notafraid of King Qin. This is

because we haveGeneral Lian Po and hismen to protect us.Therefore, I do notwant to have anyproblem between us.”Eventually, the storyreached Lian Po and hefelt very guilty for his

jealous behaviour. Afterhearing it, he took off hisshirt and grabbed a largestick and went out of hisgate and fell to his knees.

He crawled to Lin Xiang Ru’shouse, holding the stick above

him, wanting to be punished for hisactions. However, when Lin saw Lian Po,he grabbed the stick and threw it awayand took his hand and pulled him to hisfeet. They shook hands without saying aword and became good friends to protectthe country.

A real man looks at thingsdifferently from an ordinary man. He willsee a much bigger picture, not justhimself. He will not just see this momentin time. He will think about what thingswill be in five years, ten years time. Hewill know when he should be strong andgo forward and know when he shouldbe soft and step back based on thewhole picture, not his own benefit andcircumstances.

As Lin Xiang Ru and Lian Po, asbig men like them, he will also face theproblem and not be shy to admit hismistakes and accept his fate from heaven.By comparison, we are so small and ourproblems so inconsequential.

“Why are you afraidof Lian Po when youare his superior?”


Hair Combing ExercisesHair Combing Exercises

People in ancient China did a lot ofresearch into health practices.Combing the hair was one of these

methods. Combing the hair frequentlynot only helps to dispel wind, removeheat and nourish the hair but alsobenefits health in general. Of course, thecombing the ancient people had in mindis not the same as that in modern life.Theirs was in fact a kind of massagingexercise using the hands instead of acomb. This kind of exercise has beenhanded down to the present day aftergenerations of practice and modification.

The combing exercise is a methodof massaging the head at the locationof seven acupoints which are:

1. Zanzhu, located at the corner of theinner eyebrows

2. Shenting, located above the nose onthe hairline

3. Qianding, located at the top of thehead

4. Naohu, located at the depression atthe rear of the skull

5. Erhou, located in the depressionbehind the ears

6. Egu, located at the bottom of the ears7. Tianmen, located at the bone at the

top of the ears

Exercises:

1. First bend the fingers of both handslike rakes, with the thumbs on theTianmen acupoints and the otherfingers separated at equal distancesand the little finger on the Zanzhuacupoints. This is the starting position.

2. In the starting position, push upwardswith the five fingers at the same time,with the little fingers passing acrossShenting to Qianding. While pushingto the back of the head, use the

forefingers to press Naohu andthumbs to press Erhou.

3. Finally, turn the fingers to Egu andagain to Tianmen to make onecircle. This takes about fiveseconds. This will help stimulatecirculation in the head andrelease tension.

Massage of these acupoints in thecorrect way will also help tostimulate brain function and helpspromote the growth of new hair, makegrey hair black and shiny. It will helpto make the skin smooth and soft.

These exercises should beperformed in a natural way, not tooslow or fast. The exercises should berepeated thirty times every morningand evening respectively. You can dothem while either sitting or standingor walking

by Zeng Qingnan & Liu Daoqing

Shenting Qianding

Tianmen

Zanzhu

Egu

Erhou

Naohu

. .

.. ...

Shenting Qianding

Zanzhu

....

Qigong exercises come in many shapes and forms. Some are quiteexotic and some have more humble backgrounds and appearences.However whatever its appearence and method a good Qigong exercisewill benefit your health.


T o begin, we will discuss thedandelion or Pu Gong Ying, as it iscalled in Chinese. In England, the

dandelion begins to flower in Spring,around the same time as daffodils. Theselittle yellow flowers can be found in parks,by roadsides, in fact everywhere that arereached by wind. When seeding, theflower becomes a soft fluffy ball (whichchildren can use to tell the time!), andgusts of wind loosen the seed and spreadit far and wide. The following year,new plants appear, with theirtypical zig- zag leaves, andthe cycle begins again.

In Traditional ChineseMedicine (TCM), the taste andproperty of each herb can tell youa lot about their function. Thedandelion is bitter sweet witha cold nature, which makes itvery effective in clearing heatand eliminating toxins. Thismakes it excellent for viralinfections such as hepatitis.It also has a natural affinitywith the Liver and Stomachchannels, which means that it cantreat stomach bugs, as well as redand swollen eyes (eyes are theopenings of the Liver).

In particular, Pu GongYing can be used to treatabscesses and boils. Thissometimes prevents theneed for an operation todrain the area. What amagical property! I wouldlike to share the story oftwin sisters, who are 16months old. Although theyare both healthy babies,their parents took care toavoid feeding them richheating food, as babieshave delicate constitutions. However, oneday, the nanny fed the babies manysweet, rich Chinese fruits called Long YanRou (longan fruit). At this time, thebabies had progressed from ‘first’ milkto ‘follow-on’ milk. This contains iron,which has a hot property in TCM.

The following day, one of thesisters developed a high temperature.Their mother did not think it was anythingserious and gave them Calpol. However,the next morning, the nanny found anumber of blisters on the baby’s palm,and a lump the size and shape of a largepeanut shell on her left buttock. A visitto the doctor resulted in a

prescription of steroidcream, which the

f a t h e r

washesitant

to useand so did

not pick up. By theevening, the baby’s temperature

had risen higher, and lump on herbuttock was now the size of an

adult’s fist! It was red and felt veryhot. The baby couldn’t sit, and hadto sleep on her front. Over the nextfew days, her parents continued togive her Calpol, and her temperaturerose and fell and rose again.

A few days after the first babystarted her temperature, the second babydeveloped a fever aswell, and strangely,a hard hot lump appeared on her leftbuttock! The concerned mother decidedto take them both to the doctor. When

the doctor examined the lumps, he wasshocked at the size of the lumps. Babyone had a lump as big and hard as anegg, with a yellow head of pus, whilebaby two’s lump was the same but thesize of a peanut shell. The doctorrecommended antibiotics for baby two,but insisted that baby one go to thepaediatric hospital to have an emergencydrain. He and other specialists weresurprised that the twins had abscesses inthe same area!

The babies’ parents couldn’tdecide what to do. The operation would

mean a general anaesthetic forbaby one. They waited for manyhours in the hospital to be seen by

the doctors and after a full eveningand day of waiting without being

able to give baby one food, theydecided to take her home.Together, they came to me try tofind a Chinese medicine remedy.

I decided to use fresh Pu GongYing (the whole plant) from the park.This was crushed and mixed with other

Chinese herbal powders. Half of thismixture was packed around theabscesses of both babies; the restwas boiled up to make a soup. Babyone drank the soup, but baby twodidn’t like it so the nanny used fresh

Pu Gong Ying leaves to cook witheggs, which the baby ate.

Both the babies started gettingbetter immediately; their temperaturewent down, the pus from the abscessescleared, and the hard lumps becamesofter and smaller. After four days, theywere completely cured. It soundsunbelievable, but Pu Gong Ying did agreat job in helping to avoid theoperation.

Two days later, I was doingacupuncture on a lady’s back. Sheshowed me a big hole on her buttock,where she had developed an abscess fiveyears ago. She had had an operation tocut it out, and for four weeks, every timeshe had to change the dressing it was sopainful she needed a generalanaesthetic!

by Shulan Tang. [email protected]

Having covered many ailments over the years that can be treated by Chinesemedicine, I thought it would be a good idea to focus on individual herbs that arecommonly found in English countryside and gardens. You may be surprised by howuseful they can be!

A beginner’s guide to Chinese Herbs

Pu Gong Ying – Dandelion

Tra

dit

ion

alCh

inese

Med

icin

e


Fig 1 Fig 2

Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3

We continue our series on basic self defence and introduce some Qinna orlocking techniques. Begin by practising slowly and always take care not to use toomuch force otherwise you can hurt your partner.

Basic Self DefenceQinna: Locking

Lower Elbow Lift

Upper Elbow Lift

ii Place one hand over his hand so thathe cannot let go and put your otherhand under his elbow. Fig 2.

iii Quickly lean back and lift his elbowup. Make sure that he cannot let gowith this hand so that you can lockhis arm. Fig 3.

i Your opponent attempts a low punchto your stomach.

ii Catch his arm at the wrist and elbow.Fig 1.

iii Suddenly lean back pushing the wristdown and lifting his elbow up.

iv Make sure that you lift up so that heloses his balance and so cannot attackyou again. Fig 2.

This is similar to the abovetechnique, but this time your opponentgrabs hold of your shoulder.i Allow your opponent to grab you.

Fig 1.


Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3

Fig 4

Fig 1 Fig 2

Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3

Sideways Elbow Lock

Reverse Elbow Lock

Elbow Hook

i Face your opponent as he attacks you with an overhead strike. Fig 1.ii Block his attack with your left arm. Fig 2.iii Quickly grab his wrist with your right hand and move your left hand

behind his forearm. Fig 3.iv Step behind him and push his arm back and down with your right hand

whilst whilst pulling in with your left hand. This will lock his arm andcause him to bend backwards. Fig 4.

i Your opponent punches at you witha straight right punch. Fig 1.

ii Avoid the punch by stepping to theside.

iii Lock his arm by trapping his wrist withyour right hand and his elbow withyour left hand.

iv Pull your right hand towards you andpush your left away from you soputting pressure on his elbow. Fig 2.

i Your opponent throws a straight punchtowards your stomach. Avoid this bystepping to the side and blocking it withyour right forearm. Fig 1.

ii Quickly grasp his wrist and raise yourright arm catching his arm in the hookof your elbow. Fig 2.

iii Press his wrist down and lift his armup. This will lock his arm and put alot of pressure on the joint. Fig 3.


Anyone who knows me well, knowsthat I love to cook. But there areonly certain areas in which I will

dabble. I will rarely even attempt tomake a pastry and I remember that thelast time I made a cake was almost fouryears ago with the aid of Simon Bedford.My types of cakes are the no worry kind,with names like ‘fallen chocolate souffle’,where deviating a pinpoint or two fromthe given recipe will not end you indisaster. Doubling the recipe, as in thecase of my last cake, however, nearlydid end us in difficulties as doubling arecipe which already calls for one dozenegg whites to be whipped should give awarning:-egg whites grow and grow andgrow and so require lots of muscle and abig, big bowl.

But I digress. The food I like mostof all to cook is Chinese food. This isbecause I find that there is so muchvariety. It is virtually non-ending and soyou can never get bored. I also donot need to follow a recipe. I preferto watch someone cook and thentry it myself. I do not like tomeasure and fuss about withthings….which is why I amlousy at pastries and cookies. Iam the one who can wanderaround the street markets forages, looking for the bestvegetable and fruit and herbs andtake a chance to cook something newand unusual. I also like Chinese cookingbecause I can more easily find a way tobalance the food for Yin and Yang andthe Five Elements. I know that if I havetoo much fire in my body I can eat morerice or certain vegetables like celery,chinese broccli (Gai Lan) and Choi Samto cool it down.

I have found through watchingothers, getting some tutoring fromfriends and family and throughexperimentation on my own that thereare certain principles that are basic towhatever Chinese food you cook. Firstwould be the right pan. This, of course,is somewhat dictated by the kind of hob

you use, ie. either gas or electric. If youare lucky enough to have gas, then anyround bottomed, typical steel wok willdo. If you have an electric hob, then gofor the flat bottomed steel wok orotherwise the wok will not get hotenough when you sit it above the burner.I have used teflon coated skillets, non-coated steel pans, etc, but still the wokis my favourite as its shape allows youto stir the food continuously, while lettingthe highest layers cool slightly as theinside food gets cooked quickly andcleanly. The taste of the food cooked ina good wok really is superior.

Many people worry about theamount of oil used in Chinesecooking. However, ifyou cookChinese fooda lot, you

know that from the high heat used thata lot of that oil is disappated into the air(and consequently onto cabinets andwalls) and that it actually seals theflavours into the foods,not soaks in. Thereis very little deep frying used in familystyle Chinese cooking, at least not on aregular basis. This is because Chinesebelieve deep frying foods is very bad forthe health, even to say that it is ‘hot

death’. Generally, foods are quickly stirfried, cooked in a casserole or steamed.What oil that is left with the food is thencountered by the hot tea that is drunkwith the meal. South China drinkersprefer a red, fermented tea called Po LeiCha, which breaks down the oils and aidsin digestion. Many westerners, wheneating at a local Chinese restaurant orbuffet, will find that they feel heavyafterwards. One reason is that theyconsume too much of the deep frieddishes and secondly they will drink a cokeor iced drink instead of hot tea to helpdigest the food.

Once you haveyour wok,

you

have to season it if it is a steel and not aTeflon coated wok. This is done by firstwashing it for the first and only time insoapy water. Rinse it immediately andthen place it on the hob and slowly heatit till all the water evaporates. As soonas this happens, pour in a tablespoon ofpeanut oil. Peanut oil is a bit moreexpensive but it will withstand higherheats and give a very nice flavour to the

Basic Wok SkillsBasic Wok Skills

The most popular Chinese skill is not Qigong, Taijiquan or evenmartial arts. It is Chinese cooking. This is the skill that has taken moreChinese people around the world and introduced the Chinese culture toall corners of the globe.

“Chinese believe deepfrying foods is very bad

for the health.”

“Chinese believe deepfrying foods is very bad

for the health.”


Tse Qigong Centre UKPO Box 59

Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285

+44 161 929 [email protected]

food. Swirl it around the wok and thentake off the burner and let it cool slightly.With a papertowel or spare cloth, makesure the oil coats all ofthe inside of the wok.Pour away any excessoil, place back on theburner and heat slowlyagain till just starts tosmoke. Remove fromheat and let it cool.Now your wok isseasoned. In thefuture, when youcook, never use soapto clean your wok. Useonly a scrubber orbrush and hot water. Ifyou have cookedsomething particularlyoily, you can use thefirst rinse water fromyour rice. The starch inthis first rinse waterwill help break down the oil withoutremoving the light coating of oil thatshould remain on the wok at all times tokeep it from rusting. If it does rust, cleanit and then re-season it again. I learnedthis the hard way, never understandingwhy my wok was rusty.

The next principle is to wash thewok after cooking each dish. This isperhaps the most important and one

which no one willever tell you. Youlearn this onlythrough watch-ing or you arelucky enough tohave someoneteach you. Forinstance, whenyou make a dishthat containsboth meat and

vegetable, youneed to cook themeat first as it willtake the longest time. So when the wokis hot, add the meat with yourseasonings, cook and then set aside.Now wash the wok with hot water only

and then dry it by placing on the heat.Add the oil when dry and then cook thevegetables. When vegetables are justalmost done, add the meat back in andcook for a further thirty seconds or sojust to mix.

If you do not have a wok, you canstill use a normal pan, but still allow theoil to heat before adding any ingredientsto cook. When you add things to coldoil, the food will stick and also absorbtoo much of the oil. These are the basicsfor cooking stir-fried foods. There aremany other techniques as to when to addcertain seasonings, how long to cook the

vegetables, etc, but we will leave thesefor another time. Just these fewtechniques should help improve yourcooking and make it tastier

by Sihn Kei. [email protected]

“You learn thisonly throughwatching.”


Sha

ng

ha

iJo

urn

al

With the passing of Master WangHao Da and a sad, butunavoidable, farewell to my

fighting brothers and Master Qin at RenMen Park, I found myself unacceptablyadrift and without a teacher here inShanghai. Although the city isteeming with groups practicing themartial arts and qigong, findingthe highest quality teachers andhaving them accept one, as astudent, is no easy matter.

Over the past two yearsI have met and seen a greatnumber of Taijiquanpractitioners, in most of theparks, here in the city. Onseveral special occasions theycame to Cao Yang Park topush hands with Master Wangand my Sifu, Xu Guo Ming onhis visits to Shanghai fromSan Francisco, has introducedme to several as well. I havealways believed that thepractice of Taiji must beapplicable and genuinelyinternal in order for its benefitsto be realized. Theserequirements are most obviousto me in the playing of Tui Shouor push hands. Master Wang’squality in this field was secondto none and it has beenimpossible for me to cross handswith other Masters without thinking ofhis softness, his lightning speed internalchanges, or his depth of root.

The fact that so few Masters excelin this field speaks volumes about thelevel of practice of Taiji both here and inthe west. It is quite easy to locate ateacher who has rudimentary knowledgeof technique and the strength toovercome their partners. Fewer yetunderstand the use of Jing or whole bodypower; Chi expansive power, or the useof Yi to develop listening power (tingjing).

I find myself spending most of myseeking time observing and listeningfrom afar rather than needing actualcontact in most cases. This can be quite

difficult for a foreigner here in China asthe people are very gregarious andwelcoming. However it is a difficultbalancing act to both feel and hear theteacher and give them public deference

in this setting. While I always aspire togive face to a teacher and cross handswith them with an empty cup, there aretimes when it is apparent that their leveland intention is less than desirable. Inthese cases I quickly bow out and praisethe teacher’s remarkable abilities to theirstudents and friends. There is no honourfor a visiting foreigner to overcome theteacher on his own soil and one will makefew friends in China doing so.

So I continue to look for a TaijiMaster based on the standards which Ihave learned and seen demonstrated,though it is no mean task.

In my practice of Lan Shou I havefound things a bit easier despite the fact

that it is a rare art and so few peoplepractise it today. Originally Master Fu,who brought Lan Shou to Shanghai, hadfive students. They were known as thefive tigers in their day and three of themstill survive, Qin Zhong Bao, Ye XiaoLong, and my new teacher Master Tung.

I met Master Tung at Wang HaoDa’s funeral, which was attended by somany of Shanghai’s premier martialartists. After negotiation and the requisitered envelope changed hands he agreedto teach me privately. I had no idea howprivately he meant until my first day atZhong Shan Park. He took me to a verysequestered corner of the park and wewent deep into the bushes where veryfew people ventured. There, day afterday, he has worked with me for hours,torture that is uniquely Chinese. Whilenot completely surprised at the secrecyof our sessions I am honoured that he

has taken me on as a closed-doorstudent. He knows I have worked withboth Master Ye and Master Qin andunderstands that my leaving Ren MenPark was a survival move. Yet he isgenuinely open in his teaching,appreciative of the differences betweenteaching Chinese and foreigners, andconcerned about my progress. I havelearned over the years that this is rare ina teacher and feel quite lucky.

I continue to seek a new TaijiMaster knowing how impossible it maybe to meet another of the calibre ofMaster Wang and shall keep you postedof my progress in the next instalment ofthis journal

by J. Reynolds Nelson. [email protected]

In the Absence of the MasterIn the Absence of the Master

Life has many turns and twists in store. It is a constant flow, sometimesyou go up and sometimes you go down. It is natural to dwell on things whenyou are down, but remeber things will always come back up.

“I am honouredhe has taken me

on as a closeddoor student.”


On 23 July, I had a midnight phone call from Chinato my home in Hawaii. The call was from my Qigongbrother, Cai Gui Jiang. I was not there to take thecall as I was in New York giving a seminar, but Icalled back as soon as I got the message. Cai Gui

Jiang and I are very close. For over twelve years we studiedwith the same Qigong teacher, Grandmaster Yang Meijun.

We first met in Guangzhou, when Grandmaster Yangwas teaching there. She always called us Xiao Cai and XiaoTse. Xiao means little, so I was Little Tse. To her, already in herninties and us in our twenties, we were like little boys for herand we respected her as our elder.

When I returned Cai Gui Jiang’s call, the first thing hesaid to me was, “Sifu passed away yesterday” which was onTuesday, 23 July 2002 Beijing time. I was very shocked andsad and after finishing my call with Xiao Cai, I straight awaycalled her elder son, Chen Quan Gang. We usually call him,Dai Souk, which means elder uncle. Dai Souk said that Sifuhad been sent to hospital the previous week as she had fallen.After staying in the hospital a week, she passed away. I feltupset that I could not be there, but I could not change mytravel plans that quickly.

Sifu’s funeral was held on the 26 July 2002 where manypeople attended, some from England, Hong Kong, andAmerica as well as China. Although I could not be there, weinstead held a Buddhist ceremony the day after I returnedback home. It was held at the Yuk Fut Temple (Jade BuddhaTemple) in Hawaii. We did this in special rememberence asSifu always believed and worshipped Guan Yin, the Goddessof Mercy. Even when I saw Sifu in January earlier this year, shestill told me to worship Guan Yin and we both bowed together

to pay our respects. The ceremony was led by Buddhist Nun,Shi Jing Ru who oversees the Yuk Fut Temple.

As I know, Sifu has never had any serious illnesses andwas still healthy at her age. Sifu inherited her skill when shewas only 13 years old from her grandfather. This skill is over1,800 years old. She was the 27th generation inheritor of theKunlun Dayan Qigong skill. She promised she would not teachor tell anyone else about this skill until she reached the age ofseventy. She kept her promise and kept the skill pure. It wasnot until 1980 that she opened the skill and started teachingDayan Qigong. By then, she was already over 80 years old.Today, there are people in both China and around the worldwho have benefited from practice of Dayan Qigong.

When I think about her being gone, somehow I cannotbelieve it. I remember seeing Sifu earlier this year in January.I never would have imagined that when I saw Sifu in her homein January, that it would be the last time. When we got readyto leave, she did not want us to go. The last thing she said tome was, “Yi Ge Xin” which means ‘one heart’. I believe that

To my SifuGrandmasterYangMeijun

A tribute to one of the most famousQigong masters to ever live.


she meant that all of us who study DayanQigong should be of one heart together.

When I heard the news about Sifu, Iarranged to have all the students do aspecial meditation and remembrance topay their respects to Sifu at the same aswe held the Buddhism ceremony inHawaii. In this way we all joined togetherlike a family.

Many people have asked aboutthe ceremony we held for Sifu as theyhave never been to a Buddhist Temple.Buddhism has many special ceremoniesand traditions which have been passeddown for many centuries. Whether youbelieve or not or follow something else, itdoes not matter. However, I think that mostpeople will be interested to know moreabout how we said good-bye to Sifu andgave thanks to her for all she has done andgiven us.

The Yuk Fut Temple in Hawaii is asmaller temple but very proper and traditional.It has a larger hall for paying respects to TheBuddha and another smaller hall which is for GuanYin, the Goddess of Mercy. To the side of Guan Yin isa special area for Di Zhong, the earth God who is incharge of all the spirits on the other side. It was in front of DiZhong that the ceremony commenced.

First we made an offering of different kinds of fruits,and also small portions of the seven dishes which had beenprepared for the lunch which was to follow the ceremony. Inthis way, it is believed that the person who has passed willtake the essence of the food and share the meal with theirfamily. Seven is the number of death which is why particularlythere were seven dishes. Therefore, it is only when someonehas passed over that people will have seven dishes at a meal.

Details of the day on which Sifu had passed, her nameand home address had already been written on a yellow paperand placed on the altar in front of Di Zhong. Incense was thenlit and given to me and I bowed down three times to Sifu’sphoto. The ceremony then commenced by all of us chantingDa Bei Jo, the Great Sadness Sutra. While we were chanting,Shi Jing Ru walked around all of us sprinkling water. This Sutraand the protection of the water is especially to ask that otherspirits stay away and only Sifu to come. After the chanting, ShiJing Ru, led us outside to where we burned the yellow paperwith Sifu’s name on it so that she could go on to what sheshould go on to. Then we went back to give thanks in front ofGuan Yin.

I felt Sifu’s presence with us during the ceremony. Atone time I looked up and saw Sifu’s face and hands very redin the photo we had placed on the altar. The photo was actuallyof her doing a Qi transmission posture. I was standing just infront of it and it was as if she were actually transmitting Qi tome. My body began to move and two of my grand studentswho were standing behind me said that everytime I moved,they felt like they were being pulled and pushed backwardsand forwards. Another said he felt the energy so powerful thathe thought he was going to have to catch someone. When Iwent back to look at Sifu’s photo later, it was just normalcolour, so I knew it was Sifu’s way of telling us she was there.


In both Daoism, Buddhism and many other spiritualfollowings, they will have understanding of various signs andphenomeanu that occur around them. The day Sifu passedaway, the night blooming jasmine at my home came into fullbloom just that evening and the whole area smelled veryfragrant. Sifu always practised at night and she oftentransmitted the smell of jasmine from her body in one of thespecial Qigong skills she had. In history, when someone whostudied Buddhism or Daoism passed away and there was astrong, fragrant smell, then it meant that this person had goneto the Western Pure Land or become an Immortal. (The WesternPure Land is the place where high level Buddhists go whenthey pass away. This is where Buddha resides and high level

Buddhists go there as they do not need to go back to sufferthe cycle of reincarnation again.) I believe this is definitelyconnected with Sifu as this bush only came into blossom aftershe had passed on and also that there were blossoms on everybranch.

At exactly the time Sifu passed on, one of my studentssaid that they felt that they had to go swimming in the sea,even though it was getting dark and it can be dangerous toswim at that time. Despite this, she went to a beach near herand into the water. Although she had often walked and practisedthere, she had never swam there, but it was like a compulsionthat she do so. When she was walking to go to the beach, shesaw the moon and said it was like she was following two steps


which it was naturally dark outside, with no street lights. Manyof the other students also reported feeling things as well andI think that Sifu offers these as a comfort and blessing for usall.

On the seventh day of passing, Buddhists will also havea special remembrance of that person as actually it is believedthat a person will reincarnate every seven days for a total ofseven times, unless they have become an Immortal. Here inHawaii, on the seventh day and within an hour of her timepassing, we saw a rainbow over the sea. At first, the rainbowwas only the two ends with no middle, but as I watched, cloudspassed behind and it became a full rainbow. For me, this waslike the Dayan Qigong family stretching out its hands to be ‘YiGe Xin’, one heart.

The Dayan skill has given all of us the chance to be afamily. So even though Sifu has passed, her skill still lives onin all of us who have practised it. Her eldest son, Dai Souk,will be assuming his mother’s responsibilities and taking over

things as the next Dayan skill inheritor. I have spoken to himseveral times since Sifu has been gone and he said that he ishappy to have us as part of the Dayan family. He said that weshould carry on what we are doing here in Europe and Americaand let more people benefit from the Dayan Qigong skill. Ifully respect Dai Souk and his skill and think that we are luckyto have him to help carry on his mother’s great inheritance.

Each year when I went to China to see Sifu, I alwaysfelt very excited and happy. But I also knew it was my duty asher student. It is like Chinese New Year. It is a time for highspirits and good feeling, but it is also a time when familiescome together to celebrate their connection. In Chinese culture,the relationship with a teacher equals a father. So even thoughSifu was a woman, she was like a father, guiding me andgiving me direction. Somehow, I do not feel that she is goneand feel her near. Everyday when I practise Dayan Qigong, Ithink of her and am happy to be able to still have this strongconnection with her.

Dayan Qigong has been a profound influence on mylife. It has been not only a practical skill for our health, but italso has a spiritual side which we develop through meditation.This means you also nurture your heart as well as your bodyand we all become better people in society

by Michael Tse. All photographs in this article are the copyright ofMichael Tse and cannot be used without his written permission.

behind it all the way. She even joked to the moon to say thathe was keeping two steps ahead of her. Then on the wayback, she said it was just the opposite, the moon followed her.After showering, she said that she felt she should do DayanQigong and went to the place where she often does eveningpractices, which is very close to where she swam. When shedid the opening movement, she said that looked up and themoon, which was nearly a full moon, was directly in front ofher, with no clouds covering it. Looking back, she said sheknew it was Sigong coming to her in her own way.

Another student, during the meditation remembrance,said he saw a bright light which lasted for two or three minuteseven though the curtains were closed and it was in an area in

“This was like theDayan Qigongfamily stretchingout its hands to be‘Yi Ge Xin’, oneheart.”



Philosophy ofTaijiquanTaijiquan

Philosophy of

Wuju creates Taiji. Taiji creates Liang Yi. Liang Yi creates Si Xiang. Si Xiang creates Bagua.This sentence comes from the Yijing, The Book of Changes. It is the principle for all Chineseculture and philosophy. But what does this really mean? It means nothing creates something.Nothing we call Wuji. Something we call Taiji. Taiji creating Liang Yi means it creates twothings which are obviously, one Yin and one Yang. Yin and Yang creates Si Xiang which

means four images. Four images then create Bagua or Eight Situations. From these eight situations wecan create so many other situations, called Guas. This is what comprises the Yijing.

For Chinese people, this is quite basic knowledge and is as simple as doubling a set of numbers,so one plus itself equals two. Two plus itself equals four. Four plus itself equals eight and so on. This theoryis also the basic element of numerology and prediction in Chinese thinking.

When we look at this theory closely, actually we can see it is quite easy as it is based on two basicelements:- something and nothing.

Nothing generally is presumed to never change. It stays static. Today it is very hard to find somethingthat is really empty and unchanging. So science needs to find out whether emptiness really exists. Like ablack hole. However, nothing might never exist but it is a balance.

The other element is something. This can be many things, not just the number one, but it must firstcome from one first. This “one” we call Taiji. Tai means big and Ji means limited. This means something

By now many people will know that Taijiquan is not only an exercisethat improves your health, but it is also a martial art. Apart from thesetwo facets, many people find it also a very “spiritual” exercise that canhelp you understand more about yourself and things around you. This isdue to the principles that the movements are built upon. They not onlyrelate to the movements, but to anything and everything...


that is big. When you try to hold back or contain somethingthat is big and that is still expanding, then the pressure willbuild up until it explodes and separates to become many thingsor pieces. It means that one is not really one. Outside it lookslike one but inside there are more than onething.

For example, within one solar system,there is more than just one thing inside.There are so many planets inside of it. Oneperson also has blood, internal organs,bones inside. That is Taiji.

In Chinese philosphy, there is not justright and wrong and black and white. Thingschange constantly, influenced by all kindsof circumstances and external and internalfactors. Today, Taiji is very popular. I meanthe philosophy. Many Chinese people todaytry to find more meaning of the Taijiphilosophy, like the Yijing, Feng Shui, etc.Outside China, other people whendiscovering the Taiji philosophy were veryimpressed and wanted to know more aboutit.

There are many people today whohave heard about Taijiquan or who studyTaijiquan. Most of them were introduced toTaijiquan and then later find out thephilosophy behind the Taiji. In order to begood at your Taijiquan studies, you mustalso understand the philosophy behind.Taijiquan is not just about waking up in themorning and going to the park and

practising movement. Thisdoes not mean you reallyknow Taijiquan. Althoughpeople treat it as a healthexercise, actually it is oneof the Chinese martial arts.Quan means fist. When wecome across the Taiji logo,we see it is a circle. Oneside is black and one side iswhite. The black siderepresents evening and thewhite side represents daytime. Evening means Yinand daytime means Yang.

This relates to Liang Yi which means two forms, which are Yinand Yang.

To keep the Taiji shape of this symbol, you need tobalance the Yin and Yang within this Taiji circle. However, the

Taiji symbol doesnot mean thingsare static. Within,there is constantrotation and change.Because it con-stantly is moving, itis easy to lose thebalance. Just as ifyou are carrying aglass of water andwalking, then it iseasy to spill someof the water.

S t u d y i n gTajiquan is just likeholding this Taijiball but you needto keep it bal-anced. When weare doing theTaijiquan form, itdoes not matterwhich style, itshould be like acircle. Any straightline should beavoided. Taijiquanis also known as

Chang Quan which means Long Fist.Long Fist does not mean you extend your arm to

be long. It means the form is really long and carries onwithout stopping. So as you do the Taijiquan form, youdo not see the break between each movement. This is agood Taiji form.

However, it is very hard to do without a break. Sointernally, you should not be interuppted. Your mindshould not be interupted. That is the first part. This is thesame as reading a book. When you are really concentratedand enjoying, then your mind and the book become one.This means a higher level of concentration.

In the West, the idea ofconcentration is viewed as tensingthe mind and/or body. However,the Chinese concept ofconcentration means that youforget yourself. That is the highlevel of concentration. So when youare doing the Taijiquan formwithoutstopping and your mind and bodyare in harmony, then your Qi willbecome strong. Qi is your vitalenergy. If your Qi is strong, you willbecome healthy. Qi also is yourstrength and power. Your breathingwill be in tune with eachmovement.

Externally, in each Taijiquanmovement, there is a beginning

“Your mindand body arein harmony.”


and ending. For example, from Single Whipto Cloud Hands, you can see the endingcoming on the Single Whip, but almostfinished, then you can see the Cloud Handsjust starting. So it means throughout any ofthe form, there is no gap or stopping inbetween. Like water dropping onto thesurface of a pond, it will create a series ofripples that expand outwards. We should onlysee in the movement:- opening, closing,round circlular movment, or sometimessquare movement. Square movement doesnot mean stiff. It means like a strike or straightline. For example, like punching, kicking, andFa Jing.

You can also see expanding andcontracting, sometimes solid, sometimesflexible. Sometimes heavy, sometimes light.Sometimes gentle, sometimes strong.Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Allrepresent the constant changing of the Yinand Yang but do not affect the whole of theTaiji. That is a good Taijiquan performance.Therefore, when people practise Taijiquanproperly, it feels good and it feels right. Itwill be fit for all ages and conditions.

Practising Taijiquan is like our life:-sweet and sour. If you can overcome all thesweet and sour, hard and soft, then anyimbalance in the body and mind can turn tobe balance. That is why Taijiquan is good forhealth.

Taijiquan performance also includesfive elements, which cover the four directionsand centre. For example, we may walkforward three steps and then walk backwardrolling arm, we will move left and right likein Cloud Hands and we may stay in the sameposition only changing the hands and waist.This is the philosophy of life. Sometimes lifegoes forward, sometimes goes backwards.Sometimes you need to let go the left,sometimes you need to let go the right.Sometimes you just need to stand still. Thismeans that no matter what happens in ourlife, there is always a way and solution.

As long as we are holding the Tajiquanprinciple, then we can always sort out ourproblem. However, we can be stubbornsometimes. We want to go forward, but thecircumstances do not allow it. Instead ofletting go or turning left or right or steppingbackwards or even staying still, then you stilltry to go forward. This internal stubbornessis what can affect our health and cause ouremotional problems.

Studying Taijiquan is not just aboutlearning the physical movement. Physicalmovement is the start. Internal balance willcreate awareness of all circumstances andwisdom. This is the most imporant part ofthe Taijiquan

by Michael Tse

Wuji

Taiji

Liang Yi

Si Xiang

Bagua

YinYang

From Nothing to Bagua

Yang Taiyang Taiyin Yin


CultureCultureSHOCK

Experiences of TeachingEnglish in Wuhan, China

– Part I

Experiences of TeachingEnglish in Wuhan, China

– Part I


How often have you gone away onholiday and thought to yourself, “I wish Icould live here all the time.” Some peopledo actaully follow their dreams. Howevera holiday enivronment is somethingcompletely different from living in aworking situation. So if you wish hardenough your dream can come true, butyou had better be ready for it when itdoes.

The thing about culture shock is that when it’s happening youdon’t say to yourself “I am experiencing culture shock”, insteadyou think that you are sane and everyone else is as mad as abrush. When the country you are visiting is called China,“everyone” stands for over a billion people - perhaps I should

have taken a closer look at the odds.Below are some experiences from our first couple of days in

Wuhan, central China. We arrived in Wuhan (a city of approx. 8 million)in late August 2001 to teach English at a University. English teaching isbig business in China and native speakers are in demand, qualified ornot, which was great as these were our first teaching posts. As for thecity itself, well, I might as well be honest; despite the ubiquitous official“beautification” projects Wuhan is not a pretty place and, it has to besaid, it is unlikely to become one, and that’s before you take thepollution into account. Bearing that in mind, the campus itself wassomething of an oasis, which is to say that traffic is limited, there aresome trees and Wuhan’s East Lake (a large lake surrounded by parks)was nearby.

Experience No. 1:Needless to say, only some of our luggage arrived. When they

tracked it down it was discovered that it had gone astray in Europesomewhere. Fair enough. We received it several (smelly) weeks later.In fact the incident would not be worth mentioning if it were not forthe fact that we encountered many who had had similar experiencesand discovered in every case that “the foreign baggage handlers hadput them on the wrong plane” – what a very careless lot.


Experience No.2:So we arrived and were shown to the apartment which

was to be our home for the next ten months. Well I never. Iwas aware that certain drops in standards of living were to beexpected, but at this point I should mention that I had been toWuhan before and so had some notion of what we were infor. I was therefore fortunate in that I knew that this was abigger than necessary drop. The apartment had not beencleaned for an indeterminate amount of time and was dark,damp, rat-infested and smelly. Much as I hated to create afuss so soon after our arrival, after some discussion we weremoved to the apartment upstairs which was perfectly decentas, indeed, was every other uninhabited apartment in thebuilding – some of which were not used for over six months…

Experience No.3:One of our first duties involved an obligation to go

through the requisite medical examination while still deep inthe throes of jet lag (i.e. unlikely to kick up too much of afuss). The medical exam, presumably designed to prove thatyou theoretically have sufficient health to survive 10 monthsin Wuhan (don’t laugh!), involved getting an x-ray from a stateof the art medieval torture machine clearly designed to inflictillness rather than cure it. I had some decidedly uncomfortablesensations standing in front of that machine and it haunts mestill. Before you ask, it’s mandatory to have a chest x-ray ifyou come to China to live (mandatory, that is, unless youpossess theappropriat eguanxi (con-nections) buteven thenyou’d have toruffle somefeathers). Ofcourse our visitto the cham-ber of horrorswasn’t men-tioned in thejob descriptionand it wouldseriously makeme think twice(ok, I admitI’m paranoid)about living inChina again,although, tobe fair, I mustconfess that my nervous twitch has now all but disappeared.

You’re probably thinking, so what’s the big deal? Well,I probably wouldn’t worry so much now that I have a slightlybetter appreciation of the culture, but when you first arrive it isincidents like these that, cumulatively, make one feel a littlevulnerable and disorientated.

Interestingly Ididn’t experiencethese feelings asstrongly when I visitedChina as a touristsome years ago. Myinterpretation ofExperience No.1 nowis that, regardless ofthe real cause of aproblem you willoften be given astandard explanation

that means that nobody loses face (nobody Chinese, that is).The problem is then (in my experience) quickly sorted out,whereas in England we would probably direct most of our energyinto deciding whose fault it was. Experience No.2 still isn’tclear to me, perhaps they wanted to see how malleable wewere. I should add that I have, over the last ten months, learnta thing or two about the art of complaining - a dissatisfiedWuhanese customer is a sight to behold; the thought did crossmy mind to somehow formalize the event and sell tickets, it iscertainly regarded as a spectator sport here. Experience No.3now represents to me the fact that there are (at least) twoChinas. There is the official, red tape, version which can bevery invasive and is designed to make one feel utterly powerlessand insignificant, and which affects everyone, and there is theworld of guanxi, where anything is possible, where a door thatseems to be sealed shut with concrete can suddenly fly openTo be continued… by Peter Andersen

“A dissatisfied Wuhanesecustomer is a sight to

behold!”


Instructor Insight

Adah is qualified to teach the WildGoose Qigong syllabus. Shee can be

contacted on (206) 367-7256

Back in ’93, I was given the gift of Qigong. It was an idea, a Way. For me it seemedto bring together the beautiful aspects of all those hours of dance and meditation I used todo into one practice, do-able in a short period of time with surprisingly delightful effects. Ilove to imagine the Daoist monks of 1800 years ago, high in the Kunlun Mountains inChina, watching the wild geese and playfully imitating their movements and groundingthem into Forms which would keep them healthy, with strong immune systems and well-balanced organs and the effect of creating harmony and well-being. Their survival stresseswere different than ours, but the principle is the same. We are best when centred, flexibleand relaxed. Practising Qigong gets us this way.

Practising Qigong every day appeals to my sense of ritual – taking that time tobecome part of All Creation, moving as part of it, naturally, gently, connecting to theinternal, the eternal, my heart, my breath, my sensuality, my grace and building up moreQi to store in my Dantian, to nourish me. I feel to be on a sacred journey, carrying the spiritfor which these Forms are containers, sharing that spirit with my Qigong family, learningmore Forms to develop myself in different ways, be stronger, strengthen the Qi in myorgans so, not only do they function well, but that the emotions stored within them have ahealthy place to evolve and can be expressed in a good way. Qigong has certainly givenme the energy and courage to go through the very difficult times we all face. Well balanced,we can move through our lives more and more clearly, easily and smoothly.

Passing on this skill to the small number of students I have had so far has been agreat joy for me and I am seeing that the more I teach, the more I will learn, grow and progress myself and be able to helpothers. It’s like a river running stronger and wider. And when I don’t know something or need help or support or want to learnmore, all I have to do is look up-river and Sigong has lots more flowing down towards me.

What a blessing this all is!

I feel honoured to have been entrusted by Tse Sifu to teach the Dayan skill inSeattle, Washington, part of the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S., where the air is briskand clean and there are many trees. Sifu’s generosity in the sharing of his skill, as well ashis calm and kind presence is an inspiration to all who are fortunate to study with him.

One of the things I love most about teaching Qigong is working with the peoplewho attend our Wednesday classes. Without a class there can be no teacher; our coregroup is small, but each and every person involved is sincere and dedicated to the studyof Qigong. There is a feeling of unity between us because of this study we have incommon. I believe we have all experienced positive results in our practice, and it is goodto be able to share that feeling together. I would like to acknowledge the followingwonderful people who consistently attend and support the class: Mary and Martin Passmore,Derek Fowler, Gabriel McCallum, and John Leland. I also appreciate the students (EduardoDucay and Richard Daab) who support the bi-annual seminars, as well as the studentswho are just beginning their studies, or those who drop in from time to time. Our groupalso has a connection with classmates in Canada. It is a great network of people to beinvolved with. Of course none of this would be possible without the incredible support weget from Sifu and also Simo, who continue to help us in achieving a higher standard in ourpractice.

It is true that by teaching others you reinforce your own learning. One of thegreatest benefits I have personally experienced is an increased understanding of theprinciples underlying the Qigong movements. I know I have barely scratched the surfacein this regard, but it is satisfying to feel one is making progress. Teaching and learning areboth complex activities and it is beneficial for all parties involved to remain flexible and toretain a sense of humour. We are all on this incredible journey together.

Adah Masaoka, Seattle, WA.

Lee is qualified to teach theWild Goose Qigong syllabus.

She can be contacted on:(250) 748 7372

Lee Masters Vancouver,Canada


Chan and Ma were practising inclass, whilst Sifu was busyteaching. Part way into the class a

person they did not recognise came inand stood by the door. They presumedhe was a prospective student as manypeople came hoping to be accepted intotheir school.

Sifu nodded to Ma, telling him togo and great the visitor. Smiling, Mawent over to say hello.

“I would like to study with yourteacher.” Said the man. This was not aproblem as this class was an open class.Ma told the man this and politelyexplained how the class ran and wastaught.

After a few minutes the man said,“I have studied some Qigong exercisesbefore.” Ma politely enquired, “What sortof exercises were they?” The manreplied, “They were quite simple, someStanding Positions. I have been learningthem for three years but I would like tohave a teacher.” Ma’s curiosity wasaroused and so he asked, “Who do youstudy these with.” The man replied, “Ifound a book in the market and havebeen following it.”

Just then Chan came over andoverheard the conversation. He smiledand said “Hello”.

“Standing postures are verysimple and there is not too much youcan do wrongly.” Said the manconfidently. “You still needto be careful as you canstill make mistakes.” saidChan. “I’ve been doing itfor three years though” saidthe man puffing up hischest slightly. “Maybe so,but just because somethingseems simple, it does notmean that it is simple.Simple things are often themost complicated” explained Chan. “Yesbut…” started the man, “Please sit downand watch the rest of the class if youlike.” interrupted Chan. “Errr, yes OK.”said the man taking a seat and with thatChan walked off and carried onpractising.

After ten minutes or so , the manasked Ma what the different people weredoing. Some were practising Qigong and

some were doing different martial artsforms. “Oh, I want to learn those” saidthe man pointing. “I would also like tolearn that one as well” he continuedpointing to another group of studentspractising. Ma just smiled.

Towards the end of the class theman said to Ma, “I think I will stick withthe Qigong I have. I feel good doing it. Iwould like to learn some of the martialarts though. I have also studied somefor five years and so I have a goodbackground.” Again Ma asked, “Wheredid you study?” and the man replied, “Ihave a book.” Ma said good-bye and theman left.

After the class had finished Chan,Ma and some of the other students were

tidying up the training hall. Sifu cameover the Chan and Ma and said, “Whatwas the visitor like?” Ma replied, “He wasOK, he seemed interested in martial artsin the end.”

“Chan, what did you think ofhim?” Sifu asked. Chan replied, “I don’tthink he will come back.” Sifu looked athim, “And why do you think that?” heasked. “Well he came looking for a

teacher, but at the sametime he thought that whathe knew was so good. Heonly studied from a bookand so it means he thoughthe is very clever and wouldnot listen to any advice, sohow can he learn? After afew minutes I did not want to talk to himanymore. Was I wrong”

Sifu smiled and said, “Manypeople do not know how to talk to others.Some people are rude and do not evengreet you properly, introduce themselvesand thank others for their time.Sometimes though you find these peopleare OK, they are just naive and havenever been taught how to addresspeople. The important thing is they arehonest and respect what you do. Otherpeople however, have a high opinionof themselves and think that they arevery clever or gifted.. They say thingsto make themselves feel good and donot care about the effects of their wordson other people. They can upsetpeople easily and do not even realiseit. These people are arrogant andignorant and sometimes dangerous.”

“Actually, you were alreadyteaching him by saying what you did,but he was too arrogant to accept whatyou were saying and too ignorant tonotice you were trying to help him. Inthe end you were right not talk to himanymore, as he was not ready to listento you. He said he has been studyinghis Qigong for three years but really hehas been reading the same book forthree years.”

“He did not come here to study,he just wanted to pick somethinginteresting up, like the books he foundat the market. But we are not markettraders and do not bartter and sell ourskills. A lot of people do not realise this.”

Ma said, “Sifu, should I havespoken to him differently?” Sifu smiledand said, “No you were right to be politeand explain, your job was to greet peopleand make them feel comfortable. Yougive them space to decide, everyone willeventually find their own way. But ofcourse, if they can make their decisionwe can also make our decision: thismakes everything fair.”

by Darryl Moy. [email protected]

There are those people who want to study, but when they come to class theyonly succeed in upsetting or even worse offending the teacher and the otherstudents. When they leave they do not beleive they have done anything wrong, butworse still, they do not accept they could do anything wrong.

Speaking out of PlaceSpeaking out of Place

“You werealreadyteaching him.”


Wuji Creates Taiji

Healthy Living Gong Part IIHealthy Living Gong Part II

Part II is slightly more difficult than part I as it is moreadvanced. This is the same with any studies you do, thebeginning is simple and more basic and the second step

is a little harder and so part III is more difficult than part II. Theidea for practising Healthy Living Gong, is the same as thename, we want to live healthily. To live healthily, we need ahealthy body and mind.

To develop your mind, you can read books andmagazines (like Qi Magazine) on things that you are interestedin and these will help to calm your busy mind and so makeyou a better person. Moreover, you can do meditation asintroduced in books and magazines.

To develop your body you can do Healthy Living Gongand so you can balance both sides, the mind and the body, soyou will not have any problems. The famous Buddhist monk,Jin Hong said, “People who suffer from Cancer are not killedby the Cancer, they are frightened to death by it.” I agree with

him. We do not die because of disease, we die because ourbodies are not strong enough to handle the diseases. Theconsequence of this is you die. Today there are many peoplewho are still living who are HIV positive, and there are peoplewho have recovered from Cancer, even without any westernmedicine. By doing Qigong, meditation or following certainreligions, they have changed their hearts and become betterpeople, and so the physical body has become stronger. Whenthis happens, diseases will be cured. Of course, we will alldie, but we do not need to die from disease. We can just gowhen we decide we want to, while we are sleeping ormeditating, this is a natural phenomenon. However, howmany people reach this level today or understand that wecan do this? In ancient time people knew we could do this inmany different cultures. Even today, many high level people,religious or Qigong masters, can reach this standard. I wishwe could all do this without having to suffer from any disease.

1. Wuji Creates Taiji

i. Stand still with both legs shoulder width apart, bend yourknees slightly, and place both hands in front of your Dantian,right hand over the left, with the palms facing up. Fig 1.

ii. Move your right hand to your left side, making a semi-circle from your Dantian to your Sky-eye. The movementcomes from your waist, so turn your waist as you moveyour hand. When your hand passes the Sky-eye, the wrist

should twist round so the hand scoops past the Sky-eye.Fig 2 to 3.

iii. Continue moving the right hand past your Sky-eye downto your right side, so the circle continues, and start to moveyour left hand to the right , starting a circle in the oppositedirection. Fig 4.

Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3 Fig 4

Healthy Living Gong has three parts. We have done Part I and I am sure thatyou enjoyed that. Now we are going to move onto Part II and Part III.


Wuj

iCre

ates

Taiji

iv. Keep rotating thehands, the right handmaking a clockwisecircle and the lefthand making ananticlockwise circle.

movement is the same Cloud Hands (or Wave Hands). It isbased on two circles, one goes clockwise and the other goesanticlockwise. This is hard for those people who are not usedto the coordination. One hand is doing one thing and theother is doing the opposite. This is almost like the games childrenplay at school to test their coordination. Therefore thismovement is very good for your coordination.

As the movement comes from the waist, it is good forreleasing tension in the shoulders and neck. Today a lot ofpeople have stiffness in these areas because they sit too muchand have too much comfort. Nature is very fair, if you wantsome “good” then you have to pay a price. So if you want acomfortable life, have a soft sofa, a soft bed, a nice car etc.then your muscles will not need to work so much, particularlyyour legs. Then your legs, knees, and lower back will have aproblem and all the strength in your body will come from yourneck and shoulders. So people who work in an office or drivea lot will have neck and shoulder problems.

Practising Wuji Creates Taiji will allow your body to usethe waist properly and the body will be supported by the legs.Eventually the pressure on the shoulders and neck will releaseback down to the legs and so the tension will go.

History/BackgroundThis movement is obviously similar to Taijiquan’s Cloud

Hands, but this movement has a Qigong purpose. The handsmove to gather Qi around the face and body.

Taiji is a very common name today. Many people practiseTaiji, but write it as “Tai Chi”. This writing is more Cantonesestyle, Taiji is mandarin. In China, there are many dialects.Mandarin is the national language anyone who studies Chinesewill study Mandarin. Cantonese is a southern Chinese dialect,which comes from Canton.

Tai means big and Ji means limited. One is big andone is limited. This means that when things are expanding,they will suddenly become limited or suppressed. Things willthen become chaotic. An object that has not been balanced,become ordered between Yin and Yang is called Taiji. Taiji isan object which covers Yin and Yang. Today everything we seeis based on Yin and Yang. We have man and woman, fire andwater, sun and moon, mountains and lakes, etc. The wholeuniverse follows Taiji. In Taiji everything is moving, constantlychanging.

Wu means nothing, Ji means limited. This meansnothing. In Chinese philosophy, everything starts from nothingand then becomes something. When everything is balanced,then it is nothing. Nothing will not change. Like an emptyroom with no one living there. Nothing will change unlesssomething happens from outside e.g. someone suddenlymoves in. Then the room will become Taiji, become something.Then it will start to move and so Wuji creates Taiji.

Today we have so many things in our lives. There isgood and bad and because we are all in a Taiji situation, thenif you want something, you need to pay a price. Sometimes,even if you want to pay the price, other people’s Taiji canaffect you. It is only when we become Wuji, nothing, will therebe no good or bad, until we do not want anything. Theneverything will be peaceful and remain the same. Of coursewe cannot do this, as it means we will be dead, instead weshould want less, or do less, then when things go wrong wewill not be affected too much.

BreathingBreathe naturally throughout the whole movement, do

not think about your breathing just let it happen.

ConcentrationThe movement should come from your waist. The hands

should not hold much strength, if your waist turns left, bothhands should be on the left side, and if the waist turns right,then both hands should be on the right side. Remember toturn the wrist as the hands pass the Sky-eye. The movementis not like Cloud Hands from Taijiquan, it is similar, but it is notthe same. The hands grab the Qi and keep it in a circle and donot let it out.

BenefitSome beginners might find this movement quite

complicated, especially if they have not done anything like itbefore. If you have done Taijiquan before, then the basic

Fig 5

Fig 6

Fig 7


Jade

Bel

tAro

und

the

Wai

st

i. Stand still with your legs shoulder width apart. Place bothhands in front of your Dantian, with the palms facing up.Fig 1.

ii. Rotate your waist clockwise allowing your palms to follow it,as your waist moves forwards your palms face down, andas it moves back they face upwards. Rotate six times.Fig 2 to 4.

iii. Repeat the rotation in an anticlockwise direction again sixtimes.

iv. Repeat the clockwise and anticlockwise rotations as manytimes as you like, as long as you feel good.

BreathingBreathe naturally.

ConcentrationAll the movement should come from the waist. As you

rotate, make sure there is space between your elbows andbody, as if you are holding a big Qi Ball. Let your knees bendas your rotate forwards, and as you go back keep the kneesstraight.

BenefitThe back is one of the most

important parts of the body for allyour movements and your energy.The lower back relates to the Dantianwhere all the Qi is stored and all ourmovements are connected with theback. Even when we only use ourhands for something as simple aswriting or holding a book, or driving,it still connects with your lower backand waist. So this means that evenwhen doing something simple likewriting, your posture should be correct.This affects your energy and themovement as you write. So, if youdo not sit properly when you arewriting, you will feel tired and yourshoulders, elbows and wrists will hurt.This is because when writing youneed the Dantian and back to givesome energy to release the tensionfrom your shoulders, wrists andelbows. So you see the whole bodyis used to support this simplemovement.

In Qigong therapy, the sameas in Chinese culture, nothing istotally independent. Even though wemay not be able to see it, everythingis connected, it is just a matter ofpercentages. The higher thepercentage then you can see theresult straight away and the lower,the harder it is to see the connectionand so you will not see the result untillater, but nothing will be lost.

As you practise Jade BeltAround the Waist the movement willopen up the tension in the lowerback, making it more flexible. This

will affect all the internal organs, in particular your kidneys,stomach and intestines. This movement is therefore good foryour digestive system, constipation etc. The hands hold theQi so it will be strong around the body and create heat torelease the excess energy.

History/BackgroundIn Balancing Gong we have the movement “Beautiful

Woman Turns the Waist”. This movement is quite similar,however, in Beautiful Woman, the legs are kept straight. Thistime we can bend the legs and this makes a lot of difference.When we bend, the knee joints will be exercised as will theankles, the arms and shoulders. When the legs are keptstraight, then only the waist is used. So this exercise comesfrom “Beautiful Woman Turns the Waist” and “SwimmingDragon”. In my experience if you want to be healthy thenflexibility is very important. No one who is very stiff, can livea long life without any pain or other problems. So it is veryimportant to keep the lower back flexible and then you willhave more Qi.

2. Jade Belt Around theWaist.

Fig 1

(Side)

Fig 2

(Side)

Fig 3

(Side)

Fig 4


3. Pointing to the Middle of China

i. Stand with your left foot forwards and your right back. Put your weight on yourright leg, bending the knee and keep your left leg straight. Cross your wrists infront of your Dantian so that they lightly touch and the right hand is over theleft. Fig 1.

ii. Shift your weight forwards onto your left leg and allow the left knee to bend andstraighten the right leg. Push your right hand straight forwards with the indexfinger pointing forwards and the other four fingers bent. The left hand turns intoa loose fist which withdraws to the side of the waist. Fig 2.

iii. Shift the weight back onto your right leg and withdraw your right hand backtowards your Dantian with the palm facing upwards. Open the left hand into anopen palm and circle it round to the left and forwards, so that both wrists meetin front of your waist and move back together to the Dantian. You should nowbe in the original starting position. Fig 3 to 4.

iv. Repeat as many times as you feel comfortable and then do the movement onthe otherside.

BreathingAs you shift your weight forwards, breathe out and as you move backwards,

breathe in.

ConcentrationWhen you do this movement you should move gently and slowly. When your

weight is on the back leg, it means the Qi will go to your Dantian. When you shiftforwards, it means the Qi goes from your Dantian, passes along your arm to yourfinger tip. It is like releasing Qi through your finger tip.

Pointingthe

theM

iddleofC

hina

Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3

Fig 4


Tse Qigong Centre UKPO Box 59

Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285

+44 161 929 [email protected]

BenefitThis is a very relaxing and comfortable movement. The

coordination, however, can be a little difficult for somebeginners. When we close the hands in front of the Dantianwe should relax the shoulders and this will allow the Qi to sinkto the Dantian. The upper body will be more relaxed and sothe circulation will be strong. When you move forwards youallow all the energy to go through from the Dantian to theindex finger which is related to the Liver (this is not a relationshipwith the acupuncture channels,this is based on the Five Elements,in which each finger relates to amajor organ).This movement is abit like pumping the Qi from theDantian to the finger. Everythingfollows this principle, in and out,come and go, etc. Everyday webreathe in and then breathe outin order to live. We make moneyand spend money. We eat foodand then go to the toilet. After we are born we die and afterSummer comes Winter. This is a universal cycle nothing canescape it and it is this principle that makes us live, grow anddevelop.

When practising Pointing to the Middle of China youexchange the negative Qi with positive Qi and so your bloodcirculation is strong and fresh. You will find you feel good whenyou do this exercise because the Qi and blood becomes strong.

In TCM theory the blood is connected to the Liver andso this movement is good for the circulation and for liverproblems.

History/BackgroundIf you have done the Shaolin Form, Great Sadness Gong

you will find this movement in this form. In martial arts trainingthere is a lot of finger training as the fingers are a weak area,but at the same time they are sensitive and delicate. We usethem all the time, and this means that the fingers are almostalways the first contact we have with any objects as we touchthem. So it is important to make them healthy and it will

make thewhole bodyhealthier. Ifwe makethem strong,then thewhole bodywill bestrong.

W h yis this move-ment called,

“Pointing to the Middle of China”? This name is taken fromsimilar movements from martial arts. Also China in the Chineselanguage is called “Middle Country” or “Middle Land” and inthe Chinese culture the “Centre” is the most important thing.We must find it and be able to relate to it then everything willbe in order. If you find the centre of anything you will knowthe meaning of it. So if you find the Centre of your body, youwill know yourself and if you find the Centre of your life, youwill know your purpose. This is very important and eventuallyyou will spend hours and hours finding out about it.to be continued.... by Michael Tse

“Everyday we breathein and then breatheout in order to live.”


Count Down to...


HawaiiQigong &Martial ArtDemo

HawaiiQigong &Martial ArtDemo

The Beginning:Oddly, this event almost coincided with the summer solstice. We found a

venue that could house 300, but had only 200 chairs. But we were not worried aswe would have been happy with half of that as our audience. It was short noticefor many of the UK instructors to come over, but Darryl Moy, Martin Gale, MikeBaker and Sarah Bloomfield were able to rearrange schedules and confirm flights.

We began to plan the programme and on both sides of the “pond”, everyonebegan to practise their parts in earnest, not wanting to let down the Centre. Allwere told to pack their yellow Centre polo shirts and black trousers.

The day after Darryl arrived, nearly a full page colour picture and pieceabout the demo and Master Tse appeared in the Honolulu Star Bulletin. We werevery surprised when all we were expecting were a few lines. We were grateful,however, as it meant more people would have the opportunity to know about theevent. Calls were beginning to pile in and the church was digging around formore chairs, managing to come up with a few dozen more.

Two days before, Martin Gale, one of our Hard Qigong demonstrators,{Now nicknamed, Teet Tou Gale (Iron Head) } decided he needed a trial run withthe American bricks and slabs. The slabs were American sized…almost 8 inchesdeep compared to 2 inches UK size. Grab the camera, grab Martin and the trip tothe local park was on. But this is local park Hawaii style, half way up a mountianwhere mosquitoes hold reign. After Martin finally lay down and had the slabbroken, everyone looking on began to do a dance, slapping hands and thighs andhopping about from leg to leg. Was this Mosquitoe Gong?

Good ideas come at the oddest times. While floating on thewaves, the idea of a Hawaii demonstration was born. That leftonly small details like demonstrators, venue, date and time to besorted. Soon the date was set,…22 June 2002.

Sifu Michael Tse: Dragon Shadow Sword

Mike Baker: Swimming Dragon Gong


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The day before:Nerves were running higher and a practice run of the whole programme,

including the Hawaii students was scheduled. But this time at another park, oneidylically located right beside the sea, palm trees and all. Everyone did well andwas able to iron out any blips. Home for an early night and an early morning.

The Day:Books, magazines, sledge hammer, swords and spear, clothes, cameras,

shoes, brochures, posters, tripod and, of course, …Sifu and students….all werepiled into the cars and off we went to set up. Nearly 200 people had reservedseats and we expected more to arrive on spec. It was like a military execution witheveryone at their stations, some putting out chairs and setting up cameras andmusic, some doing posters, others secretly going to buy Tse Sifu a Hawaiian flowerlei. Guests started to arrive and soon the hall was full and it was show time.

This demonstration was only two hours and so it was a jam packed array ofNorthern Shaolin forms, soft and hard Qigong, Wing Chun forms and Chi Sau,Chen Taijiquan forms and Pushing Hands and a “finale” of Qi and Fragrancetransmission by Tse Sifu. It was very warm and a test of English fortitude in theHawaiian climate, but all did well, both in performing and m.c.’ing.

Tse Sifu began the programme with Great Sadness Gong, a lively Shaolinform that is good for the posture andlungs.Next it was Mike Baker who treatedthe audience to the beautiful WudangSword. Some were treated to a close upof the sword thrust as Mike used up hisfloor space, but in true Hawaiian warriorspirit did not flinch a bit.

Darryl Moy followed with his PlumBlossom spear, very energetic andperfectly timed. Although flashy, this formis purely traditional and could still beused for fighting, not just performance.Steve Casano, Kahi Wight led by JessicaBlackwell slowed down the pace with

Balancing Gong, the beginning Qigong form in the Centre syllabus. This wasfollowed by Tse Sifu performing a mixture of Chen Taijiquan forms, old and newframe combined. The flowing spiral energy, low postures and martial attitudecaught the interest of the Wu and Yang style practitioners in the audience.

Martin Gale followed with Cotton Palm. He said he could feel the energy ofthe audience as very positive and it made him feel strong and balanced and itshowed in his confident performance. This was followed by Jessica Blackwell doingWild Goose Qigong. One of the audience said to her afterwards that she lookedlike a bird when she was moving.

The pace increased in tempo for the Pushing Hands set when Tse Sifu andDarryl Moy took the floor (Darryl literally so,after being subjected to several Qi Na grabbingtechniques). This was the martial side ofTaijiquan at its finest. Mike Baker completedthe first half of the programme with SwimmingDragon Gong, impressing everyone with hisbalance and coodination in this dyanmic anddifficult Qigong form.

After a short break in which the waterfountains were nearly depleted, everyone tooktheir seats to watch Tse Sifu performing DragonShadow Sword. This is a very difficult form withlots of jumps, up and down movements andstrong stances. It is one of his favourite formsand this was obvious in the way he made theform look almost easy.

Then it was time for what so many ofthe lads in the back row had come for…the

Sifu Tse & Darryl Moy: Pushing Hands

SarahBloomfield:Triple CrossingSprial Gong

Sifu Michael Tse:Chen Taijiquan -

Pao Choi

JessicaBlackwell

WildGooseQigong 1st 64

Darryl Moy & MIke Baker:Blindfolded ChiSau

Sifu Michael Tse:Dragon ShadowSword


Wing Chun portion of the programme. MikeBaker led off, doing Wing Chun’s secondform, Tsum Kiu. He was so confident and atease that he was even able to smile at therather unusual Chinese tune that hisperformance had been paired to. Hismovements and energy were very clear andclean and there was no doubt about hislevel.

Next it was time for the Wing Chunself defense with Darryl Moy defendingagainst Mike Baker’s attacks. Mike foundhimself befriending the floor and nearly thelaps of a some spectators as Darryl tossedhim easily away. When Darryl puton the blindfold and did Chi Sau(Sticking Hands) with Mike,everyone was very impressed at hisskill. This is Wing Chun skill at itsbest, relying purely on sensivityrather than power.

Sarah Bloomfield then gavea beautiful and gracefuldemonstration Triple Crossing SpiralGong. Another form from the Dayan Qigong system. Herperformance attracted many compliments from the audience.

One of the highlights of the programme was Tse Sifuperforming Pao Cui, Chen Taijiquan’s Cannon Fist. This formconsists of lots of stamping and jumping and volitale Fa Ging(releasing power). This form requires strong internal energyand power as otherwise the body can be damaged by its strongmovements.

The next highlight was the Hard Qigong. Darryl Moywas subjected to several powerful kicks and punches by MikeBaker and then Martin Gale took the floor. Several bricks werefinally successfully broken over his head on the second hit ofthe sledgehammer, amid the gasps and worried looks of the

audience. Martin then lay down for his final showof how the body can be trained to withstand strongblows and hits. A heavy, thick slab was laid over hisabdomen and Darryl stood ready with the sledgehammer again. On the count of one, two, three,WHAM, and then again, one, two, three, WHAMand CRACK!, the slab split into pieces and Martinarose dust covered but smiling.

The finale of the demonstration was Qi andFragrance and Colours Transmission by Tse Sifu. Hefirst asked for volunteers from the audiencemembers. The audience really was appreciative andwere not shy to come forward to “feel” Tse Sifu’sQi. One lady said she would have fallen but she

felt that he was holding onto her through histransmission. Others whenasked what they smelledwhen he transmitted fragrantQi had comments of“jasmine”, “incense” and“sandlewood”.

Afterwards, many ofthe guests visited with MasterTse and the students, beingvery generous in theircompliments and sincere intheir questions. One person

even asked Martin Gale, “Where are you going next?”, thinkingwe were on tour. It really lifted everyone’s spirits, both audienceand performers. Somehow the day was like a blessing for theNorth American Centre to continue here in Hawaii.

One of the students said that is was one of the bestdemonstrations ever held by the Centre. All in all, it made thelong trip worthwhile and now all could relax and enjoythemselves for the rest of their time here in Hawaii

by Jessica Blackwell

Martin Gale:Hard Qigong -Iron Head

Darryl Moy: Hard Qigong

Sifu Michael Tse:Qi Transmission


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Traditionally, all Chinese martial artsincluded Hard Qigong training, butfollowing their dispersement

westward it was omitted, chiefly due tocustomary secrecy and themodern lifestyle. Thisexplains why manymartial artists todaydie very young (Qibecomes blockedand exhausted).

Hard Qi-gong developed outof necessity. Inancient timespeople, includingmonks, wouldtravel cross-countryalone and have toconfront bandits andwild animals, so theyneeded strongbodies and gongfu tosurvive. Your martialskill should obviouslybe good enough toprotect you but what ifyou are desperatelyoutnumbered, surprise-attacked, orsimply bettered ? The training protectsyou in a life-threatening incident oraccident.

Shaolin temple is well known forits Hard Qigong, but there are otherequally respected systems such as thatfrom Heavenly River Monastery, in Hebei,which dates back to the Ming Dynasty,around 400 years ago.

This method combines dynamicmovements with “special” breathingtechniques to strengthen the internalorgans, all before the external body istrained. Inhalation is to literally “eat theair” and “swallow Qi”, while exhalationcovers three methods: Ding Qi brings Qiupwards instantaneously to the Baihui(crown of the head) and is powerful likethunder; Pun Qi directs Qi down to theDantien and can be slow, like pushing acar, or fast like Ding Qi (depending onthe form); and Tun Qi consists ofswallowing Qi with the saliva. HardQigong concentrates on four main

channels: Chong (middle); Ren (front);Du (back); and Dai (waist) channels.

The first level develops the lungs,which create the power for pushing,

pulling, striking etc. andkidneys, which

create theinternal

Qi needed to withstand powerfulpunches, kicks, and certain weaponattacks. A battery of tests are undertakento progress through the system. Thesubsequent stage introduces the use ofbricks and a strong wall or tree (fortoughening the head and back) and thejoints, muscles, and skin are trained.Later on the yin parts of the body,including the throat and ribs, aredeveloped. You begin to hit yourself, atfirst with your bare hands and later witha partner, the blows progressing fromlight to intensely powerful, and latergraduating from a bamboo stick to aniron bar. The more you hit yourself themore energetic you feel. Eventually QingGong is trained, whereby the bodybecomes as light as a feather, andextremely agile. This training includeswearing special weights for a period oftime and jumping very high. The testincludes walking on rice paper (raisedabove the ground) without tearing it andstanding on inflated balloons without

bursting them. So by the end “Hardbecomes Soft”.

Strict rules govern the training toprevent side-effects, some of whichinclude: Warming-up the body: sleepingat least seven to eight hours to allowthe body to recover; avoiding practice ona full stomach, when ill or recovering, instormy weather, or during certain hoursin the day when the energy is too strong;and not expending Jing (semen)indescriminately.

Meditation is also vital. The formsraise one’s spirits and create a lot of yangenergy, or “fire” in the body, so it is easyto become euphoric or aggressive.Without calming down and balancing theQi the practit ioner would becomehyperactive and nervous, and eventually“burn out”.

Changes occur within the body.Initially there may be some stiffness,soreness, numbness or dizziness, loss orincrease of appetite, less or more sleepneeded etc. but it all depends on theindividual and these “growing pains”soon disperse as the body becomesstronger internally.

Hard Qigong tests anddemonstrations include breaking bricksover the head and concrete slabs overthe chest with sledgehammers, bendingspears with the throat, withstandingpunches, kicks, and staff attacks to variousparts of the body, and even lying downwhile a truck drives over the body, amongother feats.

These demonstrations should notbe the reason for training and must notbe exploited as every blow receivedweakens the body. The student musttrain ardently and keep demonstrationsto a minimum or else Hard Qigongwould cease to be healthy.

Despite the seemingly incrediblepunishment the body endures HardQigong remains a strong healthy exerciseas it works with Qi. The law of nature is“survival of the fittest” and throughinternal training and hardship youbecome better equipped to deal with thechallenges and pressures of life itself

by Adam Wallace. [email protected]

Hard Qigong is often associated with (but not limited to) themartial arts. It trains the bones, muscles, and skin to protect the bodyagainst injury, and repair it after damage has been inflicted.

Challenge of Hard QigongChallenge of Hard Qigong


Your living room is one of the most important rooms in your house.Often your home is centred around it and you spend most of your timewith your family init. So it is important that the Feng Shui is right.

A room full of furniture

A circular living room

Missing the left side Missing the right side

A room with good ligthing

(continued from issue 62)21. If your living room is full of furnitureand does not have space in the middle,you will lose money and friends.22. If your furniture is not in the rightplace, and you and others are alwaysbumping into things and hurtingthemselves, then it means that your lifewill always have problems and things willnot go smoothly.23. If your living room is in a sqare shape,your life will develop properly and willeventually be successful.24. If your living room is in a circularshape, it means you will do a lot of thingsbut you eventually miss the goal/endingand then you will need to start from thebeginning.25. If your living room is an irregularshape, then it means your life will beand down.26. If your living room is missing the leftside, it means the man will have aproblem and the woman will be incharge at home.27. If the living room is missing the rightside, then it means the man will be incharge at home.

Feng Shui for the Living RoomPart II

Feng Shui for the Living Room

28. Your living room should have enoughlight and lamps. If you have enough lightto see everything, then it means you willhave friends to help you.29. If your living room has not got enoughlight, then you will have less friends andyou will easily be lonely and create over-thinking.30. Lighting should be at the corners,ceiling or walls. That will give a goodcondition on your life and when you haveproblems, your lucky star will come

by Michael Tse

Fen

gSh

ui

“Life will developproperly and besuccessful”


JADE PILLAR GONGLondon: 5/6 OctoberJade Pillar refers to the spine which is very important for ourflexibility. We should be able to move up, down, forward,backward, low or high with ease even as we grow older. Thisforms helps to make the legs stronger and loosen the spine bycombining strong and low postures with light and gentleposturesCost in adv: members of Tse Qigong Centre £140. Non-members £185. On day add £10.

For more information contact:Tse Qigong Centre PO Box 59Altrincham WA15 8FSTel 0161 929 4485 Fax 0161 929 [email protected]

HARD QIGONG LEVEL ILondon: 19/20 October

Hard Qigong is much more dynamic than soft Qigong and atthis level works on developing inner Qi through concentrated

movements. Special breathing techniques are used to helpdirect the Qi to different areas of the body. Hard Qigong is

open to all and will improve general health as well asdeveloping the body for martial art contact. It is good for

increasing energy levels, blood circulation, helping asthma,depression and weak internal organs.

Cost in adv: members of Tse Qigong Centre £140. Non-members £185. On day add £10.

SWIMMING DRAGON GONGWestern Canada: 20/21 OctoberThis challenging Qigong form imitatesmovements of the water dragon. Water isalso related to kidneys, which is one ofthe most important of the five majorinternal organs. Weak kidneys cancause back ache, dizziness, earproblems, memory lossand aching bones.This form createsa lot of heatthroughspirallingenergy andhelps tomake thebodystrongerand full ofenergy. Italso helps toimprovebalance andcoordination.Contact: Lee Masters:(250) 748 4060

DAMO STAFFLondon: 2/3NovemberThis is a dynamic and highlyenjoyable form that has provedto be very popular. It is very goodfor the posture, stretching thespine and loosening the shouldersand also creates a lot of internal heat,improving circulation, balance and co-ordination. The formcomes from Northern Shaolin Master Wu Chun Yuen who isalmost 80 years old and still very fit and healthy.Cost in adv: members of Tse Qigong Centre £140. Non-members £185. On day add £10.

FALLING LEAF GONGLondon: 7/8 December

Part Qigong, part Taijiquan and part Drunken Fist, thisform is like a leaf falling from a tree to a river, spiralling,

letting go and free. It uses imbalance and letting go toimprove balance, good for the joints, knees and the brain.Cost in adv: members of Tse Qigong Centre £140. Non-members £185. On day add £10.

XINGSAU

Norwich:16/17

NovemberXing Sau is an exciting

and dynamic form fromthe Northern Shaolin

Chunyuen System. It isvery good for improving the

posture and makes the bodyfit healthy and strong. When youare healthy you will feel light andthis means your body is younger

and more energetic.Contact Julian Wilde on 01603 465189

SWIMMINGDRAGON

GONGGothenburg

19/20 October

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