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Cover: Choi Lee Fat Master So Gin Gei

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

Editor: Michael TseDeputy Editor: Darryl Moy

Assistants:Vera Externest Peter DiesnerMartin Gale Caroline GarveySarah Moy Jane PollardClaire Spruce

Legal Adviser: Tony WalshMarketing/Distribution: Jessica BlackwellSweden: Barbro Olsson

Stefan Eekenulv

Consultants:Grandmaster Yang Meijun

Grandmaster Ip ChunGrandmaster Wu Chun Yuen

Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang

Columnists:

Peter Andersen Kate BrittonMartin Gale Glenn GosslingSihn Kei Adam WallaceJulian Wilde

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 necessarilyreflect the 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 shouldseek qualified tuition.

Michael Tse 2006.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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ISSN 1358-3778

During the Spring and Autumn Periodand the Zhou Dynasty, 2500 yearsago, China was divided up into

many different countries, each ruled byits own king. As the Zhou Dynasty wasweak, each country was independent andoften fought against each other.

Jin was one of these countries andits government was also weak and indisorder. This meant the country waschaotic and there were criminalscommitting crimes everywhere.

A senior government official, ShunLim Fu, was veryworried about this andhe tried to haveanyone who broke thelaw arrested. However,it proved to be toodifficult as how couldhe catch everyone whocommitted a crime andhow could he even findout? Eventually he wasintroduced to a topdetective who wasfamous for catchingcriminals. His namewas Yu Yun.

When they met,Shun asked Yu, “Howdo you catch acriminal?” Yu Yunsmiled and said, “It iseasy, I have been adetective for a long

time and I have come across so manycriminals. After so many years I knowwho is a criminal or not.” Yu Yun continuedto say, “Generally, people are all thesame. There is no difference. When acriminal sees money or somethingvaluable and a situation where they can

commit a crime, they show their interestand excitement in their faces. There areothers who try to hide and feel insecurewhen they see a policeman. They try toavoid us and get away. So I can recognisethem very easily.” Sun Lin Fu was happyto hear this and happy to have anassistant like Yu Yun

Within a few months, manycriminals had been arrested and put inprison. Shun Lim Fu was happy as somany had been arrested, but even so,many more crimes were being

committed. This started to worry himmore and more and he did not knowwhat else he could do.

A friend of his, called Yang Xe Che,who was also a government official saidto him, “I believe you have made amistake. I think detective Yun will not livevery long and he might be killed by thecriminals he is catching.” A few monthslater his prediction came true and

continued on page 9

After so many years Iknow who is a criminalor not,”

Qi Magazine Jul/Aug/Sept 2006 page 1

1 Editorialwith Michael Tse.

4 PO Box

9 Taste the Saliva – the effect of Negative QiWhen our Qi gets blocked it becomes old and stale. This isnegative Qi. What effect does it have and how do we ridourselves of it?By Michael Tse

10 Rocket or Damp Squib?– The Art of Getting Older SkilfullyWe all get older and most of us dread it. We shouldremember that just because we get older does not meanwe cannot live a full life.By Julian Wilde

11 Instructor InsightProfiling another Tse Qigong Centre instructor

12 Meeting InspirationMaster Chen Gui Zhen is the top lady practitioner in ChenVillage and is an inspiration to all women practisingTaijiquan.By Kate Britton

14 Language SkillsIf you want to go to China, it is good to learn a littleMandarin. With a little perseverance you can get by in Chinaand have fun as well.By Peter Andersen

16 Chi Sau and Tui ShouTo get the most out of Wing Chun and Taijiquan you haveto practise Chi Sau and Tui Shou. However, you must doboth correctly otherwise you will train the wrong skill and itis hard to correct yourself later on.By Michael Tse

19 Thirteen CutsThere are many forms of Chinese martial arts that use thestraight sword. However, although there are many styles,the principle of the sword remains virtually the same.By Glenn Gossling

20 Getting the LookHave you ever seen yourself practising and thought,“Something does not look quite right”? This may not be todo with the physical movement but more the energy andattitude.By Deborah Green

22 Choi Lee FatChoi Lee Fat (or Cai Li Fo inMandarin) is a very famous styleof Chinese martial art. It has afascinating history which goesdirectly back to the Fujian ShaolinTemple. Its history is alsoentwined with the Han people’sstruggle against the Qing whichhave been the subject of manyChinese movies and which haveshaped the skill down to themodern day.By Michael Tse

27 Five Element DiagnosisChinese medicine and Qigong uses the principles of the FiveElements to balance the body and so heal its ailments. Notsurprisingly these principles can be used to diagnose illness,but what do you look for?By Jessica Tse

29 Big Dog, Little DogKnowing yourself is very important but also very difficult. Thatis why many people study Qigong and martial arts. Whatthey find can be unexpected, but with time you can developyourself.By Darryl Moy

30 Tsum Kiu - Part IThe first part of our serialisation of Wing Chun Kuen’s secondform, Tsum Kiu.By Michael Tse

33 Food Cures Using Jade Rice WhiskersRecipes that can help the bladder and kidneys and whenthere is too much heat in the body.

33 He Si JadeNot everyone has the wisdom to recognise somethingprecious.

Cover Story...Cover Story...Cover Story...

Cover Story...Cover Story...Cover Story...

page 2 Qi Magazine Jul/Aug/Sept 2006

Kung Fu WeaponsLongquan (Taiji) Dragon SwordDouble edged straight blade, engraved & finished with brass andcopper. Comes with scabbard and tassel. (Length 81cm)Tse Qigong Centre members £90 / Non-members £100

Kang Li Telescopic Practice SwordWell-balanced, steel practice sword. Comes with carrying case andtassel. (Length 71cm)Tse Qigong Centre members £36* / Non-members £41*

Longquan Dragon Knife (Broadsword)Engraved blade finished in copper. Includes engravedlacquered scabbard with brass finish. (Length 77.5 cm)Tse Qigong Centre members £95 / Non-members £105

Chinese Spear (Length 215cm)Chrome plated spearhead with white wax woodshaft and red ying (hair). Requires cutting to size.Tse Qigong Centre members £52 / Non-members £57

White Wax Wood Staff (Length 200cm)Tse Qigong Centre members £40 / Non-members £45

Wing Chun Knives - Baat Jam Dao (Length 45cm)Tse Qigong Centre members £110 / Non-members £120

Longquan (Taiji)Dragon Sword

LongquanDragon Knife(Broadsword)

Prices include UK p&p and are by express courier service.*Telescopic sword includes UK p&p by standard post.Please make cheques payable to ‘Michael Tse’.Specifications may vary. Prices valid for cover dates onthis issue only. Please see the latest issue for up to date prices.

Wing Chun Knives(Baat Jam Dao)

To order contact:Tse Qigong Centre PO Box 59

Altrincham WA15 8FS 0845 838 2285

[email protected]

34 The Spirit of Chinese Tea CeremonyJapan is well known for its tea ceremony, however, few peoplerealise that this originated in China and that China’s teaculture is very deep.By Wang Ling

36 Ren Gang – Training Spirit and Energy Part IIThe concluding part of this feature of Master Ren Gang ofShanghai. Here he shares his thoughts on how Taiji relatesto the waist and developing Shen Qi.By Rose Oliver

38 Wing Chun Story Part VHaving trained with Master Ng Mui, Yim Wing Chun decidesto do battle with the gangsters who have been terrorisingher home town. How can she win?By Michael Tse

45 Liao Fan’s Four Lessons– Ways to Cultivate GoodnessContinuing the third lesson.

46 Self Defence for Women using Chen Style TaijiquanSome useful ideas on how to use Chen Taijiquan for selfdefence.By Kate Britton

47 StillnessTo understand movement you must first understand stillness.Wing Chun teaches us this right from the very start but it isnot until you have been studying for a while that youappreciate why this is.By Martin Gale

48 Shadow DancingYou can’t escape your own shadow, so why not use it to helpcorrect yourself? Unlike your reflection it will not blind youwith too much detail but will show you your main mistakes.By Sihn Kei

49 Nothing to FearWe all have felt fear at sometime in our lives. Some casescan be extreme and some can be mild. We cannot avoidfear, but we can try to understand how it effects us and thenwe can balance it.By Adam Wallace

50 Garden Feng ShuiThe final look at how our garden, or lack of one, can effectour energy and our lives.By Michael Tse


Senior Wing Chun MasterLok Yiu Passes AwaySenior Wing Chun Master

POBox POBox POBox...

I. There is honour in loving the motherlandand shame in endangering the motherland

II. There is honour in serving the people andshame in turning away from the people

III. There is honour in upholding science andshame in ignorance and illiteracy

IV. There is honour in productive labour andshame in being lazy

V. There is honour in togetherness andcooperation and shame in gainingadvantage at the expense of others

VI. There is honour in honesty and keepingone’s word and shame in abandoningvalues for profit

VII. There is honour in discipline and obedienceto the law and shame in lawlessness anddisorder

VIII. There is honour in working hard and livingsimply and shame wallowing in luxury andpleasures

In March 2006, China’s President Hu Jintao launched a postercampaign throughout China urging citizens to go back toold virtues. The simple poster is not a list of do’s and do

nots as some press clippings would have us believe, but is asubtle approach of urging people to live up to their betternatures to be a good human being and reminding them thatsuch things as laziness, dishonesty and hurting others to benefitoneself is something to feel ashamed of, not something toaspire to.

This comes at a time when China is almost 30 yearsinto their economic boom which has deluged the country in anexcessive materialism. President Hu’s list of eight virtues is agentle way of bringing people back to their hearts and is basedupon ancient Confucian ethics.

According to the Communist Party newspaper, PresidentHu said to a March 4 parliamentary seminar, “In our socialistsociety we must not allow the boundaries to be blurred whenit comes to right and wrong, evil and kindness, beauty andugliness.”

“What we support, what we resist, what we opposeand what we promote. All must be crystal clear.” He addedthat this “socialist concept of honour and disgrace” should bepromoted to the masses, especially young people.

China's President Hu Jin Taosays It Is Time to goBack to Basics

On the 2nd of February 2006 the Wing Chun world wasrocked by the sad new that Master Lok Yiu passed away,after a short fight with illness. Master Lok Yiu was the

second Hong Kong student of Grandmaster Ip Man.Master Lok Yiu began training with Grandmaster Ip Man

in 1950 having been introduced by Leung Sheung,Grandmaster Ip Man’s first student. He was part ofGrandmaster Ip Man’s first group of students who studied atRestaurant Workers Association, Tai Nam Street, Shum ShuiPo, Kowloon.

During the early years of Grandmaster Ip Man’steaching, times were very hard as the classes needed time to

Lok Yiu Passes Awaybuild up. During these hard times Leung Sheung and Lok Yiulooked after him as much as they could. Then more andmore students began to study and so everything became alot easier. Master Tsui Sheung Tin (Grandmaster Ip Man’sthird student) says, “In my opinion, if it were not for thepersistence of Leung Sheung and Lok Yiu to continue studyingduring those difficult early days, thus enabling thegrandmaster to continue to teach Wing Chun at theRestaurant Workers Union, probably he (Grandmaster Ip Man)would never have had the opportunity to show it to the world,and history would be rewritten.”

We would like to offer our sympathies to all his family,friends and students, and thank him for his great contributionto Wing Chun and Chinese Kung Fu.

China's President Hu Jin Taosays It Is Time to goBack to Basics


Shaolin AbbotPasses AwayShaolin AbbotPasses Away

Shi. The same as BuddhaShakyamuni, Sha and Shi are thesame in old Indian and Chinese).

Shi Su Xi worked very harddoing menial jobs and labouring.Later he learnt Shaolin Kung Fu.He reached a particularly highlevel in the skill “Hitting thePoints”.

He lived through the warwith Japan and the CulturalRevolution and so survived a lot

of suffering. He loved his country very much and even helpedthe Communist Army’s fight against the Japanese invasion.Japanese soldiers came to Shaolin Temple and stole manyBuddhist books and antiques and this upset Shi Su Xi whotried to hide all the valuable treasures.

During the Cultural Revolution, Buddhism was criticisedand the Red Guard came to the temple andburnt all the Buddhist sutras and broke allthe stone tombs. Fearing the Red Guard,many of the monks returned to society tobecome normal civilians and so there wereonly a few monks left with Master Shi Su Xiat Shaolin. The few monks that remainedtried to preserve all the knowledge bymemorising all the sutras, writing them onthe stone tombs. They even tried to preservedates and drawings by burying them. It wasa very hard time and without belief and agood heart it was very hard to carry on andkeep your beliefs and fulfil your duty.

For over 69 years Shi Su Xi kept his beliefs, carried onhis duty and never gave up his principles. He was one of thegreat monks of the Shaolin Temple. It is sad to say he is gone,but Buddhism says that people do not just die. Just one part oftheir journey is over and in the next part of the journey youtake with you what you have earned. Shi Su Xi takes a lot ofgood karma with him on his next journey.

I was lucky as in 1996 I had the chance to meet him. Ihad a good conversation with him and in that short time Ilearnt a lot and was influenced a lot by him. It was an honour.

by Michael Tse

Any man who can do his duty and keep his promises untilthe day he passes away is a great man and is someonewe should respect and learn from. The Abbot of the

Shaolin Temple, Shi Su Xi passed away at 11.20 am on the 8th

of March 2006. At this time I was in Chen Village with some ofmy students and grandstudents visiting my Sifu, GrandmasterChen Xiao Wang.

Shi (Shi is the respectful termmeaning Buddhist monk) Su Xi wasborn in 1924 in Deng Feng County,Hennan province, close to theShaolin Temple. His original namewas Geng Jin Zhu. When he was onlya few weeks old, his mother sadlypassed away. When he was 11 yearsold, his father also passed away. Afterthat time he and his cousin had tobeg to survive.

In 1937 a Shaolin monknamed Zhen Xu was doing someBuddhist work in the area. Someone saw the young Geng JinZhu and took pity on him and so asked the Shaolin monk if hecould help the little boy.

Monk Zhen Zu wrote a poem on a piece of paper andtold Geng Jin Zhu that the only way for him was to go toShaolin Temple. Young Geng took the poem and looked up toask the monk more, but he was gone. It was as if the windhad blown him away. He moved so fast, Young Geng knew ithad to be Shaolin Kung Fu.

Geng went to Shaolin Temple and after a few tests hewas accepted to become a monk. On the 17th of August 1957he was given the name, Shi Su Xi (all Buddhist surnames are

Michael Tse & the lateGreat Shi Su Xi in 1996

Offerings in respect of Shi Su Xiat the Shaolin Temple


Helping OsteoporosisWanderingMindHi Michael,Sorry to bother you, but I’m goingto start attending your classes inManchester in the next few weeksand I was wondering if you couldhelp me with a couple of questionsfirst?

I have a question about theeffects of Qi. Obviously, when yousee documentaries, etc. on television,the emphasis is on how Qi can affectexternal objects. However, whataffects would Qi have on mentalprocesses? The reason I ask is that Ihave horrendous self-discipline andmotivation.

My mind wandersconsiderably, which because I am awriter, is sometimes a good thing,but sometimes I can’t stop itwandering in order to bend my willtowards the task at hand. This affectsboth mental and physical tasks, i.e.a course of exercise that I’ll backslideoff. If you’ll forgive the hyperbole.I’m almost looking for a ‘mentalalertness’ switch that I can engageat the relevant times. Thanks for yourtime, and I hope to see you soon,R, UK Dear R,Today, most people are conditionedto find a ‘quick remedy’ that can fixeverything and certainly, thisthinking ensures pharmaceuticalcompanies their profits. However,Chinese culture and thinking are verydifferent and look at good skill as away of life. Good health is somethingwe all want to have but we need tomaintain our bodies the same waywe need to maintain a car or a houseif we want to have a safe journey ofa safe and comfortable place to live.

In Qigong, there is noovernight success. Only by buildingup and maintaining our Qi can webegin to develop our health and thenour potential. When the mind isalways wandering and lacks focus,it is because the kidneys are weak.All of the Qigong exercises we teachwill make

As for using Qi to moveexternal objects, these people havebeen either born with this skill orlearned to channel their energy in thatdirection. In either case, it will

Dear Mr. Tse,I am 66 and I have some trouble with osteoporosis (inherited from my Mother Ibelieve). I am pretty mobile, however, and walk regularly for about an hour a day,but I do have aches in my hips. I borrowed from my library your Qigong for Health& Vitality and have practised the exercises, especially the Balancing Gong exercises.

Lately, I was given your other excellent book Qigong for Healing & Relaxation.I find these exercises of great benefit and concentrate especially on them. What Iwanted to ask is do you have any particular exercise that would help my condition,please? And also do you have special exercises for the eyes?Yours sincerely, MB, Australia

Dear M,Osteoporosis is becoming more common, even in younger people. This is

because today we do not use our bones enough. Most people have too much sitting– particularly with the wrong posture, sleeping on very soft beds and not taking theenough exercise or nutrition that will create Qi to make the marrow for the bones tobe strong.

Although there are many different ideas today on how to make the bones inthe body strong, it must not be that these ideas are all very successful becauseosteoporosis is a growing problem. I hear a lot of people say “drink milk or takecalcium” but if we look at Chinese people, most do not drink milk or eat dairy thingsyet they have very strong bones even when older. Also, there are many people who donot take any vitamins or calcium who have stronger bones than someone who takesthese things everyday.

The Chinese always consider the bones and how to make them strong. Strongbones mean a strong foundation. When the bones are strong, the kidneys must bestrong as they feed the bone marrow. With strong bones, our teeth will be strong, ourminds will be clear (the brain is considered in Chinese medicine to be marrow as well)and we will not easily feel tired.

So how do we make our bones strong? It is easy; we must use them. In thisissue of Qi Magazine there is an article called, ‘Taste the Saliva’, and I talk aboutHorse Stance (Ma Bu Zhang). I also talk about it in my books which you have read.Ma Bu Zhang is one of the easiest Qigong methods to learn but it seems that for mostpeople, it is the hardest one to practise! They are not used to standing still for a longtime and are also not used to putting all the weight on the thighs, which actuallymeans that the bones are supporting the body, not the back or knees.

However, this method is one of the most powerful and quickest healing methodsI know, yet still people ask me, “What else can I do besides Horse Stance?”

I had one patient and student who had kidney failure and the doctors did notthink that he would survive. However, he did meditation in the hospital and tried todo some Qigong and once he got home, he began to practise Horse Stance severaltimes a day. At first he could only stand a few minutes at a time but gradually he builtup until he could stand for 20 minutes and even half an our at a time. Within twomonths, he was back at work.

If you follow this method and keep practising your Balancing Gong and HealthyLiving Gong, then your condition should not worsen and if you really put your hearton it, then it can even slowly improve.

As your kidneys become stronger, then your liver will also benefit and the eyeswill improve as well. You can practise closing one eye and looking with other one andthen repeating on other side as you practise your Horse Stance. You can also changeto look at short, medium and long distances which will help train the muscles of theeyes.

The deeper the well, the longer it will take to fill up. So the most importantthing is not give up and just keep up your practise, even if you do not really see anybenefit in the beginning. It is just like water constantly dripping on a stone. Eventually,even stone will be worn down.Best wishes, Michael Tse

Helping Osteoporosis


Every day 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. Thatis 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, sendthem to us. We also welcome articles (800 - 1000 words in length) on appropriate topics.

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]

exhaust their energy levels. A high levelQigong master will look very ordinary andbehave in the same way. They will bepleasant to be around as they are healthyand their positive Qi attracts peoplenaturally. They do not need to show offtheir skill like a magician doing tricks. Thisis just basic level Qigong skill thatanyone can train to do. However, to dothese things and remain very healthy ismore difficult. Chinese say, “More highlevel, more simple.”

So the secret to being healthythrough Qigong is justthis....practise. Going to classwill help your motivation as theenergy is higher with everyoneall practising together and soyou will feel good to be there.Your Sifu will guide you andhelp you correct yourmovements so that youcan be good. The bestthing is to not setyourself high goals butjust go along andenjoy yourself. Whenyou enjoy the class, thepeople and themovements, then youwill enjoy your practiseat home and slowlyyou will becomemore regular anddisciplined.

Before youknow it, yourQigong practise willhave helped your Qito settle in yourDantian, helping yourmind to be more calm and your mindclear. With kind regards, Michael Tse

Qigong &GallstonesDear Master Tse,Is it possible to dissolve gallstonesthrough Qigong techniques? I amsuffering and don’t want to have anothersurgery. I have been practising SpringForest Qigong for a few months and amable to control my symptoms, however,I am ready to really soar - if it is possiblefor a 53 year old woman to do that.Sincerely, M. Minnesota, USADear M,

My Qigong Sifu, GrandmasterYang Meijun, was 102 years old whenshe passed away and she did not even

begin to teach her skill until she was over80 years old. Age is how we feel and ifwe can keep our bodies healthy, flexibleand enjoy life more, then we can beseventy and feel fifty or even twenty. (Seearticle on page >…..this issue of QiMagazine)

Gallstones are solidified toxinsthat come from the liver. If the liver isfunctioning normally, then it can processand rid the body of toxins but if it does

not have enough Qi or it hasbeen damaged, then it will

not be able to performthis function well.

You can alsochange your diet toeat foods that areeasy to digest andmore plain and thiswill give your liver aholiday as well.When Chinesepeople want to cleanthe body using foodtherapy, they will eatBaat Juk (WhiteCongee) which is likea rice porridge made by

boiling rice until it thickensinto a soup. You can also eat somecooked vegetables on the side.

Qigong can help strengthen theliver by creating stronger circulation sowill do its job properly and not be stiff. Itwill also will help to get rid of thenegative, sick Qi in the body. Qigong also

brings nutrients and oxygen and Qi tothe other internal organs and channelsto make you healthy. I would alsorecommend practising two exercises whichare in my book, Qigong for Healing &Relaxation. These exercises are:- Pointingto the Middle of China and Old Tree withWinding Roots. These are also on DVDand a Wall Chart making it easier to followalong.Yours sincerely,Michael Tse

QuestionsQ. What is the difference betweenQigong and Chun Yuen Quan?

A. Qigong starts to move Qi in thechannels and then to the internal organsand then at end, settles in the Dantian.When the Qi remains settled for a longtime, eventually it will store in the bonemarrow. Chun Yuen Quan starts to movethe Qi at the bone level and then goes tothe organs, channels and then stores atthe Dantian.

Q. What is Spontaneous Qigong goodfor?

A. Spontaneous Qigong is good forreleasing negative energy. However, it doesnot gather fresh Qi or store the Qi and soits benefits are limited and should onlybe used occasionally.

“The secret to beinghealthy throughQigong is just this...”


detective Yu Yun was killed during anarrest.

The King of Jin heard of Yang XeChe’s prediction about Yu Yun beingkilled and so asked to see him. He askedYang what he thought the answer to thecrime problem was.

Yang Xe Che said, “No one wantsto be a criminal but there are criminalseverywhere. What is the reason for this?It is because society has changed andpeople do not feel ashamed to be acriminal? All the good people are in thesame situation as they are poor and arenot respected. Even though there aresome criminals who have been punished,there are still many who are rich and havegood positions. So in this situation, whowould want to be a good person? If oursociety keeps going this way, it will harmall the good citizens we have left andthis is not good for the country.”

He continued, “Your Majesty, ifyou want to stop crime you must stoparresting and punishing the criminals youfind. Instead, you must educate thepeople and change their hearts. Rewardthe good people and tell about the goodthings they have done. We must educatethe children to have more respect for theold and encourage the old to take morecare of the young people. Then societywill change.”

The King followed Yang’s adviceand their society slowly changed andcriminals disappeared.

Today, our society is no differentfrom the old days in Jin. People just wantto have a peaceful and enjoyable life;nothing more that this. But if successequals just concentrating on money andfame, then all the people will follow that.Then, if someone can make money bybreaking the law, they will do it andeveryone else will follow.

If a government only usespunishment and fines instead ofeducation, then we will only have morecrimes. Education is the best way ofchanging the situation. In particular, todevelop people to have a better heartand more compassion.

Hard QigongLevel IIIn April a group of Hard Qigong devoteesattend the Level II course taught byMaster Michael Tse. This was the first timeMaster Tse had taught Level II personallyfor a few years,so it was aneven moreexciting course.

It couldbe said thatLevel II in wherethe real trainingfor Hard Qigongbegins, thoughthat is not to saythat Level I isnot important.This was certainly emphasised by MasterTse and he went through each of theLevel I exercises is great detail. Althoughthe participants had all trained in Level Iand also passed the Level I test, they allgained a deeper understanding of themovements and also a greater insightinto their details and their meaning.

After this it was then onto theLevel II exercises. Compared to Level Ithese are much more demanding andthey begin to train the Qi to come to thefingers, the arms, the back and to thehead. As you would expect, Level II isfar more advanced than Level II. Its effecton the body is more powerful and, ofcourse, theexercises arealso moredemanding.These alsoinvolve theuse of twobricks and astrong wall.

By theend of theweekend allthe studentsknew what work they had to do and whattheir weaker areas were. Everyoneworked very hard but was happy todevelop themselves to another level.Master Tse advised them, “Hard Qigongis not easy. If you want to develop, makesure you build up slowly, but putr youeffort into it and you will develop a goodlevel.”

Chi Sau DayManchesterChi Sau is a very addictive and enjoyableway of training. Many Wing Chunstudents cannot get enough, so it wasby popular demand that this course was

arranged.Students travelled

to Manchester fromLondon, Birmingham andCheshire. Some verysenior students and alsosome who had only justrecently started. That isone of the great thingsabout Chi Sau, you learnfrom everyone, whetherthey are more senior ormore junior than you. This

also breaks down any barriers andeveryone gets on very well.

Time went by very quickly andbefore we knew it the day was over.Those Wing Chun addicts who are gettingitchy arms can get another serious “fix”at the Wing Chun Residential Course inAugust!

Five Tiger KnifeNorwichNorwich weather smiled on some twentystudents who joined together to learn theFive Tiger Knife, a dynamic and colourful

form from the Chun YuenQuan tradition.

Master Tse madelearning the sequence easyby breaking things downstep by step, so even thosebeginners who had neverhandled a weapon beforecould easily manage.

The stylishmovements drew manyonlookers and it was easyto see why as it looked

more like a display one would see inChina rather than the a village sportshall in Norfolk.

When asked what the form wasgood for, Master Tse replied, "Posture,circulation and stamina." That and it justlooks great and is fun. For those of youwho did not have an opportunity to joinin, don't miss your chance in October.

News::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & SeminarsNews::::: Demos & Seminars(continued from page 1)

Paul Munro & Tommie Soulegetting their Chi Sau fix

Master Tse demonstrates theFive Tiger Knife in Norwich


We all have six senses: - vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch and one more, thesense of the mind. Each of these senses can be developed so they are more acute.Generally, healthy people have better senses than unhealthy people.

When we are unwell, all of oursenses are usually slower and ourreactions slower. We can easily

have accidents and hurt ourselves. Whenwe are sick, the Qi flowing through ourchannels is slow and so the blood flow inour veins is weak. This means that thesupply of Qi and blood to our organs andbrain is also weak. This is why we senseless.

This brings us to where Qigongpractice fits in. Usually we can practisethings like Balancing Gong, HealthyLiving Gong and Dayan Qigong’s 1stand 2nd 64. These exercises are strongenough to make us healthy again andto make our circulation strong.However, I am often asked bystudents, “What if I don’t haveenough time to practise.”Nowadays many people do nothave that much time. Onlythose people who are notworking, retired orunemployed have plenty oftime. So what should theydo for practising? I alwayssuggest one thing, and allmy students and grandstudents who know mewill know the answer.That is Horse Stance, MaBu Zhang.

In the past I hadto work very hard,teaching a great deal andtravelling down to London everyweek and then having weekendseminars, sometimes in theUK and other times outside.Also, I had to give a lot oftreatments and writearticles. Then and eventoday, I often use a lot ofenergy worrying about mystudents. This took a lot ofenergy from me and I couldsometimes feel quite tired. So, torecharge myself I would practise HorseStance every day. I would particularly do

Taste the Salivathe effect of Negative QiTaste the Salivathe effect of Negative Qi

this if I had been treating patients as Iwould have picked up some of their sickQi. Once I had finished treating patients,I would go out and find a quiet corner,somewhere where I would not bedisturbed, and practise my Horse Stance.

To do this, I stand with my backstraight and my knees bent so that myBaihui point and my Yongquan points arein a straight line. My upper body is relaxedand my lower body, that is to say my

legs, support all my weight.While I stand, I keep mymouth closed andbreathe through mynose. My eyes are openbut I do not focus onanything, so my eyes are

relaxed My palms areopen and facing the ground

so negative Qi can releasethrough my Laogong points. Mybreathing will get stronger andpeople can hear the strong

breaths if

they arestanding near

me. This happens asthe body wants toget rid of all thesick, negative

energy as quicklyas possible. So my

breaths becomestronger and faster, but

my Qi is flowing and Iam actually breathingwith my whole body.This means that withevery inhalation and

exhalation my bodyexpands and contracts

and so my internal organsare also moving to help the

process, changing the bloodcirculation and Qi. This is what we callDantian Breathing. However, we do not

just breathe with the Dantian; webreathe with the whole body and boththe internal and external relate to eachbreath.

After a while the tiredness startsto go and I feel really great and it is likeI have been filled with new blood andQi and everything feels clear. One of themost interesting things is the taste in mymouth. Usually, when I have beentreating people, I can tell I have taken ina lot of their sick Qi as my saliva tastesbitter and nasty, like dirty water. Mytongue also goes quite dry. When Ipractise Horse Stance, at the same timeas my breathing gets faster, my tonguestarts to go back to normal as does thetaste of my saliva. By this time the Baihuipoint is open and it means that the Qigoes up to the top of my head. I canfeel it when this happens. Then all thesick Qi is gone and so have the tiredfeelings.

One important thing to rememberis that if you do not feel well, do not justgo straight to sleep. If you do this, thiswill allow the sick Qi to stay in the bodyand in the organs. Then it will be harderto get rid of it later. It is like a stain on acloth. Once it gets dirty we need to washit as quickly as possible. The longer weleave it, the harder it is to clean it off. Ifour senses are good, then we can predictwhen we are going to be sick and cantell our health condition and this can helpus avoid terminal diseases.

I have taught many people and Ihope all of them can be healthy and livelonger. Sometimes I worry about thembecause they do not listen. I see someof my students working so hard and thisaffects them so that their health is notas good as it should be. It is sad to seethis. Being a teacher is the same as beinga parent. A parent always wants his orher children to be healthy and live abetter life and be a good person. A goodteacher also wants the same for his orher students

by Michael Tse


Rocket or Damp Squib?The Art of Getting Older SkilfullyThe body ages of course. Nothing

can stop that, though regular Taiji,Qigong and skin moisturising will

slow the process down considerably! Aswe age, we’ll feel cold breezes morekeenly, think the colour beige is cool andwonder why all the hair thinning or evendisappearing from our head issprouting fromeverywhere else.We’ll argue withthe TV a lot too.

If you’re aman you’ll noticethat whereas onceyou used to be ableto wee over the topof a wall, now you’reamazed if you can reachthe bottom bricks! The sexualurge for both genders is stillstrong but so is the urgesometimes (only sometimes) tolie down with a nice cup of teaand a gardeningmagazine until itdisappears andleaves you inpeace. Womenwill have to facethe strangemixture ofemotions that theonset of themenopause will causeto arise. No longerbeing able to bearchildren, or simply thefact that the kids have all grown upand gone, can cause a weird blend ofregret and relief. Then there’s the hotflushes and greying hair to worry about.And for both men and women the awfulrealisation that every single part of thebody seems to be travelling further southevery year!

Sounds dreadful doesn’t it? But ifwe’ve done the work, put in the time

with our physical practice and our spiritualendeavours, then the middle and lateyears can be pretty good. We don’t takethings so personally, don’t get so deflatedby setbacks, we can feel good that wecan still do press ups, stand on our head,crouch in horse stance, do a spinning kick,remember where we live and that our

health seemsso much better

than those aroundus. It’s quite satisfying.

And the slowingdown is ok too. I’m quitehappy doing the same formsover and over. I can wait ages beforewanting to learn something new as Ialready have enough to last the rest ofmy life. In fact, I could do alternate daysof Hard Qigong, silk reeling and the“core” forms until the day I die. I’mblessed because I already have what Ineed to keep healthy and happy.

But of course it’s good to have achallenge. That's another element thatkeeps us young, the constant exploringand discovery. Possibilities, options candiminish unless you work at them. Iremember what an unassailablemountain certain forms appeared to beuntil I watched my Sifu break them down

and teach them in a way that wasaccessible, achievable and absorbing.It’s really true, anyone can do them tosome level. I enjoy them now.

You know, there’s an enormousdifference sometimes between what welike, or what we’re comfortable with, andwhat’s good for us. Once I reached theage of fifty I didn’t think I’d want to beleaping around. I much preferred theslow, thoughtful aspects of Taiji. But part

of me knew that staying nimble,agile and limber was what I

needed to preserve. So theShaolin forms took on a newsignificance. I usually do thefast versions butsometimes, when the tankis empty, or the body is in

an early morning state ofsuspended animation, I do the slowversions and enjoy them just as much.The lively, upright postures and thecontrasts of movement, high-low, fast-slow, are invigorating and satisfying.

There may eventually come a daywhen I can’t get down so low, can’t get

Rocket or Damp Squib?The Art of Getting Older Skilfully

Getting older is a natural process, but growing older is slightlydifferent, more of a cultural, emotional progression than a biological one.Growing older can be accompanied by feelings of vulnerability,resentment, regret, lack of self worth but it can also be accompanied byfeelings of unity, insight, completeness or fulfilment.

“At fifty I didn’tthink I’d want to be

leaping around.”


Tommie is teaching inNorden, Rochdale. He is qualified to

teach the Qigong and Wing ChunKuen. He can be contacted on:

07745 880202

Instructor Insight:Tommie Soule - Rochdale

high enough off the ground for a flyingkick or can't move so quickly, but I canstill perform the routines smoothly, withgood posture and assurance, enjoy themand still have on-lookers say, “Wow, thatwas pretty good!” It may become moreof a slow burn than an explosion, moreof a sparkler than astarburst, but I can stillpractice and keep improvingin some aspect of thatpractice.

I have some studentsthat practice just Qigong andwould benefit fromsupplementing theirrepertoires. I have somemale Taiji students withstrong legs and spirit butwho would benefit from themore frequent bending,jumping and leaning. Icompletely understand thetrepidation of all the aboveconcerning their ability to dothe forms well. But I alsohave some students in their fifties andsixties who are like me. Their body maybe ageing but their spirit is still youngand vital, which helps keep the decayingprocess at bay! They perform the routinesto the best of their ability and they havefun doing it. Good for them, I say, and I

hope that this article will convince therest of you silver rockets to give it a go.

I don’t mind talking about gettingolder or the limitations and opportunitiesit brings. I’ve always tried to be openwith my students and friends and nothide behind a role or a function. I don’t

feel I have to disguise my character atall. What you see is what you get and Ilike it that way. Perhaps that’s anotheradvantage of getting on a bit!

So the point I’m trying to make isthat practice of something just a littlemore demanding, be it of a physical,

emotional or spiritual nature, is quiteimportant. We don’t have much to proveany more. We have survived a lot of stuffover the past fifty-plus years, some of itpretty tough, so that kind of pressuredisappears to a large extent. It’s for oursatisfaction and our inner wellbeing that

we should welcome anew challenge. And all wecan ask of ourselves, allthat our teachers, ourstudents and the world ingeneral can ask of us, isthat we give it our bestshot. Sometimes in classI’ll show somethingdifficult but I’ll neveremphasise the difficulty,only the fact that trying itis going to give us all alaugh. And if we don’tknow that something isimpossible, if we don’tthink that way, our mindstays open, our bodydoesn’t flinch and we can

give it a whirl.Actually, I was born in 1951, so

I’m officially getting on a bit. But youknow what? I’m having the time of mylife. Light the blue touch paper and standwell back... I haven’t finished fizzingyet!

by Julian [email protected]

When I was younger, I had always loved Bruce Lee movies, in fact all Kung fumovies. I had attempted to study a couple of martial arts, but none ofthem kept my interest for very long. Then I heard about something called Taijiquan

which seemed shrouded in mystery. I was fascinated with the idea of Qi and the amazingstories of old masters. So I thought that this might be what I was looking for.

My quest for a class lead me to the Tse Qigong Centre but took me in a slightlydifferent direction. Instead of Taijiquan I found Qigong and Wing Chun (the original artthat Bruce Lee studied). At first I came just to look, but as I watched I decided to join in andenjoyed it immediately.

Needless to say I was hooked and wanted to learn more and more. When I lookback, I can see that I have learnt more than I expected, not only about Qigong and WingChun, but also about how to be a good person, well behaved and to look after others.

Four years later I am proud to say that I was invited to attend the Tse QigongCentre’s Instructor Course and I am now qualified to teach Qigong and Wing Chun. Thereare many responsibilities and challenges which I am looking forward to. I look forward tosharing the benefits of the skill with my students, benefits that have been given to me bymy Sifu, Darryl Moy and my Sigong, Master Michael Tse.

Early morning playtime for the adults in Chinese park which helpsto maintain their health and flexibility, as well as have a good time.


What was so exciting about the tripwas that we saw the real Chinarather than the popular tourist

destinations. While training in ChenVillage we all had to keep pinchingourselves to make sure we were not in adream. We just could not believe wewere really there. Having read so manystories over the years and heard so muchabout its history, we were finally seeingChen Village for ourselves.

We had all met GrandmasterChen Xiaowang, the 19th generationstandard bearer of the Chen familyTaijiquan skill, many times on his tripsto the UK. But to visit him in hishome village, surrounded bymembers of his family,was a very specialexperience. As a womanpractising Taijiquan, Ifound one of his relativesparticularly inspiring –Master Chen Guizhen,Grandmaster ChenXiaowang’s niece. She isthe top female master inChen Village. She is

particularly renowned for her doublestraight sword and double broadswordskill, performing the forms with greatprecision and beauty. You will find MasterChen Guizhen is no stranger to QiMagazine. She appeared on the coverand featured in an article in Issue 39,but I had never had the privilege ofmeeting her before.

When we met her she wasdressed very elegantly, her clothes andmakeup perfect. There before us sat a

beautiful and gentle woman, and no onelooking at her would have guessed shehad such an awesome skill. Historically,women were not taught Taijiquan.Families developed their own styles ofmartial arts in order to defendthemselves in less peacefultimes. Women,when theymarried, lefttheir family tojoin anotherand could not beallowed to

take any familysecrets with them.However, once Taijiquan was opened upto be public, women began to be taughtalongside men. I asked Master ChenGuizhen if women have the sametraining regime as men. She said theydo, but that they find pushing handsmore difficult as they are not as physicallystrong as men. However, they are justas good as the men at the forms. Sheexplained that, to be taken seriously as

Recently, a group of us were lucky enough to go to China with Master Tseto visit the home of Taijiquan, Chenjiagou (Chen Village) in Henan Province.For me just to visit China was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream, but to visitChen Village was beyond my wildest imaginings.

Meeting InspirationMeeting Inspirationa woman, you have to traintwice as hard as the men andtherefore reach a higher levelof skill than them. Whenasked if she was everchallenged by men wanting her to proveher skill, she replied that she was.However, most of the time she just has

to give them ‘a look’ and they backdown. She then demonstrated the‘tiger eye’, a look so powerful andawesome that it beggarsdescription. What she seemedto say in a momentary flash was,“Don’t mess with me. I have skillbeyond your wildest dreams”.She was looking straight at mewhen she did it, and I can wellbelieve challengers woulddecide to go away and findan easier target. Shethen went on todemonstrate Fajing. Stillsitting in a chair, sheperformed an incrediblypowerful punch. Inorder to create a fractionof that power I have togenerate it through mylegs, but she just seemedto summon it up from

nowhere. BecauseTaijiquan is basedon softness andrelaxation, you donot have to havea powerfulphysique tomaster it, andwhen performedit is an incredibly

beautiful sight. MasterChen Guizhen is living proof that ChenTaijiquan and martial arts skills are notjust for men, but that women can reacha very high level of skill, too. What ismore, we do not have to compromiseour femininity to achieve it. I, for one,have been inspired by meeting her totrain twice as hard in future

by Kate [email protected]. See next issue we will

be featuring an exclusive interview with MasterChen Gui Zhen

“Historically,women were nottaught Taijiquan.”

Queen of the Double Swords,Grandmaster Chen Guizhen.


Table 1

Language SkillsLanguage SkillsThat said, there was for me, the

deeply intimidating issue of the ‘fourtones’. Depending on how you say

a word, it can mean four or fivecompletely different things. A commonlyused example for this is the word Ma.Said with an even tone it means‘mother’, with a rising tone it can mean‘hemp’, with a falling then rising tone itmeans ‘horse’, with a falling tone it canmean ‘curse’ and, as if that wasn’tenough, used with no discernable toneat the end of a sentence, it also denotesa question.

If, like me, you have the musicalsophistication of a tin of beans, then thishurdle feels more like the pole vault.Luckily, [linguistic purists are here invitedto cover their eyes and ears!] althoughmy use of tones ranged in precision frompoor to abysmal, most people somehowstill managed to understand what I wasgoing on about… or at least theypretended to. In other words I chattedaway and didn’t worry about it too much.

The reason that I say spokenChinese is not so difficult is not justbecause of my low standards, it is alsobecause the basic grammatical structureis close enough to English to get awaywith it. A 'subject, – verb – object’ willdo very nicely. (Technically Mandarin iscalled a ‘Topic prominent’ language, butwho cares. I feel the most importantthing is just to start speaking.) So ‘Womai yu’ is, literally, ‘I buy (am buying)

fish’. How easy is that?! It gets betterbecause, in Chinese, tenses are abouta hundred times simpler to put across.

‘I will buy some fishtomorrow’ is ‘Wo mingtian mai yu’(‘I tomorrow buy fish’), and ‘I boughtsome fish yesterday’ is ‘Wo zuotianmai yu’ (‘I yesterday buy fish’). Thetime (and place) information is putat the beginning of the sentence soyou know where you are. Noconjugated verbs, tenses, pluralnouns, and case agreementbetween words (subjects, verbs,objects, articles) in a sentence. Inshort – my kind of language. (Ofcourse, there are other ways ofcreating tense in Mandarin andit does get a little tricky but that’sa problem for ‘mañana’ (as wesay in Birmingham).) Like somuch about Chinese culture that

initially seems weird, mysteriousand impenetrable, it is (mostly…)

based on logic and pragmatism. As thisbecame clear to me I couldn’t help butsympathise with my students as theirefforts to get a grip on the irregularitiesthat pepper the English language beganto resemble chasing an errant bar of soaparound the bath.

Every cloudless sky doesn’t havea silver lining, however, and it is whenwe come to reading and writing thatthings get truly intimidating. Although,

here again, there is a compellingfoundation of logic. I find the writtenlanguage hard to talk about withoutmentioning another aspect of Chinesethat I love, namely the fact that not onlyis it beautiful to look at (assuming I’mnot the one doing the writing) but also,there is always a sense that when youare writing you are in fact drawing. Afair sentiment, given that modernChinese script has its roots in ‘pictograms’which , apart from being more than 6000years old, still constitute about 10% ofmodern Chinese script. See Table.

To this we can then, at a laterdate, add ‘ideographs’ which aresymbols used to convey… (oh thesuspense)… ‘ideas’ (as opposed tothings). Some examples of these are:

Sun ri+ moon yue = (ming)bright

Despite being its frequent victim, one of the joys of life in Chinafor me was grappling with the language. Spoken Mandarin is, at itsmost rudimentary level, not as difficult as you might expect.

Moon “Yue”

Sun “Ri”

Hill/Mountain “Shan”


Table 2

Tse Qigong Centre UKPO Box 59

Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285

+44 161 929 [email protected]

It was however only with theintroduction of ‘phonetic script’ that thelanguage really took off. What was donewas that a ‘phonetic’ (a characterrepresenting a sound or ‘phonogram’)was combined with a ‘determinative’ or‘radical’ (a character often based on apictogram or ideograph). See Table 2.

People being people and lifebeing what it is, as time went on it allgot a bit more confusing. Pictograms andideographs became used as phoneticsand the sounds of words mutated so thatthe use of the same phonetic in twowords no longer meant that they wouldnecessarily sound the same. New wordswere also sometimes made up of theassociation of two ideas or pictureswithout any clues to what the soundmight be and so on.

Ok, so this is a horribly simplifiedpotted history but it does (hopefully) offera small insight. As with all these things,

the more you look into it, the moreinteresting and complex it gets.

Our relationship with thelanguage we grow up with has hugeimplications for how we think and whowe become. Every system has its prosand cons, and Mandarin Chinese is noexception. Learning Chinese scriptrequires many hours of patience, practiceand repetition, all of which are built intothe education of almost every Chinesechild. In many ways this is not a bad habitto develop at an early age. Most of mystudents were certainly very diligent.

One of the big contrasts betweenChinese and English struck me duringone of my classes. I was teaching somepoetry and as the students were doingvery well I thought we’d have a go at‘The Jabberwocky’… for fun. In Englishthere is a kind of play possible wherebyanyone can invent a word and though itmay not officially exist we may still be

able to deduce its meaning. Writers ofchildren’s books use this all the time, buttry explaining it to a class full of highlyintelligent Chinese English-languagepostgraduates… suffice to say it was oneof those ‘staring into the abyss’moments.

There is one important footnoteto add. In 1949 the Chinese governmentdecided to introduce about 2000simplified characters. This did exactlywhat it says on the tin – it made Chinesesimpler, which is fine by me. Somepeople, however, most notably the entirepopulations of Taiwan and Hong Kongwho still use the old complex script, feelthat this has taken away more than ithas given. The word for ‘love’, forexample, no longer has the symbol for‘heart’ at its centre…

I see their point.Whichever way you look at it,

Chinese is a fascinating language, andit is still evolving. In recent times therehas been a fashion for grouping wordstogether purely for their phoneticproperties in an effort to mimic commonlyused western words; ‘bai-lan-di’(Brandy)is one that immediately springs to mind(can’t think why)

by Peter [email protected]

YiOne

ErTwo

SanThree

Chi Sau& Tui ShouChi Sau& Tui ShouEverything in nature has different sides. One side is not

better than the other, and it all depends on thecircumstance as to which is more advantageous.However, if we can understand the advantages anddisadvantages of all sides, then we can decide what

to do with the advantages and how to avoid the disadvantages.I started studying martial arts when I was 14 years old.

That was over 30 years ago. Wing Chun was my first martialart and it has shaped my thinking of Kung Fu. In 1983 I beganmy journey into Chen style Taijiquan and this has now beenover 20 years.

Chinese martial arts generally take longer to study thanother martial arts. When studying we must learn the skills andprinciples. At the same time, we will make many mistakes.We can easily get the things we do completely wrong. Forexample, in Wing Chun we learn how to do Chi Sau with apartner, just like we learn how to play poker. But after a whilewe also need to learn how to play cleverly. After we learn howto roll hands, we need to learn how to attack our partner anddefend ourselves.

There are easily over 50 or even 100 different skills wecan use to attack and defend. However, no matter how manyyou learn it does not mean that you can make them work,especially against someone more senior or your Sifu becausethey know how to relax and change your energy.

In history there have been many situations where asmaller army has defeated a larger one. It is all about strategy.Chi Sau is the same. Using a lot of muscle and strength doesnot show that you have a high level of skill. Therefore thesenior will let you use all your strength and then when you arefinished use it back against you. So, the more strength youuse the harder you will be beaten.

Martial arts are a fighting skill and you use skill to attackan opponent and skill to defend yourself. Lower level peoplewill use more strength and higher level will use less strength

to defend and attack. At even higher levels, you will thinkabout consequences so you will not use your skill to harm people,as it will come back to you in the future. Many people at thislevel will not even let people know they study martial arts andthey control themselves very well. This follows what the WingChun and Chen Taiji ancestors instructed.

A lot of people think that success is winning, but a victoryis only short-lived. When something is really right it will lastforever. When you succeed, then everyone will know you areright. Even your enemies will feel guilty and feel they deservepunishment. That is real victory. If you just go to win this yearbut you suffer the next, this is not victory. It is ignorance andshortsightedness and a wise person will not do this.

Look around today. We have so many wars taking place.Is one side really winning or are they being short-sighted?Even if they win now, how about in 10 years time or even 50years time? If the children of the defeated people are carryingaround their hatred and suffering, then it is because theirancestors were short-sighted..

Sun Tzu (the highly respected Chinese war strategistwho lived over 2500 years ago) said, “War is about three things:money, money and money. War should be short. The longer itlasts, the more it will pull down both sides that are fighting.”This is very true.

Therefore, a wise martial artist does not fight forpersonal gain or over small things. They will always preferpatience and take a little suffering because if they cannotcontrol themselves, the consequences could be severe. Theyalso remember that it is not just themselves who will be affected,but also their family and friends. If you watch Jet Li’s film“Fearless”, you will understand more and understand why Isay, “Eastern people hold themselves back”.

That is why when we practise Chi Sau together, eventhough we have a lot of powerful attacks, we do not go too farbecause we know that if we miss we will get hit back and know

In general, Eastern people are more heldback and more spiritual. Western people aremore forward and more practical. If you lookat countries like China, Japan and Korea,when the country has a problem you will seethat the majority of people do not reactopenly, but in the West in countries like theUSA, Great Britain, France and Germany,whenever there is a problem people willprotest and demonstrate straight away.


that our own power will be added to it. When we attack, weshould make sure that we will not miss and there is no way anattack can backfire. That is a good skill.

The more we practise the more careful we are, not likebeginners who use a lot of strength. This is a low level of skilland ends up in a match of strength vs. strength. I once said tomy class, “If you just rely on strength and speed, then someoneyoung will come to class one day and in two weeks time theywill be able to beat you up.” With a good skill it does notmatter how old you are because the more you practise, thenno junior can be better than you because you keep developingyourself.

When you use a skill and your opponent can hit youback, then you must not use that skill again. If you use askill and you have to struggle to do it, then also youmust not use it again. It means that you are not usingthe right skill or you have misunderstood it. Even youknow 100 or even 1000 different skills, but only a feware safe and use less energy, then those that work arethose that can be used again and again as these arethe good skills. The others you should not use.

Studying Wing Chun is the same as studyingTaijiquan in the end, because they are both a highlevel of martial arts. They try to teach us to use less

energy to defend ourselves. When a normaluntrained person is attacked they will becometense and use strength to defend themselvesand so they use force against force.

Studying Wing Chun’s Chi Sau andTaijiquan’s Tui Shou is unlearning our body’snatural reactions to dangerous or tensesituations. We are learning how to let goand use disadvantages to change thesituation so that it becomes an advantage.

Today, most people who practise TuiShou use too much strength, particularly inTui Shou competitions. First they are matchedagainst someone of similar weight and thenthey have to compete within a circle. It is abit like Sumo wrestling where you have topush the opponent out of the circle or throwthem down. If you win then you get a pointand the first to win so many points wins thematch. In this way, it becomes a sport.

Any martial art that becomes a sport is not longer amartial art because the thinking has become only how to winand how to get one more point. In reality, if we are confrontedby a bigger person or more than one person, how will sport

help you? If you treat it like a sport and rely on strength andspeed more than skill, how can an older person manage?

Of course, if we have to fight against too manyopponents, the way in which Chinese martial arts deal withthis situation is through using many different kinds ofweapons:- long weapons like the spear and short weaponslike the knife or sword and throwing daggers. Even the principleof the throwing dagger is this:- “If the enemy is strong weavoid, if the enemy is weak we go ahead.”

Nature is fantastic. An elephant, which is big, can scareall the other animals and a mouse, which is small, would not

be able to scare an elephant but it can get into anelephants trunk or on its back and cause

him irritation. Big animals areslower (especially in changing

directions) and small ones arefaster. So everything innature is balanced. No onecan be absolutely sure ofwinning; it is all about thesituation. Humans are bigand a virus is small but somany humans die because

of viruses.So when we practise

Tui Shou, we should not avoidtraining with someone stronger

and when we train with them weshould not try and use strengthto compete with their strength. We

need to follow the principles ofTaijiquan which are the principle of the

Yin and Yang circle. An opponent will notbe able to push you as long as theycannot break your centre of gravity. You

should be able to change your centreof gravity as the situation changes

and you should be able toyield with your waist or

even step to avoid theirstrength. This is what

the Taijiquanprinciple, “Stance

must be strong,but the stepsmust be light.”means.

T h u s ,when we are not

moving we are strong likea mountain and we areconnected from the top ofthe head to the soles of ourfeet once we are still. Ifyour opponent wants tomove, you they will feel thatyou are firm and your body

is strong (but not tense). However, if we feel that we cannotmaintain our centre of gravity, we will move and then youropponent will feel that there is nothing there. This is whatTaijiquan calls “Ting Jing” which means listening energy. It isthe same as in Wing Chun’s Chi Sau. Once the hands touch

“Chi Sau and TuiShou is unlearningthe body’s naturalreaction.”

Simon Bedford using the technique, Lap Sau(Grab and Pull Hand), on Rob Bailes


together, you can feel how much you can put in orhow much you can pull out. Your response it based onwhat you can feel, but you must make yourself securebefore you respond.

So we must know how to let go, how to makethe body unlearn its normal response of tensing upand blindly fighting back straight away. If we can relaxand listen to an opponent’s energy, then we can learnso much. This is particularly important for beginners.In Taijiquan, beginners must learn to relax and allowthe opponent to do anything and use the waist andstepping to change their attack. Once you can do thisyou can easily find a way to attack back. Remember:-defence is more difficult than attacking. If you canhandle any attack made against you, then eventuallyyou will become a master. On the other hand, if youonly concentrate on attacking, then your skill will belimited. Once you find you cannot attack certainpeople, you will always become stuck in that situationand your skill will not improve.

Anyone who can stand the difficulty in allowingtheir opponent to attack in any way and keep usingthe soft andrelaxed way todefend will haveno limit to thelevel they canreach.

In the endWing Chun’s ChiSau andTaijiquan’s TuiShou are thesame. The onlydifference is thatWing Chun is astraight line and Taijiquan is a circle. Straightlines and circles are good for attacking anddefending.

When I teach, I emphasise to beginnerswho practise Wing Chun that they mustpractise Chi Sau a lot if they want to improve.My Sifu, Grandmaster Ip Chun, says, “If youwant your Wing Chun Chi Sau skill to be goodthen you should touch at least one thousanddifferent hands.”

For those who practise Taijiquan, thenthey should do Tui Shou a lot to improve theirskill. Otherwise they will only be able to knowthe forms to a certain level and they will notreally understand Taijiquan. It is like buyingthe best food and getting all the bestequipment for your kitchen, but you still donot know how to cook. So if Taijiquan studentsor even teachers do not do Tui Shou, thenthey might not know enough about Taijiquan.

When my Wing Chun students andTaijiquan students have reached a good leveland understand how to do either Chi Sau orTui Shou properly and have a lot of goodexperience, I encourage them to touch handswith each other. When they interact they must

follow their principle. A WingChun man (or woman) must useWing Chun Chi Sau principle andskill and a Taijiquan man (orwoman) must follow Taijiquanand Tui Shou principles. Theymust not forget what they havelearnt and start using other“strange” hands, otherwise theirWing Chun skill never be good.The same is true for someone whodoes Taijiquan. They must follow

the principles of Taijiquan and TuiShou and use the circle principle totouch the Wing Chun hands.Otherwise their Taijiquan skill will notbe good.

If your Wing Chun is good,you should be able to handle all kindsof situations and it should be thesame if your Taijiquan skill is good.In the end it is about how good yourskill is and it is not a problem of thestyle you do.

When we can do this, then wecan understand all martial arts andsee why traditional martial arts havelasted hundreds and thousands ofyears. We can also see how they havebeen developed with experience andthey are all quite amazing. If we arebeaten, then it is because ofourselves not the skill we are tryingto learn. Any martial art that comesto the top of the mountain is thesame and at that level, there are nostyles

by Michael Tse

“Wing Chun’s ChiSau and Taijiquan’sTui Shou are thesame.”

Vidyo Videv finds that strength does notwork with his Sigong, Master Tse.

Master Tse uses Pek Jeung (Chopping PalmStrike) on student Peter Diesner.

page 18 Qi Magazine Jul/Aug/Sept 2006page 18 Qi Magazine Jul/Aug/Sept 2006

The previous few articles have beenlooking at how the technologicaldevelopment of swords led to a

superb weapon in terms of its weight,relative strength and flexibility. This levelof technological development, especiallywith the Chinese straight sword isimportant because without such a refinedweapon it would not have been possibleto develop the skills of its use to such aheight. The skills of the sword smith andthe swordsman go hand in hand. If therehad been no demand for such arefined weapon it wouldnot have beendeveloped.

The mainfactors of thedeve lopmen twere to create aweapon that isvery light andyet still strongand flexible. It isnot enough justto have a bigsword. If a swordis too heavy orunbalanced it isunwieldy. Even with thebroadsword, if it is tooheavy you loose a wholerange of subtlety andtechnique. Thus we can seethat the sword smiths wereworking to very specificneeds. This is even moretrue of the straight sword.The scope of swordsmanshipdeveloped by the Chinese isphenomenal. The Chinesetraditions have led to anoptimisation of technology, skilland physical development. It is the resultof centuries of research anddevelopment.

In many ways, as technologicallycomplex as the sword is, understandingthe physicality of the weapon is thelowest level of the skill of a swordsman.Knowing the different merits of thebroadsword and the straight sword is nomore than understanding that you candeliver more power with a leg technique

and more subtlety with a hand technique.Still, it is important to know the basics -you cut with the edge and not the flat ofthe blade; the top third of the blade isthe main cutting area, and so on. Thenext stage is to learn the basictechniques.

With the unarmed arts there area number of basic techniques such as

front kick, sidekick, turningkick, etc.S i m i l a r l y ,

there are

basic swordtechniques. Toperform an artwell you need to understand these basictechniques so that when you are doinga form, the meaning of your movementsis clear. Traditionally, the Chinese referto the thirteen techniques of the sword.In fact, there are many more. Different

traditions have different versions of thethirteen techniques and even when thethirteen techniques are taught as part ofpre-basics, once you get into the systems,you find many more techniques and awhole range of subtlety in the transitionmoves and the various applications ofthe basic techniques.

Again, within the systems studied,there are many ways of classifying andunderstanding techniques. You can dividethem up by strategy - offensive and

defensive. Anotherway of looking at itis to say that thereare three basickinds of tech-niques:- thosebased oncutting: Zhan(cut), Pi (split),Kan (chop),Huo (expand),Heng (sidecut), etc; thosebased onthrusting: Ci(Stab), Dian(dot or point),Cuo (file), Jian

(clip) etc; and those based on parryingor controlling: Gai (cover), Lan (obstruct),Jiao (entwine), Dai (draw back) etc.

to be continued... by Glenn [email protected]

Thirteen CutsThirteen Cuts

There are many different styles of martial arts that use swords in theirpractice. The swords themselves are more or less the same as are thetechniques to use them. However, the essence of the style must be part of theapplications and this is where the unique flavour of each style comes through.

“Anotherway of looking at it

is to say that thereare three basic kinds

of techniques.”


Getting The“Look”

As someone who has always done lots of physicalactivity, including tennis and squash, as well as manydifferent forms of dance, including flamenco, I am veryaware of the physical differences each activity demands.One sport will work one set of muscles, while another will

work a different set. If you only everindulge in one sport, working one set ofmuscles, the other muscles will beneglected and will ache when you try touse them. This can come as a surprise ifyou think you are fit.

When I played a lot of squash I found that the muscles in myback became well developed. But when I started flamenco,my shoulders and upper arms ached because the armsare often tensed above the head with the wrists working.Flamenco is very upright and is performed in high-heel shoes,

so the quadriceps, hamstrings and adductors are not stretched. When I startedTaijiquan, I found I was not as supple in this area as I thought I was.

Apart from the use of different muscles, a major difference is the“look” of the sport or the dance. You can play tennis adequately but if youdon’t “look” like a Roger Federer or a Serena Williams when you play, youwon’t look like a tennis-player. I have spent years trying to get the flamenco“look”. The posture, the way you hold your arms and turn your wrists, theway you move your body, even the way you frown, all has to be right to addup to the flamenco “look”. When I watch my Sifu perform the Chen Taijiquan19, he has a “look” that is special to this form of Taiji.

The way he turns his waist, the exact relation between the feet, theknees, the hips and the spine, the way they all move together, even the wayhe holds his fingers, all add up to the indefinable Taijiquan “look”. We alladmire this “look” and aspire to it, attempting to copy it whenever we performthe same moves.

Imitating a “look” depends on knowing where your body is in space.How many times have you thought you were holding your arm in a certainway, only to be told you are not doing it properly? And what about thoseunfortunate souls who come to class and seem to have no idea where to put


their arms and legs?The people who, nomatter how often youtell them to move theirwaist and not theirarms, still move theirarms as if they don’tbelieve you?

It is all a matterof self-perception, ofknowing where eachbody part is in space inrelation to the rest ofthe body at any givenmoment. This is notsomething we are bornknowing. It takes yearsof practice anddetermination. Theearlier you start in life,the better. Flamenco dancers start learning the “look” attheir mother’s knee. But it can still be learned at laterstages in life with a bit of perseverance. Time spentin front of a mirror is invaluable, but we don’t allhave that luxury – of time or a mirror! In Taijiquan,use your Sifu as a mirror.

When he demonstrates, don’t just sitback and enjoy the view. Study eachmovement and see if you can notice whathe is doing that you are not. Even if youidentify one tiny movement per class, onetiny pose, eventually it will build up into thecomplete picture.

Tennis players spend hours practising thethrow for the serve. They have to understandwhere the ball would fall if it was not hit by theracquet, where the ball should fall, how high theball should be thrown, so that the racquet willconnect with it just as it drops from its apex.They have to co-ordinate throwing the ballup in the right position in front of the body,with throwing the racquet into the back-scratchingposition and then up behind them. To do all this,they have to be aware of where their front arm is in relation totheir back arm and where the ball is in relation to the whole oftheir body.

When you consider all the moves in the Chen Taijiquan19 with all the nuances of weight, balance, Peng and so on, isit any wonder it is a lifetime’s work to perfect it? We think wehave “finished” the form, but we can go back and re-define itand improve it time and time again. We should practise eachtiny movement as if it were the tennis-player’s “throw”,understanding where your arm is, where it is in relation to theother arm and in relation to the rest of the body. We shouldalso look at the bit that is so often left out and so often forgottenand ignored:– why your arm is there and what effect it willhave on the ball and the racquet. The reason for the moves isimportant and will define how you move. After all, the form isin effect the miming of a fight with another person who alsohas arms and legs and a body. So what you do with yours willhave an effect on this invisible opponent. If you consider whatthe intention of each move could be, it is bound to have aneffect on the “look”.

But even the “look” of the movement is not convincingwithout the energy. Tennis requires not just power, but agilityand deftness and a certain amount of intellectual quick-thinking.Flamenco needs all this, plus energy in the footwork and thedance. But flamenco is also an expression of the soul, so thepassion needs to come from within, to translate as energy intothe dance.

This internal energy is so important that it has beengiven a name in flamenco – “Duende” (pronounced “doo-EN-day”). Taijiquan has its own “duende”, its own internal energy.This is the part that is the most difficult to learn. You can learnwhere to put your feet, hands, body, you can learn how tomove, you can even learn the “look”. But the energy has to befelt. It has to emerge from inside. It has to come from the souland a belief in what you do. Just as the duende of flamencocomes from a lifetime of expressing one’s inner passions andthe human condition through the music and the dance, so theenergy of Taijiquan wells up from the years of practice andgenerations of commitment to the discipline

by Deborah Green

“Even the “look”of the movement isnot convincingwithout theenergy.”


FoshanHung SingChoi Lee Fat

FoshanHung SingChoi Lee FatA lthough many traditional Chinese skills seem to be leaving China

and passing to the West, Choi Lee Fat skill is being kept alive by agroup of Kung Fu brothers in Foshan, China. Their Sifu passed away many

years ago but the Kung Fu brothers are all committed to seeing the skill passdown to the next generations. In the evenings, they meet up at their temple topractise and hone their skill and newcomers can join in. It is a one story, threeroomed structure that has been provided to them by the Chinese government.Its red glazed tiled roof makes a colourful contrast to the cement apartmentblocks over-shadowing it.

Inside the walls are lined with dozens of different kinds of weaponsand low slung, red painted benches are spaced around the room at intervals.There is a large kettle drum near the entrance.

Mr. So Gin Gei and his Kung Fu brothers happily demonstrated someof the many Choi Li Fat forms during our interview, including spear, butterflyknives, Big Autumn Broadsword and what looked suspiciously like a long handledpitchfork, all to the powerful, heart echoing thumping of the big kettle drumand cymbals. The group also performed a lion dance which differed thanother lion dances seen before both in costume and manner. Just when Ithought the performance was over, one of the elder uncles was cheered onto perform again and he grabbed one of the red benches and did a formusing it as a weapon.

The forms are quite robust and there many, many of them, severalhundred to be exact. Mr So said, “Choi Li Fat skill is better started whenyoung. If you start when you are young, then it is a good skill for whenyou are older. But if you start when you are older, it can be very difficultbecause of the all the strong movements.”

This history of Choi Li Fat skill is very interesting and is part ofactual Chinese history. It is a skill that was developed for real fightingand it still retains this essence in its long fist punches and strong stances.The Kung Fu brothers of the Foshan Choi Li Fat group visit elementaryschools to teach the young people, keeping the skill alive. The followingarticle gives a brief account of the history of Choi Li Fat. Its history is veryfascinating and its fighting skill is very real and used in war.

Next issue we will have more on Choi Lee Fat anddiffering accounts of the founders of the style, Cai Fu andZhang Hong Sheng.


Choi Lee FatHung Sing

Choi Lee FatHung Sing

(Hong Sheng Cai Li Fo)(Hong Sheng Cai Li Fo)

In China when talking about martial arts people like tosay, “Northern Kick and Southern Fist”. Northern Chinesemartial arts use bigger movements and go up and downmore. So they need more space than southern Chinesemartial arts. In the South, the martial arts generally use

smaller movements and concentrate on the hands and trainthe stance more. However, we still see stance training andpunching in northern martial arts and we still see kicking insouthern martial arts.

The north of China is colder than the south, so lesspeople live in the north. Generally, people like to live in warmerplaces, especially in the old times when they did not have gasor electricity to warm their homes unlike today. Therefore,people had more space to practise their martial arts and sothey used this in creating their forms and training. In the souththere were more people and it was very crowded so they hadmuch less space. So the southern martial arts forms had touse smaller movements. Some famous southern martial artsare Hung Kuen, Choi Lee Fat (Cai Li Fo in Mandarin dialect)and Wing Chun. These all use less space than northern martialarts such has Taijiquan and Northern Shaolin Quan.

I remember when I was young and studying Wing Chunwith my uncle at his home, it was very small only about eighteen

by sixteen feet and that was the whole house including thekitchen and toilet. Later on when I studied with my Wing ChunSifu, Grandmaster Ip Chun, he also taught me at his home. Itwas a little bit bigger, almost twice the size, but it was still nota big apartment. Even my Dayan Qigong teacher, GrandmasterYang Meijun taught me at her home and that was very small,too. There was not enough space to perform the forms normallyso we had to keep stepping backwards to adjust for morespace.

Being able to cope with hard and difficult environmentsis actually one of the best ways to develop a person. No onecan become successful without having to go through difficulties.Those whose will is not strong enough will give up more easilyand so after a while, you will not see them around. These typeof people will usually not develop themselves and will alwaysstay at the same point in their life. It is a pity that people areso used to changing their minds all the time and going back tostart something new before they have completed the task theyare on.

Northern martial arts relate a lot to the Song ShanShaolin Temple whereas the Southern marital arts relate tothe Shaolin Temple that was in Fujian and which was destroyedlong ago.

Chinese martial arts have a very long and interesting history. They are based on so much history andChinese philosophy, such as Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism (Rujia). These philosophies teach peoplehow to follow nature and how to be a good person. So even during times of war people still thought aboutnot going too far with your enemy or even trying to avoid war unless it was absolutely necessary,


Photos are courtesy of Foshan HongSheng School. Historical details takenfrom Foshan Hong Sheng School’s 150thAnniversary Book.


The most famous family martial arts are Hong (Hung inCantonese), Lui (Lau), Cai (Choi), Li (Lee) and Mo (Mok). Theyare all over 150 years old and they all are related inone way or another to the Fujian Shaolin Temple.

When I was young and studying Wing Chunin Hong Kong, people would often say that WingChun was a short fist method of Kung Fu and thatChoi Lee Fat was a long fist Kung Fu method.Many comparisons were made and sometimesstudents of both styles would come together tocompare skill in order to gain more understandingand improve their own skill.

Over 180 years ago, during the QingDynasty, there lived a young man from Guandong(Canton) province, Xin Wu county who was calledChen Xiang. He lived from 1815-1875. Heloved martial arts very much and took anyopportunity he had to study and find outmore skill. When he was little, he began tostudy with his uncle, Chen Yuan Hu, whowas an outside student from the ShaolinTemple. (This meant that he was not amonk and only studied Shaolin Kung Fu).

Later Chen Xiang studied with the Li family master, LiYou Shan and the Cai family master Cai Fu. When he wasseventeen, he went to Ba Pai Shan (mountain) in Guangxi andthere he was able to study with Green Grass Buddhist monk.He learned internal and external Bagua Quan and also Chinesemedicine. Then he returned to Xin Wu in Guandong to developthe three styles of martial arts he had learned.

Green Grass Buddhist monk had another student whosename was Zhang Yan. Zhang had been studying with his teacherfor eight years and had learned all the skills of his teacher. Atthat time China was ruled by the Qing government who wereManchurians. The Manchurians had killed so many of the Hanpeople when they took control of China. In retaliation, therewere many secretorganisations set upby the Han people toresist, fight back andtry to overthrow theQing government.

The Qinggovernment knewthat theseorganisations wereinvolved with theFujian Shaolin Templeand so they sent anarmy to burn thetemple down anddamage the secretorganisations. Theburning of the templeled to a lot of highlevel martial artmonks fleeing into different areas. Green GrassBuddhist monk was one of the leaders of a secretorganisation and he ordered his student Zhang Yanto go to Guandong and meet up with Chen Xiang.

There they were to gather together as manyHan people as possible to join their secretorganisation to help fight against the Qing

government. Of course, such an organisation was a big problemto the government and the punishment for being part of a

rebellion was very serious. Once you were found outyour entire family would be executed.

To help protect him, Green Grass Buddhistmonk gave Zhang another name which was HongSheng (Hung Sing in Cantonese). This name had adeep meaning. Hong represented the MingDynasty. The first Ming Emperor was called ZhuYuen Zhang and the period of his reign was calledHong Wu year. So Zhang’s new name meant theMing government as the Ming Dynasty was ruledby the Han people. Sheng means winning so HongSheng means, the Ming government wins and the

Ming government comes back. Of course, it alsomeant that the Han people would rule Chinaagain. However, when we look back at historywe can see the Ming government was not asgood as the Qing, but no race of peoplelikes to be ruled by another. So the Hanpeople of that time always resistedand fought back.

When Zhang Yan metup with Chen Xiang they began to sharetheir knowledge. Chen opened up his

“They wereinvolvedwith theFujianShaolinTemple.”

Grandmaster Chen Xiang

this photo courtesy of www.buksing.com


knowledge of Li Family Kung Fu he learnt from Li You Shanand the Cai family skill he had learnt from Cai Fu. He alsoshared all the knowledge of Internal and External Bagua Quanhe had learnt from Green Grass Buddhist monk. Zhang Yanshared all the knowledge he had learnt withChen Xiang as well.

In someway Chen Xiang was moresenior than Zhang Yan because he hadstudied with their teacher first and alsobecause he taught the Zhang the Li andCai family skill. In the end they shared alltheir knowledge and compared everythingtogether. Then they arranged and combinedeverything together into what we now knowas Cai Li Fo (Choi Lee Fat in Cantonese).Cai means the Cai family skill, Li meansthe Li family skill and Fo means Buddhismand represents Green Grass Buddhistmonk’s skill.

Chen and Zhang then beganteaching and opened their martial arts schoolto gather more people to study. They alsojoined up with Tai Ping Tian Gu – Peaceful Heaven Countryrebel group. This was a big Han rebellion group against theQing government and was led by Hong Xin Quan. They foughtback against the Qing rulers and in the end they took backhalf of China. The Qing government was very afraid of them.However, in the end, the Tai Ping Tian Gu became corrupt andso they began to fight amongst themselves and this gave theQing army the chance it needed to take backthe areas they had lost.

The Tai Ping Tian Gu army had manysoldiers who studied Cai Li Fo Kung Fu (ChoiLee Fat) particularly in the Guandong area.In Guandong there were many people intowns and villages practising Cai Li Fo. (Evenin my own home village, Dai Tian Village,Pan Yu County, Guandong province, theywere studying Cai Li Fo. My father once toldme there was a famous Cai Li Fo teacherfrom the village who was nicknamed BlindSnake. His long pole was very powerful andyou could hear the rush of the wind whenhe moved it. He was also very accurate andcould hit any target. Unfortunately, I neverhad the chance to meet him.)

In 1851 Zhang Yan opened a schoolin Fo Shan and joined the Tai Ping Tian Guto teach their soldiers. Chen Xiang wasassisting King Shi Dai Kai, who was the mosttalented, wisest and most honourable of theKings under the Tai Ping Tian Gu leader andfounder, Hong Xiu Quan.

Zhang Yan who was using his given name, Zhang HongSheng, set down three rules describing three kinds of peoplehe would not teach. The first were:- government officials, thesecond were rich landlords and third were local gangsters. Hevery happily accepted labourers, workers and small merchants.He liked to help out those people who suffered at the handsof the Qing government because government officials, richlandlords and gangsters all took advantage of the local ordinarypeople.

There was a young man named Chen Sheng (1864-1926) who came to challenge Zhang Hong Sheng and in theend he lost to Zhang and asked to become his student.Eventually he went on to become one of the best students

and continued to lead the Cai Li Fo style.Zhang Hong Sheng mainly taught

Green Grass Buddhist Monk’s skill, theInternal and External Bagua Quan.Originally there were 1080 points fordeveloping the body and using in war,army to army and group fighting skill.Later, it became simpler and more forpersonal training. There was Chang Quan(Long Fist) 360 and more points. PingQuan (Level Fist) 280 and more pointsand Kon Da (trapping hand hitting) 180and more points. Also there was DrunkenFist, Broken Fist, Sleeping Fist and many,many weapons skills.

Chen Sheng also drew up a list ofthree kinds of people not to teach andwas even stricter. He said, “The strong

person must not take advantage of the weaker person. Morepeople are not allowed to go against a small group of people.”Any students who caused trouble or who had fights outsidewere punished in the school or at the very least warned.

Today, there are two branches of Cai Li Fo. One is alsoknown as Hong Sheng Cai Li Fo (in Cantonese Hung SingChoi Lee Fat). Zhang Hong Sheng had a student named Lei

Can, he taught a student called Tan Sam.Tan Sam was very famous for his SlappingFist (Cha Chui) skill. He became very wellknown in Guangzhou and he taught hisskill at Xiao Bei, Little North. Later hisstyle became known as Bei Sheng Cai LiFo (Bak Sing Choi Lee Fat). Tan Sambecame so famous that in China therewere two masters:- one representing thesouthern fist which was Tan Sam and theother famous Northern Shaolin MasterGu Ru Zhang (Gu Yu Cheng) whorepresented the Northern Kick (Bak Toi).

Cai Li Fo Kung Fu is very wellknown and has spread throughout theworld. This is because it is a good,traditional Chinese martial art which isgood for the health and has good moralteaching that maintains the skill shouldnot be used for wrong, to bully and forviolence. It also has good principles suchas Yin and Yang with strong and soft skillsto balance each other.

I have great respect for all traditional skills which havebeen passed down to us for our benefit so that everyone learnsto be healthy and learns good morals. Those of us who havebenefited should respect all those ancestors who contributedso much and maintained the skill so we would have the chanceto learn these valuable skills. As a martial artist we must respectour ancestors’ rules and not use the skill for violence and tobully, but use it positively, for good health, to protect ourfamily, friends, victims of violence and our country

by Michael Tse

Master Chen Sheng

The first Hong ShengSchool in Foshan


All of these things relate to the conditions of the fiveinternal organs which in turn relate to the ChineseFive Element Theory. All of these things togethercreate a picture that can tell us so much. Like piecesof a puzzle, if put together correctly, we can see the

whole picture clearly.This same Five Element theory is related to the five

forces of nature and when these are balanced, then theenvironment will be safe and people will have enough waterand food because the weather and the land has beenfavourable to grow and produce things.

If something disrupts this balance in nature, however,then all kinds of disasters like flooding and hurricanes, volcaniceruptions and fires, typhoons and tornadoes can result. It isthe same for our bodies. Daoists believe that our body is likea universe and has sun,moon, rivers and oceansand land, just like in oursolar system. If our naturaluniverse becomes out ofbalance, then disharmonyand disease result.

For instance, if weover farm the land and puttoo many chemicals in thesoil, then there will be aproblem. This problem may mean a loss of nutrients in the soilwhich then results in drought or flooding and the loss of bothharmful and beneficial insects which means more chemicalshave to be used to kill off the predators. On a bigger scale,this will affect the weather as trees have been cut down tomake way for large scale intensive farming which means aloss of habitat for birds and other wildlife. This also affects usas human beings because the food we eat from depleted soilmeans fewer nutrients. More chemicals means more toxins toour bodies which cope by creating obesity as a buffer or cancerbecause natural cell growth has been damaged or altered.

Ancient Chinese texts say, “Heaven, man and earth -all live in harmony together.” It should be the same for ourbodies. We need to balance ourselves with internal and external

physical conditions and control our emotional conditions. If wecan learn more about the Five Elements and their correspondingrelationships with nature, then we can improve our diagnosingskill to understand our health and bodies better.

Sometimes we dismiss the simple and trust the morecomplicated as we do not want to believe the answer is sosane. Of course, it is not so easy to give up bad habits likeeating too much or over-sleeping but if we can at leastrecognise the problem, then it is a first step. Looking back atclose people I have known who have been seriously ill, like mygreat-auntie who had bone cancer, I can see the signs of herillness even before she was diagnosed using the Five Elementtheory. Genetically, she was already very tiny and everyonecalled her Aunt Short and so with her smoking and workinghard all her life, her bones never developed. This made herbody weak so that disease could strike. Small hips mean weakerkidneys and kidneys relate to bones. So strong legs and stronghips means stronger kidneys.

Traditional Chinese diagnosis and Western diagnosis aredifferent like Yin and Yang. One looks at the forest and onelooks at the trees. Often, the closer you get to a problem, theless you see. It is like taking a few words from a sentence andhaving someone to try and guess the meaning. What onecreates may be completely different in intent than what theoriginal sentence wanted to convey. Looking at these FiveElement signs and symptoms, we can create a picture where

everything is related andconnected but if we only lookat a blood clot in isolation, wemay miss this is a being onlya symptom and not the realcause.

My 83 year oldgrandmother called me recently andsaid that she had to be taken tohospital recently. When I asked herwhat had happened, she said that

she had been given a new medicine and that it had reactedwith her heart medicine, causing her to have an almost fataldrop in blood pressure. When she fainted, her brother calledan ambulance and she was rushed to hospital at over 100miles per hour. He knew as he had tried to follow but couldnot keep up. Because she had gone to different doctors, eachspecialising in their own areas, the only communication thesedoctors had were her written records. This almost caused herdeath.

The following chart gives you a start for learning moreabout the Five Elements and their corresponding organs andsymptoms and their relationship to nature. In future articles,we will talk more about certain aspects of these symptomsand how they relate to our health

by Jessica Tse

In Traditional Chinese Medicine and inQigong Healing Therapy, diagnosis can be mademany ways, all through outward observation ofthe human body, its reactions and actions, itssmell and its movements. One can also observe alot through the patient’s emotions, their ‘sounds’(i.e., talking, laughing, etc) and the colours ontheir face and hands.

Five ElementDiagnosisFive ElementDiagnosis

“Chinese & Westerndiagnosis are likeYin and Yang.”


Water Fire Wood Metal EarthZang Organs

(Yin) Creating, Storing

Fu Organs (Yang)

Transforming, Transporting

Related

Sensory Organs

Colours

Emotions

Physical

Sounds

Spirits

Tastes

Sick Qi Smells

Body

Five Palaces of

the body

Secretions

Physical

Symptoms

Seasons

External

Conditions

Directions

Kidneys Heart Liver Lungs Spleen

Urinary

Bladder

Small

Intestine

Gall

Bladder

Large

IntestineStomach

Ear Tongue Eyes Nose Lips

Salty Bitter Sour Spicy,

Pungent

Sweet

Shivering Belching Spasms Coughing

Putrid Burnt Rancid Rotten,

Fishy

Fragrant

Bone,

Marrow

Pulse Tendon,

NailsSkin,

Hair

Muscle,

Flesh

Lower

Back

Upper

Chest

Knees Upper

Back

Head

Urine, Spit

Jing (Sexual

Essence)

Sweat,

Shen (Spiritual

Essence)

Tears Mucus,

Qi

(Vital Essence)

Saliva

Zhi:

Willpower,

Ambition

Shen:

Mind,

Creativity

Hun:

Intuition,

Psychic Ability

Po:

Physical Strength,

Stamina

Yi:

Reasoning

Power

Black, Blue,

Purple

Red, Pink,

Orange

Green White,

Silver

Yellow,

Brown

Groaning Laughing Complaining,

ShoutingWeeping,

Crying

Singing,

Talking

Fear Joy Anger Sadness Worry

Winter Summer Spring Autumn Late

Summer

Cold Heat Wind Dry Damp

North South East West Centre

Hiccoughing

Five Element Relationship Table


Ma came bursting into the yardthrough the front door. His Sifuwas sitting at a table. He looked

up and raised his eyebrows, “That wasquick” he remarked, “back so soon?” Maran over and sat down gasping, “Sifu,Chan is nuts! He said he knew a shortcut and took us down the alleyway wherethe big dog lives! I might be early, butI’m lucky to be here at all!” Sifu burstout laughing at the look on Ma’s face.

“That reminds me of a storyabout a big dog,” he said, “Oncethere was a farmer whose sheepkept being eaten by a pack ofwolves. Every night he lost 3 or4 sheep. He knew that in twoweeks time he would have nosheep left. Then he would notbe able to make a living andfeed his family. He did notknow what to do.”

“One day he was inthe village when he saw aman with a very big dogsitting outside a tea house.He had an idea. If he boughtthe dog, then it could guardhis sheep. He went over andasked the man if he could buyhis dog. The man replied, “He’sno use as a guard dog as hefalls a sleep very easily and is hardto wake up, but I tell you what. Iwould like to help you. You can borrowhim, then if he does not do a good jobyou can just give him back to me and Iwill not feel bad.” The farmer was veryhappy to hear this and led the dog backto his farm.”

“When he got back he roundedup all the sheep and put them in thepen. He sat the big dog outside andpatted him on the head, “Please lookafter my sheep,” he said to the dog. Thedog just looked at him and blinked. Oncethe farmer had gone, the big dog puthis head down and within a few minuteswas fast asleep.”

“When it was dark, sure enoughthe wolves came out. They crept downthe hillside towards the sheep pen, butsuddenly they stopped in their tracks.Something was different. There was a

different smell. They looked closer andspotted the big dog. The dog was at leasttwice the size of any of them.”

“The leader of the pack of wolvesslowly ventured forwards as he had toshow the others he was strong, but hewas very nervous of the big dog. Whenhe was almost at the pen, the big dogsuddenly made a noise and started tomove! The pack leader was startled by

the noise and without looking turned andfled. Seeing this the other wolves ranoff after him. The big dog was obviouslytoo powerful. However, the big dog hadnot even woken up. He had just snortedin his sleep and rolled over.”

“The next morning the farmer wasso happy to have all his sheep still alive.A few days later, the man came to gethis dog back, but word had gotten aroundat how good the dog was. This meantall the farmers in the area wanted tohire him for a few days at a time.”

Ma shook his head, “But the dogonly slept. He was not a good guarddog.” Sifu nodded, “That is true, but no

sheep were eaten bywolves once he wasthere. So what does thattell you?” Ma looked blank. So Sifucontinued to explain, “The big dog didnot have to do anything. The fact that itwas there was enough. When you see abig dog, how does it make you feel?Naturally you will be very wary of itbecause it could be very dangerous. Evenif it is asleep you will not get too close in

case it wakes up. So it is not theactions of the dog, but its energythat keeps you away.” Manodded in agreement, “That’strue, because when I see a verysmall dog even if it is barking and

growling at me I do not feelthreatened by it because it is just a

small dog.”Sifu smiled and continued, “When

we learn martial arts we make ourselveshealthy, strong and learn how to defend

ourselves. The more we train themore we know ourselves,understand our strengths, know ourlimitations and this makes us moreconfident. When we reach a highlevel, our energy is stronger willmake our spirit strong. We arelike the big dog and our energyis very powerful and we do nothave to do anything for otherpeople to feel this. Then theywill naturally avoid making anytrouble near us. We do not need

to go out fighting to proveourselves. If we do, then we are like asmall dog, barking and growling atpeople trying to be a big dog.”

Ma looked puzzled again andasked, “Sifu how do you know if you area big dog or a small dog?” Sifu smiledagain and replied, “Big and small arerelative. There is always someone biggerthan you and always someone smallerthan you. The most important thing is itto know yourself. Then you will knowwhether you can face the pack of wolvesor not.” Ma nodded and pointed towardsthe front door as Chan strolled in andsaid, “I know one thing, he’s a maddog!”

by Darryl [email protected]

Big Dog, Little DogBig Dog, Little Dog

Some people study martial arts to make themselves moreconfident. However, confidence does not come about through theknowledge that you can hurt someone. So how do they give youconfidence?


If you want to have a good attack,you need to be able to have the rightdistance. Footwork can help you tomanage this. It is the same if youwant to have good defence. You

need even better footwork to avoidattacks. Wing Chun Kung Fu is a woman’sskill and so we need to be soft and relaxedand have good sensitivity to practise it well.We also need to have quick power and beable to avoid force against force. In orderto achieve all these things, we need tohave good footwork. For a woman fightingagainst a man, they need to avoidstrength against strength. Footwork is thekey to avoid strength against strength andto have a good attack. Of course,sensitivity also plays a very big role.

In order to have good footwork,Tsum Kiu is the form to develop this. GoodTsum Kiu skill is also based on good SiuLim Tao training.

If you study Wing ChunKung Fu, the most important formis its second form which is calledTsum Kiu. Of course, many peoplewill say you. That Siu Lim Tao ismost important and some peoplewill say Biu Jze is most important.Some will even say the WoodenDummy is most important, but ifyou really practise Wing Chun alot, particularly Chi Sau training,you will know that footwork is themost important for all the fightingcontact.

Fig 1 Fig 2

Tsum Kiu Part ITsum Kiu Part I

i. Stand still with back straight and feet together. Fig 1ii. Bend your knees and bring up your closed fists and hold them loosely by

the side of the chest. Fig 2

1. Opening Stance (Hoi Ma)*


Fig 3 Fig 4

iii. Open your toes outwards forty-five degrees. Fig 3iv. Open your heels so they are more open than the toes.

Keep the back straight. Fig 4

Wing Chun’s stance is called Yee Chi Kim Yeung Ma, whichliterally, word for word, means Two Word Grip Goat Stance.There is a story behind this. One day, when a shepherd wastaking care of his goats, he wanted to bring them back home.All of them went back home when he called them, all except onethat was still eating grass. So the shepherd got a rope and putit around the goat’s neck and started pulling it.

When he pulled, the goat turned in its hooves and lockeditself, so the shepherd could not pull it, no matter how much hetried. At that moment, a martial artist passed by and happenedto see this and the martial artist found it very interesting. Whowas this martial artist? People believe, even me, that this martialartist was Master Ng Mui, the creator of the Wing Chun skill.

Because Wing Chun skill came from a woman, it is not veryconvenient for a woman to do this skill because of their clothingand also it does not look good on ladies. Although other martialarts also have a narrow stance like in Wing Chun, they do nothave this triangle type position for the feet. This is very uniqueto Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Wing Chun skill was also passed down to the Red Boatopera people, who lived on boats. Boats are always movingand not stable and so this kind of stance is very practical anduseful for balancing on a moving boat. This stance looks likeyou are standing up but actually you are gripping the groundwith your toes and heels and bending your knees all togetherto create a good grip with the floor. At the same time, the stancestill gives you the flexibility to move forwards, backwards andsideways very flexibly.

The correct posture is that the top of your foot - where itjoins the ankle - is the same width as your shoulder at the point

called Jiexi point. The backshould be straight and thelegs only slightly bent. Theweight should be on bothheels not on the thighs. Yourwaist should be able to turnin both directions and shouldnot be locked up. If it islocked up, this means you areleaning backwards in yourstance.

Your knees should be ableto go up or down at any time.So they should be relaxed andloose. This means you will beable to move forward orbackward at any time as well.If your knees are locked, this


means you will not have the flexibility to move so much.Your fists should be by the side of the chest, not at the waist.

The shoulder, the elbow and the fist should not have any tensionbut at any time you can use them. So the hands cannot be toohigh. The reason why we hold them by the side of the chest isbecause Wing Chun is a close distance martial art. The quickerway to reach an opponent is from hands at the side of the chestrather than at the waist. Eyes should look forward but not befocused. Your mouth should be closed and breathing should bethrough the nose. The Baihu, Huiyin and Yongquan points shouldall be on one straight line.

By just standing in this posture will allow your entire bodyto be relaxed. There should be no tension on any part of thebody. The stance is supported by the body’s skeleton but all the

muscles should be relaxed. This is also Wing Chun’s Qigongtraining. This opening stance is the same as in Siu Lim Tao.

In Siu Lim Tao, however, we will stay in this stance for a longtime whereas we only do it for a moment in Tsum Kiu. You canstill use this stance to develop your Qi and reduce your stressand strengthen your bone and make your Gong Lik stronger.Wing Chun power comes from the bones. So if you want to makeyour power strong, then you can stand like this for five or tenminutes or even longer. My Sigong, Ip Man, was a very healthyand powerful person. He lived to the age of 79. My Sifu, Ip Chun,is 82 and still going strong. This is because of their good WingChun skill.

2. Mark the Centreline (Lau Jong Sin)

i. Cross both hands at the Lower Dantian, left over the right.Fig 5

ii. Lift both hands so palms are facing the chest. Fig 6iii. Withdraw both hands back to the side of the chest. Fig 7

Centreline is the principle of Wing Chun. The shortest distancefrom ourselves to our opponent is a straight line. Wing Chunconcentrates on this centreline principle, but it is not justcentreline, but the centre of gravity of the opponent. This meanswe look for the point that will cause the person to lose balanceor we look for the most vulnerable point, which when struckwill cause the most damage. So we do not just punch or kickanywhere on the body. This is low level skill. Ideally, once youhit your opponent, that person will bounce away and fall on thefloor. This is the kind of proper Wing Chun power that can bedeveloped. So centreline is very important, both our own andour opponent’s.

In the old days of China, people did not have mirrors like wedo today. Of course, some rich people had bronze mirrors butthis was not common. So for Wing Chun, to find the centreline,they would put a tall stick in the ground and measure themselvesagainst this. The stick should be centred where the wrists crosseach other. After you marked the centreline, then all punchesand strikes would aim for this centreline in order to developstriking accuracy. Therefore, all three of Wing Chun’s forms useLau Jong Sin (Marking the Centreline).

I come across many people who treat Lau Jong Sin as aGaan Sau but this is not correct. This part has no application.

to be continued... by Michael Tse*Note: All phonetics are in Cantonese using the Wade Giles

system which is used by Hong Kong University. For a pronunciation keytable, see our new website when it is online.

Fig 5 Fig 6 Fig 7


He Shi Jade

Food Cures usingJade Rice WhiskersCorn Silk called Yu Mi Xu in Chinese translates as Jade

Rice Whiskers. It is used in both Chinese medicine andWestern herbal medicine alike for ailments relating tobladder heat and infection. It has even been used incombination with Japanese Fern (Jin Sha Teng, also

called Hai Jin Sha) to reduce and help dissolve kidney stones.It can sometimes be difficult to find Yu Mi Xu so I usually makemy own by collecting and drying the corn silk from corn whenin season. When it is fully dried, it can be stored in a glass jarand used when needed.

Corn Silk Teai. Boil corn silk and water to make tea which can be consumed

several times a day. It is naturally sweet so does not needsweetening. It is better if you can find organic corn silk butsometimes there is no choice and something is better thannothing.Good for urinary bladder infections or edema.

Stewed Clams with Corn Silk15 g cornsilk (Yu Mi Xu)300 g fresh clams (shelled or unshelled. If unshelled,soak in three rinses of water.)1 green onion1 tsp. GingerSesame Oil

i. Rinse clams and corn silk and thinlyslice green onions. Peel ginger andshred into fine strips.

ii. Add corn silk and clams to soup potand then add water some salt.Now bring water to a boil andthen cover and reduce to asimmer for 15-20 minutes. Afterthis add ginger and simmer fornot more than five minutes.Serve into bowls andsprinkle green onion ontop and add a few dropsof sesame oil to eachbowl of soup.

Vegetarian Versioni. Instead of clams, you can use firm tofu and reduce cooking

time.

Benefits:Good for liver and gallbladder and will help relieve heat

and lower blood pressure. Also good for urinary infections asclam is cooling and the corn silk promotes urination and isgood for the bladder, gallbladder and liver.

He Shi JadeOne day a man named He Shi who lived in the state of Chu was digging on a hillside

when he found a piece of rough jade. He knew that jade was very valuable andprecious to the Emperor. In the past, people used ‘chop’s (carved pieces of stone, jade,

wood, etc) to use as a seal on documents. This acted as their signature. An Emperor’s chopwas always intricately carved and made of the finest jade. It was said that whoever held theEmperor’s chop could be deemed Emperor so it was guarded carefully.

So He Shi went to the palace to present the jade to the Emperor, King Li. The Kingasked a jade craftsman to appraise it and the craftsman said, “This is just an ordinarypiece of stone.” King Li believed him and felt that He Shi had tried to deceive himand was very angry. So he had He Shi’s left foot cut off.

After King Li died, King Wu became the ruler. Again He Shi took the piece ofjade to present it as a gift to King Wu. King Wu asked a jade craftsman to appraiseit and was told that it was only an ordinary piece of stone. King Wu believed himand had He Shi’s right foot cut off.

After King Wu died, King Wen succeeded to the throne. He Shi sat on the hilloverlooking the palace, and holding the piece of jade in his hands, he wept. He weptfor three days and three nights until his tears dried up and blood came out instead.When King Wen heard of this, he sent someone to ask He Shi:-

“Many people in the world have had their feet cut off. Why do you weep so broken heartedly?”He Shi answered, “I am not weeping because I have lost both my feet. I am broken-hearted because the king takes the

jade for a stone and my loyalty for deceit.”After King Wen heard this, he sent for a jade craftsman and ordered him to chisel open the stone. Sure enough, it was

a piece of genuine jade. Thus, King Wen of Chu named it “He Shi Jade”.From The Book of Han Fei Zi (280-233 B.C.) by Han Fei Zi


A Japanese friend said to me, “China is the birthplaceof the tea ceremony. The Japanese tea ceremony isone of her children who ran to Japan and achievedgratifying results.” These words are correct for thetea ceremony really originates in China. The questions

arise out of a lack of knowledge about the development oftea culture and also because of differences in understandingthe concept of ‘Dao’ between Chinese and Japanese.

According to the Chinese, Dao is the nature, origin andlaw of a thing. The way of nature is invisible, so the Chinesedo not name a thing Dao easily. To the Japanese, Dao (or Doin Japanese language) means skills. Flower arranging is called‘Flower Way’ and wrestling is called Ju Do.

As a cultural activity, tea performance is also called Dao.Chinese people believe that the artistic process of drinking teais merely a form, which tends to be superficial. The intent ofthe tea ceremony is to express the spirit. We also regard teaart and tea ceremony as different aspects of the same coin.Tea art is a visible, material activity. However, only if the spiritor spirituality is aroused in the process can it be called Dao.Therefore, I believe that the core of tea culture is ‘visible artand invisible Dao’.

In fact, Lu Yu, the Saint of Tea Culture, and other expertsof the past dynasties manifested the spirit through the processof tea culture. The spirit of the Chinese tea ceremony is abroad and profound system absorbing the principles ofConfucian (Rujia), Daoist and Buddhist thought which fullydemonstrates the Chinese traditional idea of the closeintegration and interaction of both the material and spiritual.

Confucian (Rujia) Thoughts and Spirit ofthe Chinese Tea CeremonyEach nation has its own unique cultural system and individualcharacteristics. Great differences exist in the orientation of

culture and values between the East and West. The Westadvocates fire and power whilst China is characterised aspeaceful but also firm and tenacious. These qualities are fullyshown in the golden mean and harmony which are thecharacteristics of Confucian thought.

Tea, which is itself gentle and peaceful, accords withthese characteristics. Although Daoism and Buddhism haveplayed important roles in the development of tea culture,Confucian thought is regarded as the core of the spirit of theChinese tea ceremony which is demonstrated in the followingfour aspects.

It is said that Westerners are open and enthusiastic andtheir dispositions are like wine, while we Easterners are liketea:- sober, sensible, gentle and enduring. We also advocategetting along with each other in a friendly and harmoniousway. Westerners stress and value individual struggle whileEasterners value collectiveness which is an attribute which theChinese tea culture prominently reflects. We should get alongwith each other just as man and nature should be in harmony.

The Spirit ofChinese TeaCeremony

People who have watched a performance of theJapanese tea ceremony often ask, “Why is it called atea ceremony in Japan and tea art in China? Is itbecause China has no tea ceremony? Is it because theChinese performance is not as qualified as theJapanese one?” In fact, the order is reversed.

The Spirit ofChinese TeaCeremony

A statue of Lu Yu in Xian, China


Confucians introduced thisthought into tea ceremony, advocatingthe creation of a harmonious atmospherethrough the drinking of tea. Thecharacteristics of tea and water aresimilar. Though it seems to be verydelicate, water is very generous. Althoughtea is only an ordinary drink, people willlearn to be tolerant and understandingthrough the preparation, enjoyment andsharing of it.

In ancient times, Imperial Courtsentertained foreign envoys with tea. Inmodern times people still offer tea toguests to express their friendliness andto create a bond between them. InChina, tea parties are held in institutionsand factories at the end of a year. Atthese parties, managers will drink teatogether with staff and have heart toheart talks to get to know each other’sviewpoints better and to express theirempathy and understanding. Manydisagreements can be solved at suchparties.

In Confucian thinking, it isadvocated that people should approachproblems from all angles so as not to goto extremes. This same idea is

highlighted in tea culture. Although waterand fire seem to be incompatible, Lu Yustressed their unity. After all, how canone boil water without fire and how cana person make tea without water? WhenLu Yu fashioned tea pots, he createdimages of wild animals, firebirds, fish andwater showing the unity of wind, fire andwater.

Fire is fanned by wind, water isboiled by fire and tea is brewed by water.Lu Yu’s viewpoint originated from theYijing (Book of Changes). According tothe Yijing, wind is represented by the Gua“Xun”, fire is represented by the Gua “Li”and water by the Gua “Kan”. Fire couldonly burn vigorously when wind blewunder the teapot. When the Guas “Xun”(wind) and “Li” (fire) were joined, they

created the Gua “Ding” whichrepresented cooking food and drink. Fireand water are jointly called Jiji, expressingthe idea that everything was ready. Firerises while water falls.

Our social ideal is to realiseuniversal harmony in the world. Natureis made of metal, wood, fire, water andearth and are called the Five Elements.Harmonious Five Elements is our conceptof nature and Dao. Lu Yu promoted teaculture and believed that the State wouldbe unified only if people could live inharmony and disease would beeliminated only when the Five Elementsof the body were in harmony.

Chinese Tea Ceremony isCultural ActivityThe Chinese ceremony embraces ideasfrom Confucian, Daoist andBuddhist schools of thought. TheJapanese tea ceremony mainlyabsorbed the elements ofBuddhist thought and stressedbitterness and quietness. Thegreen tea symbolises thebitterness of the human realm

but the ritualorder l inesss ymbo l i s e sdiscipline thatcan be used tocontrol humanpassions and thequietness offers am e d i t a t i v ea t m o s p h e r ewhere one canreflect on theirspirit and findpeace. The Chinese tea cu l tu re ,however, is full of happiness for it fullyabsorbed the Confucian outlook on life.

The Chinese regard all mortalswho have made contributions to mankindas gods after they die. In other words,

Chinese gods are spirits of mortals. Sowe believe in the self-perpetuatingstrength of mankind. As history continues,we place our hopes on the latergenerations to fulfil unaccomplishedaims. We are always confident in thefuture and have a deep love for life. Inthe Chinese tea ceremony, imperialconcubines and princesses drank teawhile appreciating music. Scholars dranktea while playing musical instruments,painting, chanting poems or appreciatingbeautiful scenery.

Tea drinking was a happy familyoccasion. Even monks took pleasure indrinking tea. Jiao Ran, a famous monkof the Tang Dynasty, was a friend of teamaster, Lu Yu. He helped to createChinese tea culture with Lu Yu and otherscholars. Instead of stressing strict asceticpractises, he advocated drinking tea while

appreciating fragrantflowers, thefull moonand music,all thingsthat conn-ected withenjoying theatmospherewith others.This made teadrinking a wayof creating abond withpeople.

Chinesepeople believethat bitterness willnot last long andcreates anexcellent oppor-tunity for people totemper them-selves. As natureis always inmotion andhuman lifegoes on

without end,we should be

optimistic as badwill eventually

change to be good. Wedrink tea to develop our vital

spirit and help others with agenerous heart. The melody of the spiritof Chinese tea ceremony is composedof the sober, optimistic, enthusiastic,connected and tolerant spirit of theConfucian school

From Wang Ling’s book:Chinese Tea Culture

“Tea drinking was ahappy family occasion.Even monks tookpleasure in drinking tea.”


Part II

Once your body postures are correct you can start tomove freely and you will start to discover your shenqi. In Taijiquan, Ren says, the waist eventuallybecomes an energetic centre of thebody, not a physical muscular or skeletal centre. At

the outset, when one begins learning, students will treat thewaist as a physical entity which they will turn and move usingbone and muscle, but this is a preliminary stage. The heart“Xin” first decides what to do and tells the waist, (this secondenergetic centre or second heart and mind) and the waistthen controls the energetic field or shen qi and the shen qimoves the rest of the body.

He said that this concept of the waist is not easy forbeginners to grasp, but over years of practice one can obtainthis feeling of it being a non-physical centre. Without thissensation, he says he would not be able to smoothly andeffortlessly remove an attacker’s grab to his throat or body.

If he said, he treated his waist as a hard or physicalplace, then an attack on his throat in particular, would causehim to tense up and try to resist, thus allowing the attacker togain an even stronger hold. When the waist moves, the legsand feet should follow the waist; this is what the principle ofthe waist being the commander means.

So what is “shen qi”?When somebody practices Taiji form, they will slowly

get a feeling that as they move, the air and energy aroundthem is moving with them. (Taiji is often described as swimmingin air.) Later one will feel that one is moving within an energy

field, that one is connected to the surrounding environment,and that one can control and move this energy all around.This energy is shen qi.

To explain more about the different types of energyconnected to the body, there is a Chinese saying, “Gu rou deneng liang shi li liang, jing shen de neng liang shi shen qi”.Basically translated, it just means that physical strength (li liang)is the expression or manifestation of energy (neng liang) fromthe physical body (gu rou), and an invisible but yet tangiblefeeling of energy surrounding a person (shen qi) is themanifestation of the (jing shen) spirit’s energy.

When you meet somebody who is usually quite strongand energetic, but who at that time is ill, you will feel thatthey have no vital force, no shen qi, so you don’t feelintimidated or afraid of them, and are able to overcome them.He says this kind of invisible energy force and spirit is whatdrives the body’s movements, not your physical structure thatcarries out the movements.

In Taiji we should constantly try to practice, developand enhance this shen qi. In doing so, one will also changenot just one’s physical movements but one’s character as well.The more relaxed one becomes, the greater the shen qi willbe and the more generous, calm and open one will become.He said this sense of calmness is a fundamental part of tuishou (push hands), fighting, or life in general.

In push hands or san shou (sparring) one must be calmand still inside. You must allow the opponent to fully take uphis position or stance. Let him show you what he intends to

Master Ren continued to explain that when one first learns the Taiji form, one needs to have thecorrect body posture and movement, particularly in relation to the waist and kua (hips). Sometimes, newpractitioners will feel that their body or hips etc are not in the right position, and thus they will feel thattheir own bones are holding them back; at this juncture it’s very hard to use one’s shen qi (energy).

Ren Gang –Training

Spirit &Energy

Ren Gang –Training

Spirit &Energy


do, this way you can clearly see where his faults and weaknessesare, thereby allowing you to take advantage of them andovercome him.

If you act as most people do and immediately try to goagainst him or react out of anxiety or impatience the momenthe opposes you, then you and he become locked in a battle,the outcome of which rests on the big overcoming the small,the strong overcoming the weak or the fast defeating the slow.None of which are part of Taiji’s internal principles.

Going against him also allows the opponent to espyyour weaknesses and utilize them to defeat you. Here is wherethe practitioner must again invoke the state of Wu Jie. In Englishwe use one word to mean “emptiness”, but in Chinese theidea of empty or nothing has many different meanings:“KONG” – empty or free“DIU” – empty, lost or without any firm structure or spirit“MEI YOU” – without, nothing

So the problem for foreign students learning Wushuor the Chinese language itself is how to understand whatreal emptiness is, as in the state of “Wuji”. We must realisethat emptiness is not just nothing, but that it is emptinessand fullness combined. It is nothing andeverything in complete harmony.

Before one moves,thinks, talks etc, one is firstempty – Wuji. An integratedwhole which is in completeharmony with itssurroundings. So, wu jie isin fact a quiet balancedstate, where one thing existspeacefully and in harmony withanother. Ren Gang says that in pushhands or sparring etc, one must firstlook upon the opponent not as aseparate entity that you mustdefeat – The Enemy – but as a partof you, a part of your energy circle.

Chinese philosophy looksupon a person as being as one withthe earth and sky; they are in harmonynot separate. If you can fully realise thisand have a sensation of this state, thanyou can cultivate the feeling that theopponent is also one with you. But, it’snot just his physical body that is one withyou. His spirit, shen qi, vital energy aroundhim, is part of your energy sphere too.So in Taiji, we want to first becomeaware of and later be able toharness this shen qi.

Often people play theform and have a feeling of energymoving the body’s structure, but as soon as they push handswith someone, they go back to using physical strength or theirstructure and are more concerned about winning and thus losecontrol of their shen qi. In “Nei Jia Quan” internal arts, likeTaiji, we want to forget about the body’s structure and strengthand utilize the shen qi to move our own body and deal withthe opponent.

In Chinese they say the “Xin” heart or unconsciousthought controls your waist, the waist controls and moves theshen qi and your shen qi moves the physical body. If you want

to do something, you feel what it is you want to do, and thenyour body responds. Ren says that you must train yourself touse your heart (Xin) and waist to control your shen qi and thuschange your old habits of the physical body or your rationalthought moving the energy.

He said that when one moves, whatever one wants todo or decides to do, the body will just follow precisely whatyou intend. In push hands, when you see the opportunity todissipate or strike the opponent, your body immediately obeysthis “thought” or feeling with action. He said if you have towrestle and struggle to try and overcome the opponent tomove him, then this is wrong.

At first, Ren mentioned, your body won’t listen to yourintention or your waist, but over time, as you concentrateon this aspect, you will start to cultivate a sensation. Hepersonally doesn’t think that a person’s form posturesare so important. For example if your hand is higher,

lower etc; but a student’s basic postures and structuralposition must be correct. It’s like eating, he said, it doesn’t

matter if you use chopsticks or a knife and fork or howyou hold them that matters, but that you get the food in your

mouth and not your nose that’s important!Finally I asked him about his hopes for the future of

Taiji. Ren replied that he hopes that all practitioners of Taijican learn the genuine art and not have a false impression

that Taiji is either an art based on physical strength orsome mystical, magical art that is so complex that a student

can never master or comprehend it.He said if he ever reaches a stage where he

understands the secrets of Taiji and can use them, then hewould certainly want to share this knowledge with everyone,so that all lovers of Taiji can share in the splendour of thiswonderful art. Finally, he reiterated, that you must be openand generous in spirit. Your shen qi (an energy field thatsurrounds you and is interconnected with your spirit) and your“qi liang” (generosity of spirit) is connected, so if you’re a meanperson your shen qi will also be small, and you’ll be able toutilize very little of this force.

Personally, I think that he is already well on the way toreaching this state, and apart from Master Dong Bin, I cansafely say that I have learnt more about Taiji and internal artsin the short time that I have known him than I have in overtwelve years of study from many teachers around the world.

His belief in Buddhism has certainly been instrumentalin understanding many of Taiji’s principles, and his generosityin sharing with all who meet him, is a testament to the factthat having an open mind and generous spirit really does raiseand benefit one’s Taiji practice. Hopefully, those attending thetraining camp in Shanghai in November this year will have achance to find out for themselves

by Rose Oliver

“Forget about thestructure & utilisethe Shen Qi”


Suddenly there was a knock at the door. It was quitelate so he was scared of who it might be so he did notanswer. He was worried it might be the gangsters againas his home was at the back of his shop. However, theknock at the door was gentler than before. Usually the

gangsters pounded on the door and shouted “Open the door!”His thoughts were interrupted suddenly when he heard a voicehe had been longing to hear, it was his daughter Yim WingChun’s voice! “Dad!” she called, “Open the door, I’m back.”

He quickly rushed over and opened the door. Therestood his daughter and she was smiling at him. He recognisedher immediately, but somehow she was different and he couldnot describe how. It was definitely her though and he was sohappy to see her.

Wing Chun was also so happy to see her father. Allthrough the six months of training she had been worrying abouthim, but she knew that if she had not left with Master Ng Muiand learnt the skill to protect them both, then the situationwould be the same or even worse. There was only one answerand that was that she had to be good at the skill.

Yim Yee realised that his daughter looked different asher eyes were brighter, her voice stronger and her face moreopen. She seemed to be someone you could trust and rely onbecause she was very confident.

Her father was right. Wing Chun also knew that shehad changed. She looked at things differently. She was stillafraid, but she was channelling her fear into strength and

wisdom. With a clear mind she was able to plan what she hadto do. She told her father not to tell anyone she had comeback as she wanted to have a few days to check around andsee what was happening.

Her father told her, “"These gangsters come to the shopevery few days. Sometimes they break our things and damagethe Tofu. They try to harass me into telling them where youwent even though we had told them that you needed six monthsto prepare for the contest.” He shook his head and lookedsad, “In the beginning they came everyday as they did notbelieve that you had gone. The leader hoped to catch you bysurprise and take you.”

Yim Wing Chun had also heard that the gang’s leaderhad been harassing other girls and also many of the poorerand weaker people in the village. They had to be stopped andthis made her even more determined to turn her fear andanger into strength!

The next day Yim Wing Chun disguised herself as ayoung boy and went to spy on the gang and find out wherethey stayed. Eventually she found out that most of them werejust outside of the village whilst another ten or so lived in themountains and some hid themselves in the forest. Wing Chunthen went back home to make her plan.

She wrote a letter to the gang’s leader and said thatbefore she would marry him she wanted to make sure that hecould keep her safe and secure. She wanted to know that hisfighting was good enough to protect her and so she fixed a

Yim Yee was sitting at homelooking out of the window. His wifehad passed away some time ago. Heonly had his daughter in his life whohe relied on to take care of him butnow that she had gone away he wasvery lonely. The gangsters would comeback every few days to cause troubleand so he missed his daughter evenmore.

Wing ChunStoryWing ChunStory Part V


day when they would meet and have a martial arts contestbetween the two of them. She said, “If you win, I will go withyou and marry you. But if I win, you must accept me as yourleader.” Shortly afterwards the gang’s leader replied sayingthat he would accept her challenge. He also knew a lot ofmartial arts and knew that he was the strongest person in thevillage.

On the day of the challenge the leader came with hisentire gang. By now the whole village had heard of thechallenge and many had come to see what was happening.They were all afraid for Yim Wing Chun. Yim Yee was also

very scared and tried to persuade his daughter that they shouldescape together rather than go ahead with the challenge.However, Wing Chun told him not to worry about her.All the while she had been practising very hard byherself in their back yard where no one couldsee her.

At the arranged time and placeYim Wing Chun faced the gang leader.There was a big crowd around madeup of villagers and gangsters. Theleader looked at Wing Chun.Although she was small, she appearedtaller than he remembered. (She lookedtaller as she had been training a lot ofstanding postures and this had made herposture straighter and more upright. Ifyou are not aware of your posture andalways have your head down andback bent, even if you are tall,then you will look shorter andweaker. But if your posture isstraight, then you will looktaller as this also connectsto your spirit aswell.)

The leaderthought of YimWing Chun as a weakopponent as she was only a woman. For him, it did not matterthat she had been training some secret martial art skill. In histhinking, there was no way a woman could beat a man. Hewas much bigger and much stronger than she was. He thenbegan to think about after he had won the challenge, WingChun had promised to go with him and marry him. He smiledright from his heart to himself.

Time was up and the contest began! The leader wantedto finish this quickly and take her back to him home. He wasalso afraid he might hurt her seriously and he wanted a healthy

concubine even though he already had so many. He aimed apunch at her stomach as this would not cause too much injury.

As he moved forwards to punch, Wing Chun used herfootwork and just moved to the side. She remembered whather Sifu had said, “If the enemy does not move, I do not move.If the enemy moves I move first.” This means that you shouldsense your enemy’s actions and respond accordingly. This isoften based on how relaxed and quiet you are as then you canrespond better. Nothing is faster than the mind. Your mindmust be relaxed, quiet and calm. Then your response will bethe right one. This is just what Wing Chun did.

When his punch missed,the leader was taken bysurprise and he pausedslightly before decidingwhere to punch again. Ashe made up his mind,the side of his facesuddenly eruptedwith pain and he wasknocked to theground. Some of thegathered crowd criedout but others did noteven have time torespond, it all happen-ed so quickly, even thegangsters. Everyonewas so surprised.

How couldthis happen?Usually, whensomeone attackstrying to land a

finishing blow, theywill pause slightly oncethey have finishedbefore they attackagain. The harderthey try to hit, thelonger the pause.

Yim WingChun hadstepped to theside to avoid thepunch withoutusing her handsand this meant herupper body hadremained relaxed.

The more relaxedshe was, the faster

she could react. So she quickly hit theleader’s face with a straight palm strike. Herstepping to the side meant that the angle she hit himat struck his centre of gravity. As she struck, she let the punchcome from her waist and this transferred the power of herwhole body to her palm, making it a very powerful strike. Asshe hit the gang leader’s centre of gravity she knocked himdown. So it was not because Yim Wing Chun was strong, itwas because she used her strength and energy at the rightangle and at the right time.

“It did not matter that she hadbeen training some secret martialart skill. There was no waya woman could beat a man.”


It was so sudden the leader could not believe it and hedid not even see what happened. Luckily for him, although itwas very painful, he was able to handle it as he was a strongman. He got up thinking that she had got lucky and done it byaccident because he had held back not wanting to hurt her.This time he knew he had to finish her!

He ran at her swinging his forearm in a powerful hookingpunch. However, it did not reach her so he swung again withhis other arm. He still did not touch her and so he summonedup all his strength and swung again, but instead of hittinganything he fell face first onto the ground androlled over a few times stopping a fewmeters away. “What happened?”The question raced through his mind.

Wing Chun knew the secondattack would be strong. Her Sifusaid to her, “The stronger they are theless contact you make. People like torepeat the same technique again andagain because they do not believe thatthey have missed. Each time they usemore and more energy. R e m e m b e rany skill should not berepeated more thantwice.”

This was themistake the leaderhad made. He hadtried the same thingthree times. WingChun dodged the firsttwo strikes and then waitedfor the third hook punch. This,too, she avoided and then usedPo Pai Jeung (Double PalmStrike) to hit her opponent. Oneof her palms pushed hisshoulder and the other his ribs.As his energy was alreadygoing forwards after missing

his punch, it was perfect timing to make him fall as he wasalready leaning forwards.

The leader quickly jumped up and this time he did notcare and threw a straight punch towards Wing Chun’s face. Heknew, though, that he had committed too much with this strikeand so straight away he threw a second punch at her. Howeverfast his punch was, Wing Chun was also fast. Quickly she metthe outside of his arm with her Tan Sau and then changed herhand to Lap Sau pulling his hand down. She knew the secondpunch was coming and used Lap Sau on his other punch. This

crossed his arms against his body trapping them so the leadercould not move.

Finally Wing Chun used her free hand to strike theleader’s face with a palm strike. When the strike finished, shethen dropped this hand to pin the leader’s arms, thus freeingthe other hand to hit. She exchanged hands like this a couplemore times hitting the leader each time. She let go and hefell to the ground and did not get back up. He had lost!

The audience had never seen such fast hands and theyhad never seen such skill from a woman. The leader’sarms seemed to be stuck down by Wing Chun’sand her attack was frightening to see. Theother gang members were also taken by surprise.They were shocked to see their leader getbeaten up by Yim Wing Chun. They looked ateach other and knew they had to getrevenge.

Wing Chun had expected thisand walked over to a corner whereshe had left two sticks. She pickedthem up and turned back toface the gang. Seeing Wing

Chun holding twosticks unnervedthem, but they knewthey had to fight her.Before they movedshe was alreadywalking at them!She moved so fasthitting their armsand legs. She

covered so manyangles that they did not

have time to get out of theway or even go to pick up their own

weapons.This stick method was created by

Wing Chun herself. She knew she wouldhave to fight more than just the leader.No matter how good she was, if theymanaged to grab her, then she would bein great danger. So she trained herself withthe sticks using the same skills her Sifuhad taught with the same principles ofTan Sau, Bong Sau, Huen Sau, punching

and chopping. She walked between heropponents as if she were training on plum blossompoles (poles buried in the ground at varying heightsand distance between them and which were used totrain balance, footwork and coordination).

She covered all the Bagua positions (eightdirections) and each time she hit, she struck their acupuncturepoints which caused a lot of pain but did no lasting harm.Walking at them surprised them as they had not expected thatand it meant they did not have time to react. She struck beforesome had even noticed.

In a few moments the gang were all lying on the groundand the leader was still unconscious. The whole village wasecstatic and happy to have such a heroin living with them.However, Yim Yee was the happiest. His daughter had wonthe fight.

to be continued…. by Michael Tse

“They had never seensuch fast hands and theyhad never seen such skillfrom a woman.”

page 40 Qi Magazine Jul/Aug/Sept 2006page 40 Qi Magazine Jul/Aug/Sept 2006

Another account took place duringthe Zheng-Tong period. In FujianProvince, many intellectuals had

joined a group of rebels. The emperorappointed Imperial Censor Zhang to stopthem. He tricked the rebels and capturedtheir leader.

Later, Imperial Censor Zhangdispatched General Xie to put an end tothe remaining rebels in the eastern partof the Province. The General obtained alist of the insurgents and commandedthat white flags be secretly given toeveryone not on that list along withinstructions to place the flags on theirdoors when the imperial army came totown. He ordered the soldiers not to harmthe innocent and with this one thoughtof goodness, he saved tens of thousandsof people from being killed. A son placedfirst in the imperial examinations andeventually became an advisor to theemperor and a grandson placed third inthe imperial examinations.

Another example isthe Lin family in FujianProvince. Among theirancestors’ was a very

generous elderly lady. Every day shemade rice balls for the poor and gaveaway as many as they wanted. AnImmortal who manifested as a Taoistmonk came daily for three years andalways asked for six or seven. Herceaseless generosity convinced him ofher deep sincerity.

He told her: “I have eaten yourrice balls for three years and have donenothing to show my gratitude. Perhaps Ican do so now. On the land behind yourhouse is a good place for your grave. Ifyou are placed there when you die, thenumber of your descendants who willhave imperial appointments will equalthe number of seeds in a pound ofsesame seeds.” Her son followed hissuggestion. The first generation afterthat, nine men passed the imperialexaminations and it continued that wayfor generations. It was said in Fujian thatthe surname of Lin was always on thelist of those who had passed the imperialexamination.

Another example is Mr.Feng, the father of the imperialhistorian, Zhuoan Feng. Onewinter many years ago Mr. Fengwas on his way to school whenhe saw someone lying in thesnow. Finding that the man wasbarely breathing, he quickly tookof his coat, wrapped it around theman, carried him back home,and revived him. That night,Zhuoan’s father dreamt that aheavenly being told him, “Out ofcomplete sincerity, you helped adying man. This is of great virtue.I will have the famous GeneralQi Han of the song Dynasty tobe reborn as your son.” LaterZhuoan was born and named Qi.

Also, there was Mr Yang,a minister who lived in Taizhou.When he was young, he studiedin remote mountain areas. Atnight, he often heard the soundof ghosts and spirits but wasnever afraid of them. One night,

he heard a ghost happily say to another:“There is a village woman whosehusband has left home a long time agoand has not returned. Her in-laws thinkthat their son is dead and are forcingher to remarry. Tomorrow night, she isgoing to commit suicide and will replaceme. Then I will be reborn!”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Yingimmediately set out to sell some landthat he owned. He received two hundredgrams of silver for it. He then made upa letter from the daughter-in-law’shusband, and sent it to her home alongwith the silver. The parents knew thatthe letter was not in the son’shandwriting, but examined the silver andsaid, “This letter may be false, but thesilver is not. Perhaps our son is alive”.Consequently, the daughter-in-law wasnot forced to remarry. After a while thehusband returned home and the coupleresumed their lives together.

Mr.Ying next heard the ghost say,”Originally, I was supposed to leave hereand be reborn, but Mr.Yang messed upmy chance!” The other ghost asked,“Why don’t you get even with him?” Thefirst ghost replied: “ I can’t. The heavenlybeings have recognised his goodness andhe is going to receive a prominentposition in the future. How can I hurthim?”

Upon hearing this, Mr.Yangbecame even more diligent in practisinggoodness and accumulating merits.Whenever there was a famine, he gavegrain from his storehouses to those whoneeded it. He always helped relatives inemergencies. When things did not go hisway, he always reflected within himselfrather than complain of others. Thus, healways quietly complies with conditions.Even today, his descendants areprominent.

to be continued...The above is a selection from Liao

Fan’s Book of Four Lessons, written in theMing Dynasty for his son on how to become a

better person and change his destiny for thebetter. This book is available free through the

Centre by request. Please write or call for yourcopy, however, please note: there may be a

delay in sending as supplies come from abroadand are dependent upon available stock.

Ways to CultivateGoodness

Liao Fan’s Four Lessons - The Third Lesson:

Ways to CultivateGoodness

Qi Magazine Jul/Aug/Sept 2006 page 45Qi Magazine Jul/Aug/Sept 2006 page 45

O f course, there are manytechniques from Taijiquan that wecan use, but some are easier and

some, I find, are more suitable forwomen. In general, women find the selfdefence aspect of Taijiquan difficult.After all, we do not start to scrap andfight in the school playground as boysdo, so fighting does not come naturallyto us. In addition, we are generallysmaller and less strong then men andso can be at a bit of a disadvantage.However, some techniques are verysimple to apply and may even workbetter when your opponent is bigger thanyou. Here are some suggestions whichare based on the movement “Flash theBack”.

Taijiquan is famous forbeing able to teach you howto use less strength toovercome a strongeropponent. Female Chenstudents sometimes ask mewhat they should do if, oneday, they are attacked in thestreet.

Grabbed From Behind

i. Being attacked from behind in the streetis something that many women areaware could happen. Fig 1

ii. Our attacker grabs the me around theneck and pulls me backwards. I muststay calm, not panic and not fightagainst his strength. Fig 2

iii. Following the pull, I step back with him and use an elbowto strike him forcibly in the abdomen. This halts the attackerand gives me a chance to defend myself. Fig 3a & b

iv. The elbow strike causes the attacker to lean forwards, thisgives me space to relax my waist move in closer and bringmy arm around and behind his shoulder. Fig 4

Self Defencefor Womenusing Chen Style Taijiquan

Self Defencefor Womenusing Chen Style Taijiquan

Fig 1Fig 2

Fig 3aFig 3b Fig 4


v. I follow this through,continuing to turnmy waist whilebringing my armforward and down.At the same time Isweep my legbackwards slightly.Fig 5a & b

Attacked by a Bottle

vi. This completely breaks my attacker’s balance and as he was movingforwards, he falls to the ground. Now I have a head start in escaping.Fig 6This technique relies on maintaing the forwards momentum of the attacker

following the elbow strike and also getting closer to the attacker. This makesit easier to control his centre of gravity. To begin with practise this slowly soas not to hurt your training partner..

Being attacked with a bottle is somethingthat could happen in the street, but sadlyalso in the home by people we know.There is a saying that you should neverstart a row in the kitchen as there aretoo many dangerous implements tohand.

i. An attacker approaches me with aknife or bottle. Again it is importantnot to panic, but to try and stay ascalm and as alert as I can. Fig 7

ii. As he steps forwards and brings thebottle down, I step to the side to getout of the path of it. I make contactwith his arm and follow the forwardand downward momentum of hisstrike. Fig 8

iii. I keep contact with his arm and circleit up and behind him. Fig 9

iv. The movement must come from mywaist, as I circle my arm over hisshoulder and continue taking my armdown so that he falls away from me.Fig 10This technique again uses the

opponent’s forward momentum and useshis strength to make him fall. It isimportant to make your movement smoothand use your whole body together, ratherthan just your arm

by Kate Britton

Fig 5aFig 5b

Fig 6

Fig 7Fig 8

Fig 9

Fig 10


Although it is an inanimate object,soap seems to have an elusivenature, which is not easy to seek

out or grasp, almost to the point whereyou start to think it has a life of it’s ownand is just playing dead, waiting for theright time to escape. You feel around forthe soap and feel your hand brush pastit, so you quickly twist your wrist aroundand backtrack, but it’s gone. So, yousearch about some more, and there itis. You make a lunge, thinking you’vegot it as your hands close on it andsqueeze, but it shoots away to the otherend of the bath, or in some cases out ofthe bath, never to be seen again.

Of course, a bar of soap is notalive, no matter how much youmight imagine it. When youpractise Chi Sau in Wing Chun, itis often like trying to grasp thesoap. You search around yourpartner’s hands feeling for a gap,and then, when you find one, andtry and pass through it, it is gone.So, you turn and try looking foranother angle or change the handtechnique, and there it is, youhave them. You strike, but theyescape again. How is this possible,as you had them right where youwanted?

When you search around forthe soap in the bath, as you moveyour hands through the water, you willcreate undercurrents that will push thesoap away from you. This is the same inChi Sau. If you are too strong you willpush your partner away. They will sensethe heavy currents as such, and moveaway. Equally, if you are too soft, youwill be vulnerable to attack. So, in orderto achieve what you want, it is necessaryto become balanced just like theporridge, chair, and bed in the story ofGoldie Locks and The Three Bears - nottoo hot or cold; not too hard or soft, justright.

Finding the soap is one thing, andholding it in your hand is another. Youhave tracked it down, and now you areready to claim the reward, but as you tryto close upon it, it is gone again. In youreagerness to grasp the reward of yourhard work, any element of surprise is lost,or any advantage you may have had is

gone. This is the same when practisingChi Sau. Through a more balancedapproach, you may have your trainingpartner into a trapped position whereyou feel you can surely strike, but whenyou do so they get away, and all you’releft with is frustration and a return ticketto Square One. In your eagerness to getwhat you want, you have pushed it away,and all your hard work has been wasted.It has been thrown away because whenyou came to the finish, your patiencewent, and you used too much force andmovement, even though you had them

right where you wanted. As you brokecover, if they had enough calmness andstillness (which is the most important thinglearnt whilst practising Siu Lim Tao), thenyou could find yourself now being theone falling into a trap.

Siu Lim Tao teaches you to be stilland calm, not only in the body, but inthe mind. Siu means small and Limmeans to think. Together, they mean toor reduce the thoughts. Be still then witha clear and focused mind and you canachieve what you set out to do. Whenyou get to the point where your goal isin sight, you must maintain the same

stillness. For example, if youuse a 3/4 beat to get in reach of yourgoal, then don’t suddenly double yourtempo. Try to keep your beat whilstupsetting the rhythm of your opponent.

To find out whether or not you canreach your goal, get a training partnerand have them cross their arms with theirfingers pointing towards the ground, flatacross their body. Then, place a bar armacross their arms, as if you managed toclose them into this position. Then withboth of you standing still, try to striketowards them and see if they can escape.More than likely, they will be able to

avoid the strike by turning with aGan Sau or by stepping back.The reason they escape isbecause you were bothstanding still when you

attacked and they felt youmove because theyremained relaxed andstill. So, if you are theperson who is trapped,the lesson is to remaincalm, with a still mind.Then, when you areattacked, you will standa better chance of beingable to escape.

Now, try thesame exercise, but this

time the person who istrapped must try to movefirst. When they do so, see

if you make a successfulstrike or restrict their

movement just a little bit more.This time, you will probably bemore successful in

accomplishing your goal, as long as youstay the one who is calm with a still mind.Wait for your opponent to struggle andbe just like a snake which wraps itselfaround its prey, slowly taking all its spaceaway.

Whichever side you look at thesituation, either trapped or as the trapper,the important part is the stillness withinthat creates the balance. To continue tochase the soap around the bath ispointless – just let it go, and it will settleand come back to you

by Martin [email protected]

Splish, splash! I was having a bath around about Saturdaynight. Rub-a-dub-dub, just sitting in the tub, thinking everythingwas alright. But it wasn’t, because I couldn’t find the soap.

StillnessStillness

Martin Gale (right) tests Simon Frankham’shand position with his Fuk Sau (Resting Hand).


The other day I saw a Hawaiianlandscape painting in a gallery whichshowed the mountains cascading

down to the sea. A full moon shonethrough the waves as they broke againstthe shore. The whole painting had anethereal feel to it and I said to my friendwho was with me, “That paintingdescribes exactly the feeling I have whenI practise Qigong at night.”

Night time is usually the endingpart of the day and so it has adifferent energy than whenpractising in the morning. Morningpractice is more high energy andhelps to prepare youfor the dayahead. Here inHawaii, I feel veryconnected withnature when I see the stars and moonabove me. There is a beach parknearby and it is nice to go there on hotevenings to feel the ocean breezes. AsI practise, I can watch the eveningdrifting in over the mountains and thestars begin to appear. It is almost like ameditation in itself.

However, if travelling, it usuallymeans that I am in London or Manchesterand that work has been using up a lotof my energy stores and so it is ChunYuen Quan that I am more likely topractise at night.

When I was last in the UK, oneevening I came back from the officequite late and I decided not even togo inside but to practise right thereand then. I knew that if I stepped insidethe door, it would be just too temptingto drop onto the sofa or make a cup oftea and get side-tracked. Actually, this ismy habit. Instead, if I just practise beforegoing inside, even for just ten minutes, Iwill feel much better and not carry in mynegative energy (not only good for healthbut for keeping relationshipsharmonious!).

That night, it was actually a mildevening and it was great to feel my bodyrecharging and changing the old Qi forgood Qi. I went through the forms ofXing Shou, Green Swallow, GreatSadness onto the more softer Mi Ju Quan

(Secret Ancestor Fist). Mi Ju Quan(pronounced mee-joo) is an interestingform and can actually be practised witheither two or four people by creating amoving formation going in opposite andthen facing directions.

When I saw Wu Sigong doing thisform for the first time and then my Sifu,I was captured by its dance- l ikerhythmical movements and knew

that I wanted to learn it.It is a very soft formthat is just like practis-

ing Qigong. Itstands out

amongst theother more

energetic forms in theChun Yuen Quan syllabusand it works gently on theshoulder joints and

c h a l l e n g e syour brain

coordination.Now, whenever I practise

this form, I still can visualise WuSigong’s ‘light gong’ stepping and

hear Sifu’s voice in my head chanting,“Da San Bo” (Big Three Steps) or “XiaoSan Bo” (Small Three Steps) the sameas when he taught me.

On this night, as I was practisingMi Ju, I found that I had a perfect shadowimage mirroring me and it was becauseof this that I saw the imbalance of myposture. I had just remarked to someonethat my hip had been hurting me andnow I could see from my shadow that Iwas concentrating my weight too muchon my left side. I carried on with my formto see what else I might learn.

Sure enough, I saw my arms werenot straight when they should be straightand that my right hook was too low. Ialso saw that my feet were too closetogether in some postures and this alsoput too much weight on one side of mybody.

Often when I practise some skill,I will relate in my heart to that particularSigong or my Sifu. Often I will even havea conversation with them (in heart talksthere are no language barriers) and thisnight as I practised, I talked in my mindto Wu Sigong. I asked for his help sothat I might see and correct my mistakes.I want nothing more than to be able topass on the good Chun Yuen skill to myown students yet I know I am not thebest by any means and that I have somuch work to do.

Trying to relax and let myself goas I moved from one posture to another,

I felt like I was in a dance with a partner.I marvelled that I had never noticed thesethings before and felt humbled thatmaybe, just maybe, I had had a partnerfor this evening of practice.

I suppose that when we look in amirror, we often see too many details –some pertinent and some not - whereasa shadow is like a cordial. It is the distilledessence of our form and it is easier tosee the principle things like right postureand stance. On a martial art programmea Japanese Ninja master said, “Learningskill is not just about technique. It is aboutthe heart.” I believe that if we just openourselves, there is still so much to belearned and enjoyed in this dance oflife

by Sihnkei. [email protected]

When we travel, it is not always so easy to keep to a regular practiceschedule and so many times I will just practise whenever there is a sparemoment and often this is late at night after class or after working in the office.I actually like practising outside at night a lot. There is a stillness about it thatis very calming but there is also a magic that is hard to describe.

Shadow DancingShadow Dancing

“I found that I had aperfect shadow imagemirroring me.”


This naturally honed instinct, to survivelife-threatening situations by allmeans necessary, remains with us

today. Though daily incidents of violenceand danger are remote today, the fearsensation exists during confrontations withspiteful bosses, abusive partners, andduring physical confrontations on thestreet.

During moments of fear,adrenaline (stress hormones releasedfrom the adrenal glands) floods thebloodstream, in preparation for ‘fight-or-flight’. This makes the body performbetter, stronger, and faster, and evenblocks pain receptors in the brain. Themore demanding the situation, the moreadrenaline is accumulated and released,the greater the performance output,and the harder it is to control.

When adrenaline isreleased in the body, the legsbegin to quiver and feel weak,the voice develops a distinctlyaudible tremor, palmsbecome sweaty and the facebecomes pale as blood andQi sinks and drains.Nausea, the need tourinate, and “tunnel vision”,are also commonlyassociated experiences.Oxygen is needed to feedthe muscles in preparationfor ‘fight-or-flight’, sobreathing, too, becomeslaboured.

This collective feeling is socommon yet misunderstood, as peoplebecome overwhelmed by it, and in panic,they freeze. Actually this feeling isnothing of which to be ashamed: it mustbe acknowledged so that it can becontrolled and used to advantage. Evenbattle-hardened soldiers say that a soldierclaiming to know no fear in battle iseither a liar or completely mad. CusD’Amato, Mike Tyson’s former trainer,once said, “A fighter has to know fear”.Identifying the external signs in anopponent, while disguising them withinyourself, increases the chances of victory,which may one day save your life.(Psychological advantage and deception,is two thirds of the battle won.)

The fear sensation, paradoxically,creates an unparalleled feeling of‘aliveness’, creating an addiction withinsome people to chase thrills, fromrollercoasters and bungee jumping, togambling, to watching horror films, andeven visiting ‘haunted houses’. Fearweakens the kidneys, which in turncreates more fearfulness and thepropensity to experience fright morereadily.

Anticipation fear (anxiety anddread) causes adrenaline to bereleased more slowly over time thana sudden fright. The feeling is notas intense as when adrenalinecourses through the body, but itdrains Qi from the body.

Looming competition,examinations,

planned confrontations and publicspeaking (for many) all cause this feeling.When adrenaline is not used up, itremains as an unwanted stimulantpreventing sleep. Meditation is a usefultool in preparation for events as it helpsgain control of the mind (which governsQi) and conserves energy, and it replacesQi and helps to calm down afterwards.

Fear is contagious. Within crowdsit can cause panic to spread like a plagueor wild fire. Laozi, in the Dao De Jingwrote, “What all men fear, I too mustfear - how barren and pointless athought!” Irrational fears are a disease

of the mind, a delusion, as most fearsare never realised no matter how muchthey are dwelled upon. Fear is borne ofignorance, so wisdom through knowledgeis the natural antidote to this. Fear (oflosing property, possessions, power,status, and career etc.) is the root ofjealousy, paranoia, and hatred. It is alsoa principal cause of murder. Therefore,

it is the root cause of much miserywe create for ourselves.

Common phobias range fromfear of pain, abandonment (solitude),

death, the dark, ghosts, the cold, andforeigners, to various animals, insects,spiders, reptiles and mice, to technologyand computers, to public speaking (whichactually outranked death, according to

a U.S. study in 2002!), to heights,crowds, or confined spaces, tospeed- to name a few. Moreuncommon phobias includefear of dolls, puppets, andventriloquists dummies tobeggars, clowns and time(clocks).

Fear of failure,success, humiliation andridicule, or consequencesprevents us fromaccomplishing our fullpotential. In the Art ofWar, Sun Tzu said, “If you

know yourself andknow your enemy youneed not fear theoutcome of a hundredbattles”. Knowing

yourself is to understandthat the enemy resides within and thebattlefield is society.

Qigong strengthens the bodyinternally to balance with nature so wedo not need fear the elements, and itbrings up the spirit. Martial arts and HardQigong skills are tools to protect us, sowe need not fear physical attacks. Realpower lies not in controlling others, butin controlling ourselves. Our individualfears must be identified, confronted,overcome and eradicated, so we are freeto live our lives. As President Franklin D.Roosevelt said, “The only thing we haveto fear is fear itself”

by Adam [email protected]

Since primeval times, our ancestors were forced to fight in order to eatand survive and flee from predators and wild beasts that were too big, toostrong or too dangerous to confront. Thus, fear, or the ‘fight-or-flightresponse’, was a common everyday occurrence.

Nothing to FearNothing to Fear

Testing bones, muscle and skin in Hard Qigong Level III


Garden Feng ShuiThe final part of our look at how the garden or lack of

one effects your Feng Shui and so your life’s energy.

Garden Feng Shui

21 If you have a garden to the left ofyour house, then it means the menin the house will be more relaxedthan the ladies.

22 If the garden is on the right handside, then the opposite will be trueand the ladies will be more relaxedthan the men.

23 If there is a garden at the front, thenthe house has good financial support.

24 If the garden is at the back it meansthe family can have relaxing timestogether and their relationship willbe good.

25 If the garden is very clear and tidywith beautiful flowers and plants,then it means the family has goodfinances, career and relationships.

26 If the garden is very messy, dirty andhas a lot of dying plants it meansthe people living there have financialand relationship problems.

27 If the garden attracts a lot of birdsand small animals then it means thepeople of the house will be healthyand happy.

28 If the garden does not attract andbirds or small animals, then thefamily in the house might havehealth problems and so of coursethey will not be happy.

29 If the garden has a lot of bloomingflowers, it means the family are veryromantic and have a goodrelationship. If a single man or womanlives there, then they will have arelationship very soon.

30 If the plants in the garden die veryquickly, it means the people there willhave health problems.

31 If the garden has a lot of plants, somany that there is no space to walk,it means the people will be very busyor they may not have enough rest.

32 If the garden has a lot of big trees init, then the family will have a lot ofoutside support.

33 If the garden has trees that have beencut down it means that someone willhave a health or finance problem.

34 If there are many dying or cut downtrees in the garden, then the peopleliving in the house will have morehealth and finance problems.

35 Each tree or plant represents luck forthe house. The more healthy the treesand plants, then the more healthy,happy and rich the people living therewill be.

36 If the garden has a fish pond, it meansgood finances.

37 If there are a lot of happy fish in thepond, then the people will have agood family life.

38 If the fish die before they becomebig, then the people in the house willnot be healthy and they will havesecret problems outside that they donot know about.

39 If the fence around the garden is quitehigh so that outside people cannotsee in, then it means the family willbe protected from outside people.

40 If the fence is broken, it meansmoney and security is not good andmoney can be lost.

The Feng Shui of the garden isvery important and so we must take careof it as it relates to our health. Even ifyou do not have a garden, you must havesome public space or park nearby. Thiswill be good for your health and wisdom.

Even a small garden needs to betaken care of and then we can use itwhen we have leisure time and enjoybeing in it. Then we will never be undertoo much stress and so we will behealthier. A healthy body will bring usluck and success

by Michael Tse

The “left or “right” of the house is determined bystanding in the house and looking out

A gardento the left ismore beneficialfor the man ofthe house.

A garden tothe right is morebeneficial for thelady of the house.


Green Dragon Sword has its roots in the Shaolin Temple and its branches in Beijing Opera. In Chinese opera elaborate movement,props and costuming are used to create an emotion and feeling in the audience. So if a martial art fight was being shown, theperformer really would know some skill, having begun to train at a very young age. However, performers also had to be able to bevery dramatic in order to excite the audience and so traditional martial art forms become embellished to make them look evenbetter on stage but without losing the fighting principles. Green Dragon Sword is a form which would have been used to train theopera singers and some parts would even have been performed on stage.

This special sword form is very unique in that it uses a long Gim Seui (tassel). The tassel is just as important as the sword in thisform as it can be used for attack as well as show. When you learn how to swing the tassel just right, then you know your body isrelaxed and coordination is in harmony.

Part I: For beginners Part II : For those carrying on from previous seminars.

7 - 10August2006

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