Issue 77 - Tse Qigong Centre

Cover: Michael Tse and his teachersQi 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 MoyVera ExternestMartin GaleSarah MoyClaire SpruceLegal Adviser:Marketing/Distribution:Sweden:Assistants:Peter DiesnerCaroline GarveyJane PollardTony WalshJessica BlackwellBarbro OlssonStefan EekenulvConsultantsGrandmaster Yang MeijunGrandmaster Ip ChunGrandmaster Wu Chun YuenGrandmaster ChenXiao WangPeter AndersenMartin GaleJohn HayesSihn KeiAdam WallaceColumnists:Kate BrittonGlennGosslingHelenMassyShulan TangJulian WildeReaders 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 2005.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored or transmitted in any way without thewritten permission of Michael Tse.Advertising: Qi Magazine has proved to be an effective wayof reaching a wide variety of people. All enquirieswelcome.For UK call: 0161 929 4485 For USA call: (808)528 8501Subscription: Costs per year:UK£20 inc p&p.USA$35 inc p&pEurope £25 (airmail) inc p&p.Worldwide £35 (airmail) inc p&p.For UK/Europe/WorldwidePlease send payment in Pounds Sterling. Payment can beby Credit Card or Cheque, drawn on a UK bank, payableto Qi Magazine:Qi MagazinePO Box 59 Altrincham, WA15 8FS, UKLocal Rate Tel. 0845 838 2285Tel:0161 929 4485email: tse@qimagazine.comFor USA/CanadaPlease send payment in US Dollars. Payment can be byCredit Card or Check payable to Qi Magazine:Tse Qigong CentrePO Box 15807, Honolulu HI 96830Tel: (808) 528 8501 Fax:(928) 441 6578email tse@wildgooseqigong.comhttp://www.qimagazine.comISSN 1358-3778Life is short. This is very true and wemust catch the time we have anddo the things we need to do andmake a life of meaning and purpose. Ifwe waste too much time watching TV,playing computer games, drinking andpartying, then one day when we areolder we might look back and think whata big waste of time.I was very lucky. From the age often I knew what I wanted. I wanted tobe a martial artistand this I knew aftermy father took mywhole family to seethe movie “The BigBoss” in Hong Kong in1970. It was BruceLee’s first movie andI was completelytaken by him, he wasa hero and I wantedto be like him, havehis skill and do goodthings to help victimsof injustice and theweak.So I started totrain myself, doing situps,push ups,running and traininghow to punch andkick. I even made upmy own martial artforms. Of coursethese were based onthe movie fightingthat I hadseen, andthey musthave lookedquite crazy.Today, when Italk to otherpeople whowere aroundat thosetimes and were interested in martial arts,I found that he influenced everyone. Hewas everyone’s hero.Fortunately, I was able to starttraining correctly with my uncle, Tse ChiuHung, who taught Wing Chun Kung Fu,bone-setting and Chinese herbalmedicine. My uncle studied Wing Chununder Grandmaster Ip Man, who wasBruce Lee's teacher. This was such acoincidence and I found I was startingmy journey in a similar way to how BruceLee had done, but at this time my herohad already passed away, as had histeacher Ip Man.Martial arts are my love, they arein my heart and they are my light asthey showed me my direction in life. Iput all my energy into training but, as aside effect, they also brought me lowmarks atschool. I didnot do well atschool andwhen I hadc o m p l e t e ds e c o n d a r yschool. I couldnot continue.Even when Itried as muchas I could, mymind wouldnot concentrate.Natureis always likethat, “Oneloss, onegain”. I enjoyedmyA traditional photo of Michael, his uncleand two cousinsWing Chuntraining verymuch and itwas throughthis that I“Martial arts aremy love, they are inmy heart.”discovered Qigong. My uncle was verystrict and made me practise Siu Lim Tao(Wing Chun’s first form) for at least halfan hour. With only a little movement,this taught me to be patient, and quicklyI found that once I accepted the trainingit changed from a boring, painful choreto a calm relaxed feeling. Then I begancontinued on page 8Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 1

1 Editorialwith Michael Tse.4 PO Box7 Principle, not the TechniqueHow often have you wondered which technique you shoulduse when studying martial arts? The answer can be foundin the principles that guide your art.By John Hayes10 Taste of Sweet and SourEverything has it unique aspects. What makes things thesame or different depends on your point of view. How youuse this knowledge is perhaps more important.By Julian Wilde11 Taijiquan & DaoismTaijiquan is credited as being a Daoist art. This does notmean that you have to follow Daoism as a religion, butwhat does it mean?By Glenn Gossling12 Creative PracticeWhat you get out of your practise depends a lot on whatyou are looking for. If you look for different things it willkeep your mind fresh and outlook open.By Helen Massy12 Instructor InsightHighlighting another Tse Qigong Centre instructor.14 CastlesIn martial arts your defences are like the walls of a castle.How does Wing Chun protect its walls?By Martin Gale16 Head Massage to Fight FatigueMassage stimulates the Qi and blood. When you are tired,it can help not only to ease aches and pains, but also tokeep you alert and awake.By Zeng Qingnan and Liu Daoqing17 Food Cure for AsthmaMany foods can affect your lungs. If you eat the right thingsthen it can help to make them stronger and so ease Asthmaand other problems.By Jessica Blackwell18 Chan Si JingWe are lucky enough to present to you an article by one ofthe foremost masters of Chen style Taijiquan – GrandmasterChen Zhou Kui.By Chen Yu collated from his father’s notes21 Sky Eye or Sprit TalkZhi Gong or the Mad Monk is a well known Daoist figure inChina. People go to him to ask for help and advice. Howdoes this work? Here we try to find out.By Jessica BlackwellAnniversary Special...Anniversary Special...24 Celebrating in StyleThis is the 15 th Anniversaryof the Tse Qigong Centreand Qi Magazine. Tocelebrate this milestonethe Centre held ademonstration of all itsskills to showcase MasterTse, his students andgrand-students.By Jessica Tse36 Golden Days and a Bright FutureA personal and inside look at how the Tse Qigong Centreand Sifu Tse has developed over the years.By Darryl Moy38 Tempus Fugit (Time is fleeting or that cup of teawent a long way!)The author, John Hayes was the very first student of theTse Sifu and the Tse Qigong Centre and is fondly called,“Dai Si Bak” (Big older uncle) by all. Here he shares hismemories and thought on the 15th Anniversary.By John Hayes40 Anniversary InsightsThoughts, observation and memories of the past 15 year.Anniversary Special...Anniversary Special...page 2 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

44 Chinese TeaTea plays a great role in many cultures around the world. InChina, tea is still the first drink and plays an important partof everyday life.By Jessica Blackwell46 In the Tiger’s MouthA look at how Wing Chun can be used to defend againstmultiple attackers.By Peter Baird48 Chen Style Taiji 19 FormContinuing this series on the short form created byGrandmaster Chen Xiao Wang.By Michael Tse55 Daoist Wisdom for Healthy LivingWisdom that can lead you to a healthy mind and body –real balance.By Adam Wallace56 The Story of Wing Chun - Part 2Having escaped the government soldiers, Ng Mui makes adiscovery which was to change the face of Chinese martialarts and the world.By Michael Tse58 River CityWuhan is not as well known as Beijing, Shanghai or HongKong. So here we have chance to learn more about thisancient city.By Peter Andersen59 Feng Shui of the CarMany people will not have considered the Feng Shui of theircar. How does this affect you and what does your choice ofwheels say about you?By Michael TseKung 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 £100Kang 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 £105Chinese 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 £57White Wax Wood Staff (Length 200cm)Tse Qigong Centre members £40 / Non-members £45Wing Chun Knives - Baat Jam Dao (Length 45cm)Tse Qigong Centre members £110 / Non-members £120Prices 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)LongquanDragon Knife(Broadsword)To order contact:Tse Qigong Centre PO Box 59Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285tse@qimagazine.comLongquan (Taiji)Dragon SwordQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 3

POBox POBox POBox...FreeDemosDemonstration fever has not quite left us yetas in October the Tse Qigong Centre will beholding two free demonstrations of Qigong, WingChun and Chen Taijiquan in Manchester andBirmingham. These are “mini-demonstrations”compared to the recent London event, but theywill give you a taster.Manchester:Friday 28 October 2005, 7-8.30pmFriends Meeting House6 Mount Street. M2 5NSBirminghamSaturday 29 th October 2005, 2-3.30pmGem Sports HallAston University, Aston TriangleBirmingham. B4 7ETFor more information please call the Tse QigongCentre on 0845 838 2285WudangSwordDateChange29/30 OctWudang Sword seminar due to take place inNorwich has been rescheduled and will nowtake place on the 29/30 of October. The coursehas been brought forward as it will now be taughtby Master Michael Tse. This is an opportunity forthose people who have started this form tocontinue their studies and a chance for those peoplewho missed the seminar earlier in the year to beginthe form. For more information please contact:Julian Wilde on: 01603 465 189.2006 SeminarsSeminars are a great atmosphere in which to learn. If you are too faraway to attend regular classes they offer the ideal solution. You canstudy intensively over a weekend and then return later in the yearto polish and continue your learning. For those who attend regular classesthe increased amount of time and also greater depth in to which youcan go will only serve to increase your skill.The year 2006 falls in our 15th Anniversary year and there aresome new courses that have never been taught before. The SummerResidential Courses will once again be the highlight with the GreenDragon Sword being held. This is a chance for those people who startedin the form in 2004 to polish and continue learning this amazing formand those people who missed the course to start it.UKTriple Crossing Spiral Gong Chen Taijiquan New FrameYijing & Plum Blossom Prediction Hard Qigong Level IIXing ShouWing Chun Baat Jam DoKunlun 28 Constellation Gong Joint Opening GongChun Yuen Five Tiger Knife Eight Pulling Waist GongXing ShouJoint Opening GongChen SpearDamo StaffNorth AmericaSwedenDamo StaffTriple Crossing Spiral GongWudang SwordPlum Blossom GongItalyKunlun Twining Hands Wild Goose 1st 64NowayWild Goose 1st 64New ZealandSwimming Dragon GongAustraliaTriple Crossing Spiral Gong Seven Star Opening GongFor full details please see the leaflet inside this issue or go to our website:www.qimagazine.comebay MagsWhen recently visiting one of the students houses, I saw a largestack of Qi Magazines on his table and began looking throughall the back issues. I saw that some were quite old and wassurprised that he had so many back issues which I knew were before histime to join the Centre. When he saw me looking at the magazines, hequite proudly announced that he had gotten them on EBAY where hehas a standing search for things relating to Qi Magazine, Tse QigongCentre and Chinese culture. I knew Qi Magazine was spreading out butdid not know that it was so popular to be found on EBAY!page 4 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Good TimingDear Michael Tse,I work for a large reference libraryin central London. This week I wassearching the catalogues for another bookI wanted to read when I came across earlyissues of Qi Magazine. I have taken someto my office desk to read and havealready found an article about exercisesto relieve knee pain. This is particularlyrelevant at the moment as my husbandhas problems with his knees. Thank youfor being there retrospectively.Yours sincerely,C, LondonDear C,Thank you for your letter to letus know that you enjoyed Qi Magazineand found something that could help youand your husband. Sometimes I myselfam surprised at how muchknowledge we have in themagazine and enjoy to look backthrough the old issues as well.Best wishes to you,Michael TseWild VersionsDear Sifu Tse,Are there two differentversions of Wild Goose Qigongtaught? I have recently seenthree other senior students ofYang Mei Jun who all said theylearned under her and all threeof the forms have considerabledifferences in the form, like inthe first 36 movements of firstform. Was there a national formversion of Wild Goose Qigongbeing taught as well as close doorforms? I am just curious and donot want to waste time on thewrong path.Thanks,W, Michigan, USADear W,Thank you for your enquiry. Thereis only one form of Wild Goose Qigongthat was taught by my teacher. However,some people may have learned the formfrom a weekend seminar and not havebeen polished. It is just like making aphotocopy of a photocopy. The furtheraway from the original the photocopy,the more distorted it becomes.There were many people whovisited my Sifu but did not study with heror who maybe only studied with one ofher students instead. If someone has reallystudied with a teacher, then other students(their Qigong brothers and sisters) of theteacher must know that person. Also, ifthey have studied for a while, even theteacher’s family will have heard of themand will have met them.Wild Goose Qigong is a veryprofound form and when someone firstlearns, they are just copying themovements and will not understand somuch about the principle or be able tomake the energy flow. This is because thebody is not ready. The more you practisethe Wild Goose with right principles, themore your channels will open and Qi flowand the movements will be more relaxedand have the right energy.Principles are very important andthere are the guidelines to make sure theform is right. Everyone has a differentbody shape andmay be older,younger, etc. Thisalone means thatno one look exactlylike each otherwhen practising theform. So how canyou tell if someoneis practising WildGoose Qigongproperly? First theymust be relaxed. Ifthey are not“Many thinkhealing is a gift butfor me, it is a skill.”relaxed, the Qi cannot flow. The firstmovement, Spread Wings, has us comingup onto the balls of the foot while thearms are open. If you are not relaxed,then you will not be able to keep yourbalanced without distorting themovement. So we already see that wemust be relaxed in the very firstmovement.Also, our breathing should benatural and not forced. This is the samefor any of the Dayan Qigong forms. Wealways breathe through the nose. Ifsomeone is exhaling through the mouthor inhaling through the mouth, this is thewrong principle for Dayan Qigong andshows that the person does not yet knowenough and soon they will not be healthy.Another way to see if a person ispractising the Wild Goose Qigongproperly is to see if the movements connectwith the right acupuncture points. Forinstance, in the movement, Flick Wings,we bring the Hegu points to the back toconnect with the Shenshu points and thenrelease the Qi around the Dai Mai. In themovement, Grasp Qi, we touch the Houxipoint to the Qihu point. There are over50 acupuncture points which commonlyare used in Wild Goose Qigong 1 st & 2 nd64 forms and so we already have a lot ofhelp to make sure our hands and feet arein the right position.Actually, all the Dayan Qigongforms connect with some knowledge ofTraditional Chinese Medicine theory. Forinstance, Cotton Palm uses slapping todredge the channels of toxins and BaguaTwining Hands uses chopping and specialmovements to stimulate and balance theliver Qi. So the teacher should have someunderstanding of the correct acupuncturepoints and names of the channels thatrelate to the movements.However, one of the mostimportant things to consider is whetheror not the teacher is healthy. Also, lookat his/her students and whether they aregood-natured and also healthy. If amajority of the students are upset or arenot happy, itmeans thatsomething isnot right. Whenwe practiseproperly, ouremotions willbecome morebalanced as ourinternal organsb e c o m estronger. Whenthe internal organs are healthy, the mindwill also be clear.In traditional Chinese culture, therelationship with a teacher and studentis like that of father and son (even if theteacher is a woman and/or the student awoman). Often, a teacher would haveonly a few close students, maybe evenonly one. This is because they did notwant the skill to be diluted by someonewho did not respect it or practise it in theright way, particularly the Wild Gooseform. If you use a lot of strength topractise this form and use the wrongQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 5

principles, then you might even cause aproblem. The term, “Sifu” means teachingfather and this means that it is arelationship that is very close and noteasily broken. In the past, loyalty waseverything and a loyal student wouldsometimes even take their teacher’ssurname as their own, showing that theywould never betray their teacher.Today, it is a different world.However, when my Sifu, GrandmasterYang Meijun, was still alive I went backto visit her every year. Sometimes shewould polish my forms but sometimes wewould just talk about the principles ofhealing and the Dayan Qigong andDaoism and Buddhism. She knew that shewould not always be here to correct herstudents forms and so she taught me thatthe principles are the foundation foreverything. If you can understand theprinciple for one form, you canunderstand the principles for the entireDayan Qigong system. If you canunderstand the principles for the DayanQigong system, then you will understandthe principle for Daoism and Buddhismand this is a lot.I hope that these things will helpyou find the right teacher and start onyour Wild Goose Qigong journey.With kind regards,Michael TseBreathingRightDear Mr Tse,I have been trying to learn Qigongby myself. I have found that in doingthe diaphragmic breathing (bellybreathing), that if I do this alone I feel alack of air and must also do chestbreathing together with it. Is this correct,or is this a stage in the learning/progressor is something wrong?YB, IsraelDear Y,Thank you for writing to me withyour question about your breathingexercises. Actually, I do not reallyrecommend someone to do just breathingexercises on their own. Sometimes you canuse the wrong type of breathing exercisefor your body condition and create toomuch fire (heat) in the body or even asyou say, make yourself breathless. In thetype of Qigong that I teach, we let themovements tell us what kind of breathingwe need to do. We do not even need tothink about it. Sometimes, the more weQigong Pain ReliefDear Mr Tse,I have a condition of Neuropathy (loss of sensation & constant pain) inthe feet from diabetes. Do you know of any Qigong exercises which wouldspecifically work the feet to help with this problem?R, NYDear R,Thank you for writing to us. Today, diabetes is affecting many people,even children. It is a disease relates to liver function and that is why not only thecirculation but the eyes are affected, as eyes relate to the liver in Chinese medicinetheory.Qigong can help in many ways and first we can do exercises that work forthe circulation and building up Qi. Some of the exercises in Healthy Living GongPart II are ideal for your condition. One of the exercises, Pointing to the Middle ofChina, uses pointing with the index finger to directly stimulate the liver andblood. When you do this exercise, you will begin to feel warm and more relaxed.Another exercise, Opening the Channels by Touching the Fingers, will stimulatethe channels in the hands and also bring up Qi in the heart as the hand positionconnects with the Middle Dantian and Pericardium Channel.With Healthy Living Gong, you can start with any of the three parts andfollow through to learn the exercises one by one if learning with the DVD. Part IIhas both Yin and Yang movements and I am sure that if you practise gently andtry to follow along the best you can, you will start to feel some benefit in yourfeet. When you feel pain, this is because the Qi trying to pass through thechannels but because you do not have enough blood to carry the Qi at thismoment, the Qi cannot go through. Even when you begin the Qigong, you maystill experience pain for awhile but slowly your condition will improve if youcontinue your practise enough.With kind regards,Michael TsePointing to the Middle of China1 2 3 4think about something, it is like putting itunder a microscope and we will focus onthe wrong thing, forgetting that breathingis only one part of Qigong. Although I donot know anyone in Israel teachingQigong, perhaps you can follow some ofthe simple Qigong exercises found in myDVD, Healthy Living Gong – Part I anduse the accompanying book as furtherreference on how to practise Qigong,healing and meditation. The HealthyLiving Gong covers all kinds of movementsand will help make your healthier insideand more flexible and grounded outside.Good luck with your practise,Michael Tsepage 6 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

In my last contribution I talked about finding ways to inject new energy into yourpersonal training in order to further develop your Wing Chun. Once it was published Irealised that I had missed some important advice, so rather than saying to you that Imessed up we will call this part two.Principle, not the TechniqueThis reminds me of a quote attributedto an anonymous author “Of all thethings in life that I have lost it is mymind I miss the most!”I believe that the process oflearning most skills in life is 80% mentalattitude and 20% physical application.Having a defined goal and making apositive affirmation at the start of anyventure goes a long way to making it areality. How many people wander intothings in life, have a little dabble andthen move on without setting themselvesany goals and then wonder why theydidn’t succeed. If you have nothing asyour goal then that is exactly what youwill achieve, nothing! Once youhave decided that WingChun is for you set yourselfsome objectives.Remember the oldChinese proverb “I forgetwhat I hear” ‘I rememberwhat I see” but “I learnwhat I do”. You are morelikely to remember andlearn what you becomeinvolved in, so make yourdevelopment your own.Learn andunderstand the principlesassociated witheverything you are taughtand learn to apply them to whatevertechnique you are being taught. This isthe key to opening up and developingskill. If you can do this you will walk awaywith many variables each time someoneteaches you one technique orcombination because in understandingthe principle you will have the basis toexperiment for yourself without beingtold what to do next. You will then addpersonal expression to what you arelearning and that is what keeps theinterest alive. Discovering and learninga new skill and then going through theprocess of adding what is specifically yourown makes it worth studying. Even thoughwe analyse it in a semi scientific wayremember, we call it a martial art withthe emphasis on art. It is not an exactscience as we are not machines.When I talk of principles I meanthe general skills that apply to thespecifics that you learn. They are alwayspresent and implicit in everything youlearn. Footwork, timing, maintaining yourcentre/composure, developingawareness, protecting centre line,relaxation, timing, effective speed,positional awareness, good techniquefrom correct attitude, ability to flow fromone situation to another, application ofappropriate response.An example of training accordingto principle rather than technique can befound in your footwork. This often underestimatedarea of training helps you toadhere to two major principles of WingChun, namely maintaining your owncentre and protecting your centre line.Good footworkallows yout os t a ys a f ew i t h i nc o n t a c trange ofyour opponentand it is at this range that you learn thepracticalities of fighting. You should aimto reach a comprehensive understandingof the optimum attack and defenceposition so that you develop a naturalreaction for all eventualities. To completeyour understanding always think of apractical application that suits your skillset. Short, sharp and to the point,minimum wind up, maximum effect.If you understand and assimilatethe principle then you don’t need to worryunduly about accumulating techniques,combinations and all their variations. Ofcourse technique is important but theyare easily acquired if you understand theprinciple. Being a collector of differenttechniques is like buying a lotof books and never readingthem. You will have animpressive collection taking up space butnot serving any purpose because theyhave not been used. It defeats thepurpose for which it was created.We have a great tool for learningand exploration in Wing Chun and thatis Chi Sau. But remember Chi Sau is theframework for applying technique andlearning the principles that will enhanceyour skill. It is not the destination butrather a way of giving you a safe journeyand a training framework.Most people would agree that themore time you spend learning the betteryour skill becomes but in reality timespent is only half the story because theway you use that time is highly influentialin developing your skills and furtheringyour personal development. You have tolearn to maximize the time available toyou over the course of a week. An excuseabout not having enough time usuallymeans that it is not a priority, which isfair enough if you are honest withyourself. If you assimilated one lessonfrom every class you take and made itpart of your practice you would masterthe art in no time but you have to investtime in the process. My suggestion is toaim to put aside 20 minutes a day anddistribute your practice evenly over theweek. Doesn’t sound like a lot? Well itisn’t but it gets you in the habit and it isamazing how often 20 minutes become40. That investment means you are in aposition to maximize your class andpartner training time.Try this approach once you havebeen taught something. From a classfocus on one aspect only and don’t try toremember everything. Practise what youhave been taught, repeat it again aftera few minutes and try again after anhour. A short review in the morning afteran overnight rest helps to reinforce thepoint because sleep reinforces memory.A short practice each day for a monthand then it will be yours for life. This sortof schedule can drastically improveretention of what you have been taughtby John Hayes.john@qimagazine.comQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 7

to feel a warm energy moving andrunning through my whole body. I didnot know what this was and when I askedmy uncle and he explained that it wasQi. Of course I had heard of Qi as this issomething all Chinese people grow uphearing about. I did not realise that inmy Wing Chun I was also practisingQigong. My uncle explained that the highlevel martial art is Qigong. WithoutQigong training any martial art is justexternal and will not last long.From then I started to pay moreattention to Siu Lim Tao and from halfan hour the time extended to forty-fiveminutes, even though my legs wereshaking and my whole body wastrembling. It was especially hard as I wasstill a young boy and at the end of eachpractise I could not move my legs.However I found that my upper body feltvery light and my eyesight was very clear.Everyday I practised Siu Lim Tao. Timewent by and sadly my uncle eventuallypassed away. Then I carried on my WingChun journey with my second Sifu,Grandmaster Ip Chun. He was the eldestson of Ip Man, my hero Bruce Lee’steacher. I was very fortunate to find himand still study with him to this day.After I had finished my schoolingI joined the Royal Hong Kong Police Forceand became a policeman. During thistime, as well as continuing my Wing Chunstudies, I read as much about martial artsand Qigong as I could and I had startedlearning Hard Qigong. Then in 1984 Iwas introduced to a famous Qigongmaster in China, Grandmaster YangMeijun. She was one of the top Qigongmasters in China and was evenrecognised and respected by the Chinesegovernment.At that time in China, Qigongwas becoming more and more popular.Hundreds and thousands of people werestudying it. Everyone benefited fromQigong, many diseases were cured andmany people developed amazingabilities to heal people with their Qi,some could see the Qi and see theproblems and diseases that peoplesuffered from with their Sky Eye (ThirdEye). Other could walk into a room andtell you what was happening before theycame in, some could move objects likean apple from one room to another.Some could create electricity and cook asmall fish in theirpalm. All kinds ofamazing psychicabilities developedbecause theypractised Qigong.However the thingthat interested peoplemost was how Qigongcould be used to healpeople.GrandmasterYang Meijun was oneof the top masters inChina in the late1980’s. She inheritedthe Dayan Qigongskill from hergrandfather, Yang DeShan. From the age of13 until she was 70years old she kept theskill secret and trainedherself. Then whenshe was 80 years oldshe opened the skilland taught people.She helped so manypeople and savedmany lives. Her skillhas so many differentsets of movement(forms). You movelike a wild goose toopen the acupuncturepoints and smooththe channels. Dailypractice will heal allkinds of illness and inthe end you will havebuilt up so much Qithat you can use thisfor healing others andalso you will livelonger.“All kinds of amazing psychabilities developed becausethey practised Qigong.”Dayan Qigong became verypopular and Grandmaster Yang wasinvited to teach in many different areas.I thought that this was a good opportunityto study with her and I was againfortunate to be accepted by her, and soI started my Qigong journey. Then, afterfour years training, in 1988, I moved tothe UK. However, Dayan Qigong is nota simple skill. It is very deep withphilosophy, movements, meditation,Buddhist and Daoist healing knowledge.page 8 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

“We should take careof this skill, not changeor damage it.”So even after I moved to England, Icontinued studying with my teacher.In 1990 I started my Qigongteaching and set up my own Qigongcentre, the Tse Qigong Centre, with myteacher Grandmaster Yang Meijun’s fullsupport. Developing the Tse QigongCentre has allowed many more peopleto benefit from Dayan Qigong. Some ofmy students even travelled back to Chinawith me to visit their Sigong (grandteacher). She was very happy to seethem.Over the years the Centre hasgrown a lot. In the beginning there wereonly classes in Manchester and London;now we have classes all over the UK,across the USA, Canada, Sweden.Norway, Australia, New Zealand andItaly. There are almost 80 people whohave qualified as instructors for theCentre. The Centre follows the traditionalway. It is not like a school were anyonecan be an instructor. Students need twothings, one is of course good skill, butsomehow, good skill is the easy part andit just needs a lot of practice and if youwork hard you can get it. The other thingis more difficult, that is a good heart. Itmeans you must care about the skill,respect it and your teacher. If someonedoes not respect their teacher, then theywill not be an instructor because if theydo not respect the teacher who has giventhem the skill then their own studentswill not respect them. It is a chainreaction.Also they do not deserve the skilland these people will not respectanybody. If they cannot respect someonewho has been helping them then howcan they really respect anyone else? TheCentre’s skill comes from manyancestors, from their hard work inpreserving the skill. We should take careof this skill, keep it as it is, not change ordamage it and not dishonour ourancestors. This skill belongs to them andwe have just borrowed it. It is likeborrowingacar from a friend. If you takecare of the car, drive safely, make surethat it is not damaged or dirty and whenyou have finished fill it up with fuel, thenyour friend will always let you borrow it.If you do not take care of it and do notfill it up after you have finished, thenyou will not have a second chance toborrow it.As we respect and take care ofthe skill, we can benefit from it and earnthe trust of our teachers, then we willlearn much more than we ever expected.Thus the Tse Qigong Centre has a lot ofvery good teachers. They all started outas beginners and became seniors. Somehave been with me for over 15 yearsand so they have been with me longerthan the Centre has existed. We have alot of juniors following the seniors whohave very good hearts and are very loyal.Of course, it has been a long hardjourney. Students have had to be loyaland respectful and care about the otherstudents. They have had to respect theirteacher and not sell the skill, onlyteaching those people who respected itand them. It has taken time to grow andso some students and teachers have notmade it this far. However we have a lotof wonderful and talented students, sothe journey has paid off.On the 23 rd of July 2002 myteacher Grandmaster Yang Meijun leftus. We all feel sad for this, but we knowshe is looking after us in a spiritual way.We are safe and the Centre carries onand on. The new wild geese are growingand the Qigong skill is blossoming.This year is the Centre’s 15 thAnniversary. I believe as long as ourhearts are right it will continue. TheCentre does not just teach Qigong, thereare martial arts, Wing Chun, ChenTaijiquan, Chun Yuen Quan, HardQigong as well as Feng Shui, Yijing,Chinese Culture, philosophy and Qigonghealing. I would like to take thisopportunity to thank all my teachers,Yang Meijun, Ip Chun, Wu Chun Yuen,Chen Xiao Wang, Zhang Jia Liang andFung Man Yiu. Also thank you to thosegood and loyal students, John Hayes,Darryl Moy, Jessica Tse, Julian Wilde,Glenn Gossling, Shahriar Sepangi, AdamWallace, Rick Charles, SheilaWaddington, Stefan Eekenulv, BarbroOlsson and Martin Lavelle who havebeen with me for over 15 years. Thereare also many good students who havebeen with us for over 10 and 5 yearsand those who have just began thejourney with us. The Centre belongs toall those people who love and respect itand who are loyal and will take care ofit.Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 9

I really like the taste of sweet and sour sauce on Chinese food butI wouldn’t want to put it on everything, otherwise I’d miss the uniqueflavour of the original dishes. In a Chinese restaurant every mealprepared has something different to offer (and aren’t we glad of it!).Taste Of Sweet And SourIam often surprised, when receivingenquiries about Taiji classes, that alot of people’s reply to the question,“Have you done any Taiji before?” is “No,but I’ve done Yoga and Pilates.” Well,good for them but that’s relevant how?I’ve done a lot of gardening in my timebut that doesn’t qualify me to advise youabout the electrical wiring inyour house!I think allinstructors notice thatbeginners who practisemore than one style orskill, for example Taiji andShaolin, will perform bothstyles in the same way.Their skills have only oneflavour, usually a strangemixture of the two styles.Similarly, someone who hasbeen practising one skill for a longtime and then takes up another willtransfer their way of moving from thefirst skill to the second. Their Shaolin willhave a distinctly Taiji flavour. It’sunavoidable for a while. Everything willtaste of sweet and sour!But we should try and approachour skills with an “empty cup” (I’massuming you all know the old Zen story)and attempt to feel and then express theenergy and the principles of each skillon their own terms. We do the skills adisservice if we don’t make this attemptand we may not get the full benefit ofour training either. It’s good to have a“mother skill” but we shouldn’t justtransfer this way of moving onto otherskills. Anyway, it’s fun and it’s good forus to learn different ways of moving thebody – and the mind.To use another analogy, peopleoften ask of Taiji, “What's the self defenceapplication for this move?” But actually,each move has quite a few applications.I just pick what seems the easiest tounderstand and what will work for thatparticular student. Taiji is not a limitedself defence system - though there areonly a handful of principles to understandintellectually, there are many ways toapply the principles in fighting.page 10 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005To broaden the picture a bit, allreligions and philosophies tell us thereare certain spiritual principles that governthe universe and having once seen,experienced or connected with theseprinciples, we can never quite see thingsthe same way again. It’s like seeing theclapboard, wire and struts behind aHollywood set. You can no longer believeit’s Paris or a Wild West street. Of course,if you’re in the movie, people may betrying to seduce you or shoot you downand you have to act/react accordingly! Butyour perception willhave changed.However,we now haveto dealw i t hthatchanged perception, that glimpse of er..an ultimate reality plus the usual dayto-day,shared reality we call the worldor the ten thousand things (from the DaoDe Jing). Though ultimately everythingis one, people, situations, etc. still havea separate reality and therefore aseparate value. Even the Dalai Lama orthe Pope still have to choose between(and therefore value) either tea orcoffee. I believe that all beings, humanand non-human are on the path toenlightenment but I still have to makejudgements and treat different people,different situations in different ways.We hopefully have underlyingprinciples which we can apply tosituations. That helps a lot. For example,if we always try to be kind we’ll makegood karma for all. But what constitutesa kindness to one person may not be akindness to another. To do a kindness toperson “A” may involve a hug, the words“It’s ok” and a chat over a cup of tea. Todo a kindness to person “B” may involvethe words “I’m not going to be involvedin anything you do until you stop screwingup. Now go away and think about it.”Different methods, of course, but stilltrying to give each person what theyneed to change and grow. Oneprinciple, different applications.So please be clear aboutthe principles, in your variousskills and in your approach to“A kindness toone person maynot be a kindnessto another.”life, but be prepared also to be flexiblein your mind about applying thoseprinciples in different ways. Though weall have days we could quite accuratelydescribe as sweet and sour, the universeis too big to just have one flavour! It’sup to us to do our best to apply ourprinciples skilfully. The result, the wisesay, belongs to the gods. Only the effortbelongs to usby Julian Wilde.jules@qimagazine.com

Taijiquan has had a slow introduction to the West. It first became known afterthe Second World War and interest only really picked up during the 1970s. At that timethe major schools in the West were from the Yang family tradition and sub-traditions.Taijiquan and DaoismTaijiquan was taught primarily as ahealth exercise like yoga. There wasa mild flirtation with Easternmysticism but little was taught or knownabout its martial aspect.In fact throughout the world therewas a debate as to whether Taijiquanactually was a martial art. According toChen family tradition Taijiquan originatedwith Chen Wangting at the end of theMing and start of the Qing Dynasties inthe mid-seventeenth century. ChenWangting inherited a family tradition ofmartial arts that dated back at least asfar as Chen Bu who established Chenvillage in the mid fourteenth century.Chen Wangtingwas in the ninth generation of the Chenfamily, and was the Commander ofWenxian Garrison, under the Mingdynasty. His military career was abruptlyended when the Ming dynasty wasdeposed by the Manchus.Chen Wangting devoted himselfto self cultivation and developedTaijiquan by combining his knowledge ofmartial arts with the Daoshu movementand breathing exercises known as Daoyinand Tuna. The earliest textual source ofthese two terms is the Daoist classic theZhuang Zhou (369 - 286BC), which datesfrom the Warring States period.In its gently mocking tone,Chapter 15 of the Zhuang Zhou says,‘Breathe in and out in different ways,spitting out the old and taking in the new,strolling like a bear and stretching like abird, and all just to achieve a long life.This is what such practitioners of Daoyin,cultivators of the body and all thosesearching for long life like Ancestor Pengenjoy.’Thus even in Zhaung Zhou’s daythere was already an establishedtradition of Daoshu exercises extendingback to the otherwise unknown ancestorPeng. ‘Daoyin’ is composed of two words- ‘Dao’ - ‘lead’ or ‘guide’ and - ‘Yin’ -‘lead’ or ‘induce’. In the term Daoyinthey are normally understood as meaning‘guiding the breath and leading thebody’. Daoyin is normally defined as aname for moving the muscles and bones,exercising the limbs and joints. Literallyit is a combination of breathing andmovement, where one breathes in Qiand uses movements to circulate it tothe extremities of the body.The qualities of movements arebelieved to determine how the Qicirculates. The softer and more gentlethe breathing and the movements arethe deeper the Qi can penetrate into thebody and organs promoting good healthand longevity. Continuous movementshelp prevent and remove blockages. Fastmovements can be used to generatepower but relaxation is essential. Fasttense movements can damage the bodyand ultimately block the development ofFajing.Tuna is the name of a breathingtechnique which literally translates as‘spitting out and taking in’. During thePeriod of Disunity (221 - 589 AD) Tunabecame a common collective term for awide variety of breathing techniques. Thebasic theory is that by breathing you live.When you breathe in you take in YuanQi (original / heaven Qi) from theatmosphere or universe around you. Thisstrengthens and replenishes your ownbody’s Qi. The deeper and slower thebreath the more Yuan Qi that can beabsorbed.In normal everyday lifemost people only partially usethe capacity of their lungs. Aportion of carbon dioxide or stale airremains in the lungs, mixing with the‘fresh breath’, making breathing lessefficient. A range of different techniqueswere developed within Daoshu toimprove exhalation, to completely emptythe lungs, get rid of stale Qi (breath) andthen breathe in fresh Qi to fill the lungs.Some of the more commontechniques include, Bi-Qi - closing thebreath -which involves slowing thebreathing to such a degree that onecannot hear the breath, and Xiao ZhouTian - circulating the Qi around themicrocosmic orbit.It is this incorporation of Daoyinand Tuna techniques that forms the basisof Taijiquan being considered a Daoistmartial art. The most importanttechniques that Taijiquan takes from Tunaare the relaxation and slowing of thebreath and the small and large circulationtechniques. These techniques areassociated with Daoshu - the arts of theway, rather than Daojiao - religiousDaoism. Taijiquan is not a religiouspractice of itself, though the physicaltechniques developed in Taijiquan can beused to complement a wide variety ofspiritual traditions. Most cultures respectthe value of keeping ones self healthyand fit.Chen Taijiquan is a completesystem in which each individual aspectsupports each other aspect. Thetechniques that provide the healthbenefits of Taijiquan are also thefoundation of the body conditioning forTaijiquan as a martial art. The principlesof relaxation, good posture andmovement principle also run through thedevelopment of Fajing power that isessential for its martial aspect. It isimportant for students and teachers ofTaijiquan to understand how it relates toDaoist traditions so that the art is notmisrepresented, but it is more importantto realise that all this information issecondary to what you learn directly fromyour teacher and above all else –practiceby Glenn Gossling.glenn@qimagazine.comQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 11

Creative PracticeMy thinking can get me intotrouble. It takes me round incircles, returning to certainthemes and issues again and again, untilI tire of them and give them up. Decidingto act on the basis of these thoughts,continues the ceaseless round and getsme embroiled in a sense of futility andhopelessness. In contrast, my Qigongpractice brings me to a still centre. Itreminds me of my wholeness andcompletion, whatever is going on in mylife.Sometimes the clamour of mythinking is so persistent, I feel intenseresistance to the practice. Yet I knowfrom experience, that this will pass. Justgoing outside into the garden has abeneficial effect. The freshness of theair and the light bring me into moreimmediate contact with eachmoment. I breathe a deep sigh and thenbegin.Often my Qigong starting positionprepares me. It opens the Qi Hu pointsin the chest and brings Qi to the legsthrough the Huantiao points. If I ampractising Taijiquan, the bending of theknees, sinking the Qi to the Dantianengages heart and mind in the present.Usually, Taiji practice absorbs myattention more fully than the Qigong,as I notice how much I relax and movethe waist, observe transfer of weightfrom one leg to the other, considersmoothness of action and possibleapplications. So, when I practise Qigong,I become aware of theseprinciplesalso.Nowadays, I am able to laugh athow my mind gets distracted. Justnoticing brings it back to the movementat hand. In summer, a bit more weedinggets done, as I catch sight of the weedsthat have started to flourish and pullthem up between forms – though someof them I leave to flower and add colourto the garden.The lawn hasdeveloped lumps andbumps, worn out areas,through all the hours ofpractice. There is someplastic netting over some ofit. These obstacles Inegotiate too! The rosemarybush gets regular thwacksfrom my staff when practising. Oftenthe staff hits a metal pole that jutsout at the boundary fence. Someparts of the form go literally ‘up thegarden path’, others across the lawn. Ilike to vary where I start, but sometimesthe ‘shape’ of a form requires me to startat a certain place.All these factors serve to makeQigong a really creative practice. It isnever the same and it always shows methe state of my mind and heart (as wellas the state of the garden!). It is awonderful way to come through thesenseless chatter of my mind and toacknowledge my connection with theUniverse and the fullness of life.Right action is likely to come froma mind that feels connected - naturallydoing what feels right, and will benefitthe whole. Both peace and fulfilmentare present in such actionby Helen Massy.helenm@qimagazine.comInstructor Insight: Cat Rowe -CoventryWhatever good deed I must have performed to deserve such luck, I cannotremember. I wasn’t thinking about needing to exercise more, I wasn’tactively looking for a club to join – yet Qigong fell into my lap. My Sifu, KateBritton, happened to advertise her classes where I worked in Leamington and I wasintrigued. Always open to ‘alternative’ concepts and fascinated by other cultures, Iwanted to find out more.Having practised Hatha Yoga for 5 years, I was aware of how ancient theorieson exercise and health could be of benefit but I wasn’t prepared for such a big andconstant improvement. Even in the early days, (when I felt guilty having practicedonly once at home and forgotten part of what I’d learnt the previous week), I stillfound my back getting stronger, asthma attacks getting fewer and many other benefitstoo numerous to mention.Three and a half years later I had the honour of being asked by my sifu to goon the Instructor course to learn to pass the skill on to others. It was scary at first butI met so many friendly, supportive people that I soon felt at home. Afterwards, beforethe first seminar I ran, I was having a meal with my family, talking about all thebenefits I’d gained from Qigong, when my father added another – You’re so muchnicer to be with, calmer and more positive – and everyone agreed with him!Now I can pass this powerful skill on to my new Coventry class where I’mstarting another exciting learning curve. And how can I thank Sifu, Sigong, Tai Sigongand all my Qigong ancestors for all this? I can only strive to be a good student.Cat teaches in Coventry andis authorised to teach the DayanQigong Syllabus. She can becontacted on 024 76670796page 12 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Once you have created the land of milk and honey, with all itstrappings, there will always be someone out there who wants a littlebit of what you’ve got. So, you have to build walls, in order to defendand keep safe what is precious to you.CastlesFor many centuries, the castle was afunctional piece of real estate, butbrick and mortar rises and falls andthe bottom was about to fall out of thisfixed commodity with the appearance ofthe cannon. The cannon could knockholes in the walls, breaching the securityof the castle allowing the enemy to comeflooding in.Wing Chun’s three main handtechniques Bong Sau, Tan Sau and FukSau, can be seen to serve the samefunction as a castle wall. The handpositions are in place to defend whatexists inside them and to keep out whatis beyond. You are behind the wall,protected by the space, which has beencreated by the structure of your handposition. The structure of the handpositions can be found in the first formof Wing Chun, Siu Lim Tao.The dimensions and heights of thehand techniques in Siu Lim Tao create atemplate, a guide for you to follow. Whenyou practise the form you can make thepositions accurate and correct, but whenyou come to use them, try not to makethem as fixed as the walls of a castle.For instance, if you use a Bong Sau todefend yourself and you make a rigidstructure, your opponent can use the“Wing Chuncreates walls thatcan move.”rigidity to pull or push on, to move itaside enough to launch an attack, justlike a breach in a castle wall created bya cannon. Also, if you make yourstructures stiff and fixed, they may lookgood, but you may find yourself in thesame situation as the occupants of abesieged castle in that you find you haveplenty of space because of the wall youhave created, but you’re stuck behind itwith nowhere to go.Of course the walls of a castlecannot be moved. By their very naturethey are fixed. However, the walls createdby Wing Chun are walls that can moveand still retain the space that has beenformed within them. In order to be ableto move or change a wall you havecreated, you musttry to keep thestructure relaxed.Then, if any pressureis applied againstyour position, youwill be able tochange. Whenchanging from one position to another,try not to lose the space that has alreadybeen created by the existing technique.For example, when changing from BongSau to Tan Sau, try not to drop the wrist,otherwise the whole forearm will drop,allowing your opponent to come floodingin over the top. Also, as your elbow dropsin towards the centre-line, try to maintainyour elbow space that is needed in orderto create a Tan Sau.In order to practisemoving and retaining yourstructure and space, let yourtraining partner put their FukSau on top of your Bong Sau,then get them to drop theirhand under your Bong Sau and gentlystrike forward, enabling you to remainrelaxed. As they strike, keep your wristwhere it is, and bring your elbow intowards the centre-line. Then, get themto change their hand back to theoutside and strike forward gently.As they do so, bring up your BongSau. Repeat these movements.Next, get your partner to Lapyour Tan Sau and punchforward gently, in the samemanner as the first exercise.As they punch, bring up yourBong Sau, then get them toPak your elbow with the handthey just punched with andpunch forward with the samehand they just lapped you with.As they do so, drop your elbowback into the Tan Sau position.Repeat these movements. Thisexercise is also a goodopportunity to practise Lap Sauand Pak Sau. The purpose ofLap and Pak Sau serves thesame function as a siegecannon. It does not need toblast all the walls of the castledown, this would take toomuch time and energy. Thecannon just makes a hole bigenough for the troops to go stormingthrough. The Pak and Lap Sau just needto move your opponent’s hands out ofthe way, just enough to create a gap foryou to enter.Each time you change your handposition and it has stopped youropponent’s advance, it has done whatwas required of it. Then you need to letit go in order that it can deal withwhatever comes next. If you do not letgo of whatever hand technique you havecreated, then it will become just a fixedwall. It might look good and it might bestructurally correct, but whilst you’rebusy looking good your opponent haschanged and is coming over yourramparts or down your drawbridgeby Martin Gale.marting@qimagazine.compage 14 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Head Massage toFight FatigueWhen you feel tired during work or study, you will find your eyesbright, ears sharp, head clear and mind sober after doing some selfmassageexercises.If you persist in these exercises for a long time, it will help promote the blood circulation inyour head, improve the blood supply to the facial muscles, and will have a positive effectin preventing and curing insomnia, tinnitus, listlessness and trichomadesis. They are donein this way:Starting FormKeep the palms against each other and rub them together in circles clockwise, 24 times.Point for attention: While rubbing, keep the palms tightly against each other. Increase thenumber of times in winter. The rubbing can stop when the palms feel warm.Rub FaceAfter the palms are warmed by rubbing in the starting form, place them on the cheeks lightly,left palm circling counterclockwise and right palm circling clockwise. Do the exercise with bothpalms 24 times.Point for attention: The rubbing must be gentle. Use only the palms.Rub Eye Socketsi. Move the palms from below upward, put the cushions of the thumbs on the cheekbones,(Fig. 1) and use the cushion of the middle finger of the left hand to rub the bone edge ofthe left eye socket clockwise, and the right middle finger cushion to rub the bone edge ofthe right eye socket counterclockwise, with the eyes slightly closed.ii. Move both the left and right middle fingers, respectively, to the Jingming acupoints (by theinner eye corners), then rub the lower eyelids with the fingers, left clockwise and rightcounterclockwise, with the eyes slightly open. Open the other fingers naturally, slightlyaway from the head and face. Do the exercise 24 times.Point for attention: The movements must be gentle and mild.Rub Forehead and Massage Headi. Keep both palms facing your body, the little fingers together. Starting from apex nasi, rubthe apex nasi with the little fingers of both hands and push across the ridge and rub theYintang acupoint, and then to the Shenting acupoint. Close the eyes slightly, continue tomove the hands, change the little fingers to the palms, and push them toward the foreheadand rub to the left and right with the palms respectively down to the Touwei acupoints.(Fig. 2)ii. Rub along the back of the ears to the cheeks with the palms. Then keep the palms facingyour body, little fingers together, with the eyes slightly open. Move the hands past themouth to the apex nasi. This whole process counts as once, and it should be done 24 times.Points for attention: Push a bit heavily from Yintang to Shenting. When pushing horizontally to the Touwei acupoints andrubbing downward to the neck and face, the movement should be more brisk.Comb Hair with FingersBend the fingers slightly, with the palms facing the forehead. Starting from the roots of the hair on the forehead, push thefingers upward to the top of the head. Continue to push the fingers backward to the back of the head as if combing your hair.Then straighten the fingers behind the back and use the palms to rub the cheeks. Move them upward past the face to the hairroots again. Again bend the fingers to push up and do the exercise 24 times. (Figs. 3, 4)Fig 1Fig 2Fig 3Fig 4page 16 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Fig 5 Fig 6Points for attention: The combingshould be slowed down appropriately. Dothe exercise more forcefully if you havea headache or feel dizzy due to a cold orfatigue.Sound EarsWith the centres of the palms facing theear holes, 1.5 cm apart, put the fourfingers other than the thumb on the topof the ears. Choose one side to beginpressing the ear hole. If you press theleft ear with the leftpalm, keep the rightpalm in the startingposition. (Fig. 5) Pressthe right ear with theright palm immediatelyafter the left palm is offthe ear, and keep theleft palm in the startingposition. (Fig. 6) Do theexercise 24 times in all.Point for attention: The pressing mustbe light and even.Click TeethClick the upper and lower teeth together,24 times.Point for attention: The clicking speedmust be even.These exercises should take about 5minutes. Anyone who learns to do theexercises is free to increase or reduce thenumber of times, depending on time,surroundings and mental and physicalconditions.ConclusionIt is best to do the exercises afterwork or study, when you feel tired, orwhen you awaken after sleep.The sitting, standing or lyingpositions are all fine for these exercises.If the lying position is used for the wholeset, you still have to sit up to do Exercise4.Points for attention:i. Keep the palms clean during theexercises.ii. Stop doing the exercises if there isany injury to the face.iii. The number of times for all 6 exercisesmust be decided before beginning.iv. Breathe evenly, relax all muscles andkeep the movements gentle, mildand continuous when doing theexercises.by Zeng Qingnan & Liu DaoqingFood Cure forAsthmaIn Western diagnosing, there are manycauses for asthma. These may includeallergies to things in the environmentlike pollen and pollution or it can becaused by an allergic reaction to certainfoods like nuts and wheat. However, inTraditional Chinese Medicine theory,asthma is caused by either too much coldor heat or by excessive or deficient Qi inthe body. When a person starts to becomeallergic to so many things, it means theirimmune system has been weakened.They will find that they have more coldsand flus. They may even have lots ofdigestive problems or rashes on the skin.This is because the body cannot rid itselfof things it considers to be toxins and soit creates an asthmatic reaction indefence.If you can do some exercise likeQigong, this will help to build up yourimmune system naturally. It will alsostrengthen your internal organs and sothe asthma attacks will be lessened inintensity and frequency. Breathing isrelated to our lungs and so when thelungs are weak, we cannot take enoughQi from the air. We also need tostrengthen the kidneys to bring up thestrong energy in the body and this willhelp combat the asthma. You can alsohelp to ease some of the symptoms andmake the body stronger by eating someChinese food cures.Ginseng Cleansing Vegetable SoupGinseng2 carrots – peel and chop into chunkyslicesFresh spinach – one to two handfulswashed and roots removed. Chop in piecesand set aside.Fresh white winter radish (Daikon) – halfof a smaller one. Peel and chop intochunky slices3 fresh pork ribs or 2 fresh pork scallopsor chops if you wish to add meat. Rinsepork under boiling water.1. If using pork, put in bowl/pan withboiling water for two minutes andthen discard water and set aside.2. In separate large pan, add 5-6 piecesof dried ginseng (around onetablespoon altogether) to 8 rice bowlsof water along with the pork andsome salt if you are using meat.3. Bring water to a boil and then reduceto simmer for one-two hours. In themeantime, chop vegetables andwash spinach.4. Half an hour before serving, add incarrots and winter radish and letsimmer.Add raw spinach to large soupbowl and ladle the hot soup over thetop of each portion. You can add somewhite pepper to make it more tastyby Jessica BlackwellQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 17

Chan Si Jingby Chen Zhao KuiGrandmaster Chen Fake had three sons. ChenZhao Ho died at an early age. His second son, ChenZhao Xu, achieved a very high level butunfortunately died when he was only 46. His twoother sons Chen Zhao Xiang and Chen Zhao Kuicontinued the tradition of passing down their familyskill. Of the two, Chen Zhao Kui is more well-knownhaving taught Master Chen Xiao Wang, Chen ZhengLei, Wang Xian and Zhu Tian Cai.Chen Jing, which is also called Chan Si Jing is the mostimportant principle in Chen Style Taijiquan. Simplysaid, it is the path and the methods for the Jing. Thismeans the whole body, from the upper to the lower,moves in lines that are circles. Also every circle isconnected and closely related. In other terms we can say, themind is not broken (the mind concentrates). The body is notbroken (body movement), Jing is not broken (strength andforce), the spirit is not broken (eyes and focus), Peng Jing isnot broken (expanding power), closing Jing is not broken andopening Jing is not broken. The waist is the centre of themovements and every single movement must balance withthe internal following the Chan Si and the external is a circle.Therefore all circles connect together in different directions andbecome a spiral path or way.The meaning of Chan Si (Silk Reeling) is a pictureexample, there is no power there, only the spiral movementfrom the waist.Chan Si Jing can be used in attack and defence. Onemovement can cover attack and defence at the same time. Ifwe use it for attacking, then our strength contacts and followsthe opponent’s movement. If we use it in defence, then thestrength contacts the opponent and changes their movementand turns it into what you want, so you can defend yourselfand make the opponent miss his attack.For example, if I attack the opponent with my palmand the opponent contacts my palm with his hand so that Imiss, then I will let go of my palm and change my strengthto my elbow. But if my opponent still overcomes my elbow,then I will let go of my elbow, and change my strengthto my upper arm. However, should my opponentovercome that as well, then I will let go of myupper arm and change the strength to myshoulder. So if he overcomes me I willchange my strength to the next part,even using my hip. Also, sometimesI will turn my body around and usethe other arm, shoulder or elbow,etc.One movement can keepchanging from the hand, elbow,shoulder, back, and hip on oneline, and any parts of that linecan Fajing and so it is not onlythat it can change backwards,upwards and downwards. Allrelate together. So if we can letgo of the shoulder, we can use theelbow or let go of the elbow anduse the arm or palm. Once you findpage 18 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

the centre of your opponent, then youcan Fajing to defeat him. Therefore wemust follow the situation, thenunderstand the strength to change thesituation. All situations can be changed.Defence follows the sameprinciples. For example, if my opponentattacks me with his palm, I will contactwith my hand, then turn from my waistto follow his attack and change it. AlsoI will change my centre of gravity. Mypalm, with Peng Jing, will go down andthen go out to avoid his strength. If hechanges his strength because of mychanging I will also follow his change soas to avoid his strength. In this way Ican defend myself against my opponent.Actually, there is a lot of changing andthis is a very technical point.On the other hand, if I amdefending with my hand and myopponent suddenly changes, then usingChan Si Jing the spiral energy willcontinue, so if I lose the direction of hisstrength I will let go of my hand anduse my elbow instead because mystrength can change. In this situation theelbow can be changed to Fajingallowing me to attack my opponent.Even if I do not attack my opponent, Ican still use it for defence. The importantprinciple is whether my Jing (strength)is under my control or out of control.The principle of Chen Taijiquanis all the movements follow the principleof Chan Si Jing. There are noexceptions. All the movements of Chan“Onceyoufind the centre ofyour opponent, thenyou can Fajing todefeathim.”Si Jing must move with the whole body and everything isrelated. To perform Chan Si Jing (spiral energy) does not needa big movement. Sometimes, when we use Chan Si Jing theexternal movement of the body cannot be seen, as long as itis appreciated. Extra turning is too much movement, whichmight cause damageby Chen Yu, collated from his father’s notes on Chen TaijiquanChan Si JingSpiral movement from the waist (Dantian), whichis also called Silk Reeling.FajingReleasing Power, which is very flexible and can bein any direction.JingPower or Strength, which includes speed andchanging.PengExpanding energy. When you touch it you will feelthe strength there but it is not physical strength. Itexpands out from the Dantian bouncing you away.page 19 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Sky Eye orSpirit Talk?In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 AD) there was a man and wife who wanted verymuch to have a son to carry on their family name. When the wife became pregnant, she and herhusband visited the temple in their village to pray for a boy child. As they prayed, a ray of lightfrom the Sky Eye of one of the temple statues shone down on the woman, blessing her.When the baby was born, to their immense happiness, it was a boy. Thewhole family celebrated and even the servants were very happy andtook extra care with the new boy. On his first birthday, there was aspecial ritual that was practised at the time. Several objects would belaid onto a table that related to the different professions that the boymight take according to the status of their family. On this day, the little boy wasrestless and kept crying without anyone being able to ease him. When the abbot ofthe temple came, he too felt upset for the boy’s crying and laid his hand upon hishead and stroked his hair. The boy instantly stopped crying and started laughinginstead, making everyone else laugh with him.Now that he had stopped crying, they sat him on the table to choose whatthey hoped to be an object that would signal he would have a good job and future.Everyone stood waiting anxiously as he looked at all the things in front him. Therewas a gasp as he would almost touch one object and then pull away. Finally, hemade his choice, choosing the prayer beads of the monk. Secretly his parents werenot so happy, but of course they had to not show this.The little boy grew up and he was like any other boy. He was betrothed to alocal girl while still very young. When he got older, he began to feel that he did notwant to marry and as the day came for the wedding, he did not know what to do sohe ran away. No one could find him although all his friends, his family and othervillagers looked all over for him. Then one day, a few years later, one of his friendswas walking through some woods when he came across a poor young man.He was so surprised when he found out this was his old friend. His friendwanted to know about his family that he had left and his friend toldhim, “Your father died of heartbreak and your betrothed went insane.Your mother is now very ill and you should go back to her and tryto help her." The young man was so saddened by this news andhe began to make his way back home immediately. However,he was not in time and his mother died before he couldsee her.It was all too much for him and he went mad,tearing at his clothes and hair and yelling out loud.He ran away into the mountains and no one everheard from him again. Then, many years later, anold man came down from the mountains and hisclothes were torn and hecarried only a wineflask fromwhich he often drank, butQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 21

never got drunk. He had become a Daoist monk in themountains and it became known that he could do magic. Heeventually became known as Zhi Gong, the Mad Monk.He helped many people while he lived. One of thesewas a young girl whose parents died leaving her very poor.She did not even have the money to bury them. So she decidedto try and beg for enough money for them to be buried. Shesat along the side of the road with a sign telling about hersituation. Two rich boys came along and started giving her ahard time when Zhi Gong happened to pass by and see this.He gave the young girl a golden tortoise and told her to sell itto the young men. They were very excited by the unusualquality of the tortoise. They knew it was something special butstill they did not want to pay her very much. She would not golower than the price Zhi Gong said and so eventually theygave her the 100 Yuan for the tortoise. On the way back totheir homes, they pulledout the golden tortoiseto have a look at itagain. When they tookit from their bag, theywere surprised to findthere was only a bunand not a tortoise there.They tore open the bunthinking maybe the girlhad put it inside forsafe-keeping. What they found inside was not a tortoise but anote. It said, “You used your position to take advantage of ayoung woman and so I have fined you 100 Yuan for your badbehaviour.” This story and many others began to go aroundand people would try to find Zhi Gong to ask for his help andthat is why today, many people still pray to him for guidance.Statues of him are always in ragged clothing holding aflask of wine and looking dishevelled. Although he was a Daoistmonk, when he ate meat, the animals he ate would comeback to life and when he drank spirits, he did so withoutbecoming drunk or losing his heart.There are still temples devoted to Zhi Gong and thereare even some where there is a monk who will as act as a‘medium’ for Zhi Gong. When I was in China last year, I visiteda temple in Taiwan that is famous for just such a medium. Itwas a newer temple in the last stages of construction and itwas set in the midst of a field surrounded by a high, cementwall. Inside the grounds, there were several buildings but thefocal point was the main hall. It was three stories high andornamental. As you walked towards the hall, you passed overan enormous Yin/Yang symbol that had been set into thecourtyard pavement.There were the typical Daoist deities there, but allaround the three sided hall were hundreds of small nichesthat contained small porcelain green statues of Zhi Gong. Someof them had a name plate but some of the others had none.I later found out that these niches were for persons who haddonated large sums of money to the temple and thus, cameunder their “protection”.Most people who come to this temple had done so forthe express purpose of having an interview with the Zhi Gong- the Mad Monk. The first thing you had to do was to goupstairs to a large building which was a side hall. Thankfully, itwas blessedly air conditioned against the 30 degree humidity.You then made your way over to the receptionist where youwere given a paperto fill out with yourname, address andthe hour, day,month and year ofyour birthdate.Then you joinedthe queue ofpeople sittingalong the hall foryour turn to meetthe Mad Monk. Iwas told to think ofwhat question Iwould like to askhim. I had over an“Behind wereseveral Daoistdeities & bottles of XO.”hour tothink aboutit and alsoto observe the families as they went forward to greet the MadMonk.Unlike myself, they were there in deadly earnest, tryingto find some hope or guidance in their lives. Sometimes it waspitiful to watch their craving eyes pleading for some good newsor a blessing of luck or fortune. I tried to meditate to pass thetime but found myself getting a headache from all the energybeing bandied about and so I tried to close myself instead andread my book. Finally, it was my turn. It seemed a long walkacross the 100 foot hall and up to the raised platform wherethe monk sat.He wore bright yellow robes and a tall yellow peakedcap with a red Chinese character on its brim. He was not asold as I had previously thought, perhaps only in his mid-thirties.As I sat down, he looked at me with some interest as I was theonly Westerner, not only in the temple but probably the wholetown. Behind him were several Daoist deities but there werealso various bottles of XO cognac sitting on the altar with theflowers and other offerings. The monk spoke to me in Englishtelling me that he had studied engineering in Australia andwas now recently living back in Taiwan. He had two assistants,a man to his right and a lady to his left.While we chatted, I watched as the lady assistant pouredtwo tumblers full of cognac and brought them back to themonk and sat the glasses on the table. The table itself wasvery unusual. It had a stone slab across its surface which allowedthe monk to write on it when he was moved to do so by ZhiGong. There were also brushes and inks and yellow paper forwriting charms to give to the people. It was all very interesting.With the two tumblers of cognac now in front of him,the monk began to mumble some Chinese words while usinghis two fingers in the classic ‘sword fingers’ posture to drawsome charm over the glasses. I then watched mesmerised asthe monk in front of me seemed to transform slightly. Hisposture seemed to loosen and his eyes brightened even morepage 22 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

and his cheeks became redder. His voice changed noticeablywhen he next spoke.I rarely drink and if I do, it is a glass of beer, certainlynot spirits which make me feel ill, but here I was being offereda tumbler full of the amber liquid and being asked by the MadMonk, “Will you drink with me?” It seemed more of a challengethan an invitation, but I had been told stories where someonecould recite a spell over a drink and you could drink it withoutfeeling any alcohol effects. So I looked back at him and noddedmy head and we raised our glasses in salute and drank.I had noticed that as people asked questions, he wouldsometimes pick up some chalk and write some characters onthe stone slab in front of him. The male assistant would thenwipe it away when finishedbut at other times he didnothing but sit quietly. Thelady assistant, on the otherhand, took notes of bothquestions and answers asthese would be presented tothe clients when done.The Mad Monk lookedat me with possessive eyesand asked with a half smile,“What is your question?” Herewas my big moment but Iheld myself back and toldhim that I did not feel that Ihad enough experience to askhim a question. However, Isaid that if he would like totell me something, thatwould be fine. He nodded his head, but I first had to drinkwith him again as I had done each time he raised his glass intoast. I had already finished one glass and had been givenanother. I expected to feel flushed or hot or even slightly buzzedbut felt none of these things from the alcohol. Maybe he hadsome skill after all.I was about to find out. Over the next few minutes, hetold me quite a few things which were in my heart and whichhad been worrying me. He was also accurate to tell me whatmonth my father would pass away although it turned out thatthe year was off. He said that it would be at least anotheryear maybe two before he passed on from his illness. He askedme if I would like him (Zhi Gong the Mad Monk) “to dosomething to help my father pass out of his suffering quicker”but I quickly shook my head in the negative. I believe that ifhe attempted to do so, my father may not have learned thelesson that heaven was giving him and so maybe he mighthave to repeat the ‘test’ and suffer even more the next timearound.Another thing was that he advised me not to sign anycontracts that I was considering that year. Part way throughthe talk, he looked at me a bit accusingly and said, “You arenot superstitious.” I chuckled at that because many times Ihave been accused of being just the opposite but I think heknew I was holding myself back.Zhi Gong also told me that someday I would own afarm and I really had to smile at this and said “Good! I canfinally have my dream of owning some chickens!” Throughoutall of this, though, I was trying to decide whether or not hewas genuine.Whilst I do not believe he was the incarnation of ZhiGong, the Mad Monk, I do believe that he had Sky Eye skilland he also had some knowledge of Chinese horoscopesbecause I saw him covertly counting on his fingers, using anancient type of calculation. By this alone, one can tell a greatdeal of general things about a person by just knowing theiryear and month of birth. If his horoscope skill is really good,then he could know even more as he had the hour and day ofeach person’s birth on their registration card.During the interview, I noticed something else veryinteresting. I saw that the monk was missing the final part ontwo of his fingers. The old man sitting as his assistant was alsomissing some finger ends. I decided to be a bit forward andask the Mad Monk a questionafter all. I prefaced thequestion by respectfully sayingthat with so many peoplecoming to him, he must givea lot of himself and use somuch energy. Then lookingdown at the missing fingersof his hand and back to hiseyes, I asked, “Is it worth it?”.The Mad Monk maskslipped away and before mewas a serious thirty somethingyear old monk who saidsimply, “It is my debt.”Although I have beento many Buddhist temples, Ihave only been to a fewDaoist temples and havealways found the energy in them more earthy. However, thistemple had something else that I cannot quite define. Althoughstill unfinished, it was obvious that it was a temple that hadreceived some hefty donations. However, I was left with thequestion of what it was they were trying to achieve or promoteas a Daoist temple.I was invited to take dinner with the monk butunfortunately I had to go or maybe even this question wouldhave been answered. Or maybe it would have been a debtthat I would have to owe for the future. I still think about theexperience and the only words I can use to describe it simplywould be ‘other worldly’. It was draining, disturbing and excitingall at the same time. It felt slightly dangerous as well, as if Icould slip into something I did not know enough about, butthis also was part of the enticement I think.I did feel glad that I had some Buddhist grounding tosee through his illusion in the end. I do not believe it is so easyfor him to recreate my or anyone else’s fate and if he does,there certainly would be a debt owed to the temple by thatperson. For myself, I prefer to carry on and do my best, keeplearning and trying to improve myself. I like to help others,not so that they can owe me, but out of kindness.But one last thing to note: four months after my visitwith the monk, my father passed away in October. Soon afterthis, my husband came back from China with a very large oilpainting that was his gift for me. As I fully unrolled it, I satback on my heels and laughed out loud. Before me was apastoral scene of a farm, backed by rolling green hills. In theforeground was a young woman....she was feeding chickens.Sky Eye or spirit talk?by Jessica BlackwellQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 23

page 24 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005Celebrati

ngIt seems to have become a tradition to have an anniversarydemonstration for the Tse Qigong Centre every five years. This yearbrings us to our 15 th year anniversary and planning began as earlyas 2004…of course, time and busy schedules and pressing deadlinesmeant some of the grander ones would have to be shelved…until2010 or 2015. Besides, finding a central London venue large enoughto drive a lorry into and then the health and safety permissionrequired for it to run over Michael Tse proved beyond even me. Atleast for this moment. I am still hopeful for the future!One thing we in the Centre have noticed is that these demonstrations bring upvery strong energy and all the participants are on adrenaline highs as the daylooms closer. Perhaps heaven wants to test the sincerity of our hearts, but in theyear 2000 demonstration there was a petrol strike and we had no less than avan-load of weapons to transfer to London and over 200 of the newly launchedWild Goose books. In the end, most of the students booked tickets for the train as therewas no petrol, no hire cars or vans with petrol to be had at any price anywhere. Thanksto Mike Stenson, who graciously used some of his petrol to collect books and othermerchandise, we had a relay system of ‘Book Bags’, that were really Sainsbury paddedfreezer bags gently packed full of Wild Goose Books and Qi Magazines and these wereallocated two per student.This time we had bigger challenges as London was under siege. Two daysbefore this year’s demo, more buses were bombed and some detonators were foundand closed down several of the London underground stations. This left us on theday with only British Rail and the district line and we worried how many would beable to make it. To our surprise, so many people turned out to support everyone. Itwould have been a shame to cancel the event as some people had been preparingthemselves for the event by over a year’s training. Some even had bruises and soremuscles from working so hard, particularly for the fighting performances and HardQigong. New performances made the event shine and there were even some lastminute surprise additions. One of which was a bit of a shocker when I found myselflooking into my camera lens only to see my Sifu and husband about to go underthe Hard Qigong hammer, breaking several bricks over his head. Although thisyear we did not launch a new book, we had a special anniversary t-shirt whichgave special recognition to Grandmaster Yang Meijun as 23 July, the day of thedemonstration, was also her passing day. We also introduced a Tse Qigong Centrelapel pin which is really nice and can be seen in the catalogue. Although small, itis just another way to say I am part of the Tse Qigong Centre family when youwear it.It was a really exciting day and it was balanced by many kinds ofperformances, some fast, some slow, some hard, some soft. If you missedthis one, you have a chance to see a few of the performances repeatedon 28 October 2005 at a ‘mini’ demonstration being held in Manchester.Otherwise, you will need to wait for the next anniversary performancein London in the year 2010 and join with all of the family for anothercelebration. You can even join us for a meal and cake afterwardsas eating is our second training skill! In the meantime the followingpages will hopefully capture some of the days magic for you toenjoy!By Jessica TseQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 25

Manchester students performing the 1st 64Simon Bedford & Caroline Garvey Welcomingthe Moon during their demo of the 2nd 64Brian Pope(front) andPeter Dickinson(behind) fromthe Londonstudents demoof the Chen 19FormVidyo Videv and Manuel Rodriguezduring the Chen 19 Form demoKate Britton leading her studentsfrom Leamington Spa throughBalancing GongPeter Baird’spowerfulperformance ofTsum Kiu -Wing Chun’s2nd formpage 26 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Michael Tse demonstrating Green Dragon SwordMichael Tseperforming theGreen Dragonsword. Thisform requiresa lot of skill.Martin Rooney showing how powerful Chen Taijiquan canbe by holding off 8 people. No surprise his nickname isMountain.Anthony Tse captures themoment for future posterityQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 27

Caroline kicking highCaroline Garvey showedgrace, balance and flexibilityduring her performance of theDragon Shadow SwordPeter WaliszdemonstratingBiu Tze, WingChun’s third formMichael Tse transmittingQi to the audienceStudents from Leamington Spapage 28 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Glenn demonstrating Chen’s fighting applicationson Jason WebberGlenn Gossling and ShahriarSepangi Pushing HandsGlenn Gossling applying a Qin Natechnique on ShahriarMichael Tse performing ajumping kick from the ChunYuen form Xing ShouMid air during Xing ShouDarryl Moy throwing the staffduring his performance of theDamo Staff formQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 29

Chen Taijiquan’s second formPao Chui is very powerful, asdemonstrated by Michael TseAnother shot from the Pao ChuiTriple Crossing SpiralGong, an intricate andbeautiful form and part ofthe Dayan QigongSystem. Performed hereby John HayesThe Da Dao is oneof the oldest Chenweapons anddemonstrated byDarryl MoyJessica Tseperformedone of themostdemandingChun Yuenforms -Greenpage Swallow 30 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005FistElaine Tattersallabout to deliver acutting blow,during the ChenKnifedemonstration withSeng Changfilming in thebackground

Darryl Moy beinghoisted up on fourspearsA new Hard Qigongperformance of Darryl Moy lyingon four spearsSifu Tse taking heavy blows fromLuke Emsall and Darrell LewisHenry Sheehan withstandsthe battering ramAdam Wallace and Henry Sheehanbraking slabs whilst lying in Iron BridgeMartinGalesbreaking aconcreteslab withhis IronHeadAdam and Henry supporting Khim Chang- surfing Hard Qigong style!Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 31

Glenn Gossling during hisdynamic performance of theChen Taijiquan form Xin Jia(New Frame)Shahriar Sepangi’s gracefulChen 38 formWing Chunknives vs ShaolinStaff with DarrylMoy and SimonBedfordDarryl Moy and Tommie Soule battling it out staff vs staffJohn Hayes,Clearing theorgans in fourdirection - fromTriple CrossingSpiral Gongpage 32 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Waiting to go on stage (on the stage)The Wing Chun knives wonAndy Priest andDarrell Lewisdemonstrating WingChun applicationsagainst a knifeDarryl & SimonpreformingBlindfolded Chi SauAndy subduingSean Sutherlandduring the WingChun SelfDefence demoQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 33

Julian Wilde leading hisstudents from Norwichduring a crisp andpowerful demonstrationof the Chen Knife formChi Sau blindfolded and on benchesDebbie Green flashing her bladeSimon Bedford taking a break ona subdued opponentpage 34 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

A young spectator, maybe a future star?Performance of Swimming Dragon which ispart of the Dayan Qigong SystemSimon Bedford in the midst of the Wing Chun Self Defence demoMichael Tse demonstratedthe exciting Dayan Palmform for the very first timein public!Michael Tseenjoying themoment witheveryoneQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 35

Golden Days &a Bright FutureThe first thing I ever learnt from my Sifu,Michael Tse, was Siu Lim Tao which is WingChun’s first form. He explained that the firstpart should be done very slowly, he said, “Itshould be like a tree growing. When you sit andwatch it, you do not see it move but take youreyes off it for a while and come back and it willhave grown big and strong.“Ihave spent the last sixteen years in a very privilegedposition. I have not only seen, but have been part of mySifu’s vision – the Tse Qigong Centre. The growth of theCentre has been just like the form Siu Lim Tao. I havebeen sitting and looking at it so closely, that to my eyes,it does not seem to change too much, but now, suddenly weare celebrating our 15 th Anniversary! Looking back at how thingsstarted to where we are now, I realise we have changed a lotand now the Centre is like a big tree.There are four places thatwere very important to thedevelopment of the Centre. One wasthe old GPO Club in Manchesterbecause this is where Sifu first taughtregularly in the UK. The second placeis the New Hong Kong restaurant inChina Town. This is where we wouldalways go to eat Dim Sum after class.It was during these times that Sifuwould get to know us and we wouldget to know him. I have lost count ofhow many things we talked about and listened to during thoseafter class dinners but I know I learnt as much sitting aroundthose tables as I have done anywhere. The third is the CentralClub in London where Sifu his first regular class in the UK’scapital and the fourth place was Sifu’s living room in his oldflat in South Manchester as this is where the real work allstarted.Hindsight is great thing. Now I wish I had kept a diaryso I could tell you the actual day everything started but sadly Ican’t. All I remember was helping Sifu type in names of all thestudents who had come to class on a small computer at a littledesk in the corner of his living room. It was then that Sifuasked me whether I would like to help him. He was very honestwith me and he said, “I can’t promise you what will happenbut we will do it together.” It was at a turning point in my lifeas I had just finished university but recession had just hit thecountry and so jobs were hard to come by. So I had a choice ofeither trying to go out and find a job or stay and try to helpSifu. I will not pretend it was an easy choice, but in the end Idecided to stay.The first Qi Magazine appeared in October 1990 withGrandmaster Yang Meijun on the cover. The first six issueswere only small black and white A5 booklets. Sifu wrote somearticles and also some of the students contributed things. Itwas more a club booklet than the glossy volume we havetoday. One of Sifu’s early students, Terry Ryan, helped himput the first issues together, photocopying them and staplingthem together even. However, he had to discontinue as hiswork and family life became too busy.His efforts are still appreciated because without this firststep, which were just like the seeds, we would not have our“There are four places thatwere very important to thedevelopment of the Centre”tree today. He is still remembered and we all wish him well.Sifu, always a person of great ideas, felt that the magazinecould be better as some shops began to show an interest in it.It was then Sifu took a big step and invested in a computerand software so that we could produce a magazine to sit onany newsstand. We learned as we went along and mademany mistakes (still do) but learned from each one and gotbetter (still do).In September 1992, Sifu began to write his regularcolumn in Combat magazine. He spent a long time on thatpage 36 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

first article, rewriting and getting it just right. Today he knocksthem out without breaking a sweat!In 1993, he began a regular London class and hetravelled down to London every Wednesday to teach at theCentral Club in Great Russel Street. He would come back onthe last train on Thursday night, not arriving back in Manchesteruntil 1am, sometimes even 3am. Whilst he was in London, healso began giving Qigong therapy treatments at 10 HarleyStreet. Often he would then travel back to London on Saturdayto teach seminars. He kept up this hectic schedule for manyyears.As the Centre grew, Sifu’s living roombegan to change and shrink. More boxes ofQi Magazines began to appear stacked upbehind the two sofas and slowly we had tomove them further and further away fromthe walls. My desk in the corner grew so theTV had to make way. At the same time asholding his clinic at Harley Street, Sifu alsoheld a clinic at 25 St John’s Street inManchester. However, often he had privatelessons which he would teach at home. Iremember the first time Martin Gale cameover to Manchester from the Isle of Man.Sifu was teaching him Chi Sau and whenMartin tried to attack, Sifu pushed him andhe went flopping on to the sofa. “Hey, thatwasn’t fair” he protested. I remembershaking my head and then all I heard was,“Was that fair?… How about that?….andthat?…” as Sifu continuously bounced Martinon and off the sofa. By the end they wereboth hooting with laughter.More people came from differentparts of the country to study and some evenfrom overseas. Sifu also went to Germanyand Sweden to teach. The Manchesterstudents began to mix with more of thestudents from London, especially at seminarsand demonstrations that were held. Bondswere forged and now everyone is very close.The first demonstration was held inManchester in 1992. We had no idea whetherit would be popular. I remember going withSifu to two of the local radio stations wherehe had been invited to give a talk whichalso gave us a chance to plug the demo.One of the DJ’s smoked continuously andboth Sifu and I sat there trying not to breathe,but as Sifu was there for an hour and halfanswering questions on Chinese horoscopes,it proved quite a task. However, our endurance was rewardedwith regular announcements about the demo and giving outof our telephone number. Although the DJ’s joke about thecalls being taken by a host of nubile Chinese girls made Sifu’seyes roll a bit.Luckily, the first demo was a resounding success, butnow looking back, the level of skill we showed does not compareto the level and depth of that shown at our 15 Year Anniversarydemonstration held this summer in London. This too is anothersign that the tree is big and strong.Eventually, the GPO closed down, so the class, after ashort flurry at the Y-Club in Manchester, finally settled at theThe first Manchester DemoSifu teaching ins the old GPOFriends Meeting House where it is still held today. By nowSifu’s living room would not take anymore. There were twodesks, one either side of the dining table, piles of boxes behindthe sofas, under the sideboard and even Sifu’s bedroom hadnot escaped the invasion. Sifu had always tried to keepeverything neat and tidy and covered the boxes with clothesas he did not want them to damage the Feng Shui of hishome. But it was time and there was nothing else for it, wehad to find an office.This was in 1996. After a short hunt an office was foundand we moved all our desks, books, computers to our currentlocation here in Altrincham. Obviously,changing the Feng Shui of the officechanged other things as well as Sifu gotmarried in 1997.In order to make the Centre moreinternational, Sifu and Simo moved tothe USA in 1999. It was a nervous timeand difficult time but we pulled togetherand made it through and it brought upnew branches on the tree as seniorsfound themselves stepping in to try andcover their Sifu’s shoes and carry on hisclasses.Somehow, it was like he alreadyknew that these people and other seedsneeded to be planted and nurtured. Sifuplanned and held the first instructorcourse in Allen Hall, Manchester in 1996.It was a two day course withapproximately 20 people attending. Fromthis casual beginning, the course hascontinued to grow year after year andthis year over 100 people were invitedwith over 60 people attending from over7 different countries.At the Instructor Course this year,which is held now as a four day residentialcourse, I looked around the field in whichwe were practising and it struck me howfinely things are balanced. One decisionin 1990 meant that an energy wascreated, one that had brought all of ustogether from different parts of the globeto be united in our Qigong journey.Without Sifu’s conviction, strength, clarityand sacrifice, we would all be livingdifferent lives doing different things.Now sitting here at my desk, inthe same office building we moved to allthose years ago, I realise how much hasreally happened. One day perhaps we will have more spaceto tell other parts of the story but I hope that this short “potted”history shows that anything is possible if you have a dreamand the right heart.My whole life is entwined with my Sifu and the Centre.They have provided my knowledge and direction and theyhave given me a living and a home and even my wife. WithoutSifu and the Centre I would not have met my wife, Sarah, orall of the amazing people who have inspired, taught andenlightened me. I grew up with two brothers but now I havetoo many brothers and sisters to count. I very am luckyby Darryl MoySifu’s living room (spot the boxes & printer)15 years on and still enjoying the food atthe New Hong Kong RestaurantQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 37

Tempus Fugit(Time is fleeting Or that cup of tea went a long way!)This one is a bit of a backward looking ramble that can be likened to indulgingan elderly Uncle at a family gathering, but stay with me on this one.Idon’t suppose I am unique in my feeling about time, inas much as there seems to be less of it available thesedays! Days and weeks, months and years seem to fly by,with many of the days, on reflection, unmarked byanything other than the rising and setting of the sun andthe time between these events taken up by following the routineof daily life. Don’t get me wrong, I am eternally grateful forthe regularity of the former event and if the truth were told Ihave never quite reconciled myself to my version of the dailygrind. This feeling of time moving on makes the marking ofevents such as births, deaths, marriages and anniversariesimportant, something that, until recent years I had been quiteambivalent about. Milestone events force you to take time topause, reflect and take stock of things, which is no bad thing.Depending on what you see in these moments of reflection,they can change or endorse your perceptions and occasionallyyour life, having a marked effect on how you go forward andcarry on using your personal allocation of time.This year’s anniversary is the 15 th year since the foundingof the Tse Qigong Centre in October 1990, a passage of timeduring which the centre has grown from one man’s dream intoa reality now shared by Teachers and Students all over theworld. The 10 th Anniversary in the year 2000 was the last timewe formally celebrated a milestone as a whole group comingtogether as we did, to showcase the skills in celebration of ourcontinued development. In Qi Magazine (Issue 51), at thattime we talked of the importance of the strong traditionalroots that typify the skills that are taught and Tse Sifu alsotalked of the responsibilities that went with passing these skillson to the next generation and of the wider family of peoplethat made up the Tse Qigong Centre worldwide. The centralprinciple in all the activities is health first and foremost.Although many things have changed in the world in recentThe moment at a the Wing Chun seminar, withGrandmaster Ip Chun, where John first met his Sifupage 38 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

years these principles still remain the cornerstones for our futuredevelopment. If anything we are in a time with the pace ofchange where these values have come more sharply into focusand have more relevance than ever. Personal empowermentis important to feeling connected both physically andemotionally to the wider world.On a few occasions recently I have been publicly thankedfor the part that I played in the early days helping Tse Sifu toget established when he first arrived in the country. I want tosay a few wordsabout this whileI am reflectingon the past. Intruth, someoneelse, DannyConnor, hadencouraged Sifuto come to thewest and helpedhim to first getstarted herealthough weA moment of history. Sifu’s very firstdemonstration of Qi transmission in the UK.This event started everything off andattracted a lot of attention.were both convincedthat he would have agood future here.Danny was quite acharacter andalthough from aKarate backgroundinitially, he haddeveloped andpursued his interests in Taijiquan and was credited with beingone of the first Westerners into Beijing to study after Chinaopened its doors following the end of the Cultural Revolution.His enthusiasm was catching and his wit and turn ofphrase owed much to his Irish roots, something we both havein common. Danny has since passed away but he had asignificant part in making things happen and for this I ampersonally grateful. Having witnessed a short demonstrationby Tse Sifu on a visit to England my personal involvementstarted with a healthy curiosity combined with the directapplication of what little I knew at the time about ChineseCulture i.e. they drink tea and go to restaurants a lot! So Iarranged through Danny to meet Tse Sifu for tea in London’sChinatown with an old Karate buddy of mine. We sat there fora couple of hours drinking tea and eating Dim Sum and talked,asked questions and listened whilst we tried to understandmore about Qigong. I remember lots of drawing on the papertablecloths to illustrate points and to compensate for Sifu’slimited English and our non-existent Cantonese. The onlymuscles exercised in this session were those required to lift thecup and manipulate chopsticks.The first lesson for me wasn’t to take place until somesix months later. I remember that lesson very well because thefirst movement I ever learned was called “Fostering the Qi in aCircle” a movement which involved standing with one handon my hip and bending my knees whilst describing a circlewith my other hand, a move vaguely reminiscent of a demipliéin ballet, something which contrasted strongly with theKarate moves that I had been used to. I must confess to amomentary doubt at this point as my old Karate cronies werehaving a good laugh at my expense but it was all good characterbuilding.Once Sifu arrived in England I helped whenever I couldand like many of you reading this, in lots of small ways. I haveto confess that there was more than a little self-interest inhelping him to get established as right from the beginning Ihad begun to feel the benefits from Qigong practice. Alongthe way there have beenone or two big momentswith tough decisions butultimately Tse Sifu had totake them, with meoffering advice andsupport. I often reflect thatcup of tea went a long wayto changing my view of lifeand allowing me to meeta whole world of people I15 years on... SifuTse visiting John’sclass.“I often reflect that that cupof tea went a long way tochanging my view of life.”otherwise would havenever met. For this I amvery thankful.The passingof two of ourgrand teachersYang Sigong andWu Sigong serveto remind us ofour responsibilitieseven more, sowherever you sitas a teacher orstudent in theCentre’s family tree you are now closer to the source so theheat has been turned up! At this point I am reminded of someadvice from another of our grand teachers, Ip Sigong, quotingverbatim ‘Relax your mind, be careful how you use your energy,more practice’. Like his Wing Chun skill this advice is simple,direct, accurate and if taken, very effective.The celebratory demonstration and dinner in Londontook place against the backdrop of the recent bomb attackswith the capital in a state of high alert which meant that thevenue in Westminster where the event took place was probablythe most populated part of town. I would personally like tothank everybody who came for making the day a brilliantsuccess. I have a feeling that we will all be meeting again onthe 20 th anniversaryby John HayesQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 39

Anniversary Insights15th Annteaching and I knew nothing about the Tse Qigong Centre. It was a simple matter of being attracted by the beauty ofWhen I started attending Qigong classes in London in 1997 I had no concept of traditional ChineseDayan Qigong and wanting to continue studying it. Like many of my own students these days, I paid the membership tothat end and gave it no more thought. From my prior experiences I was wary of organisations and the group dynamics thatseemed to be an unavoidable aspect of being a member.After becoming an instructor my understanding started to grow. The Tse Qigong Centre is unique in two ways: it isbased on the traditional Chinese values of a joint family where everybody has their place, with seniors to learn from andrespect, ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ to have as companions and friends, and junior family members to look after. Competitionis discouraged in favour of co-operation and taking responsibility for oneself and one’s actions.The other aspect is that these values are not only espoused but that they actually form the basis of all our interactionsand that they are constantly reinforced by Tse Sifu’s integrity of character and his example. It is a rare privilege to be partof such a community.Vera Externest, Towoomba, AustraliaIremember when I first thought of becoming a memberof the Tse Qigong Centre was in 1995. Way out here inWestern Canada, I felt very far away from the Centre andI had only once met Tse Sigong.Things have developed. Now I am a Tse QigongCentre certified Qigong instructor and I feel nourished,protected and supported by the Centre. Tse Sigong comesregularly to help us to develop our skill as does my SifuJessica Blackwell. In this way, we here in Canada can thriveand feel confident that we will be able to polish what weknow and learn more in order to develop ourselves indifferent ways. A rhythm has solidified that brings trust andalways something to look forward to.There are also books and more books and Qimagazines and DVDs and charts all of which clarify andhelp us to understand more about the skill, Qigong attitude,Chinese culture, history and background, allowing us to beclearer, more knowledgeable and better be able toappreciate this precious gift. Sigong’s way has stronglycreated the feeling of family and we can feel connectedtogether, no matter how far away one might be.Through instructor courses, Qi magazine and visiting aroundthe table in Chinese restaurants we are able to stay in touchand deepen our bond as a Qigong family. Blessings on ourTse Qigong Centre which has just become better and betterover time.Lee Masters, Duncan, CanadaIhave been with the TseQigong Centre for just overten years. In that time I havegrown considerably with thehelp and support of my Sifu,Michael Tse, and from thefamily like structure of seniorstudents. My development hasbeen physical and spiritual,allowing me to become both aWing Chun and a Qigonginstructor. Becoming andinstructor not only helps me tofurther my own growth anddevelopment and growth, butalso gives me the strength andtools needed to help andsupport my fellow students andthose around me. I love my TseQigong family and the balanceand devotion it has providedme.Martin Gale, Manchester,UKWhen I first joined the Tse Qigong Centre, I had noidea how big a part of my life it would become. Iwas looking for health and in particular flexibility as IThe study of Qigong has been a big influence in my personal was recovering from a leg injury. At that time, I had nodevelopment and aspiration to stay healthy. In a wider reason to think that I would someday become a teacher,sense, I have through the in-depth knowledge presented to learn so many fascinating things. I also acquired anotherme by the Tse Qigong Centre come to a deeper understanding family with many good friends as well as my Sifuof what health is. Because the Tse Qigong Centre always (teacher), Julian Wilde, who has been so tolerant andtakes care to give a broad picture of Traditional Chinese helpful over the years.Medicine and ways to integrate this understanding in dailyThis year I attended the Wild Goose Instructors’life, to me Qigong has become much more than an exercise course for the ninth time and I feel it is a great honourprogram. Instead I have been given an ever growing perceptive to have been a part of such a growing and developingon being alive and ways to harmonize with the changes and group of people, with such diverse backgrounds andchallenges that life presents.histories.15th AnniverPia Andersson, Mölndal, SwedenHelen Howes, Norwich, UKpage 40 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Over the years, I have come to appreciate that the real strength of the Tse Qigong Centre lies not in the high level ofChinese skills offered, but in the good and talented people it attracts, the sense of ‘family’ it promotes and the strongfriendship between students. Even those with physical handicaps have managed to attain a high standard, with some evenbecoming instructors as everyone helps and supports one another.No organisation anywhere else in the world reaches across so many continents and offers such diverse traditionalChinese health, martial and cultural skills, while providing an education in morality or human skill. In addition to becominghealthier and stronger and learning/trusting to heal myself and helping others, I have begun to change through learningmore about patience, humility, respect and compassion. I have also learned about being less judgemental of others. Withinthe last few years something else has opened up within me; a strong love for my teacher, my training brothers and sistersand own my students. The Qigong and martial art skill of the Centre has now also become my life and work. I feel veryhonoured to be a small spoke in a big wheel that is the Tse Qigong Centre. I have seen the Centre grow from a tiny acorninto a mighty oak, due to the integrity, tireless effort, and vision of Sifu, Simo and Darryl Moy and a great base of loyalsupport. I hope in the future I can contribute a greater role in the Centre’s continued existence and prosperity.Adam Wallace, New York, USAWhen I began my Qigong study with the Tse QigongCentre, my life did not have a clear direction. I did not get intotrouble and I had a stable job, but my life seemed to be lacking something.Through the years, the Centre has helped me learn to approach life in anatural way. I have found life to slowly become a journey without stress.Even though I have my own company and I need to work many longhours, Qigong has enabled me to do so without sickness or injury. I findthat I still have energy at the end of a long day to practise or help friendswith other projects. As for my understanding of family, I have come torealise that a family exists in the Tse Qigong Centre only not in thetraditional sense of the word. My practice has helped to look at the biggerpicture and not to stress about the small things.Derek Fowler, Seattle, USAHaving joined the Tse Qigong Centrein 1990, I have seen the Centre growand develop in many ways. However, thebest qualities of the Tse Qigong Centrehave stayed the same throughout the 15years. The warm friendliness, the interactionand camaraderie has been constant. So hasthe impressive absence of petty politics,Ivory Towers and fake competitiveness thatseem to litter many organisations, centresand clubs throughout the world. It is thesequalities that have helped the Tse Centreto grow properly and naturally.I feel the Centre is a place where allmembers are actually ‘a part’ of the Centreno matter where they are as individuals.The Centre is a place where excellentlearning takes place not only involving thelearning of the traditional skills of Qigong,Taijiquan, Wing Chun & Chun Yuen Quanbut the learning of human skills as well.Without these human skills, the formswould dilute to mere external shapes andthe Tse Qigong Centre would have a limitto its development.The Tse Qigong Centre has givenmany people better health. Not onlyhelping with so many different healthproblems but changing their outlook andhappiness as well. I wish the Tse QigongCentre and Sifu Tse the very best for thefuture.Xie Xie (Thank You) SifuBarry Paul Horrell, Derby, UKIwas looking round for something healthy to do. So it was that I met my Sifu-to-be, Helen Howes, when my late husbandRoy and I had gone to her shop to get some Yule Tide presents. We got talking and Sifu handed us her leaflet telling usof her new class on Qigong. Fortunately, I was able to attend but Roy never did as he was too ill. Thanks to him he wasalways happy for me to go as he said I looked so much better and my eyes sparkled on my return.In Jan 2001, Roy passed away suddenly from Pneumonia but I know he would say ‘life goes on’. Tests come not justin class but in life, at the time you wonder if you will make it. In retrospect you see the wisdom, which is like a pearl whichis formed from all the irritants of one’s experiences.My thanks goes to the ancestors of Dayan Qigong who taught and passed on this beautiful form to those who taughtme, so that I may teach others.Natasha Etheridge, Suffolk, UKQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 41

15th Anniversary...15thIf I had to describe Michael Tse in one phrase it would beas a maximiser of people’s potential. Physically, mentallyand ethically we have all been able to raise our gamesince commencing our training in the Centre. Theoverwhelming majority of people I’ve met over the lastfifteen years seem to be intelligent, courteous, talented,humble and very good humoured individuals. A period ofexposure to Tse Sifu and his teaching of course makes thispossible but It is also likely that being smart, they knewthe real deal when they saw it.I met Sifu in 1989 when I was exhausted from beingan American Football coach, a position had caused me todehumanise both myself and the people around me. Forawhile, I neglected my martial arts, healing and spiritualeducation and it really felt like getting back on the pathwhen I began to practice the simple Qigong exercises thatSifu demonstrated so beautifully. All these years later, Iam still extremely grateful for his trust and support andcontinue to work to improve myself in all areas.I am healthier at the age of 54 than I have everbeen in my life and can do things undreamed of before. Ilearn more from my students and from my Qigong familythan I feel I could ever offer in return so I try to stay humble,still working to prove my Sifu right when he took me on!The impact of the Tse Qigong Centre on me and on manyof my students’ lives is immeasurable and I would like tothank all those who continue to work hard to support Sifuand his task of maximising our potential.In particular, (and I apologise because I know they’requite modest), I’d like to single out Simo Jessica who hasgrown into her role as a caring mother/elder sister-figurewith great dignity and humility; John Hayes, whosegravitas, presence, light humour and great humanity area constant inspiration; and Darryl Moy, a remarkable youngman, who is both patient and talented who is a greatcredit to his Sifu’s influence. Over the years, I have watchedall the seniors and middle generation grow and developand it gives great hope for the future. Thanks, Sifu.Julian Wilde, Norwich, UKThe Tse Qigong Centre has become quite a largepart of my life over the last 12 years. What began as a sparetime interest gradually spilled over into other areas. I had initiallywanted to learn Qigong to further my knowledge of healingpractices. However, once I began to study, I realised that Qigonghad many levels. Not only did my health and old injuries improveimmensely but as my knowledge increased, I found that myunderstanding of health and people also improved. My intuitionand perception of situations have improved so much that I nowfind them invaluable in everyday situations.Whilst I have grown as a person, the Centre has also grownand continues to do so, expanding out to more and more countries.It still amazes me that the Centre has become much larger yet stillretains its original values and family attitude. This is mainly due toTse Sifu’s approach. Whilst being flexible and continuing to develophimself, he still values the ideals that he founded the Centre upon15 years ago. I am indebted to my teacher for sharing his wisdomand philosophy as my life would not be as good as it is without it.Mike Baker, Aylesbury, UKThe Tse Qigong Centre holds a very special place inmy heart. Michael Tse and his splendid staff ofinstructors have enriched my life with the forms andphilosophy of Qigong. Sigong and company are myguides, my inspiration, my heroes and my friends Asthe Centre grows, not so coincidentally so does my heart.Happy 15th Anniversary!Maureen Madden, New York, USA15th Anniversaryalways brought me to something very similar. Of course, my qualifications and experience fitted me for what I wasBefore I joined the Tse Qigong Centre I had an extremely stressful job, which I hated. Yet my attempts at finding anotherdoing. However, I felt trapped, and in addition, I was in a lot of pain from a supposedly incurable back problem. On top ofthis, I was also suffering a lot of headaches. Pain had become such a large part of my life that it had become the norm andI scarcely knew what it was like to be without it.Finding the Tse Qigong Centre did not suddenly change my life but the change has nevertheless been dramatic.Gradually, over the years, as I practised Qigong, my back pain lessened so that now I have none at all. Also, the headachesslowly reduced in frequency so that now they are so rare it is remarkable when I have one. I am fit, flexible and happy, andwhat is more, I have a fulfilling and worthwhile career.I started teaching Qigong and Chen Style Taijiquan one evening a week, and as the years went by and the numberof my students increased, I began to earn more of my living from teaching and reduced the office work accordingly.Eventually I got to the stage where I could say goodbye to office work. What a happy day that was! Now I can see otherpeople’s health improve as mine did, which is a great deal more rewarding than sitting in an office all day. I even movedhouse so that I could have a garden big enough to do my training in. Of course, life is never perfect, gone is my good salaryand sometimes I have to be quite creative with my finances. But it is infinitely worth it. At last I have found peace, healthand happiness and something worthwhile to do with my life.Kate Britton, Leamington Spa, UKpage 42 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

It’s time to celebrate the 15th Anniversary ofthe Tse Qigong Centre. It is a very happyoccasion for all that the Centre means to me;more than an organization, a name on paper, alogo. It is a big family with one heart. We allthat are part of it are growing jointly, learningand helping each other towards good health andhappiness. This is so evident to me every time Iattend the Instructors Course in England. All mybrothers and sisters look so glowing and healthy.I witness this also in my New York weekly classwith Sifu Adam Wallace where he nurtures hisstudents so generously. The Centre has over theyears matured and grown in the depth andextension of all it offers: the Qi Magazine,seminars, classes and scholarships. I really feelthat the Centre’s lineage extends far beyond intime, we are a living link to the millenary teachingsof sages rooted in goodness from which stemawareness and health as gateways to the heart,and balance and harmony to sustain it. Beingpart of the Tse Qigong Centre has helped me toget closer to the realization as my Sigong MichaelTse says that: having a good heart is the mostimportant thing.Olga Gonzalez, New York, USAIwrite this speaking as an ‘Old Timer’, not in years that but as astudent who has been with the Tse Qigong Centre from thebeginnings over fifteen years ago. In the early days there were manychallenges, it has been a privilege to be around from the start and tobe able to have been able to learn, assist, teach, organise andsometimes just survive sometimes and be a part of an everstrengthening developing organisation, It really ‘does one good’.The Centre is very much people focused, but with strong rootsin traditional Chinese culture. The Centre is the result of Tse Sifu’svision, a framework and legacy for the future and I for one hope mysmall contribution over 15 years goes towards balancing out the benefitsI have derived from my own association with Sifu.I remember the old days, when we trained in rooms that werespartan and when the magazine was just an idea. Then the first issuewas born, a little black and white A5 note book, that bears noresemblance to the polished publication it is today ! In those days, thefirst demonstrations that were held, were where Sifu was responsiblefor the show virtually single-handedly. By comparison, at 15thAnniversary Demonstration, dozens of students took part in and behindthe scenes to make it a show where so many kinds of high level skillwere shown that no one could not fail to be impressed.I hope my fellow students feel richer for having the opportunityto have met each other, trained together, struggled along the way,laughed a lot, eaten a fair bit together. I know I do. Thank to all ofyou too numerous to mention but you all know who you are. ( Unlessyou have a memory like mine !!)On a final note I would like to thank Tse Sifu personally for allhis patience, insights, assistance and guidance. These have helpedme with my own personal outlook and beliefs. 15 years - watch outfor the next 15!Martin Rooney, Manchester, UKSome time ago I realised what a blessing I had received the day I found a Sifu to teach me Qigong, but the Tse QigongCentre. Now it is the foundation stone from which I start my day, I carry in my heart the Philosophy of Honouring ourAncestors and Teachers, being Humble and True, as well as aspiring to be ‘Kind and Gentle in Nature’. These words are oneof my favourite lines from the Buddha’s words on Loving Kindness. The warmth this gives me when I recite it, is the samewarmth I feel when I think of when we are all ‘One Heart Together’. And when we are not physically together, held in eachothers minds and hearts.It is always good to do well, but there are times when we know we could have done better, in our practice, or whenbeing tested, not only our ‘forms’ but in life. The important thing here is that we are mindful that we can behave better inlife. And that we have to work to a high standard if we are to hand down this precious skill in it’s purity. Knowing theintegrity that exists within the Centre is truly felt, makes me feel grateful and proud to be a member of this prestigiousfamily, where we help and encourage each other without judgement.May I take this opportunity to honour Grandmaster Yang Meijuns memory, Tse Sigong Michael Tse, my Sifu JulianWilde, all the Seniors who work endlessly towards the smooth running of the centre and all my Qigong brothers and sisters.Sue Chamberlain, Norwich, UKQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 43

Chinese TeaOne of the most fascinating things to me in China were the shops selling tea.Some of the shops were only small but they generally all had a seating area wherethere was more often than not a beautifully polished rosewood table and carvedstools where customers sat while a Master brewed different teas that the customermight be interested in purchasing.Often this could be a lengthy process which includedinformation about the tea:- its taste, colour,character and benefit. If you were lucky, you couldfind someone to tell you about the different brewingmethods and tea ware that was displayedthroughout the shop. It is an instance where, as a customer,you definitely feel spoiled and important.Depending upon the tea or preferences of the Master,a tiny clay or porcelain teapot might be used. Usually, therewas a set of small cups that had their own special duties.Some of the shops had a tube-shaped cup that sat over thetop of another when the tea was poured. After a few seconds,this tube-shaped cup could be lifted and the delicate aroma ofthe tea, if of sufficient quality, could be enjoyed before tasting.In the west, we rarely have the kind of high quality teasavailable that one gets in China. Although there are moreimports of speciality teas increasing in popularity, like theJasmine “pearls”, these are frequently not of the highest qualityand often, because people do not know how to judge teaquality, they cannot understand the need to pay that much fora ‘cuppa’.However, when you drink really fine tea, it is very hardto go back to ordinary tea. For instance, Jasmine Tea is actuallygreen tea leaves that have been scented with fresh jasmineflowers. The highest quality teas will be from the small tenderbud leaves that are hand picked and rolled into a small ‘pearl’which will gently unfurl as it is brewed. If you see jasmineflowers in with the tea, this is the lower grade tea as thehigher quality Jasmine Tea will retain the fragrance of thejasmine flowers without actually having to have the driedflowers in the mixture. This is because the highest jasmine teahas been dried with the flowers not just once, but many timesover. The old flowers are discarded after a few days andreplaced with new flowers. This is why the good quality tea isso expensive, even in China.Different regions have different teas. For instance,Southern China developed a fermented tea called Pu Erh whichis deep rich red tea. It is usually an acquired taste for Westernersas it is very earthy on the palate, but it is an ideal drink for theoily Cantonese foods. It actually helps to break down thesefats and aids indigestion, making youfeel very clean andlight inside. The moreyou drink it, the moreyou like it brewedstronger to bring outits flavour. Pu Erh teais perhaps the onlytea that improves withage and twenty yearold and thirty year oldPu Erh tea has beenknown to commandprices in thethousands.Pu Erh can bea baffling tea to drinkas it often comes in acompact form called‘cake’ or ‘brick’. Thesebricks are formed,page 44 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

sometimes in decorative moulds, by pressing the still moisttea into a disc shape or brick shape. Some are the size of aplate, while others can be even smaller than the size of a fiftypence piece. These smaller ones are very compact and canusually only be broken by a hammer, they are so hard. Onceyou have broken the tea up, it can be stored in a tin or jar tobe used as needed.When you are in the tea shops sampling teas, you willquickly find that Northern Chinese people do not reallyadmire the strong taste of Pu Erh and might noteven sell it. If they do have Pu Erh, it willoften be served in a tall clear glass sothat you can enjoy the colour as wellas its taste. However, in NorthernChina, green teas are usually thepreference. In the summer time,fragrant flower teas, like Jasmineor Rose tea, will actually cool andrefresh the body, helping the bodyto balance itself.In Taiwan, they drink a lotof Oolong teas which is a partiallyfermented tea. For me, Oolongtea can be either quite good orquite poor without the middleground of some other teas. Evenpoor quality Jasmine is quitepalatable but poor qualityOolong is quite rough. Some ofthe best Oolong teas come fromFujian province inChina and also fromthe Mujia area inTaiwan. Tea from thehigher mountainslopes is the best andis quite delicate. TheMujia tea has afragrance of peachesand is of very highquality. Only a smallamount is required tomake a rich andaromatic pot of teathat can be enjoyedseveral times over. Itsreputation is very well known to tea enthusiasts and can alsocommand quite high prices.If you invest in a really nice tea, of course, you want tokeep your tea fresh for as long as possible. So it is best tokeep teas in either jars or tins that are airtight and away fromstrong light. Today, when you choose your teas from the shops,they will often vacuum-seal them in foil packets and these willhelp the tea to stay fresh much longer. When making Chinesetea, particularly the cake teas, most Masters say that you shoulddiscard the first water poured over the leaves. Traditionally,cake teas were pressed into their shape by someone steppingonto the tea leaves and while this may not be done today, thiskind of tea can still be quite dusty. Washing of the leaves alsogets rid of any chemicals, dust, etc. from the tea.China’s tea culture is amazing and has a very longhistory. Tea is said to have been discovered by Shen Nong,the father of Chinese herbs, over 2700 years ago. One daywhen Shen Nong was collecting and tasting the differentproperties of herbs for medicines, he was poisoned seventytwotimes. Becoming quite ill, he discovered bushes growinghigh up on the mountain that had dark glossy leaves and hepicked some them and then brewed them in water and drankthe liquid. This helped him to recover and marked the beginningof tea drinking. At this time, though, tea was still used as“Different regions havedifferent teas. For instance,Southern China developeda fermented tea.”a medicine and only later became a drink for enjoyment atany time.The tea bush belongs to the Camellia family and canlive for a long time. There is a tea ‘bush’ in China that isactually a huge tree. It is several hundred years old and peoplestill make pilgrimages there to pay respects to this venerableancestor of their tea culture. Tea has gone beyond being usedfor just medicine or quenching thirst, it is used for relaxationand for celebration. It is used to honour family or friends,stemming from the time when past emperors of China weregiven tea in ‘tribute’ of their worthiness as the sons of heaven.In future issues, we will trace the history of tea throughChina’s dynasties and introduce a Chinese tea master fromTaiwan. Hopefully, you will be able to enjoy Chinese tea evenmore.to be continued...by Jessica BlackwellQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 45

Defending yourself against one person is not simple, so when you come to face two assailantsthen the matter is very complex. You need quick reflexes and footwork to manoeuvre them aroundyou, otherwise you might end up trapped like having your head in the jaws of a tiger.In the Tiger’s MouthIn Wing Chun the application of theskill is learnt through the exercise ofChi Sau (Sticking hands). It is throughthis that you gain the ability to look atthe aggressor, taking into account theirsize, speed, style and ferocity of theattack and then execute your counter withthe correct timing, angle and choice ofhand/foot position in order to neutralisethe situation.To defend against any attack thefirst thing you need to do is get out ofthe way. This can be as simple as hotfooting it to the nearest safe place,moving backwards or sideways. Providingyou are out of the way it will allow youto make a more considered assessmentof the real intent andpotential dangersof any situation.The perceivedattacker may betesting you to seeif you are scared.If you remain Attacker 1calm and ofstrong resolve,they may walkaway and look foran “easier target”.However ifthe attacker isreally intent onharming you,then it shouldbe fairlyobvious fromthe off. The first thing to do is start fromthe strongest position possible. Usuallythis will involve moving off the line ofthe attack at an angle. This can be doneby stepping to the side or turning on thespot (Juen Ma). This needs to be donewith perfect timing so that your attackeris committed when you move. Then yournew position can be used to take controlof the situation. If the timing is out, thenyou may be back to square one as theattacker stalls and anticipates a countermove towards them.Fig 1There are numerous ways to dealwith any situation. Everyone is differentso certain things that work on somepeople may not work on others. In theend it is practice that will make thedifference to whether any particulartechnique will work or not. Here aresome examples of techniques that couldbe used when being attacked.They all follow the Wing Chunprinciples simple, direct and not to usestrength when faced with strength. Inmost of these examples it is the attacker’smomentum which can determine howhard they will be struck.DefenderFacing Morethan One Opponent.When faced with 2 people it is best notto take them both at once. However,they will not queue up in turn. Thereforeyou need to think fast and use your feetto position yourself so that one of theattackers forms a barrier to the other.i. One attacker approaches on thevictim’s right. The other, who is notin this picture, is approaching fromthe left. Fig 1Fig 3Fig 2Attacker 2page 46 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

ii. Move so that the first attacker formsa barrier to the attacker approachingfrom the left. As Number 1 punchesthe intended victim must move to hisleft to place the nearest attackerbetween himself and the secondassailant. The punch is controlled withyour palm using a Pak Sau. Fig 2Still controlling the opponent andsensing what he is intending to doby covering his right arm. Fig 6vii. The assailant is off balance and theintended victim is standing squarelyon both feet rooted to the ground.The intended victim can grab the backof the neck and pull down“When faced with 2people it is best not totake them bothat once.”simultaneously lifting the right armas a counter lever forcing theassailant downwards. It would bepossible to use a knee on theassailant and continue to press theadvantage gained. However, he hasbeen rendered harmless and thepoint has been made so with bothfeet on the ground and a calm mindthere should be no need for furtherviolence. The intended victim canmake their escape withoutdegenerating into a mindless thug.Fig 7by Peter BairdFig 4iii. Simultaneously with the Pak Sau, apalm strike to face is launched withthe left hand. The left hand is thenbrought back and pulls with a jerkingaction the assailant’s right arm. Thisis done in order to maintain controlof the opponent. Simultaneously achop to the throat is launched withthe right hand. This is a classic WingChun style strike. Fig 3iv. Without delay the intended victimmust turn to face the other attacker.As turning to face Number 2 there istime to kick the first assailant’s leg atthe joint to ensure he is renderedharmless long enough to deal withhis ally. Fig 4v. As the assailant reaches to grab theintended victim the attacker is slightlyover stretched this allows the victimto use a Lap Sau on the leading armwith his left hand. This pulls theassailants centre of gravity forwardand off balance. Fig 5vi. With both feet firmly on the ground,use an elbow Kup Jarn to the face.Fig 6 Fig 7Fig 5Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 47

Chen Style Taiji19 Form8. Step Back and Whirl ArmsFig 46 Fig 47 Fig 48 Fig 49 Fig 50i. Push out with the left hand and turn the palm up and dropthe right hand down to your hip with the palm down.Fig 46ii. The right hand then whirls up from behind to the right earand the whole body sinks down a little. Fig 47iii. Step back with the left leg and shift your weight back ontothe left leg, meanwhile the left hand whirls down to theleft hip and the right hand pushes forwards. Fig 48iv. Whirl the left hand up from behind with the palm up andat the same time the right hand palm turns upwards. Fig49vi. Whirl the left hand behind the left ear. Fig 50vii. Step back with the right leg and shift your weight back onto the right leg, meanwhile whirl the right hand down tothe right hip and the left hand pushes forwards. Fig 51viii.In total take four steps, counting from the beginning Part i(after the Double Pushing Palms), the left foot and theright foot, and the left foot and the right foot again. Youshould finish with the left hand and left foot forwards andthe right hand down by the hip and the weight back on theright leg. Fig 52 - 57ix. Now whirl the right hand upto the right ear (Fig 58-59)and at the same time pull back the left leg and keep theweight on the right and turn the right palm to face upwards.Fig 51 Fig 52Fig 53 Fig 54Fig 55 Fig 56 Fig 57 Fig 58 Fig 59page 48 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

“Step Back and Whirl Arms” has another name inthe Chen form Pao Chui. Here it is called “Step Back andWhirl Red” and in the Yang Style Taijiquan it is known as“Left and Right Step Back to Dispatch the Monkey”.Although the hand positions are slightly different, theapplications and meaning are the same.This is the only movement in Chen Taijiquan thatcontinually moves backwards. This tells us that life is notalways about moving forwards. Sometimes we need tomove backwards to avoid problems, but in fighting, if yourenemy is very strong then you need to step back, butwhile you are stepping back you need to also fight back.Therefore, from behind your ears, your hands hit youropponent. This makes it harder to block and very powerful,because your opponent thinks you are retreating. So it isimportant that stepping and the whirling arms mustcoordinate together. The hands are like a wheel rotatingand come one after another. You will also notice that aswe move we have the same hand and leg at the front.This is unusual, so if we can make it natural and flow, then it isvery powerful. When we lean how to overcome a difficultmovement it teaches us that we can train to face our problems.For the application we can actually use the opposite hand andleg together.I remember one day when I was studying at my SifuChen Xiao Wang’s home. He once showed me the movementusing the opposite hand and leg, he also did it very quickly. Ifyou observe, this is actually the opposite movement to “ThreeSteps Forwards”. So with these movements, we have oneforwards and one backwards, both are powerful and the armswhirl around like a wheel to attack and defend.So why is it also called “Step Back and Whirl Red”?According to Grandmaster Chen Fake, he said that the handsare like red hot burning iron. Your enemies dare not touchthem. Also the moment anyone touches the whirling wheelarms they will see red (that means blood).Another meaning is that the arms whirl up like a pair ofChinese curtains. These whirl up and fold over each other.9. Flash the BackFig 60 Fig 61 Fig 62i. Having stepped back with the left leg, chop down with the right hand,bringing it down to closer to the left leg, meanwhile bring the left handback behind the left leg. Fig 60ii. Turn the left palm up and the right palm to face outwards.iii. Step forwards with the left leg and lift both hands slightly. Fig 61iv. Step back with the right leg so you have turned your body 180 degrees,meanwhile, drop both hands down so the palms face up, the left handforwards and the right hand behind. Fig 62Flash the Back is a Chinese wrestling skill. When you use it, it is veryfast. As your opponent attacks you, you pull him down and chop his body. Itmeans you let him come to you and use hisenergy to make him lose his balance and stillcatch him. Then you turn 180 degrees and throwhim to the other side. So you must turn 180degrees and not only half way. Footwork, bodyturn and hands must all be together, then youwill be able to use it properly and it is a veryserious technique to apply.In 16th generation Chen Family Master,Chen Yin’s book “Taijiquan Drawings andExplanations” it records a poem which says, it islike a person holding a metal shield against yourback. So you put all your energy in to your hipsand turn around. Then they will be thrown overyour head. It takes a lot of power to do that. TheFajing must come from the hip and the energymust come to your hands to make that turn. It isa very powerful throw. In Chinese wrestling thatis called “Turn Over the Bag”, so everything inthe bag falls out.In Yang Taijiquan the movement is called“Fan through the Back”. In Chinese language flashand fan have very similar pronunciations and thismight be the reason for this difference.10. Conceal and Strikei. Step a little more forwards with the left leg so the stance is wider.The left hand is still a palm, but the right hand changes to becomea fist.ii. Punch forwards with the right hand and withdraw the left bringingit to the chest so the palm is facing the chest. The weight shiftsslightly so the weight is more on the left leg. Fig 63Fig 63This movement has the same explanation as movement 6.Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 49

11. Six Sealing - Four ClosingFig 64 Fig 65 Fig 66 Fig 67i. Pull both hands together, as if you are holding a ball.Fig 64ii. Move both hands to the right side and then change bothhands so that the left palm turns up and the right palmfaces out. Your weight should be around 60% on the rightleg and 40% on the left. Fig 65iii. Turn the left toes out and then turn the whole body moreto the left. Move the hands apart as you turn the body.Fig 66iv. Step forwards with the right leg, placing it so the foot is inline with the left. You are now facing the same direction aswhen you started the form. Fig 67v. Bring both hands to the left side and then bring themtogether near the left ear. The left elbow should be up andthe right elbow should point forwards. Shift the weight onto the right leg. Fig 68vi. Step forwards with your left leg so now your feet are nextto each other, keep the weight on the right leg and the leftheel off the ground. Push both hands out together.Fig 69Six Sealing, Four Closing is very similar to movement 7Double Pushing Palms. Before we did Conceal and Strike Leftand then Double Pushing Palms, so the hands came togetherand followed the body to push out.Six Sealing Four Closing follows Conceal and Strike Right.This time we punch with the right fist, but the movement isalmost the same as we bring the hands together, make acircle and push with both palms.When we practise Taijiquan we will see many movementsthat are very similar. A lot of movements even repeat. Thereason for this is that they are very important and we need toget used to the circular movements and the principle of Taijiquanwhere every movement comes from the Dantian (waist).Sealing and closing are the same, they have the samemeaning. It means all blocking, sealing and closing so that noone can come in. Six plus four equals ten which means “all”. InChinese we do not use the term one hundred percent. We useten divisions. Perhaps Chinese culture is based more on thefeeling of skill and art, whereas western culture is moreconcerned with perfect movement and than the meaning. Inany case the movement means all closed.In this movement you will see the hands go from rightto left and then from left back to right to cover every angle ofattack in front of us. In the end, both hands push using theFig 68 Fig 69principle of the circle. In Taijiquan everything is a circle. That iswhy it is so powerful and useful. In a lot of Chinese skills weconcentrate on one thing, we go deeper and eventually cometo a profound level. From this you can understand everythingin the whole universe falls under one principle, Yin and Yang.If we think too much, read too much ad learn too manydifferent things we can get confused and lost, and so we cannotsee anything. Taijiquan is just one thing, a circle – it all dependson how much you understand.In the old style of Chen Taijiquan, which today we callXiao Jia – Small Frame, according to Chen Yin’s book, therewas no Six Sealing -Four Closing after Jingang Pounds Mortar.Instead it goes straight to Lazily Tie the Cloth. However beforethey do this there is a small circle. This is today’s Six Sealing,Four Closing. So it is not a “new” movement. Some membersof the Chen family said, “Lazily Tie the Cloth was too much.”So they separated it into two movements. In the Yang familyTaijiquan, the movement is called “Like Sealing as if Closing”.However, it does not matter which family’s Taijiquan -they all follow the same principle, the circle.to be continued...by Michael Tsepage 50 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Applying the philosophy of ‘Dao De Jing’ leads us to a deeperunderstanding of Qigong. Health is not dependant on ‘breathing exercises’alone but following certain principles and living life virtuously with theright ‘heart’.Daoist Wisdom for Healthy LivingHere is a further look at some of thewise counsel proffered by Laozi’sancient text together with someadded personal comments.“Good fortune depends on badfortune. Bad fortune lurks behind goodfortune. Who knows the ultimate end ofthis process?”The rough and smooth in life is acontinuous cycle. Neither is constant.Accept times of bad fortune withoutdespair as they will pass and refrain frombecoming accustomed to the good timesas they too will change. As long as youare prepared for all eventualities thenthe devastating effects of misfortuneare diminished. You should alsonever envy anyone else’s goodfortune. Others may appear tohave everything in life - goodfamily, success, wealth, power,fame etc. but you do not knowtheir state of mind, how they sleepat night, or the pain they feel(mental or physical).“Without leaving your door youcan understand the world. Withoutglancing out the window you cansee the Dao of heaven. The furtheryou travel the less you know”.Travelling broadensexperience but does not necessarilymake you wiser. Tourists rush fromcity to city and country to country,snapping photos but absorbingnone of the culture, and returnhome no more enlightened thanbefore they left. Through the processof still meditation, reflecting andlooking within, and acting inaccordance with nature’s laws, you cancomprehend the subtle workings of theuniverse and become ‘enlightened’.“The wise are not extensively learned.The extensively learned are not wise”.Some people collect educationalqualifications like trophies. Well-educatedpeople can make equally stupid decisionsas those without masters degrees. Someof the wisest people are those who livevery simple and honest lives. They seethings clearly because their minds are notconstantly scheming. The more artful,cunning and devious a person is the moresusceptible he is to making mistakes inlife. Learned people possess knowledge(which is limited) while the wise possessknowing (which is boundless).“One who knows does not speak. Onewho speaks does not know”.When you are secure in yourself,your abilities or your knowledge there isno need to boast. If you offer opinionson subjects about which you know verylittle you only succeed in revealing yourignorance. Many people attempt todisguise their faults (laziness, ineptitudeetc.) by proclaiming and exaggeratingtheir accomplishments. You are judgedby your actions and not by words orintentions. Silence shows confidence.Beware of those who talk incessantly,using flattery or wit; they are eitherinsecure in themselves (uncomfortablein silence) or untrustworthy, concealingtheir true feelings or intentions. Thosewho babble inanely rarely have anythinginsightful to offer.“Words of truth are notbeautiful. Beautiful wordsare not truthful.”Lies and deceptionare easily camouflaged inflowery language. Thetruth is always simply stated and may beharsh sometimes or hard to face, but it isalways the truth. If you are dishonest withothers, or yourself, your Qigong level willnever be high as lies damage yourcharacter and spirit. You need an openheart and a calm mind to develop soalways try to give and accept the truth.Those who prefer to believe a lie, andhide from the truth, will always bespiritually challenged.“Good men are not aggressive. A goodwarrior never loses his temper. Thoseskilful at overcoming an enemy neverconfront him directly”.Men become aggressive whenthey lack balance and feel insecure orthreatened. Fighting with others allowsthem to prove their manhood tothemselves. A warrior leaves his emotionsoutside the battle as emotion cloudsjudgement. There is a vast differencebetween a warrior and a fighter: afighter seeks to conquer others while awarrior, confident in his abilities, seeksonly to conquer himself. Taijiquan isbased on the principle of nonaggression,in other words neutralisingrather than resisting a powerfulopposing force. This principle does notmerely apply to combat but is also avaluable lesson in worldly affairs, too.“If you know your fellow man you areintelligent; If you know yourself you haveinsight. If you can conquer your fellowman you are strong; If you can conqueryourself you have fortitude”.Many people can read others wellbut lack certain self-knowledge and thusmake mistakes. Reflect and learn to knowyourself. It is often easier to controlanother’s will than to control your own.We all have weaknesses which we needto overcome whether they beobsessiveness, laziness, or greed ordependencies etc. When we canovercomethesewehaveinner strengthby Adam Wallace.adam@qimagazine.comQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 55

The Story ofWing ChunPart 2Following her escape from theShaolin Temple Ng Mui seeks refuge inthe wild Chinese countryside. Whilstthere, she makes some amazingdiscoveries which allow her to developher skill even further.Ng Mui hid herself at the White Crane Temple. As aShaolin nun, her martial arts skill was very high.Being a lady meant that her skill and the way shetrained were quite different from a man’s way offighting and training. A woman who fights a maleopponent must assume her opponent will be bigger and strongerthan her. So a man is Yang, strong and powerful, and a womanis Yin, gentle and soft. So a lady’s way must be more skilful,gentler and softer.Shaolin martial arts are famous for imitating animals.However, animal martial arts do not just cover the movementsof the animal, more importantly they cover its attitude andspiritual side. Therefore a master of an animal style may notalways move like that animal, but all the time he or she willhave the spirit of that animal. For example, the movements ofa master of Praying Mantis Kung Fu will not always look like apraying mantis, but its spirit is there, the same with a masterof the Snake style. The master will not slither on the ground,but the snake’s spirit is in his movements.Master Ng Mui’s martial art was the White Crane. Thisis a very sensitive and fast style of martial art. When it attacks,it strikes the weaker areas of the body and the acupuncturepoints. It is very true, a martial art for a lady should bemore sensitive, flexible, use more footwork and lessstrength because the average woman is not as strongas the average man. The best strategy is to avoid orcover the weak areas and use the stronger areas.So smaller people can be more flexible and movequicker than bigger heavy people. This was theprinciple of Master Ng Mui’s White Crane Kung Fuand of course, her skill must have been of a highlevel as well.The White Crane Temple where she hid was inthe Southwest of China in Yunnan Province and it wasa very long way from the Fujian Province in thepage 56 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Southeast of China. Here she was safe and had a lot of timeto practise her White Crane skill and study Buddhism.Whilst training, she came to realise that no matter howfast and light she was the most important part of any fightwas when you came into contact with your opponent. Shethought that if you could understand and read your opponent’senergy before they moved, then you could be more precise.So she started to think about how to develop this contactingskill.The White Crane Temple was in a very naturalenvironment. All around were many wild animals, and theremust have been a lot of white cranes living there. As a masterof White Crane Kung Fu, Master Ng Mui could observe thewhite cranes and how they moved and lived.One day she saw a white crane fighting off a wild catand although the wild cat was stronger than the crane, thecrane fought it off. The crane flew up and down and attackedthe wild cat with its beak from many different directions. Thewild cat could not avoid thecrane’s strikes. Each timethe wild cat attacked thecrane seemed to know andmove flying in an unexpecteddirection. MasterNg Mui watched and paidcareful attention. Veryquickly the fight was over,the wild cat ran away andthe crane had defended itsterritory.The crane was muchtaller than the wild cat, so itcould see the wild cat’swhole body and predictwhat it was going to do and which way it was going to move.The wild cat, however, was much shorter and so could not seewhat the crane was going to do next. It could only fight andreact to what it saw.The fight fascinated Master Ng Mui. All the martial artsthat she had studied contained only solo forms and she practisedby imagining what her opponent would do. Now she saw thatin reality things were very different as you will not know whatyour opponent will do. He might attack straight, he may attackto the left or the right, high or low or might even try and trickyou with a pretend attack. Even in different Kung Fu stylesthere are many special hand techniques and ways to attackand defend. She thought she had to learn how to see andread an opponent’s energy, then she would be able to put upa proper defence.The crane was taller and could see the wild cat, she onthe other hand was a lady and shorter than most men, so howcould this knowledge help her? The question kept coming backto her as did the idea that she had to practise with a partner todevelop her Kung Fu skill. So she created a wooden man, awooden dummy, to practise with. She spent a lot of timepractising on the wooden dummy, but she still found all herskill too direct and active as there was no reaction from thedummy. She also found that the arms and legs of the dummywere too long and that it was too far to get inside to hit thedummy. Eventually she made the arms and legs shorter andso she could touch the arms and legs before attacking thebody of the dummy. The closer she stayed with the dummy’sarms the more flow her movements had and the more shecould control the dummy. She realised that in order to see theopponent’s movement she had to keep sticking to theopponent’s hand and so once they moved she knew everythingshe needed to respond.In order to move and respond properly she found shehad to relax. The more she relaxed the better she was able toread all the movements from hands to footwork and kicking.So she created a form to practise on the dummy which involvedsticking to its arms. Once she stuck to it she saw that she didnot have to move too much or withdraw her arms. Also shecould attack from wherever her hands were. Once she was incontrol of the dummy she could make it lose balance, shecould kick and lock it too. These discoveries were very excitingto her and her White Crane Kung Fu skill was developing,becoming more practical and more efficient. Her skill haddeveloped to another level. She could now attack from everyangle and from very short distances. This was very different tohow she had been training before. Most martial arts requireyou to draw back yourfist so you can createmore speed and“She saw a whitecrane fighting awild cat and thecrane fought it off.”power, but in thesticking hand skill shedid not need to do this.Now she could readthe energy from heropponent and so couldattack from closedistances. Also, as shewas a woman, withher White Crane skillshe always attackedthe weaker parts of thebody such as the face,throat, ribs, elbows, knees and groin.She also realised that close distance was very good forladies as long as their footwork was good. She also noticedthat if her opponent grabbed her, as long as she stayed relaxed,she could change the energy to a different joint. For example,if she was grabbed at the wrist, she could let this go and lift upher elbow. So no matter what part of the body was in contact,as long as she remained relaxed she could fight back safely.She was very excited and started to create new KungFu forms based on controlling and sticking to her opponent.The forms she already knew had the same movements walkingleft, right forwards and backwards. She noticed that lessmovement was better because keeping contact simplified thehand and leg techniques and made them more precise andmore profound. Eventually she created a form to train on thewooden dummy which used hand techniques and footwork alot. In total there were 108 movements.She then created some techniques that she could useat very close range, particularly using the elbows and alsotechniques for long distances using the fingers. She also knewthat attacking too much would create too much aggression, soshe needed meditation to calm down the mind and developthe Qi. So she the last thing she created was a set of slowmovements and stationary stances. Today these movementswe know as Bil Tze, Tsum Kiu and Siu Lim Tao. Afterwards, shecould not think that anything else was necessary and had cometo understand that good Kung Fu must be simple, direct anduse less energy.To be continued…by Michael TseQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 57

The impenetrable thick brown water of the ‘Chang Jiang’ or ‘Long River’(otherwise known as the Yangzi) ploughs through the centre of Wuhan dividing thebustling industrial and economic zones of Hankou and Hanyang from the morepastoral Wuchang which is dominated by large university campuses.You can cross it in several ways. Thefirst option is to bump over the jointsof one of the bridges, facesquashed either into the armpit of afellow passenger or, if you are lucky, upagainst the grimy window of aboneshaker that has long since partedcompany with its suspension. As yoursemi-gridlocked bus crawls over thealmost-50-year-old-2-km-long-six-lanehighway-solidsteel-monstrosolithtowards ‘turtle hill’, sweat sticks you toyour plastic seat and you choke on dieselfumes (so that’s why that seat was empty– it’s located just above the exhaust), youstare absently at the vast river below,thinking that all you have to do is to hopout, float downstream for a bit and you’llbe in Shanghai - practically within reachof the greenrolling hills ofS h r ops hir e .That is, ofcourse, beforeyou do themaths. First ofall, it’s a 262foot drop - thebridges haveto be highenough to letthe Pacificcruise ships that are often seen dockedin Hankou pass beneath. Then there’sthe fact that you would have to floatdownstream for another 1000km or so –the Yangzi is nearly 6000km long – andwhen you get there you have to washup on the Shanghai side of its 85km widemouth. That’s not to mention thepollution and the fact that, by the timeyou got there you’d probably haveevolved webbed feet and a (possiblymarketable) ability to glow in the dark.Your other option is to take yourchance with the river. Squeeze onto oneof the ancient foot passenger ferries andwatch performers swallow large metaltennis balls, regurgitate them and thenask you for money. Alternatively, you canpay five times the price and take a speedboat that nips in and out of the paths ofRiver Citythe larger ferries in a bid to see if theforeigner scares easily (I do).Of course you could always swim,a feat that many Wuhanese say they willdo at least once in their lifetime. MaoZedong did it twice - once in 1956 andagain in 1966. I think I’ll wait until I comeback as a fish.Wuhan lies in the flood plain ofthis great river which, periodically, burstsits banks, flooding tenement estates,generally wreaking havoc and frequentlycausing loss of life in the surroundingcountryside. Much of this countryside isgiven over to the cultivation of rice andlotus, both of which thrive on copioussupplies of water and which logicallyenough figure large in the Wuhanesediet. Lotus soup is a fine Wuhan stapleand the meremention of theseasonal delicacyof fresh lotusbuds (Oo Dai) isenough to reduceme to a pool ofPavlovian dribble(*the Physicist, notthe ballet dancer,or the desert –mind you… ohforget it).The problemwith all thatwater is that, apartfrom being a perfectbreeding ground forlarge, voraciouslyappetited mosquitoes,the area is insufferably humid.Add to that summer temperatures of 40degrees plus (officially the temperaturenever goes above 39 degrees, becauseif it does the Mayor has to declare a dayoff work) and you have one of the ‘threecauldrons’ of China (the other two beingNanjing and Chongqing). I can assureyou that this is no exaggeration; you dofeel as though you are being cooked.Every cloud, however, has its silverlining, and, as the Wuhanese will nevertire of telling you, it is precisely becauseof this 24-hour sauna that the womenof Wuhan have such beautiful skin. Forsome reason no one claimed that it hada similar effect on the menby Peter Andersen.petera@qimagazine.comSqueeze onto a ferry andwatch performers swallowlarge metal tennis ballspage 58 Qi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005

Today virtually all of us live in either a house or an apartment. Mostof us need transport to travel to work or for our social life. If you live in abig city which is very busy, then you might not need a car, instead youtake public transport, some may even use a bicycle.Feng Shui of the CarIn Feng Shui we need to consider whatthe energy is like for different kindsof transport, or if you have a car,where you should park it. Of course, ifyou have a house you will usually parkat the front, back or at the right or leftside. You might even park it in a garage,so I will explain the difference betweenthem. We can say that this is important,but also it might not be important.A car today is like a horse in theold days. So it means it has someattitude. In the past not everyone had ahorse, as the world was much bigger(because you could not get around) andso travelling was not so easy. Today theworld is smaller, or feels smaller becausewe can travel very easily and so we doso very frequently. So we have toconsider the car, where we park it andwhat relevance it has for our Feng Shui.What the Energy SaysThe car is important, it represents travel,business, family and harmony in our lives.It can even relate to our finances,attitudes and accidents. Therefore weneed to look after our car andunderstand how to take care of it.1. If the car is clean most of the time,the owner is well organised, preparedbefore things happen and also secure.2. If the car is always dirty, the owner islaid back and likes to think of thefeeling of body more than externalthings.3. If some one always drives a new car,they want everything perfect and tolook good. So he or she will like toshow off.4. If the car is old, then the owner iseasy going, more practical but alsomaybe a little lazy.5. If the car is new but dirty, then thatperson does not care about things thathappen to him or herself and doesnot know how to take care of things.6. If the car is old but clean, then theowner is organised, financially secureand trustworthy.7. If the car’s fuel is always quite full,then the owner is secure and knows“Do you like all thelatest gadgets? Whatdoes that say aboutyou?”how to take care of themselves andother people.8. If the car is always low of fuel andsometime runs out because theowner does not notice, then he orshe is someone who is always lateand rules are not important to them.9. If the car is damaged and has notbeen fixed for a long time, then theowner does things when it isconvenient and does not take thingsor timing seriously.10.If the car is damaged but the ownerfixes it quickly, then this person likesto clear up problems and is not afraidto face them.11.If the owner likes to change his orher car all the time, then they do notlike to stick with one thing. Becausethey always change, they will alwayshave relationship problems.12.If a person drives a car for over sevenyears, then they are loyal, sincere andtrustworthy.13.If a person drives a simple car, thenthey are practical.14.Someone who likes all the latestmodification and gadgets in a car,likes comfort and enjoys life a lot.15.If you own your car and pay for it inone go, then you are financiallysecure and like everything in order.16.If you like to lease or pay a monthlyrental on a car, then your financesare up and down and you like to enjoylife first rather than take care of theproblems.17.If you like to drive fast, then you likeexcitement and have a short temper.18.If you like to drive slowly, then youlike everything in order and things tobe secure.19.If you do not have a car and like totake public transport in a city, thenyour life is very regular.20.If you have a bicycle and always useit, then you like convenience and sodo not like to carry too much whenyou are mobile.21.If you own a motocycle, then you likeexcitement and want to do thingsquickly, or on the contrary you arequite laid back.to be continued... by Michael TseQi Magazine Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 page 59