Introducing T’ai Chi Chih to China

Ni Hao! (Hello! How are you?)

This was the greeting we received upon arriving for QiGong practice in Hangzhou People’s Republic of China each morning at 6:30 a.m. Seven other American students and I were studying traditional Chinese medicine, chi gong and T’ai Chi for 2½ weeks during this past October.

The daily program included lectures on Chinese language, practices, sightseeing, acupuncture, massage treatments, meditation and gourmet Chinese meals. Our teachers at the “Resort for Healing” were doctors of Chinese medicine, t’ai chi masters and university professors. Despite the language barrier (we needed a native northern Chinese translator for most of our instructions), we found the informal classes to be comfortable and easy to follow. I was intrigued with the poetic descriptions our teachers used. For instance, T’ai Chi was called an art of slow and gentle movements, like “finding the needle inside the cotton!” The head was said to be suspended from the sky, where energy flows from; and there is rest in movement. In addition, they told us that the Chinese believe singing restores your strength! No wonder our waitress practiced her joyous songs out in the hallway each evening during dinner.

One beautiful poem they used to describe meditation goes as follows:

body like a hanging willow, heart like frozen ice,
empty everything from the mind,
know that there is no “I”, empty and more empty,
get to a status of formlessness.

One evening I was invited to demonstrate T’ai Chi Chih to my Chinese teacher. He and my classmates were intrigued to see a form unknown to them. Many asked for further information about Justin and his writings. We agreed with our instructors that the “whole universe is open with information.” And I thought, Wow, what an honor and a pleasure to be a T’ai Chi Chih ambassador to China!”

Xie Xie! (Thank you).

Source: NM TCC News, Jan. ’97