Innholdsfortegnelse for March - April 2017 i Kung Fu Tai Chi

Right after the U.S. Presidential election, I left the country. I went on assignment to Dublin, Ireland, for a set visit for AMC’s Into the Badlands. It was a work trip, not out of protest, although I confess that after such a rancorous election I was hoping for a little break. But it wasn’t to be. In the Irish pubs over pints of Guinness, I found myself engaged by locals wanting to discuss the surprising results in context of their own situation with Brexit. The world is changing and we simply cannot afford to look away. The stakes are too high. As a general rule, Kung Fu Tai Chi strives to be politically neutral. That’s not out of a lack of opinion by any means. It’s just that we are…

On Saturday, November 5, 2016, Master Malee and Malee’s School of Tai Chi & Kung Fu played host to competitors from New England and all over the U.S. at the 6th New England International Wushu Championships, U.S. Traditional Wushu Team Trials, and 3rd USA Tai Chi Cup in Connecticut. The event took place at Nomad’s Adventure Quest in South Windsor. With close to three hundred competitors in attendance from twenty-six schools, it was one of the best attended Chinese martial arts tournaments on the east coast this year. Many special guests were in attendance, including Grandmaster Bai Wenxiang, (cover master November+December 2010) former head coach of the Shaanxi Wushu team, and Master Zhao Changjun (cover master November+December 2006), one of the top Wushu athletes of all time, movie star, principal…

Baguazhang, an old but fashionable name in Chinese, together with Taiji and Xingyi, are said to be the three internal Chinese martial arts systems. They are homologous yet have distinct characters and complement each other to progress together. The difference between internal and external forms is in the basic practice, which has different exercising methods. In the end, regardless of the differences, when they reach the peak, they are the same thing. But due to differing initial concepts, they take different routes. It is often said that practicing the external martial arts is good to a certain age, then switching to practice the internal boxing is better for fitness and health. The internal styles have both the skills of the combat and the function of health, and are also in…

Shaolin martial arts originated in the nineteenth year of the Northern Wei Dynasty (495 CE). History credits the Shaolin Temple with its creation, but the folk masters and military generals who passed through Shaolin were as important as the monks. They brought civil and military tactics into Shaolin, constantly perfecting their methods and providing an abundant curriculum. As a result, Shaolin martial arts can be divided into three categories: training methods (gongfa 功 法), routines (taolu 套路), and fighting skills (gedou 格斗). One of the outstanding traditional routines of Shaolin martial arts embodies all three: Shaolin Lianshou Duanda (少林连手短打) or Shaolin Continuous Hand Short Strikes. This is a unique routine because the three are one. It is actually a two-man routine or duilian (literally “opposed practice” 对练), but either side…

As this column was going to press, the Chinese Box Office was in its third consecutive month of decline. It was a marked change from the alarming growth of the Chinese film industry, which was predicted to overtake Hollywood’s Box Office sometime this spring. Accordingly, that transition date has been pushed back, some say to late 2017, others say for five years. Due to the slump, HollywoodReporter.com reported that the Chinese Box Office flatlined in 2016. It was projected to grow less than 5% for 2016, a far cry from the previous years. Since 2003, China’s annual Box Office has averaged 35% growth, and in 2015 it grew 48%. In the first quarter of 2016, it was at 50%, but that’s surely due to the Chinese New Year, China’s biggest…

February 3, 2017 23:49 is the beginning of the Lunar New Year (lichun 立 春), marking the Year of the Rooster, although conventional calendars celebrate this on January 28. Southern countries are prone to incidents such as fire and volcanic eruptions. The southern United States is forecasted to suffer natural disaster; global drought problems cannot be underestimated. In general health a high incidence of cardiovascular disease is predicted along with tropical epidemics. The world’s economic and political outlook includes unexpected changes. The world begins to emphasize education and a variety of cultural exchanges are welcome. Luck shines on Eastern countries. Southeast Asia’s economy will revive. Energy issues become the focus of research and development. Europe and Russia will make innovative breakthroughs in science and technology. Favorable healthy foods include red…

Tiger Claw is preparing for great things in 2017. New products, equipment, and events are all on the horizon. I already know our biggest event next year will be the Tiger Claw Elite Championships, held May 19–21, 2017, in San Jose, California. Every year we work to add stuff and make it better than the year before so that people will leave talking about how great the event is and want to come back. This year additions will be easy, but at the same time, a lot of hard work will be required to pull it all off successfully. Kung Fu Tai Chi magazine turns twenty-five next year. Let that sink in for a moment. Twenty-five years of great Chinese martial arts coverage. It has been no easy task to…

Last November, the San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture hosted the 2nd “World of Bruce Lee” Exhibition, organized by the acclaimed Bruce Lee fan and collector Randy Wong. The exhibit celebrated the 76th birthday of martial arts legend Bruce Lee and the 50-year milestone of Lee’s groundbreaking role in The Green Hornet TV show. In addition, the lineup also included a special tribute section to the highly regarded Master Wong Jack Man, who was one of the first masters to openly start offering Chinese martial arts lessons in the US in the ‘60s (first in San Francisco’s Chinatown and for several decades later in the same Fort Mason Center’s building where this exhibition was held), and who famously battled Bruce Lee in a no-holds-barred match in 1964,…

Linear, circular, spherical – they sound like geometry terms from a 6th grade math class. But in this particular context, they describe the martial sophistication and complexity of seung bei (雙匕), the double daggers of Ying Jow Pai (鷹爪 派; ying jaau paai) in Yale Cantonese standardization), otherwise known as The Eagle Claw Kung Fu system. This Northern fighting method attributes its inspiration and origins to famed General Yue Fei (岳飛; Ngok Fei in Cantonese) of the Southern Song Dynasty (南宋; 1127–1279 CE) in China. It gained attention and popularity when Master Chen Zizheng (陳子正; Chan Ji Jing) was invited to teach the system at the Jing Wu Athletic Association (精武體育會; Jing Wu Ti Yu Hui / Jing Mou Tai Yuk Wui ) in Shanghai, China, during the early part…

“It’s like a finger pointing away to the moon. Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all of the heavenly glory!” –Bruce Lee as the Shaolin Monk “Lee” in Enter the Dragon (1973) Every martial arts fan has probably quoted Bruce Lee’s immortal movie lines at some point in their life. However, like several of Lee’s lines, this one wasn’t originally his. Lee was very scholarly and never hesitated to quote from wiser masters. Perhaps some of Lee’s wisdom lay within his literacy; he knew who to quote. The origin of this quote goes back to the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, Venerable Huineng (638–713 CE 惠能). The nun Wu Jincang (無盡藏) asked him to help her to understand some Buddhist sutras, but he was illiterate so in…

For the most up-to-date listings, visit our online interactive calendar at KungFuMagazine.com TOURNAMENTS & GATH ERI NGS 2017-04-29 (1 Day) World Tai Chi & Qigong Day Contact: Bill Douglas 913-648-2256 10100 Roe Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66207 BillDouglas@WorldTaiChiDay.org - www.WorldTaiChiDay.org 2017-05-19 (3 Days) KUNG FU TAI CHI 25TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL & 2017 Tiger Claw Elite Championships Held in Downtown San Jose, CA Celebrate 25 Years of Kung Fu Tai Chi magazine with this THREE DAY FESTIVAL along with the 2017 Tiger Claw Elite KungFuMagazine.com Championship TIGER CLAW SPONSORED EVENT Contact: Gigi Oh 510-656-5100 X141 or Gene Ching 510-656-5100 X137 40748 Encyclopedia Circle, Fremont, CA, 94538 Gigi@TCMedia.com or Gene@KungFuMagazine.com www.KungFuMagazine.com/info/tournament/KFTC25.html www.TigerClawElite.com & www.KungFuTaiChiDay.com 2017-06-23 (8 Days) Eastover Medical Qigong and Oriental Medicine Symposium 2017 Twelve Masters Unite! - Join internationally renowned…

Wen (2nd tone 聞) means to listen or hear. Ji (1st tone 雞) means rooster, cock or chicken. Qi (3rd tone 起) means to rise or begin. Wu (3rd tone 舞) means dance. Here it is an abbreviation for the term wujian (舞剑), which means swordplay or sword dance. Wu is also a homophone with the wu in wushu (martial art 武術). This couplet can be translated as ‘Upon hearing the rooster crow, rise and practice swordplay’. It is from the Jin Shu Zuti Biography (晋书·祖逖传) from the Jin Dynasty (264-460 CE). This calligraphy was written for Kung Fu Tai Chi in honor of 2017, the Year of the Rooster. It was written by Master Wang Quanyi (王全一). For more information on Master Wang, see Iron Finger, Soft Brush by…

Fu Zhensong (傅振嵩), the founder of the Fu style lineage of Taiji, Bagua, Xing Yi and Wudang arts, was a legend in martial circles in the early decades of the 20th century. Fu not only studied and trained with some of the most famous exponents of Chinese internal Kung Fu, but over his lifetime he also refined his practice into a rich body of specialized technique. In his youth, Fu learned Chen style Taiji from Chen Yanxi (陈延熙), remembered now as the father of the prominent Beijing-based teacher Chen Fake (陳發科). He also studied Bagua with several masters from the Beijing school founded by Dong Haichuan (董海川). By the 1920s, he had found employment as a military coach under Li Jinglin (李景林), an army commander in China’s northern provinces. General…

Push Hands (tuishou 推手) is a two-man drill most commonly associated with the internal style of Taijiquan. Baguazhang, another famous internal system, has a similar drill called roushou (柔手), often referred to as soft hands practice. Both systems incorporate choreographed routines to develop sensitivity, relaxation, sticking skills, neutralizing and redirection as well as practicing one’s rooting ability. What might come as a surprise to most Kung Fu enthusiasts is that Shaolin has its own form of Push Hands drills. The Shaolin version of Push Hands consists of two simple patterns incorporating free-style balance games as well as various application work. These drills, affectionately referred to as tuinashou (push, lock hands 推拿手), can be practiced along with other Shaolin two-man drills such as arm banging and partner conditioning work to further…

Cutting edge: 29 ½” Overall in scabbard: 38” Weight: 1.5 lbs. Late Qing Dynasty or early Republic of China period This Dao was originally found at the Norton Flea Market in Norton, Massachusetts during the 1980’s. The previous owner of the sword claimed it was given to his wife’s great-uncle at the turn of the century from the Chinese government. He was a consulate to China and leaving his post. A great farewell gift! According to the present owner, John White, “I trained with this blade personally for many years mainly for my Tai Chi Broa dsword form. Its weight and balance suited me perfectly for this form and was a great pleasure being able to use an antique sword such as this for training.” This blade is not of…