Plans for the Future

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to give you a quick update about what the Sanctuary is planning for the next couple of years. Some of you may want to join in on our plans, and advance notice is always helpful (especially if saving money for a TRIP is involved!).

We are starting a new Teacher Apprentice Program this fall. Our inaugural group is winding down and has been a great success. We have several students teaching their own classes, and others providing support to the existing classes.  Each participant has been able to go deeper into their own practice to improve their skill level considerably. Our goals for this group were met beyond our expectations, and we look forward to see what a new group will bring to the school.
http://www.taoistsanctuary.org/teacher_training/main-TTP.html

We have great seminars planned for the remainder of the year. We’ve already hosted Grandmaster Chen Xiaoxing, and next month will host Master Chen Ziqiang, his nephew and main instructor at the Chen Village Taijiquan School. Master Chen will teach broadsword, which will be the first weapon for some of our newer students. In the fall, Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang returns. He will offer a corrections class on the Xinjia Yilu, and an instructional class on Laojia Yilu. In 2012, we hope to host Master Jan Silberstorff, GM CXX and GM CXW. We like to keep those Chen family folks rolling through on a regular basis!
http://www.taoistsanctuary.org/seminars.html

We have started the conversations about our China March 2013 trip. We’ll be taking another group over to the village for the GM CXW seminar and Duan Wei testing in the village, and will follow this with a trip to (probably) Hangzhou and Shanghai. Planning is in the very early stages, so of course this is subject to change. The trip is set, itinerary is fluid.
http://www.taoistsanctuary.org/china_trips/upcoming_trips.html

Join us for any or all of our activities! We look forward to seeing you there!

Home at Last

My goodness lots has occurred since I last posted. We are home now, all of us, slept in our beds last night and I’m sure all enjoyed that piece of heaven. The flight was ok, long as always but there’s no way around it.

Our time in Beijing was great. We packed in the activities, starting with an afternoon trip to the Temple of Heaven Park. This park is full of people doing all sorts of exercises, taiji, ballroom dancing, push hands and qi gong. Tourists watch and take pictures and listen to the guides explain the various temples and their importance to the Emperor. We did a round of Laojia yi lu at one spot, and listened while one guide puzzled to her group that we must be a special program that cost extra. After watching for a bit, she then commented that maybe we knew what we were doing. We were joined by one woman from the US who managed to follow us all the way through the form and thanked us profusely for allowing her to participate.

The next day we did the requisite tourist spots – Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Silk Market. We lost a person in the Forbidden City. I felt awful about this – the last time we lost someone he quickly wandered off on his own before we had a chance to look for him. This time I admonished the group to always STAY PUT if they got separated, so stay put this person did. Unfortunately, we had left the temple before we noticed he was missing, and couldn’t go back in to look for him. Luckily, he caught up with us several hours and several cab rides later, so all ended well with no harm.

We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe Beijing. This was by far the best meal of the trip for me. I was just recovering from my stomach bug, and beef was the answer to my ailments. I wolfed down a Red White and Blue burger (cajun hot sauce, onion ring, blue cheese) with fries and a Stella Artois. YUM. I was infused with energy, color came back into my face, and I felt restored. Everyone else had mostly the same thing, and had similar responses.

Our final day was a trip to the Great Wall, the Cloisonne Factory, and an unexpected bonus – a trip to the silk factory, thanks to Dianne Houser. This is where you see how they make silk, from the birth of the silkworms to the pulling of the threads from the cocoon to the stretching of the silk to make a quilt. 11 people bought quilts here. I already have one so I got a pillow and a lap throw. Wonderful experience.

Travel day was not great for me – my stomach bug returned, I didn’t feel like eating, and worse, we had to check out of the hotel by noon but our plane didn’t leave until 9pm. I slept in the hotel lobby for a while and again in the airport. Now that I’m home, I think I will live, but as I said in my previous post, being sick in China sucks.

This was a great trip, a great group with whom to travel, and I hope everyone had a wonderful time. Judy, I’m sorry I didn’t get to say bye to you – I so enjoyed getting to know you! Travis, it was wonderful to share this experience with you again. Nicolas – wonderful getting to know you, and I hope this trip was everything you hoped it would be. Susan, George D and Sheryl, I hope the village was rewarding for you – I was sorry you couldn’t travel on with us. Everyone else – see you at class!!

Zai jian!!

Being Sick in China

Just a short note this time… I’ve gotten the bug that I have always dreaded – the GI bug. Luckily I have Cipro and am slowly recovering. But being sick in China sucks. I don’t know what made me sick. I don’t know if it was brushing my teeth with the tap water in Zhengzhou (something I’ve always done with no problems), the dinner we had the night we left the village, or just a combination of all the food over the past week. I do know that I had horrible visions of being admitted to a Chinese hospital and pumped full of fluids. An overreaction, of course, and now that I’m feeling better, it all seems silly. I’ve had a good run of 5 trips to China without getting sick, so I suppose I was due. I’m just glad I followed my own advice to bring antibiotics.

The group went to the Taoist Monastery yesterday and ate at the great local rib place, and they loved it. Some said the lunch was the best meal they had since they arrived. I’m really glad for that – in the midst of hotel buffets filled with westerners, a little local flavor is very welcome. I was sorry to miss the adventure, but luckily all that I missed I had seen last year.

Now it’s on to Beijing – our flight leaves at 10:30, and we will land, go to Temple of Heaven Park for a tour and some taiji, then to the Pearl Market for the Great Shopping Adventure. Tonight is “dinner on your own”, so people will get a break from each other and from the group dinners, and wander about on their own, maybe to Pizza Hut, maybe to the Hard Rock Cafe (Bill and I will go there, Bill needs another t-shirt), or a local Chinese meal.

3 more days, then home. I will be happy to be home, I miss my kitties, my bed, and my routine.

Duan Testing

We are in Xian now, a beautiful city, in a beautiful hotel with great showers and nice beds and clean floors (well, mostly). Leaving the village was a little rough – it’s a pretty sheltered environment, few expectations other than practicing taiji. Coming to Zhengzhou for the one night before our train to Xian was a bit of a shock. I remember being struck by the blinding white color of the sink in the bathroom.

I can look back on the Duan testing now and feel relief that it’s all over, but a sense of still grasping for that actual memory of my performance in front of the judging panel. I will describe the process to you, but I don’t know how well I will convey the emotion.

The background – we were originally told the test would be Friday. On Wednesday, we were told it was going to be Saturday instead. We had to then scramble to change our travel arrangements – we were set to leave at 12:30 on Saturday to go to Shaolin Temple. Even though GM CXW told us we would be done by 12:30, we didn’t really believe it, and better safe than sorry. So we decided that half the group (who wasn’t testing) would go on to Shaolin, and the ones testing would leave at 6pm that evening and everyone would meet up for dinner. This whole process was very reminiscent of the Czech Republic Duan testing, when we had no idea what was going on, a schedule, or any type of process.

Saturday morning we start the seminar with Xinjia Yilu, the form we had been working on since Thursday. Everyone who was testing dressed in their silks, so the room was a rainbow of color – blue, yellow, red, gold, black. It was freezing and raining outside, and someone said there were even slow flurries. Of course. We started with “small standing”, during which there were many interruptions and discussions about the test. We continued standing during all this, still not really having any idea what was going on. At 10am, GM CXW stopped the seminar and announced that the testing would begin NOW.

The process was very formal. We were introduced to the panel of judges, which this time would INCLUDE GM CXW. We weren’t sure how we felt about this – could be a good thing, or…I just hoped I didn’t embarrass him. We were taught how to enter the testing area and how to salute, and how to leave the arena. We testing in groups of 4, assigned by the order on the paper printed by the school staff. The groups tested the empty hand form first, then immediately tested the weapons form if they were trying for Level 4 or above. I tested with Kim Ivy and Betty Dong, and we presented a grand sight, Women of Chen Style Taijiquan, in our yellow, gold and powder blue silks. We did well, so we were told. I remember more of my performance than I did of the one in the CR. Overall the experience was less stressful this time.

After the technical test, we were required to write 2 essays. One was titled “Why I Study Taijiquan”, and the other one was titled “How to Best Promote the Duan Wei Testing”. This second essay was only for people testing for Level 4 and above. 1000 words each was the requirement. We were told to work on this, eat, then be back at 3pm to continue the seminar.

After lunch, we had our rest, packed, and returned to the seminar. We were all told that everyone passed, we all got our levels, and that was that! I now hold a Level 6 Duan Wei from the Chinese Wushu Association, as does Bill, Kim, Betty, and several other disciple brothers and sisters. Our students got Levels 3 and 4. The students going to Shaolin were able to stay and watch the testing, although they didn’t know we received our levels until we saw them at dinner.

I was not there for the final awarding of the certificates. I do know that they ran out, so the Americans will not get them until GM CXX comes to the states in a few weeks and brings them to us. That’s ok, I don’t need the paper. I hear that GM CXW was very proud of all of us, and that is the most important thing to me. He has done so much for us, I am happy to give back to him in any way that I can.

So now the tourist part of the trip begins. Xian until Wednesday, then Beijing. We have already seen the Xian City Wall (the group did taiji there), and a great Tang Dynasty art museum, and a Taoist Temple that is something like 1000 years old, right in the middle of the city and almost inaccessible because of a monthly street fair that clogged both the street and the walkways. We had great fun weaving through this fair, taking pictures of all of the wares – dried alligator, snake, peppers, spices, bras, coats, hot food, goldfish. Fascinating. Today we visit the Terra Cotta Warriors and have dinner at the famous Dumpling House. Tomorrow we visit the Taoist Monastery in Louguantai, one of the oldest in the country, and I really look forward to the quiet contemplative energy of this place.

I’ll check back in later – hope you are enjoying reading the blogs. If you are my friend on facebook, check out the pictures, otherwise wait until I get home and post them in a public forum.

 

The Wall

No, not the Great Wall. The “I’ve been here too long” Wall. It’s the 5th day of the seminar, and the weather in Chenjiagou has gone from cold to delightful to horrible in that length of time. Today the wind is blowing probably 30 mph, and carrying with it all sort of dust and particles that go straight into our lungs with every breath. Even the room is dusty. My water bottle that sits by my bed has dust on it. I cleaned the room and wet mopped the floor, but the humidity is so low that it dried as I pulled the mop across the room. We tried to go see Yang Lu Chan’s Learning Place today, but no one was there at the scheduled time, so we stood in the high winds for 10 minutes then rushed back to the room. I’m taking part of the afternoon session off. My feet are suffering from all the standing and taiji on concrete, and I need to save some functionality for the duan level test tomorrow.

The schedule has changed a bit. The duan test was going to be today, but has been postponed until tomorrow. We had to change our plans accordingly – half our group will stay here until tomorrow evening to do the test, and the other half will leave at noon to go to Shaolin Temple. It was a choice…things are hard to predict here, and I cautioned everyone who came with us to bring their flexibility. The group is taking it all well, I imagine some are disappointed about splitting up, but everyone understands.

The taiji has been sublime as always. We are practicing Xinjia Yilu now, and watching Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang demonstrate this complicated form is like watching art in action. We have been treated to a number of demonstrations while here, by our Sifu, and by his brother Grandmaster Chen Xiaoxing, and their cousin Master Chen Yu. We were also invited to attend the Ancestors’ Ceremony, where the gravesites are decorated with paper that is lit on fire. We also visited the Taiji museum and Taiji park, site of what I think must be the biggest yin yang symbol in the world.

The next leg of our journey will take us back to the big cities of Xian and Beijing. As I sit in my dusty bed here in Chenjiagou and complain about the weather, I think of the people who live here, and who work so hard to make ends meet, growing their food and selling their wares on the streets. We in America have it easy, and while it makes me feel good to come here and spend money in their shops thinking I am helping their economy, I don’t think the influx of cash makes up for the hardships they endure. I have great respect for their fortitude. I know this is the place of my Sifu’s roots, so it’s the place of my roots too.

 

The Taiji Experience

One of the reasons I love these China trips is the simplicity of it all. Sleep, eat, do taiji, eat, nap, do taiji, eat, sleep and it starts all over again. I love the exercise. This year has been a rough one for me in that I have allowed my job to take away from my taiji practice. I am probably the weakest I’ve been in years in my taiji form. Now, after only 3 days of the seminar, I have more bounce in my step, more strength in my legs, and I can feel myself starting to crave that lost feeling of my taiji body. My postures are lower, and best of all, doing taiji feels great again. For this I am thankful to Grandmaster Chen for his ability to remind me that I love taiji, and that I need to give it a more important place in my life.

There are a few more things happening here in the village other than taiji. There is shopping – many stores now carry taiji clothing, weapons, books and dvds. We have all wandered in and out of each store, everyone finding something to bring home. I bought 2 uniforms today (couldn’t decide between them and the storekeeper convinced me to get both, of course). There is a night life here in Chenjiagou. Craig celebrated his birthday last night with a few students by going to the tea house and having a beer. Yesterday some VIPs showed up to the seminar and Grandmaster did a rousing demonstration that had everyone on their feet cheering and whistling. Tonight there is a big demonstration in which we will take part with the Brazilians, Germans, English and Irish, representing the United Nations of Taijiquan. Tomorrow we will tour the Taiji temple, the museum, and the house where Yang Lu Chan learned Taijiquan. We are hoping for Market Day, where the locals set up stalls to sell their wares. We went last year, and it was a hoot looking at all the offerings.

Taiji is the central core of the village. Everywhere you look people of all ages are practicing taiji, before sunrise, after dark when there is no light to see, and all day long the students complete their taiji drills. I’m sure it isn’t an easy life, but the value is in the opportunity to focus energy in one direction, reconnect with the ancestors’ qi, and do what people have done on this ground for 20 generations. Right now, this is just what I need.

Old makes way for New

The village is much as I remembered, but it won’t be this way for long. Urban development has come to Chenjiagou. As we drove in from Zhengzhou, and approached the old village gate, there came into view several tall construction cranes much like you see in big US cities. We hear they are building a Taiji theme park that will include a water slide! Also going up is a big Taiji Hotel for all the visitors. We used to joke that the future of China martial arts touring was Shaolin in the morning, Chenjiagou in the afternoon. The future is apparently now.

I am glad I came some years back, before the main road was paved. I’m glad I came before the big temple museum was built in the graveyard, because now I have to pay to wander through the ancestors graves, whereas before I didn’t. I am also very sad because I hear that many old village houses will be razed to make room for more buildings in the Taiji theme park, and I don’t know where these people will go. These houses are built from mud, brick and hay, with big holes that let in the cold air, and people make their lives in these homes. It may be an improvement; maybe the government will build them new modern homes, with heat and television.

At the same time, there is a great familiarity to the whole experience. Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang is teaching laojia yilu to all of his students. He adopted a new group of students into the Chen family yesterday in a traditional baishi ceremony. Mostly traditional – there was the addition of the rock music and the loudspeakers that livened things up. The food is the same – country food with noodles, vegetables, and rarely, meat. The group is the same – we represent many countries including Brazil, Germany, England, Poland, Ireland and the US. And as always, the intent is the same – to bring together the international communities who are united by our love of taijiquan, and by our love and respect for our Sifu, Chen Xiaowang.

Breakfast in Zhengzhou

It’s so enjoyable watching our group forage their way through the breakfast buffet at the Sofitel Hotel in Zhengzhou. There are so many offerings – Chinese, European, Japanese – truly international. Rey had 2 servings of strawberry waffle with whipped cream and may go back for a third. Richard found donuts. Myself – I sampled it all from the steamed buns to the noodles to the congee to the fruit. We are enjoying it now – the food in the village won’t be quite as tasty.

Everyone slept well. Some were up for a bit at 1am – that seemed to be the magical time. The rooms are very nice here although my Chinese hair dryer burst into flames last night the first time I turned it on. I suspect the plug – I think it also burned up one of my transformers this morning. Luckily I yanked my computer loose before it also burned up. Whew.

Today we will leave Zhengzhou and travel across the Yellow River to Chenjiagou. More adventures await us there, hopefully not of the fire type.

Judi, one of our fellow travelers, has a blog at http://www.thewanderingju.com
Check it out – I’ll post again from the village (wifi allowing).

Zai jian!!

Pilgrimage to Chenjiagou

Last year close to this time, Bill and I had recently returned from a solo trip to Chenjiagou and were having dinner with our friends Ann and Allex. I was talking about the trip and how much I had enjoyed it. In past years, after returning from China, I was quite adamant in my resolve to either not return at all, or wait at least “x” of years before returning. This sentiment was born from my struggle with what I saw as the primitive conditions and lack of creature comforts for long periods of time. This time was different! There were still no creature comforts, but I was high from the energy of being with our teacher, Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, practicing our art with over 100 people from 14 countries in the courtyard of the village school, and the joy of knowing that I am part of a lineage, a history, a family that created the art of Taijiquan.

So I said to my friends “I want to go back next year!” They said “we want to go with you!” And so the Pilgrimage to Chenjiagou 2011 was born.

It was in the stars this time. The last time Bill and I tried to take a group to China, we had zero takers. We ended up going to Mongolia instead with our friends George and Chris. This time, when I put up the trip information on the internet soliciting interest, we had takers. Many – last night we started with a group of 15 in San Diego, added 2 in Los Angeles, and on Sunday will depart from Zhengzhou for Chenjiagou with a group of 22.

Many of the people traveling with us are our students. Some have been to the village with us before, some have traveled but never to China, and some have never left the US. The best part for me is seeing this journey through the eyes of the virgin travelers. The late night gathering at LAX for the 1am flight, the new friends, the first glance at the giant 747 Air China plane, settling in for the 13 hour flight and dealing with the 15 hour time difference, and wandering the Beijing airport in amazement at the architecture and the delights for sale and consumption. And with the best still to come, the first step into the courtyard of that humble village taiji school, to feel the ancestral qi where the Chen family created taijiquan and have continued to train for the last 19 generations, this is why I said “I want to go back next year!”

Trip to China

We leave for China very soon. It will be the trip of a lifetime – first time for some, not for others, but as always, any gathering in Chen Village is an adventure never to be forgotten.
I plan to update this blog, if I can, from China. Please check regularly for my success in this endeavor.