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.

 

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