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.