Sunday 17 April 2011

When you drink the water, remember the person who dug the well!

My Shaolin gongfu teacher in the early 1990s always emphasised the importance of having a sense of history - of understanding your place as a link in a chain joining past and future generations. The first time I visited Chenjiagou was in 1997, we were shown around all the significant sites: the graves of Chen Fake, Chen Zhaopi, Chen Zhaokui etc... caught up in the reverance offered to these past luminaries, but with no idea of their real significance; walking through the ditch after which the village was named and seeing just a ditch. After many visits to Chenjiagou in the years since, the stories of the exploits of the people from this unique place have become comfortably familiar. Two weeks ago I was on a stage set up in the main street of Chenjiagou performing Taijiquan in front of what seemed like the whole village (in the picture above before the demo: Jan Silberstorff, David Gaffney, dignitary, Chen Yu, Chen Xiaoxing, Chen Xiaowang, Xingyiquan Master Shi Zhaowen, and 2 other officials). Now a part of the community that once seemed so alien.    Demonstrating at the birthplace of Taijiquan!

1 comment:

  1. The essence of TJQ cannot be seen, by the untrained mind/eye, becaue here there are no wide stances, and the physical movements almost cannot be seen, at all. All movements are very small. There is a whole lot going on inside, though.

    James
    Maryland, USA

    ReplyDelete

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