Faulk TaiChi

Learn the beautiful, flowing movements for health and relaxation.

Wisdom from Chen WangTing

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yin yang

I have spent much of the last two weeks in China, in my head – remembering, visualizing, hearing, smelling, tasting once again that wonderful experience I had in person – Tai Chi in Chenjiago (Chen Village) and Wudanshan (Wudang Mountains). Now well into the book I am writing about my story, I easily went back to the multi-faceted experience that enhanced my life and my Tai Chi. A dream come true, a trip that I thought would be physically impossible for me to ever take. And there I was.

This week I told a story to my Tai Chi students. It was in response to a student’s question, “How long until I’m not a beginner any longer?”

China
Chen WangTing
Chen Village

In Chenjiago, Chen Village, walking on a gravel road leading to History Museum of Tai Chi, there is a big rock with Chinese writing, “Tai Chi’s Holy Place. We near the entrance and encounter a statue of Chen WangTing, the founder of Chen Tai Chi in the 1600’s. As we walk further along a stone walkway, we encounter three gigantic stone gates. The outermost gate signifies the earliest proficiency of Tai Chi, the second for those who have advanced further and the third, for those who are even more advanced. Chen WangTing told his students he was personally outside the first gate. My fellow Tai Chi travelers and I stopped, looked at each other in amazement. We knew that put us way, way, way, way outside the first gate!

tai chi statue

This is a great lesson for us, always having the mind of a beginner, eager to learn, eager to try, eager to be open to new lessons. We do not arrive nor master. We are here to be on the journey.

The Amazing Terracotta Warriors

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Terracotta Warriors

In grade school and high school there was no mention of China in my history classes. We learned about the pharaohs and pyramids of Egypt and the antiquity of Rome. But Asia did not come up. None of us thought to question that.

In modern times China is a major player on the world stage, as the world has become more intertwined in the financial, consumer products, political and sports arenas around the globe. Travel to China has become more accessible in recent years, so Americans have the opportunity to learn more about its culture and history. Those of us who have studied Chinese medicine and/or are involved with Tai Chi, have gained a some knowledge about Chinese philosophy, healing through acupuncture and herbs and balancing Qi (life force energy).

Today we have frequent cultural exchanges, with dance, instrumental and orchestral performance, visual art and with ongoing student exchanges in university degree programs. And sometimes with important exhibitions that need to be shared with the world. That very thing is happening now, in Chicago.

Terracotta Warriors

I recently viewed “China’s First Emperor and his Terracotta Warriors” at the Field Museum for the third time. Amazing story about China’s first emperor building thousands of terracotta soldiers to protect him in the afterlife. Discovered in the 1970’s by a farmer digging for a well. Thousands have been excavated, plus chariots and horses and birds and swans. Each soldier is 5’11” – 6′ tall. All faces are different. When viewing them close, it looks like they are looking directly at you.

So much more to the story. The scale of this effort and the artistry is overwhelming. I visited the actual site in Xian, China five years ago and felt like I was witnessing one of the major “wonders” of the world. I felt that way again in Chicago.

Thousands of no-name Chinese people, toiled day after day to design and construct these warriors, horses, and other animals. Some died in the process and were buried in the emperor’s pits. Fascinating that these people, who were nobodies, created artistry that would last into perpetuity. We can honor and marvel at their talent these many centuries later.

terra cotta warriors

If you are anywhere close, go see this exhibit. Even if you are not close, think about making a special effort in the next six months to come to Chicago to see it. You will be amazed.

A Chinese Lantern Festival (#4 in a series)

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elephant lantern

“These elephants and their lion guards represent a world of peace and harmony which we wish to express to you all”

elephant lantern

This is the message for visitors visiting Zoominations – A Chinese Lantern Festival at the Tampa Zoo.

lion lantern
lion lantern

With vibrant color: reds, yellows, greens, blues purples. Each made with great care and intricate detail.

Elephants were once kept by the imperial court for ceremonies. They symbolize prudence, wisdom and strength.

Lions were also associated with royalty. They were admired for their strength and courage and have often been used to guard entrances to official buildings and residences.

A Chinese Lantern Festival (#3 in a series)

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peony lights

The peony is the national flower of China. Each year in the spring, there are huge festivals featuring thousands of peonies. It is regarded as a symbolic flower, the ‘queen of flowers,’ associated with prosperity, nobility and elegance. These illuminated peonies lined the walkway as you entered the Chinese Lantern Festival at the Tampa Zoo.

flower lights
Chinese lanterns

“Qulin (pronounced CHEE_LIN are mythical creatures of a good kind. They are composite beings, often taking the head of a dragon and the body of a tiger or deer. Peaceful, they are said to appear only where wise leaders rule. . . in this scene, four Qilin present a giant pearl as a symbol of blessings to the people. Thousands of medicine bottles filled with colored liquid, then tied together by hand, make up this lantern.” (from sign at Tampa Zoo lantern festival)

mythical creature sculpture

What a colorful, amazing creation! When traveling in China, I saw many of these mythical creatures, many in stone or ceramic. Here is one at the gate to Wudanshan in central China, at the base of the wonderful Wudang Mountains, where Taoism is thought to have started and the roots of Tai Chi began.

The Amazing Terra Cotta Soldiers

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A year ago today I was in Xian, China. The old central city is enclosed by a stone wall; wheat and corn are the main crops; dumplings and noodles are the local specialties. And, it’s brimming with ancient history.

Terra Cotta Soldiers

The first emperor, 2000 years ago, had an army of terra cotta soldiers built for his personal protection. There are no historical records of these soldiers. In 1974, a year of drought,  a local farmer was digging for a well. His shovel hit something solid. Through extensive excavation, thousands of life-size soldiers were uncovered, many in fragments and poor condition. Today there are three pits with soldiers standing in the ground where they were found.  In the first pit alone, 6000 figures were found.  Among amazing findings they discovered — each soldier is 5’11”-6′-feet-tall and no two faces are the same. It’s mind-boggling to stand, to walk around the pits, looking into the arena where the soldiers stand in attention, in some cases with horses by their side.

It’s so hard to imagine how many people it must have taken to construct this army, the precision of the artists and craftsmen to create each man as an individual, with a distinct personality and the fact that they are so many centuries old.

As I looked over this wonder of human creation, I reflected on how the Chinese knew how to construct and build figures that would last for thousand of years. Was the emperor’s intent to have his soldiers live with him for eternity? It seems to me that people in ancient civilizations, eg. China, Egypt, Greece, knew how to build things that would last, unlike our current civilizations. I imagine the builders, the common people, were following instructions of the person in power, not knowing that their creations would be seen and revered for so many centuries going forward. I silently, said a thank you, for all who labored there, for their gift to the world they did not know about.