Monday, September 8, 2008

Tai Chi Chuan

Walking near the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park this morning, I noticed a group of ladies doing Tai Chi Chuan (Supreme Ultimate Fist). One of them in particular caught my eye for her grace and smoothness of motion. When she paused for a moment, I asked her permission to take a picture. She allowed me to take one picture. Wherever in the world there are Chinese, you will find them practicing Tai Chi Chuan (or Tai Chi, as it commonly referred to in the West), especially the women.
 
When I was a boy of about sixteen in Shanghai, Mr. Chen, a friend's father, took me under his wing and seriously attempted to teach me the fine art of Tai Chi. Very early every morning we went to the nearby Jessfield Park, to a particularly pretty spot under some trees. And there I followed his movements. He told me to imagine I was rolling balls of different sizes between my hands. Each day we followed the same exact routine. It took about forty-five minutes. Shamefully I lasted only about three months before I tired of the exercise! I guess it just isn't a young boy's thing!
 
Obviously, Tai Chi is healthy for both body and mind. Fresh air, a beautiful surrounding, physical exercise, and a form of meditation, all rolled into one.
 
The Chinese claim that Tai Chi masters have special martial-arts-like powers. They even tell of being able to knock someone down without touching him/her. Even through a wall. O course these are all fairy tales, but they show the respect the Chinese pay to the practice.
 

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