A Last Interview with The following interview with Fu Fu said that in the practice of the When teaching Fu, Yang Cheng-fu Zhongwen took place two months be- fonn, the first couple of times is a wann- told him how he had to also practice by fore his death Sept. 24, 1994, in up. From the fourth or fifth repetition, himself as well as in class. And he em- at the age of 91. He was in- you improve your kung-fu. phasized how important it is to follow terviewed at the International Ku- "When students were practicing in T'ai Chi Ch'uan principles of practice. oshu tournament, where he had been this manner," he said, "Yang Cheng-fu Fu said, "Lots of people can say the would sit there and watch them." invited by Huang Chien Liang and principles easily but they can't do them He Wei . Present during the inter- He also said that Yang Cheng-fu, easily. You have to practice with the view were his grandson, James Qing while teaching a class, would take pains principles to bring them together and combine the internal and external to- Quan Fu, who helped translate and to correct them so that they could get explain his grandfather's ideas, and movements correct. "He would always gether. Kenneth W. Knecht, who also as- watch and would never just walk away. His grandson, James, said that even sisted with the translation. In watching, he might have them repeat now. in Australia where he lives, stu- the posture over again until they learned dents do it about five times in a row at a By Marvin Smalheiser it correctly. He was a very good single session. Fu Zhongwen, even at Fu said the fastest you can go with the 85 move- age 91, never tired of the ments or the 108 would be practice ofT'ai Chi 18 minutes and the slowest Ch'uan (Taijiquan) and would be 22 minutes. "You never tired of telling about the feats of his famous don't want to go past that. The ideal is 20 minutes ex- teacher, Yang Cheng-fu, actly. And you cannot do it who he became appren- with some movements fast ticed to at an early age. and some movements slow. The practice of T' ai Chi It has to be continuous mo- Ch 'uan for Fu Zhongwen was a practice ofloyalty to tion. If you do it for 22 min- his teacher and the fonn utes but some parts you do fast and some parts you do that Yang cheng-fu taught and the methods that he slow, that is not following used. the T'ai Chi principles. It must be continuously flow- Among the methods ing without stopping. Yang emphasized was that James Fu said that some the fonn should be done people think that slower is six to eight times in a row each day. good and some people tell him they do the fonn in one Only in this way, he hour or 40 minutes for a said, can a student catch set. "This is useless. This is the feeling of real kung-fu not T'ai Chi anymore. This and be able to develop mar- tial skills. And he said this is just movements. The rea- son that we do T'ai Chi is the way that Yang slow is because we want to Cheng-fu taught and that do it faster. This is the prin- Fu and his son and grand- son teach. ciple." He said, "You get differ- The fonn itself, he said, ent pay trom different s~ould take 20 ~inutes, Fu Zhongwen and his grandson, James Qing Quan Fu, doing work. This is the same in gIve or take a mmute or push hands. the . The T'ai two. Too fast, Fu said, and it teacher." Chi idea is to practice slow but the idea becomes sloppy and too slow it be- Fu liked to talk about his teacher and is not to do the movements but to use comes "stopped." Practicing six to how he was a "very nice-tempered per- your mind to control your movements. eight times scattered throughout the day son. All of his students in Beijing were It is not your movements doing the is not the same thing and not as produc- very nice people." movements. It is using the inside to do tive, he said. It has to be in continuous Fu had lived in the town of Yong- the movement so every movement can sequence. nian, just inside the gate and could walk be very final. Practicing once in the morning and 10 minutes to the Yang homejust out- "If you are doing a movement fast, once in the evening is good for health. side the gate. Fu began studying T'ai he said, but it does not lead to martial something can be wrong and not ob- skill. Chi when he was nine years old. served, he said. But if you are doing it slow, then you can see if you are doing PAGE 4 something wrong and other people can When asked if the style Yang what level you are at. But as long as the see if you are doing something wrong." learned was the style, James Fu principles are followed, as long as the James Fu said his father, Fu quoted one of his grandfather's favorite shoulder is relaxed, elbows dropped, Shengyuan, told him that doing T'ai sayings, "T'ai Chi is only one." James body weight in front, and relaxed, I Chi exercises is different trom other ex- Fu said that what Yang Lu-ch'an can't say that you are wrong." ercise in that you use large muscles and learned in Chen Jiagou, the Chen family "Yang Lu-ch'an did this style but small muscles. All the muscles, large village, trom is the Yang Cheng-fu organized it into an uni- and small, get exercised when the move- same form that the Yang family still form way. My grandfather said that be- ments are done slowly, he said. When practices. He said it was not the Chen fore the Communists took over the performed fast, only a few muscles get style that Yang Lu-ch' an learned. country, you never heard of the Chen exercised. "That's why beginners who "It is called the Yang style because style. It was only after 1949, when the have strong, even big legs experience the Yang family popularized it. In his government wanted to dig out old shaking legs when they start T'ai Chi." book, Yang Cheng-fu did not refer to things, they dug out the Pao Tui form "Too slow is stopped," and combined it with T'ai James Fu said. "If it is too Chi. The Pao Tui came slow, it is not T'ai Chi. T'ai from Tumbei." Chi is supposed to be con- He said because the tinuous. It is like water. Yang family has been pro- Water has to be continu- moting T'ai Chi Ch'uan, ous." people call it the Yang "Grandfather used to style to differentiate it tell me regarding people do- trom the other styles that ing T'ai Chi for one hour were derived from it. "But for a single set, 'Your body originally, we are just is stopped. There is no jing called T'ai Chi Ch'uan. any more. Thejing is gone. And this is what we are do- If you do it for one hour, it ing, the original one. is stopped.'" There is not any other dif- When asked about bring- ference. "Originally, there ing outjing in the form, Fu was only one T'ai Chi said, "It is hard to explain. Ch'uan form and Yang When you have it, you style is the original form. know how to do it. Distin- And then afterwards came guishing between substan- the Wu style, Sun style tial and insubstantial is and Hao style. very important and so is "Yang Cheng-fu, Yang body balance." He said you Lu-ch'an and Yang Ban- have to sink and relax the hou never changed any- elbow and the waist. The thing. They just did what- waist must be the axis of ever they learned. And the motion bringing it out. this is T' ai Chi." It is a function of body me- Fu Zhongwen said that chanics." many people changed the James Fu said that it is form, but that the form he hard to explain where it and his family practice is . comes trom because it is re- F Zh exactly as it was taught by ally trom T'ai Chi. Lots of U ongwen In Bend the Bow to Shoot the Tiger. Yang Cheng-fu. "Lots of people, h~.said, do T'~~Chi but they do :a~g.fam~ly ~'ai Chi C?'uan, he call~d people changed the form. I am the only not haveJIng. But the JIng comes from It T al Chi Ch'uan. In his book, he said one that did not change the form. I still T'ai Chi. that T'ai Chi Ch'uan is only one." haven't studied everything. How can I Fu Zhongwen said that a lot depends. James Fu said that Yang's sons also change it? The ancients were so good, on how long people have practiced. did the same form. "In T'ai Chi form, how can you change something that "How long has a person done it? How you can't make everyone exactly the they developed with their high skills." many times a day? They must do it at same. That's impossible. Every human The heart ofT'ai Chi, James Fu said, least eight to 10 times a day continu- body is different. But it was not the pur- is keeping the weight forward when ously." pose to change the movements. Because transitioning to step forward with the James Fu said that if someone does Yang Cheng~fuhad a big body, he did it other foot. He said you should not shift the form eight to 10times a day continu- a little bit bigger. Because Yang Shou- the weight back before stepping. ously for one year, they can feel some- hou was a little bit smaller the move- "A lot of people have nice move- thing. They can then feel the jino. ments were a little smaller. But it was ment but lose a lot of important points Fu said that Yang Lu-ch'an l;arned not a small frame like the Wu style." when doing the transitions and that for 18years practicing like that to de- He said, "You can do low move- weakens their kung-fu." velop his high skills. ments or with arms wider or with small steps and arms smaller. It depends on Fu Zhongwen said that in following strength. He said that practice the COITectform you always have to with the spear also helps de- have the feet substantial and insubstan- velop fa-jingo tial, never double-weighted. "When Fu said that when Yang you do the Brush Knee posture, it is not Cheng-fu did push hands with the arm that blocks or pushes. You use people, you couldo't see the the waist. movement come out. Hejust "The waist is the main thing. If you sent people flying away. "This use the waist, then you can relax. You is because he had a lot ofjing incorporatethe entire body and the en- in his dantian." tire body will relax naturally. The waist Fu Zhongwen told of a is the controller. Relax the shoulder and time when Yang Cheng-fu the elbows. This comes from practice, was in Shanghai sitting on a not from talking." bed. He touched one hand of In terms of self-defense, Fu and his Yang Cheng-fu, who turned grandson said that fa-jing is important, his wrist and threw Fu two me- but should be practiced outside of the ters back with his peng en- form. James Fu said: "When doing the ergy, bringing it up from the form, you practice the forms. Lots of dantian. "He just used his in- forms teach you how to use the move- ternal energy without moving ments and at the same time show you while sitting on the edge of the how to do self-defense techniques. bed." "The main thing in doing forms is to James Fu said that during make your legs strong like a tree with practice a person should not Parting the Wild Horse's Mane. roots. Push hands is more to relax and think of their dantian, the area to develop relaxation of the upper body. just below the navel. "If you think "He twice tried very hard to push Where the power comes from is from fa- there, you can never get there. But you him while people were standing around jing (explosive force)." have to control your bodybalance. It is in a circle watching. The third time he When asked about practicing fa-jing, very important when doing the move- tried, grandfather used his one hand to James Fu said that "Every movement ments." push him straight up two meters high, more than six feet. When he came can be used to practice fa-jingoAnd Fu Zhongwen' s own push skills while fa-jing is hard, it is still relaxed were considerable, especially when he down, grandfather caught him and they and the elbow has to be unlocked." was between 50 and 60 years old. both had a cigarette together." For fa-jing practice, a person can When in 1980 there was a meeting James Fu said his grandfather had a take single movements outside of form of Chinese masters everyone brother much taller who was also very .practice to develop explosive strength. was talking about how good they were, good at push hands. The brother learned Fu made a movement with his right James Fu said. "Grandfather said, fIrst from Yang Cheng-fu's older arm, to show his own explosive 'Stop,' and took a stance. 'I am now brother. "When grandfather practiced here. Anyone can use any martial art, you do not have to use push hands. Just push me over one step and I will be your student.' No one could do it. "Later they invited him to do push hands with his student in Shanghai. Then people saw how good he could really push. He threw people out two or three me- ters. They dido't just stumble back. When he pushes, they go up and down for a distance of two or J threemeters." Another time, he said, about 1960he had a student whose fa- ther also learned from Fu. "He came every morning for practice, but then for a long time he didn't come to class. One day he re- turned after studying other mar- tial arts and wanted to beat my grandfather. At this time, my grandfather still smoked and had a cigarette in one hand while Single Whip pushing. White Crane Spreads Its Wings. PAGE6

,~ push hands with his brother, he can So Yang said he would push him out two meters, but because fight him with a straight his brother had a kind for springjing, he sword. The next day, the two can jump right back." went out to the courtyard for Yang Cheng-fu, he said, had his en- the challenge in front of the ergy so integrated in his body that peo- people. The challenger used a ple trying to push hands with himjust real sword, while Yang used a pushed themselves out. wooden sword. The man tried When Yang Cheng-fu was in to pierce Yang and Yang with , a student in the class wanted to the flick of the wrist cut the push hands with him and came on very man's wrist, knocking his strong. Yang didn't do anything and sword away and disabling just placed his hand a little bit on the him. man's stomach. The man vomited and Yang said, "I told you not was fmished. to do this and now you lose." James Fu said, "Some people come The man couldn't say any- to learn and really want to learn. Some thing and could not use his people want to challenge and pick up a arm any more. The internal en- bone uom an egg." ergy uom the wooden sword He said another time when Yang went through the arm like a la- Cheng-fu initially went to the city of ser. Wuhan, a large landlord named Uu in- Fu Zhongwen said that vited him to his house. When Yang ar- when Yang Lu-ch'an went to rived, there was a line of people half a Beijing, the brother of the Em- Brush Knee, Push. kilometer long waiting for him to come peror heard about him and in- in. Some were beating drums in his vited him to teach at the palace because them into the yard to do something. The honor. he knew he was very good. three men saw he was a small guy and a Inside there was a kung-fu man who The Emperor's brother very much farmer. They made comments such as, 'I don't think you can do anything. If! challenged Yang three times. Each time liked martial arts, he said. There were many challengers but none could defeat make one punch I will throw you away Yang declined, saying, "It is not worth or one kick and you are fmished.' it. We should have uiendship. There is Yang. "With just a touch, he could de- no reason we should have to fight." But feat them and became known as Yang "Everyone went out and the men after the third time, the man told the the Invincible." continued talking to each other saying that Yang was 'useless.' But when the landlord that Yang Cheng-fu was use- Fu said that one time, Yang Lu- less and afraid of him. . ch'an was invited to a rich man's house, first man went over to him, when he hit a man called Zhang, for a ban- Yang, the man flew away for three me- quet. Zhang had within his ters and no one saw Yang do any move- ment. household three burly martial artists that taught his children "The man didn't know what hap- and served as guards. "Before pened. The second man said, 'I'm going the banquet, one of the martial artists asked Yang, 'Master Yang, what martial art are you doing?' Yang responded, 'I do soft, sticky fist.' At that time, it was not called T'ai Chi Ch'uan. "Yang Lu-ch'an was a small, skinny man uom the country and didn't look like much. The martial artist con- tinued to ask, 'Can you fight with this martial art,' Yang said, 'Of course.' The dia- logue continued and Yang fi- nally asked, 'Do you look down upon me? There are only three kinds of people I can't defeat: the brass man, the rock man, and the iron man. Anyone with a human body I can defeat.' "After they had tea and talked, Yang Lu-ch'an invited PAGE 7 to get this guy,' and told the fITstman wise the hand can be injured. he was no good. "You want to have a little bit "But he did the same thing and Yang of pressure on the wrist and just threw him out straight away. After palm to feel the blood circula- the second challenge, Yang became an- tion." gry and turned his back to walk out. He Fu said that developing thought the people there just looked root is like building a house. down on him and had not really invited "You can't just pound the him for the banquet. When he tried to foundation a few times. You go, some government people there have to do it until the founda- made Zhang apologize to Yang and the tion is deep and firm. You government officials for trying to have also have to sink the kua and fun at Yang's expense." relax the hips and sink them Fu and his grandson described some down. You have to feel you of the essentials for practicing the Yang are sinking down. You want style and emphasized, for instance, that to lift the groin up. The groin the wrist has to be slightly cocked can't be lowered." rather than kept straight. James Fu said that when James Fu said, "It is like the garden people do a movement it is water hose. My grandfather told me easy for them to rise up dur- about this in Shanghai 10 years ago ing transitions because they while talking with a group visiting the do not sink down enough. Jade Buddha Temple during lunch. The body should never lift up "He said it is like a garden hose between movements. The Fan Through the Back. when you are watering the garden. 'If mingmen, he said, should done before T' ai Chi and after T' ai Chi, you don't press the hose in any way, the never be too straight, nor too far in or water flows normally. If you press the out. standing or sitting. This is the old way. Fu said that the chest should not be And when we practice you still have to hose or bend it slightly, the water will use the mind." go farther. And if you press the hose too hollowed too much and the back should hard, the water will stop.' not lean too much. "The neck should be He said natural breathing is used dur- So what we are doing in T'ai Chi is level, flat and upright with the eyes ing practice. "When we talk about qi to flex the wrist a little bit to increase looking straight. Don't look down at the (ch'i), it is not the breath that we feet but forward in the direction of the breathe, it is the internal qi that is being the pressure. If you flex the wrist too moved. The breath is not concentrated much, then the blood will stop circulat- movement." . on during the form, he said. The breath ing. Bend it a little big but still keep the James Fu said that when he was be- wrist and hand relaxed." ing taught by his grandfather, "He isjust natural. "If you concentrate on the qi, you He said to push with a flexed wrist never asked me to go very low. He had can't concentrate on the movements. the side of the hand must be used, other- me do it high fITstand then slowly, slowly I went lower. If you do You have to concentrate on your energy it this way, you knees will not and your spirit.". go over your toes and there is less danger of injury to the knees. " He said it can be okay to go over the toes when doing a connecting movement but when you stop your move- ment, you should never have the knee over the toes. James Fu said that his teaching in Australia, where he now lives with his father, includes the Yang style ba- sics, which is doing the form. "It is not like the long fist where you do a lot of kicking routines. "We do a little bit of stretching but that is not the purpose. There are some breathing exercises but it is more like meditation. "You use your mind to re- lax using your intent. This is PAGE 8 A Memorable Encounter with Fu Zhongwen said longevity is not how long one lives By Ted W. Knecht but how wel1one lives. He used himself This article has been written to com- He told me that with the as an example of how Taiji can benefIt memorate late grandmaster Fu Zhong- strict practice of the health. He said his hearing, eyesight, wen, who past away on September 24, mentalfunctionsandphysicalbody 1994, in Shanghai, . I only knew Taijiquan routine, one were that of a much younger person. grandmaster Fu for a very short time, can obtain optimal Qing Quan told me that his grandfather but his impression will stay with me for health and longevity. practiced the form every day without my entire life. I had the rare opportunity stop. to meet Fu on the fIrst day of arrival at He said longevity is not Fu spoke of a story about a Japanese Huang Chien Liang's 1994 annual Ku- how long one lives but martial artist who wanted grandmaster oshu Tournament held this year in near how well one lives. He Fu to teach him Taijiquan. The martial Baltimore, MD. artist stated that he wanted to only use I was in the main lobby when Fu and used himself as an two or three months of study to master his grandson, Fu Qing Quan, walked in example of how Taiji the movements of the routine. After Fu trom taking a strol1outside. Fu was ful1 can benefit health. He heard this, he could only shake his of spirit and greeted everyone very cor- head. He felt that the Japanese martial dial1y,shaking their hand. I introduced said his hearing, artist was lacking the true knowledge of myself fIrstto his grandson. eyesight, mental what Taijiquan real1yis. After Qing Quan heard that I could Moreover, this type of thinking, in speak the Chinese language, he immedi- functions and physical which Taijiquan can be hurried, is very ately took me over to his grandfather. body were that of a common both in China and abroad. Fu Fu was very gracious and invited me to much younger person: considered that the practice and study of his room for further talk and instruction Taijiquan must proceed over time with in the Yang style. Sheng. He was very pleased and be- a set process of learning. Grandmaster Fu stated that he has been learning Tai- As we walked up to his room, I told came even more friendly towards me. him I was a student of Dr. Mei Ying While in his room, Qing Quan made tea jiquan since he was only nine years old. for us to drink. Even though Fu was 91 Fu said that learning Taijiquan is not years of age, he was extremely ener- an easy matter because it is an art form Ted W. Knecht teaches Yang of high standards. He went on to say and Wu styles and in getic and fIl1edwith spirit (shen). . He openly admitted that his true age that there are several important keys to the Cleveland, OH, area. He is was 91, not in the late 80's as some pub- learning proper Taijiquan. a translator and frequent lications seem to indicate. Without hesi- The fIrst would be that the practitio- contributor to T'AI CHI tation, he began talking about the his- ner truly likes the art; second is to have Magazine tory of Yang style Taijiquan (T'ai Chi a good teacher who understands and can Ch'uan) and his teacher, Yang Cheng-fu. He spoke in great detail of the Yang family and demonstrated movements as he spoke. Even at his age, he was still able to fa-jing with a , .1 sound of a cracking whip. Just ~:.:Jby watching his movements, I had chills running up my back. Just two years ago, Fu injured his spine and was para- lyzed on the right side of his body. He told me he never saw a doctor in his entire life and was able to treat his pa- ralysis through the practice of Taijiquan. After only one year ~---c

of the paralysis, he traveled ~'\1'fI'r.:;f~ by himself throughout Europe, teaching Taijiquan. He told me that with the strict practice of the Taijiquan routine, one can obtain opti- Double Punch Strike the Tiger, left. mal health and longevity. He PAGE9 teach the essence of Taijiquan; third is ing for more than 80 years. to have sufficient space to practice; Fu often told his students that fourth is to have enough time for prac- when one practices Taijiquan, tice; fifth is to be able to endure and en- one must not be afraid to work joy the pain of training; and sixth is to hard. If one is afraid to work have patience. hard, then Taijiquan should not These conditions are aimed at im- have been selected as their sub- proving the level in one's martial arts ject of study. For example, when ability in Taijiquan. In general, how- he saw students training without ever, if one only practices for health and low enough stances, he would tell fitness, then some of these conditions them that the masters in the past are not as important. would perform Taijiquan with Fu Zhongwen repeatedly stated that their upper and lower legs at 90 learning Taijiquan is not an easy task. degree angles. When one trains in There are many requirements and essen- this manner, much energy is used tials of Taijiquan that cannot be learned and one must work hard to obtain nor put into practice right after hearing this level. it from the teacher. Fu stated that most of the mas- There is no way to master a principle ters in the past were illiterate. in a short period oftime; however, one However, they received the true must know the correct training proce- transmissions of the art and prac- dures. If one does not know the correct ticed without fear of pain and procedures for training, this will conse- tiredness. quently hurt one's training. They did not need to write any- He stated that if the method is incor- thing down because they were A saber technique. rect, the more one practices, the farther willing to train. There were others one moves away from real Taijiquan. who talked or wrote about Taijiquan, in 1927. These photographs represent To explainthe practice of Taijiquan in but never practiced true kung-fu. Even the true postures of Yang style Tai- order to reach a firm foundation in the though these people obtained the cor- jiquan. These photographs have been style is a very difficult problem. rect methods, it was of no use without made public and are available in various He again used himself as an example practice and hardship. publications. by saying that ifhe performed five Fu spoke of those who were not will- In the following days of the tourna- rounds ofTaijiquan and was able to con- ing to spend time training but who were ment, Fu was kind enough to be inter- form to all of the principles of Taiji two only willing to speak and write about viewed by T' AI CHI Magazine and to out of the five times, he felt happy. To the art. He said that some of these peo- demonstrate various open-hand and practice Taijiquan and apply the princi- ple adversely affected the growth of Tai- weapon postures frorp the Yang rou- ples is extremely difficult. Fu said he jiquan. Some of these people actually tines. He also offered a special work- still has this feeling even after practic- changed the movements of the original shop in which he and his grandson style. In fact, he said, some of taught push hands and forms correc- I the changed movements do not tions. He also demonstrated some appli- conform to Taiji principles. cations with his grandson with the en- Fu said that he could have ergy of a person half his age. This truly created his own style ofTai- was a precious moment for those who jiquan called Fu style Taijiquan, witnessed the event. I but he considered that his abili- The last time I had a chance to visit ties in the art was in no compari- with Fu was during and after eating din- son to the masters of the past. ner with him, Cai Hong Xiang, He Wei The frame work of Yang style Qi, Nick Gracenin, and some students. I Taijiquan conforms to scientific Before retiring to his room, Fu came principles, therefore to change over to me to invite my teacher, my the style would have been un- wife, and myselfto next year's Yong- I thinkable to him. Grandmaster nian Friendship Conference to be held j Fu explained that he never during the first week of May in t changed any of the movements Province. We shook hands and made ! that were taught to him by Yang our farewells by saying we would meet Cheng-fu. next year in Yongnian. I;u said that he hopes that Little did I know this would be our practitioners here in the US will last visit. Without a doubt, Fu will be begin to see what authentic Tai- one of the most important and influen- jiquan truly is. He stated that if tial people I will meet in my life. I feel one has doubts to the authentic- very fortunate to have had a chance to ity of a so-called Yang style, one visit and study with him for that short Huang Chien Liang, left, with Fu Zhongwen. only needs to look at the photo- time in Baltimore.- graphs of Yang Cheng-fu taken PAGE 10 Trip to u.s. Fulfilled a Dream for Fu Zhongwen Fu Zhongwen's visit to the United . Martial challenges to States last summer fulfilled a dream he Yang were delegated to Fu, who had for long time and was very exciting defeated all opponents. for him. Later Fu married one of Yang Fu was brought to the U.S. for the Cheng-fu's nieces and when 1994 International Kuoshu tournament Yang died in 1936, Fu was re- by Huang Chien Liang, sponsor of the sponsible for transporting Yang's tournament, and He Wei Qi, one ofFu's body back to Yongnian county favorite students. and conducting the burial. It was the first time in decades that A staunch traditionalist, Fu re- Fu was able to experience true fighting fused to alter the original Yang at the tournament. It was reported that style and he was recognized for he was so excited by the full contact the authenticity of his T'ai Chi. bouts that, even though he was 91 years On Oct. 1, 1944, Fu founded r:',; old, he roamed the hotel halls until 2 the Yongnian T'ai Chi Ch'uan So- I q;~ a.m., searching for a push hands oppo- ciety with the stated goal of fur- nent. thering the practice of Yang style. Fu had fought often during his It's mission was to make T'ai Chi youth, accepting challenges for Yang instruction available to the gen- Cheng-fu and was his favorite student eral public. ~ and disciple. Fu had begun his studies The goal was the strengthen- ~~1~ with Yang Cheng-fu at the age of nine ing of the Chinese people through ~1 in Yongnian. practice ofT'ai Chi. .~~< The association promoted the His home was only a 10-minute A sword posture. walk from the Yang family home. He spread of authentic Yang style moved to Shanghai when he was 17 and and Fu continued his teacher's legacy. There is a Chinese saying that one when his teacher moved to Shanghai, he Through the association, instructors should "never forget where your first drink of water came ITom." helped him fmd a home and arrange- have spread out across China to teach ments were made for Fu to live with his the authentic Yang style. The second reason was that Yong- teacher, which greatly accelerated his There were three reasons that Fu nian means, "always developing, T'ai Chi Ch'uan skills. Zhongwen chose the name "Yongnian" never stopping." This phrase was'in Fu learned his push hands skills un- for his association. accordance with always strengthening der the guidance of Yang Cheng-fu, and The first was that Yongnian was the your health and developing yourself. became Yang's chief instructor, travel- name of the county where Yang Lu- During the time of the Yongnian asso- ing with him to Nanjing, Wuhan, and ch'an, founder of the Yang style, lived. ciation's formation, the morale of the Three generations of Yang style practi- Chinese people was very low because of the civil war and occupation by Ja- This story was based on tioners, including Fu, came from Yong- nian county. pan. Fu hoped to strengthen the indi- information supplied by vidual, and so the country. Jonathan Pett Miller. The third reason was that the char- acters for Yongnian can also be read as "long life." First fomed in Shanghai, the asso- ciation grew to 6,000 people in 10 years and today, the number ofpracti- tioners is uncountable. There are associations throughout the world. In the U.S., Fu's senior dis- ciple, He Wei Qi, Richmond, VA, is president of both the U.S. and Pan- American Yongnian T'ai Chi Ch'uan association. The 50th anniversary of the asso- ciation was held in Shanghai, May 2 of this year and martial arts teachers and officials ITomthroughout China and the U.S. were present. Fu re- ceived many gifts and was widely praised ~orhis role as founder of the original Yongnian association.. From left, He Wei Qi, Fu Zhongwen, and Huang Chien Liang. PAGE II FU ~HBN~ G}LUAN. G}(AN~

~<][G}lLB C£AIJI by Warwick Hill AfteI: a brief introduction Marcus Zhao Sunday the 12th of Oc.toberOnslow commenced the programme w~th a College Recreation Centre, Election demonstration of a segment of the Yang day, and the winds of Political change Form. This was followed by Master Fu are blowing as is the elemental wind. with the first part of the Yang Family So hard in fact as to threaten to take Form. Master Fu then treated those the roof off the building: Inside, 70 . present with a rarely seen Chinese sabre people were not caring about the form. The Chinese sabre looks weather as they watched spellbound a remarkably like the Japanese Katana. performance by Master Fu Sheng Master Fu commented that the Japanese Yuan and listen as he explains some of copied their sword from the Chinese the intricaciesof Yang Style Tai Ji. Fu weapon and he has now inherited Yang Sheng Yuan is the grand nephew from Cheng Fu's sabre. the third generation of the founder of After these demonstrations Master Fu Yang Style Taiji, a descendant of began teaching Push Hands.. Everybody Yang Lu Chan, brought to Wellington was encouraged to join in, even those by the area.branch of the New Zealand from arts that do not have Push Hands in and International their curriculum. Using two types, single Wushu Council (NZ CMA-IWA). Push Hands and a version of double Together with his New Zealand hands, Master Fu manages even with his student MarcusZhao, Master Fu spent limited English, to impart much with over 2 hours with students and these two simple e.xercises. Most people teachers of Chinese Martial Arts from spoken to afterwards were very organisations both local and as far impressed with Master Fu's teaching and awayas Wanganui. . Master Fu demonstrating the Sabre Set . obvious skills and the way both he and Master Fu has travelled in the last year Marcus Zhao were available to discuss, starting in Shanghai in May with a Sheng Yuan, Yang Lu Chan and demonstrate and join in with students 011 Wushu Festival then through Germany, all the family members in the exercises. USA, France, England, Thailand, between. Another exercise where two people stand facing Singapore and Australia. He now each other in an upright straddle stance and place resides in Perth Australia where he When he was nine years old Fu Sheng Yuan was taken by his their palms against each other then try with a heads the Yongnian Taijiquan father, Fu Zhong Wen, to sudden push to upset the others balance had Association teaching authentic Yang Shanghai and began his training laughter drowning out the raging wind and rain. FamilyTaiji. . in Taiji. Fu Zhong Wen was 'a This apparently simple exercise taught much Yongnian Taiji is named after the cousin of Yang Sheng Fu and about the centre of balance. <;ountIyin China where the Yang family received his training directly As the day drew all too soon to an end, Master Fu originate. Yongnian translated means from him. showed some interesting applications for some of 'Ionglife' and is the birth place of Fu the moves in Taiji. it is not often expressed as a true fighting Martial Art, but in the hands of a Master the seemingly simple movements of Taiji have a wealth of technical application. For most the day ended with. a round of Thankyous and some photo opportunities. 'Peter Yu introduced the crowd to some of the Instructors and organisations represented and it was indeed good to see so many different styles and clubs coming together to share in training. Master Fu, Marcus Zhao, NZ CMA-IWC, the students and teachers of the area I would like to thank the Yongnian Taijiquan Association of New Zealand for the opportunity to train with Master Fu Sheng Yuan. Tile NZ CMA-IWC is newly formed and IIopes to bring more cllances for tile people to experience Cilinese Martial Arts in tile future. Master Fu and Marclls Zhao Stay tuned.

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