China Council #42, April-June, 1991 Taiji (Tai Chi) and the Internal Arts On March 3, the China Council co-sponsored Taiji & The by discussing yi i:, and qi. Yi is concentrated men- Internal Arts: Chinese Ways to Health & Happiness. tal focus. Qi is life energy. Synopsizing from Chen, 'Internal arts' refers to those "When yi is dispersed, qi becomes weak. Thus it is ,,,,,,,",,,,,,,,,,,",,,,,,".,,",,,,,,,,0,,,,,,,,,,",,,,,,",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, methods and exercises used absolu tely necessary in taijiquan f" 1~t to concen- CHINESE WAYS TO HEALTH & HAPPINESS to stimulate one's internal trate the yi. Use yi to imagine qi moving from below energy (qi ~ ). - Editor's the navel to the tip of the spine. Qi goes up the spine note and out through the arms to the palms. From there, it penetrates your opponent's body. After long train- ing, you can actually do this in combat. If yi is con- TAUI & INTERNAL ARTS ometime in the begin- FESTIVAL Sning of their long his- trolled, qi follows, stimulating and nourishing the Sunday,March3,1991 1-4 I'M blood. Having purified the blood, the body becomes Portland State UniversiryCyrnaesium, 930SWHall tory, the Chinese made a (F",. p•• king in J'SU I"',king_,tructur<s) startling discovery. extremely strong." WorkshopsandprHentations Health does not depend Taijl (Ta; Chij-Chen style,Yangstyle, Temple style, Sword ~tyl" In this, we see that a scattered mind weakens the life' Inlemal Ans for the physically limited Qlgong(Chinl"Sebreathingexercis~s) on what we see, the tis- BoSW';Xingyi;Applicatiofls energy. Further, there is a reservoir of life energy just Childr ••n'sworkshopsthroughoutlhrafh,muun Healing Tau(TaoistYoga);Meditation sues or organs, it Chinese Herbal Medicine below the navel. This is called the lower daniian Booths depends on the unseen Herbs, books,Food and more f\\B. Concentrated attention moves some of this energy within them. And energy to the tailbone. From here it travels up the strength does not depend spine and out the arms. A burst of qi enhances your on the size or shape of muscles, it depends on the life taiji punch or strike. And this is how a smaller per- energy running through them. son defeats a bigger one. Thus a little old lady with strong, flowing energy can In healing applications, life energy circulates up the defeat a large mugger whose energy is blocked. And spine and around the internal organs without leav- healing is done by balancing unseen energy channels ing the body. Studies show that hospital patients with a few well-placed needles. The underlying who learn to do this get well faster. Centuries of folk energy is important, not the outer size or shape. stories tell how people who practice this art live longer and look younger. (For more on this, see The If this is so, the question becomes, "Is there a pattern Wonders of Qigong, Wayfarer, 1985.) to my life energy and can I control it?" The study of this is called qigong tj:.iQ (chi kung), and it is the tra- When a master watches taijiquan, what does he look ditional root of both the healing and the martial arts for? The answer is: First the feet. Then the waist. of China. Then the hands. Chang San Feng, the legendary founder of taijiquan, comments in his Tai Chi Treatise, Chen Yen Kung in his seminal, Tai Chi Chuan Tao "Qi is rooted in the feet, develops in the legs, is ChienKan San-Shou Ho Lun (Shanghai, 1936)begins directed by the waist, and moves out the hands." In 1 China Council Quarterly this, Master Chang goes one step further. From the deal for travelers and business people, the Chinese lower dantian, qi is first sent down the legs and IConversation Circle gives Chinese language learn- 'screwed' into the ground, rooting you as you move. ers an informal but challenging exercise of their Man- Then it comes back up the spine and out the arms. darin by talking with native Chinese speakers. An Watching, you should sense power coming up from excellent opportunity to learn more about Chinese the ground, invigorating the taiji player. culture, each circle, six weeks in length, is divided Second, look at the waist. As Yang Cheng Fu, the into small groups of three to eight people, all of great Yang stylist, puts it, "The millstone turns, the yi whom have studied Chinese for at least six months. does not turn." The millstone is the waist. This Meeting four times a year, the Summer Circle will should constantly turn, sending qi to one arm or the run from July 11 to August IS, the Fall Circle from other. But the yi or concentration never changes. October 10 to November 14. While you are encour- This equilibrium comes from sinking the yi in the aged to sign up for a full six-week circle, participa- lower dan tian. tion in single sessions costs $7.50. Finally, watch the hands. They should not be CHINA r;;a_, Ii pretty". Taiji is not a dance. The form comes from 19905 H.~zJ the harmony of the moving qi inside, it is not imposed from the outside. In "holding the ball", the taiji player's hands are naturally round, because a Our Chinese Sister Relationships: ball of qi has been projected between the hands. In Where Are They Going? striking, the arms are relaxed and slightly bent at the elbow, because tension or a fullyj-extended joint Saturday, April 20 9 AM-Noon blocks the qi flow. PSU Campus Ministry, SW Broadway & Montgomery There is a qi reason for everything in taijiquan. Learn Call the China Council, 725--4567, for an invitation to feel qi and your form will naturally correct itself. You will also gain health benefits. Taiji is an excel- nthe first of our China 19905 policy meetings, we lent way to practice qigong, moving your internal Iwill evaluate the progress of Oregon's sister city energy. It is the real reason to become a taiji player. and province ties with China and Taiwan and dis- cuss how we can productively develop them. The John Allee teaches Asian thought at PSu. He is on the 1989 China crisis disrupted Oregon's relationship faculty of the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine and with its sister province, Fujian, and brought to light East-West College. questions about the value of sister state and city con- nections. Yet some very exciting exchanges have taken place since June 4, even if government to gov- ernment ties have nearly ceased. Sister city ties with _SP_E_C_IA_L_E_V_E_N_T_S __ ¥ Taiwan are flourishing and may provide a model for mainland relationships. We might also explore coop- Spring Conversation Circle Begins April 4 erative projects among our various Chinese sisters in Taiwan and China. Thursdays, April 4-May 9 5:30-7 PM Participants in the meeting will be Oregonians China Council office, Smith Center, Portland State involved in sister relations in China and Taiwan, University, Suite M107 (in the mezzanine) including sister city and other cultural exchange $40 members; $45 non-members organizations, schools, Oregon Economic Develop- Pre-registration required: 725-4567 ment Department, International Trade Institute, and businesses involved in trade with sister prov- inces/ cities. China Council Quarterly Three issues will be addressed with panels and dis- Published by the Northwest Regional China Council. cussion: 1. What do the Chinese and American part- P.O. Box 751 ners want from their sister relationships? What are Portland, Oregon 97207 our mutual expectations, goals, and motivations? (503) 725-4567 Acting Editor: Gaelle A. Snell (We hope to have a representative of the Fujian Published quarterly. exchanges to give the Chinese point of view.) 2. What has been happening in Oregon-Chinese sister 2 China Council Quarterly relationships in the areas of education, cul- Chinese children's folktale which shows how tural/ social exchange, and trade? 3. What role Adoing good deeds brings happiness and rewards should state and local government have in facilitat- will be told by Portland-area author Rosalind Wang ing sister relationships? What is the current involve- and illustrator Ju-hong Chen, whose beautiful new ment of Oregon governments in China relationships book, The Fourth Question, has just been published by and how should they be involved? Holiday House of New York. Wang, who was born in China and grew up in Taiwan, is now the educa- While the policy meeting is not public, invitations tion librarian at Portland State University. This is will be sent to those who are interested in this topic. her first book, although she has translated books into Please contact the China Council office for more Chinese which have been published in China, and it information. was inspired because she found so few Chinese folk stories in the library. Chen, who carne to the U.S. Soaring Crane Qigong (Chi kung) from Shanghai in 1982,is a professional designer with Master Chen and artist. He has illustrated other children's books, including A Song of Stars, based on an Asian legend. Tuesday, April 30 (SeeBooks In The News) 7-9:30 PM PSU's Smith Center, 1825 SW Broadway, rm 338 Wang will read her story and she and Chen will then $5 members, $7.50 non-members answer questions from the audience. Both children and adults are invited; The Fourth Question will be rare opportunity to see and meet with China's available ($14.95,hardback). Ahighest caliber qigong master who speaks fluent English, this evening lecture and hands-on demon- Chinese American Fact, Film and Fiction: stration will offer a glimpse of the most popular Parents and Children form of qigong in China.