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The two hour train journey from Hangzhou to Shanghai was comfortable, safe and cheap. When I first arrived in the city centre I was immediately taken back by the busyness of the place. It was even more crowded than usual with the visitors attednding the World Expo. I heard about the queues and decided instead to focus my energy on trying to relax amidst the chaos and find someone to practise tai chi with. I am not into learning any new forms as I already have plenty to work on within the hand and weapon forms in the Wu-Cheng system. Instead I am more interested in developing my understanding of body mechanics and pushing hands. With this in mind the first (and as it tured out only) point of contact I made in Shanghai was with Rose Oliver. Rose moved out from the UK ten years ago to deepen her understanding of tai chi, immerse herself Chinese culture and promote inter-cultural exchange. She now speaks fluent Mandarin and runs the Double Dragon Alliance, which provides wanderers like myself the opportunity of training with internal martial arts masters. |
Rose kindly agreed to introduce me to one of her teachers, Wang Ming Bo, who has studied Yang, Chen and Wu style, and a background in Chinese wrestling. After meeting Rose and Master Wang at the Palace Hotel we immediately went to the park. Rose translated my training background to Master Wang before he asked if I would like to ‘play’ pushing hands. I soon understood what he meant by play…anywhere I exerted any force on his body he yielded like water and I found myself being on the receiving end of countless pulling, pushing, locks and throwing techniques, which were executed effortlessly. I gained the impression he always had more in reserve, like a cat playing with a mouse.
After more than an hour of being thrown around the park like a rag doll I questioned Wang about some of the basic concepts underlying his practice. He said he did not think of his physical body, but instead he opens up and connects with his environment drawing on its energy for power. He demonstrated this by striking down on my open hand with a loose force, which he described as having the power of a wave. He added, if you think of the physical form you become limited, especially with regards to your relationship with your opponent. By opening yourself, your awareness extends beyond the limitations of self and merges with your opponent. Master Wang added that the power should come from the whole body and in particular the waist. He demonstrated that he didn’t require a fixed stance to remain rooted by walking on the spot, where I was still unable to upset his balance. He added that whatever the external movement, you must remain connected internally, that is energetically. The heart drives the mind and the mind drives the movement. The only way you can experience this is to feel it, rather than by using the conceptual mind.?
Our conversation continued over coffee, where Wang started explaining how there was a lack of openness amongst tai chi teachers in China with teachers trying to protect their economic and social status. Many people have told him that he should go into business and make a lot of money out of tai chi, but he does not want this – to do business, he said, you have to be ruthless, and by doing so you lose the balance of your mind. Instead I just likes to practice, he said, to play and enjoy, just that. It showed, particularly when we practiced pushing hands, like a child freely enjoying the interplay of yin and yang remaining balanced within it. It was a pleasure spending time with Wang and Rose both at the park and a class the following evening. From our first meeting I was made me feel very welcome as they spoke to me with an openness and strong desire to share their passion for tai chi with others.