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Starting from the 20th July until the beginning of August, DDA’s Master Wang Ming Bo?
and Rose Oliver travelled to Toronto, Canada to conduct a series of Taiji classes and?
free seminars and talks in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario.
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Invited?and?sponsored?by?Mr.?Edmund?Liang,?originally?from?Hong?Kong?and?now?
long-term?resident?of?Toronto,?Rose?and?Master?Wang?spent?an?extremely?enjoyable?
two?weeks?in?the?gorgeous?surroundings?and?city?of?Toronto,?experiencing?firsthand?the?
extraordinarily,?welcoming?embrace?of?Toronto?and?its?Canadian?citizens.
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With?early?morning?Taiji?in?Queen’s?Park,?one?of?the?many?beautiful?parks?in?the?heart?
of?Toronto,?Rose?and?Master?Wang?felt?very?much?at?home;?with?the?extensive?Chinese?
community?(mainly?from?Hong?Kong)?in?Toronto?and?its?facilities?and?resources,?in?the?
form?of?restaurants?and?supermarkets,?signage?and?community?events,?it?was?rather?
like?being?back?in?China,?but?in?a?very?different?environmental?and?scenic?setting.
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Rose?and?Master?Wang?took?Edmund’s?students?and?friends?through?basic?foundation?
exercises?and?Master?Dong?Bin’s?Yang?Style?Taiji?form?every?morning,?before?retiring?
to?the?local?McDonalds?restaurant?for?early?breakfast?and?a?fun,?get?together?with?
members?of?the?many?and?varied?Taiji?groups?in?the?park.
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The?communal?spirit?and?social?networking?after?exercising?in?the?park,?was?a?real?joy?
and?helped?to?really?cement?people’s?friendships,?as?well?as?offer?genuine?care?for?the?
members?of?the?Chinese?community?settled?in?a?new?country?and?provided?much-needed?
social?backing?and?support.?
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This?seems?to?be?one?of?the?reasons?why?so?many?Chinese?people?feel?comfortable?and?
secure?in?their?new?environment,?as?well?as?helping?to?offer?a?genuine?feeling?of?friendship?
to?all?who?come?here?and?try?to?start?a?new?life?in?a?foreign?land.The?overall?impression?
in?Canada?was?one?of?acceptance?and?tolerance?and?shows?the?way?for?other?countries?
in?facilitating?integration?and?assimilation?into?a?new?culture,?in?addition?to?providing?
opportunities?for?all?to?grow?and?expand.
Both?Rose?and?Master?Wang?were?very?impressed?by?the?Canadian?and?Chinese?communities?
and?the?friendliness?with?which?they?were?received,?both?by?the?Taiji?enthusiasts?and?the?other?
practitioners?in?the?park,?and?at?the?free?open-day?events,?as?well?as?by?Edmund’s?own?students?
and?the?community?in?general.
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Edmund,?who?has?been?teaching?“Yue?Style”?Yang?Family?Taiji?Quan?to?his?students?
for?several?years,?is?himself?a?student?of?Master?Yu?Bin,?who?was?a?student?of?the?late?
Master?Gu?Fang?Ji?in?Shanghai?and?a?keen?proponent?of?Master?Yue?Huan?Zhi’s?Taiji?
theories?and?understanding?of?Taiji?play.
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Edmund,?together?with?his?wife?Freda?and?their?students?organized?a?free?open day?Taiji?event
on?28th?July?at?the?Agincourt?Recreation?Centre,?on?Glen?Watford?Drive,?Scarborough,?Toronto.
?The?5 hour?afternoon?event?was?attended?by?over?200?guests,?including?many?Chinese,?
as?well?as?local?residents,?with?many?Taiji?enthusiasts?and?players?among?the?audience.
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The?seminar?started?with?a?short?introductory?speech?by?Edmund,?introducing?Rose?and?
Master?Wang?to?the?guests?and?providing?some?background?of?their?studies?and?teachers,?
including?Master?Dong?Bin?and?his?teachers?Dong?Shi?Zuo?and?Yue?Huan?Zhi.?This?was?then?
followed?by?an?hour-long?demonstration?of?Master?Dong?Bin’s?Basic?Foundation?Exercises?by?Rose,?
followed?by?a?short?demo?of?Tendon?and?Sinew?Elongation?and?Joint?Opening?exercises,?
as?taught?by?Master?Shou?Guan?Shun,?by?one?of?Edmund’s?students,?then?by?a?demonstration?of?
Tai?Zu?Quan,?from?the?Tong?Bei?system?by?Rose?Oliver,?as?taught?to?her?by?Master?Wu?Mao?Gui?
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Following?the?demonstrations?and?short?break?for?refreshments?and?small-talk,?
Master?Wang?Ming?Bo?gave?a?2-hour?lecture?on?Taiji?theories?and?their?correlations?to?the?Yi?Jing,?
as?well?as?dispelling?some?common?myths?related?to?theories?like,?“Four?Ounces?Deflects?
a?Thousand?Pounds”?among?others.After?the?lecture,?Master?Wang?and?Rose?then?demonstrated?
the?Wu?Style?13?Push?Hands?Patterns,?and?some?free-style?pushing?hands,?as?well?as?Fa?Jing?and?
Yang?Style?Taiji?push?hands?with?Edmund.
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The?afternoon?rounded?off?with?Master?Wang?pushing?hands?with?volunteers?from?the?audience,?
most?of?whom?were?unknown?and?wanted?to?“try-out”?Master?Wang’s?prowess.
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It?was?a?great?chance?for?everyone?to?feel?for?themselves?Master?Wang’s?ability?to?maintain?softness?
whilst?under?attack?and?the?idea?and?essence?of?listening?to?an?opponent?and?being?in?harmony?
with?them?to?negate?their?attack.
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The?whole?event?was?extremely?entertaining,?with?Edmund,?Freda?and?their?students?providing?
snacks?and?refreshments?for?all?participants?and?guests?and?showing?genuine?hospitality?and?selfless?
devotion?to?the?promotion?of?traditional?Chinese?culture.Our?hats?off?to?them?for?a?thoroughly?
enjoyable?and?worthwhile?event,?and?a?special?thank?you?to?Edmund?for?sponsoring?the?activity?
for?the?local?community.
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The?evening?was?rounded?off?by?a?delicious?banquet?dinner?at?one?of?Toronto’s?many?wonderful?
restaurants,?with?the?exquisite?food?adding?further?to?Rose’s?and?Master?Wang’s?waistbands?after?
their?trip?to?the?UK?and?then?Canada!?
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The?following?week,?Rose?and?Master?Wang?visited?the?Columbia?International?College?in?Hamilton,?
Ontario,?as?guests?of?the?College’s?Executive?Director,?Mr.?Clement?Chan,?to?provide?a?free?lecture?
and?interactive?demonstration?of?Taiji?for?their?faculty?members?and?international?students.The?300-plus?audience?took?part?in?an?interactive?lesson,?following?Rose?through?Single?Movement?Fa?Jing?training?
(Dan?Cao)?and?walking?line?drills?(Xing?Bu)?from?the?Tong?Bei??system,?
then?watching?a?demonstration?by?Rose?of?Master?Dong?Bin’s?foundation?exercises,?
Tong?Bei’s?Tai?Zu?Quan??Master?Wang?and?Rose?demonstrating?Wu?Style?13?Push?Hands?Patterns?
and?free-style?pushing?hands,?plus?Master?Wang?performing?the?Yang?Style?Taiji?form.The?demonstration?
ended?with?Rose?and?Master?Wang?teaching?the?students?from?many?different?countries?like?Brazil,?
Columbia,?Puerto?Rica,?among?others,?Chin-Na?joint?locking?techniques,?
which?they?thoroughly?enjoyed.Several?students,?who?had?already?been?studying?Judo?and?Brazilian?Jiu-Jitsu?for?some?years,?commented?on?how?interesting?and?informative?they?had?found?the?workshop.
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Thank?you?to?Mr.?Clement?Chan?for?his?hospitality?and?kind?support?and?for?his?very?kind?invitation?to?
the?Vineyards?in?Ontario,?for?a?delicious?dinner?and?sampling?of?the?vineyard’s?exquisite?homegrown?wines!?
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Rose?and?Master?Wang?also?visited?some?of?Canada’s?top?tourist?sites,?enjoying?some?amazing?sights?
and?scenery,?especially?the?breathtaking?Niagara?Falls.The?sight?of?the?Falls,?both?from?the?American?
and?Canadian?sides,?was?completely?awe inspiring,?with?the?sound?and?sensation?of?the?water?literally?
cascading?down?the?precipice?being?a?sight?that?will?never?be?forgotten.It?also?perfectly?captured?
the?feeling?of?“An”?energy?in?Taiji,?with?the?water?just?pouring?down?completely?unconsciously?and?
effortlessly,?something?every?Taiji?player?would?love?to?emulate!
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During?their?visit?to?Canada?this?year,?Rose?and?Master?Wang?Ming?Bo?had?a?fantastic?time;?they?had?
an?opportunity?to?see?many?old?friends,?make?many?new?ones?and?share?their?enjoyment?of?Taiji?
and?Chinese?culture?with?many?Canadian?and?Chinese?Taiji?enthusiasts.
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Thank?you?to?everyone?for?their?kindness,?encouragement?and?friendship;?thank?you?to?all?of?
Edmund’s?students?and?participants?at?the?seminar?for?their?backing?and?interest?in?DDA’s?events?
and?for?making?our?visit?such?a?memorable?one.
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Finally,?a?very?special?thank?you?to?Edmund?and?Freda?Liang?and?their?family,?for?their?wonderful?
hospitality?and?kind?generosity?in?sharing?their?home?and?lives?during?our?stay?and?for?their?assistance?
in?organizing?the?workshop?and?daily?classes,?we?at?DDA?really?appreciate?their?help?and?support?and?
very?generous?warmth,?assistance?and?friendship.
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We?look?forward?to?seeing?everyone?again?next?year?and?to?adding?some?new?venues?and?locations?
to?our?Canadian?tour?in?2013.Good?luck?to?everyone?in?their?training?and?wish?you?all?
a?very?prosperous?2012!