DDA were invited to organize a martial arts training event for the American students from San Diego University, as part of their “2009 SDSU China Summer Study Abroad Programme”, co-organized by the Global Education Centre at ECNU.
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Master Wu Mao Gui gave a brief lecture to the group of 14 US students, focusing on the history and development of Chinese Martial Arts, the differences between internal and external martial arts, some principles involved in the correct practice of internal martial arts like Tong Bei and Taiji, plus some of Master Wu’s personal experiences in his 50 years of training.
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Master Wu also demonstrated some key components of Tong Bei and internal martial arts, plus some of the Tong Bei form.
He also let the students feel the difference between using external muscular power and internal power and energy, as typified by Chinese internal martial arts; some of the students getting to feel for themselves the “pain threshold difference” of being slapped on the hand using both types of power.
The students also got to practice some basic single movement foundation exercises from the Tong Bei system and had the chance to try them out and check if they were using them correctly.
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Rose Oliver, who acted as translator for the event, also invited several of her University students from Shanghai University and Shanghai ‘s University for Science and Technology, to act as assistants and to help make the US students feel at home.
The whole event was great fun and the US students, who were great sports, really got into the workshop and were happy to try all the techniques and try their hand at “competing” with Master Wu.
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They thoroughly appreciated Master Wu’s enthusiasm, generosity and “fun” interaction and at the end of the seminar presented both Master Wu and Rose with a memento of the occasion, as well as a certificate thanking them for DDA’s support of the”2009 China Summer Study Abroad Programme”.
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We had a wonderful time with the students too and would like to express our thanks to Jeffrey Wu at ECNU’s Global Education Centre for giving us the chance to be involved in the summer programme.
We wish the San Diego University students a safe return home to the USA and hope to see them again in the future; plus we extend a special thank you to them for their lovely gifts!
