I met Master Ji for the first time in late 2004, although I had heard a great deal about him already, over the last few years in Shanghai.
His quiet and tranquil demeanour impressed me immediately, as did his push hands skill the moment we crossed hands.
He was completely in touch with every movement I made, whilst I had no idea of when or where he would strike me, or where his centre was. It was exciting and enjoyable pushing hands with him, but it also gave me a sense of trepidation, waiting for him to “Fa Jing”, issue power and send me flying!
Master Ji, who’s now 59, first began his studies in martial arts when he was a very young boy. From the start of his career he began to study with some of the finest teachers, at one point he trained with Master He Guo Liang, learning “Hua Quan”, which is a form of Shaolin Gongfu, “Tan Tui”, which is a Shaolin form of kicking/leg training techniques, as well as several weapons forms.
Master Ji said that both Hua Quan and Tan Tui are rarely practiced now as they are very “ku” as they say in Chinese, or extremely hard work and tiring; but they are a great foundation for all forms of martial arts.
This taught him the basics of “Yao/Tui Gongfu” or waist/hips and leg training and prepared him for his later Wushu schooling.
In around 1965, he began to study Lan Shou, (which is a form of Emei Gongfu) from Master Pan Ah Mu, a successor of this system, who had trained with legendary Lan Shou Master Fu Cai Xian. Master Ji learnt the complete set of forms in Lan Shou, namely: Cao Quan, Fan Quan and Lan Shou.
Master Pan also taught him the inner principles or “Nei Gong” of the art, not just the outer shapes and postures which many ordinary students learned. Master Ji said that because Master Pan taught him so earnestly, he made great progress in Lan Shou and came to understand not only the fighting applications of these forms, but also the energy and spirit required in martial arts in general.
Master Ji continued his practice in Lan Shou until the early 1970’s, when in Zhongshan Park in Shanghai; he encountered a Taiji Master who would become very influential in his life, Master Rao Shao Ping.
Master Rao, whose lineage descends directly from Master Yang Cheng Fu, via Wu Hui Chuan, Wu Yun Zuo to Rao Shao Ping, worked for a factory in Shanghai that produced pencils. It was his job to travel to some of the Northern provinces to purchase the wood necessary.
So, most of Master Rao’s time was spent on the road, but every December he would return to see his family and celebrate the New Year. At this time he would also visit Zhongshan Park to play Taiji and push hands with people there.
Master Rao’s postures and movements immediately attracted Master Ji, as they were very “Da Qi” or large and expansive, rather like the actions of a very wise, experienced and aristocratic military general. They were very enjoyable to watch, besides being extremely powerful and effective.
Master Rao appeared unafraid and in complete control of the situation and his opponents, who were usually sent flying backwards several metres when he discharged energy.
Master Ji especially admired his open, relaxed and generous postures in the form, which he said were in complete contrast to some other Taiji practitioners’ movements, who appeared cramped and furtive, rather like somebody who was contemplating stealing something!
Thus, Master Ji began to visit the park yearly, just to watch Master Rao, although he had no opportunity to train with him.
Several years passed like this, until Master Rao finally retired in 1973 and came back to live in Shanghai.
Afterwards, Master Rao came to the park every day to practice, and so Master Ji approached him, asking if he could become his student. Unfortunately, Master Rao declined, saying that he was too old now to teach and didn’t want to take on any students, although he would welcome people to come and push hands with him just for fun.
Master Ji was very disappointed, and too embarrassed to ask again, but instead began coming every day just to watch or play push hands.
Later Master Rao discovered that Master Ji practiced Lan Shou. Rao himself had also learnt Lan Shou from Master Fu Cai Xian, and asked Master Ji to show him some of his form. After watching Ji’s performance, Master Rao was very impressed, and told Ji that his form was very good.
A few days later, having practiced push hands together until the parks closed, Master Rao asked Ji if he wanted to learn Yang Style Taiji. Ji, who had dreamt of being taken on as Rao’s student, immediately answered positively. Rao then said he would teach him, but under the condition that Ji wouldn’t “Bu neng ban tu er fei”, that is, not practice the form for a while and then just stop or give up, as many people tended to do. Ji assured Master Rao that he wouldn’t even contemplate such an action, and so the very next day, the 14th October 1973, in the park by the Peony Garden, Master Ji began his studies in Yang Style.
Master Ji was a very close indoor student of Master Rao’s for many years up until Master Rao’s death in 1988, and is in fact Rao’s successor.
Now Master Ji himself is approaching his sixtieth year, and awaiting retirement. At present he continues his teacher’s tradition of coming to the park to practice and push hands, and both he and his “Shixiong/di” (gongfu brothers) come every weekend to practice. Master Ji himself downplays his own abilities, and says that his generation have no gongfu compared to his teacher’s generation. But he wants to share what he knows with those other like-minded students who genuinely love Chinese Wushu.
He has several very good students; Zhang Li Feng, Guo Jian Kun, Chen Li Da, Li Zhi Jun and Wang Li, some of whom have been with him for twelve or more years, and whom Master Ji looks upon as “young” friends rather than as students.
I began working with Master Ji in 2004, having been introduced to him by my Lan Shou teacher Master Tang Jun Fang, who is a good friend of Master Ji’s. I showed Master Ji some of my Cao Quan form, but without making the same strong impression that Master Ji’s form made on Master Rao!
However, it did make a friendly bond between us, as we both have a background in the same art, and he will often explain the similarities between certain Taiji movements and Lan Shou applications, which is very interesting.
His Lan Shou moves are crisp and clean, and very relaxed, in contrast to some other Lan Shou that I have seen performed, which is often too “hard”.
Watching Master Ji play Taiji, I was also captivated by his large and generous flowing movements, and by his relaxed “effortless” grace. Master Ji said that the movements should be open and large frame, as this helps the “Qi” to flow smoothly and evenly throughout the body.
He explained that although the “outside” movements, especially in terms of when somebody first starts practicing Taiji, can be large, they can also be very small, or the outer body can appear like it’s not moving at all. However the inside movements don’t shrink or change size. The inner circles and angles of the movements remain the same or moving the same way, even though the outer body changes may vary in size. As practitioners reach higher levels it can appear like they don’t move at all and this can be the difficulty for students learning Taiji, because you cannot see what a high level teacher is doing from the outside. He can “bounce” opponents away effortlessly or dissipate their force without doing anything; it’s all from the inner movements. Therefore, you need a teacher to tell you precisely and clearly what is going on, so you can begin to understand how to move yourself.
Master Ji stressed that one must be clear about the Yin and Yang changes, or empty and full.
For example, one cannot have both hands trying to make the same movement together, as this is “double-weightedness”.
He explained that the concept of “double-weightedness” is not confined just to the legs or your stance. Anytime, when you are not empty and full in harmony, you are double-weighted. For example, in “Liu” or Rollback, first one hand guides the opponent away, and when this hand’s energy is expended the second hand simultaneously continues the action, thus dissipating the opponent’s force; this is yin and yang in harmony.
If both hands just touch the opponent with equal energy together, they will become a rigid force which the opponent can resist.
Additionally, different parts of the same arm, for instance, are yin and yang together.
For example, in “Peng Jing” or Peng, the outer part of the arm will be yang, but the inside of the arm will be yin, this makes sure that the arm stays relaxed and soft, rather than becoming a rigid unit. This is essential, as it prevents the arms from becoming hard, which would let an opponent know what you intend, or be able to control you.
Most importantly, Master Ji said, is that the movements of the body must accompany the breathing.
Inhaling, is when we “Hua” or dissipate the other’s force, and exhaling is when we “Fa” or discharge power against him.
But your breathing must also be in harmony with the opponent’s actions, and you must listen carefully to him. Everything you do is according to what the opponent does; one mustn’t make chaotic, random movements by oneself.
If the other person moves quickly, then you have to “Hua” or dissipate/inhale quickly too.
However, Master Ji pointed out that one must not become obsessed with the breathing to such an extent that it ceases to be natural. Everything must maintain a natural and relaxed condition, including the breathe and the body’s movements.
Master Ji went on to say, that when you push hands with someone or spar, you cannot think, “I want to strike or push him here”, this will allow the opponent to “hear” what you are planning to do. In Taiji, the opponent should not know you, but you can fully know and anticipate him.
The opponent’s actions will guide what you do, so that your responses are natural and effortless. You follow what he is doing, this is how the great masters appeared to strike people or move people so smoothly, because they just followed the other person’s own line of energy and movements. If you try to do something against him, you will use strength, which is what Taiji wants to avoid.
This means that practitioners must develop good “Ting Jing” or listening energy.
He said your feelings, skin, body and energy must be fully aware of what the opponent does; this is “listening energy”.
Master Ji’s “ting jing” is very acute. He says that this is something that he has developed over many years. Pushing hands with him, he controls you, and seems to know whatever you wish to do. Sometimes he will “trick” you, by appearing to want to push you upwards; most people’s natural reaction is then to resist and try to go downwards, Master Ji of course wants you to do exactly this, and “helps” you downwards by striking you in this direction, straight to the earth! Or alternatively, he’ll encourage you downwards so you try to move up against his force, then he’ll use your own upwards momentum to send you the way you want to go.
When pushing hands with him, I feel like a basketball, that a very talented and experienced NBA player is dribbling around the court. This is “Nian Jing”, or sticking energy. The same way the NBA player can make the ball “stick” to their hand, so the Taiji master makes you stick to him and directs you wherever he wants you to go.
I feel under the complete control of his hands, which lightly cover and control or “Fu” me and I am bounced here and there effortlessly, but at the same time comfortably, as he can control the deliverance of his own energy very exactly. He will use just enough force to move you, although one is aware of the incredible power that could smother or “Gai” you, and which he could unleash if he wished to send you crashing to the ground.
Master Ji said that when one plays the form and in push hands, one must pay attention to what either an imaginary or real adversary is doing, and one must also comprehend the natural science of movement.
He said that Taiji is a scientific art, which takes into account the natural laws of body mechanics. The concept of Yin and Yang is also a science and philosophy.
Like in Maths, he said we cannot just have addition, there is also subtraction. Everything has its opposite, which maintains the balance.
So in push hands, we have one hand that listens, whilst the other may apply “Jing” or power. If both apply power together we cannot hear what the other person does, and we become a solid double-weighted mass, that lets him control us!
One must not resist, neither should one be empty and lost, “Bu Ding, Bu Diu”.
“Ding” or resistance, is when the opponent makes contact with you, and you either go against his force or try to move slower than he does; “Diu” is where you try to run away from the opponent or try not to make proper contact with him, people will feel that you are already collapsed and have no energy to meet them.
One must be “Ling” – “zero”, where the opponent feels you neither resist or run away, but are in harmony with him completely, as if you and he were one and the same person.
In 1992, Master Ji put these concepts into practice, when the President of the Malaysian Sports Association brought a delegation to Shanghai to participate in an International Wushu meeting.
A push hands expert in Malaysia, and standing at nearly two metres tall and weighing about 116kg, nobody in Zhongshan Park could move or defeat him.
He was introduced to Master Ji, with whom he pushed hands. Master Ji used rollback to first dissipate his force, and “Cai Jing” – plucking energy to uproot him.
Master Ji even did it in slow motion so that the Malaysian master could understand how he’d been uprooted.
The Malaysian Sport’s President was so impressed by Master Ji’s skill that he invited him to teach in Malaysia.
Master Ji explained that when an opponent’s force is coming at you, especially somebody who is much bigger and stronger than you, you cannot immediately just discharge energy at them, as this is using force against force.
If you try to discharge power against an opponent who is not completely empty, you will not be successful and he will be able to recover and control you, or worse, you will end up like two wrestlers barging and grabbing at each other.
One must dissipate or digest his force first, so that his Yang energy is spent, this then turns his strength into weakness; when his force is at this point, 100% expended, then you can safely “Fa Jing” or discharge energy.
He will feel that he is touching air or “nothing”, because you offer him no resistance.
You just swallow his force, take it to the earth and then return it to him with your own whole body power, in unison; this is known as “Dui” in Chinese.
The opponent will feel that there is an unbroken circle, whereby his force is emptied out or absorbed (“Tun” in Chinese) and immediately returned to him, thus uprooting him. This “Tun” is very important when pushing with a large or powerful person.
To reach this kind of level, Master Ji said, takes time and practice, and one must constantly pay attention to one’s own body when playing the form, to check whether one is relaxed in the movements or where one has tension.
Master Ji said when you touch the opponent he must feel that he becomes completely empty, and his root is floating; he is Yin, so at this point in time he has no way to resist your strike or be able to change and recover. Now you can be Yang, as you are in harmony with him – not resisting him.
When the adversary’s force is dissipated, his heels will be lifted up or “Ba Gen”, similar to when one is lifted up by the waves in the sea; the person will feel like their body is just raised upwards effortlessly by the master’s “Qi” or energy.
He explained that one of students’ major problems is that their waist and hips are not relaxed, “Yao/kua bu song”, which is why they cannot properly dissipate another’s incoming force.
He told me that one way you can get a sensation of relaxation in the waist and hips, is to ride the bus; but to stand, not sit down.
You should not hold onto anything but just feel the bumps and bounces of the bus’s momentum and move with them. Slowly one will be able to adjust and go with the bumping actions and not be bounced off one’s root or fall over. The knees need to be slightly bent and relaxed and the archway between the knees should be rounded, “Kai Dang” in Chinese; one should attempt to “borrow” the energy of the bus.
This feeling of the hips just carrying the body and going with the flow is the same sense our hips should feel when we do the form or push hands; somebody touches you, you relax the waist and hips and this takes his force to the earth, thus misdirecting his force away from your body.
Master Ji said that in Taiji there are many principles and requirements, so it is very hard for a student to ever get to understand what to do. He said that traditional teaching meant the teacher had to let the students “taste” the flavour.
He says it’s like being the parent of a young infant; you have to almost spoon-feed the student so that they can slowly feel how to move and react. Teachers must be generous and clear in their instruction; otherwise students will never fully grasp the meaning behind the movements.
Additionally, practitioners must constantly seek to analyze what they are doing, rather like tasting wine to get an idea of its flavour.
He said one must “taste” Taiji, and experience it, not just aimlessly or mindlessly practice the form. In Chinese they say, “Yan chuan shen jiao”, you have to use you own body to experience and understand the knowledge.
Master Ji said the teacher imparts knowledge and the student’s body learns from experiences and from play. That is why it’s so important to practice and push hands with others, so that you feel what to do, rather than think what to do.
Although Master Ji is now almost sixty, he looks remarkably young, and I couldn’t believe he was close to retirement age. He says that now, he just practices martial arts to maintain his health and for fun, he’s not interested in the politics and squabbles that abound in any martial arts circles. And in Zhongshan Park, he has been respected for his elegant, urbane and modest manner, as well as his Taiji skills. Personally, his family have shown me great kindness.
He said if a student seriously wants to learn, then he will teach them earnestly, as for him, being happy and healthy is what’s most important, and of course practicing correctly!
Master Ji states that the masters of old, like his own teacher, and those in a photograph with Master Feng Zhi Qiang in 1982, had great skill. And whilst his generation only have a fraction of their ability, what they do have is genuine knowledge, which he and other teachers like him, wish to share with those who sincerely want to learn and who are not afraid to put in the time and effort necessary.
So although our lives, experiences and customs might be different, a respect and deep love of Chinese culture and Chinese martial arts is what we all share, and it’s a tradition that Master Ji keeps alive in his art, his teaching and in his demeanour, bearing and generosity.
Story by Rose Oliver, 2006. Photos by Mr. Wang Ming Bo & Rose Oliver. Published in Tai Chi Magazine