Traveling to China & Life at the Academy
After a long travel composed of 15 hours of flying, 12 hours of train ride, 9 hours of bus ride and many, many hours waiting in between, I eventually made it to the town of Wudangshan on October 1st, 2007 to learn and practice Wu Dang Wu Shu, Tai Ji Quan & Qi Gong in the local Kung Fu Academy.
Classes were held in Yuxu Temple. Originally built in 1413, it was one of the largest buildings in Wudang with over 2,000 rooms, until it was destroyed in 1745. It is currently under construction, but my instructor - Mast Yuan - is permitted to enter for practice 6 times a week, twice a day.
The morning practice is 3 hours long and the afternoon training lasts 2 hours. There are also meditation/stretching classes available in the evening, 4 times a week, in one of the rooms at school. It did take me a few days to adjust to the Chinese culture, climate, food and over a week to the strenuous training.
Classes consist of an hour warm up and then learning and practicing the forms for the rest of the lesson. Master Yuan has 2-3 Chinese students who help him teach the "foreigners", but he handles most of the teaching by himself. One can learn 2 forms at the same time - practicing one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Tai Chi is very popular amongst the students and many learn one or more Tai Chi forms as well as other internal styles such as Bagua Zhang, Xing Yi Quan or Qigong. There are also multiple open hand & weapon WuShu forms one can study. Much attention is paid to the correct execution of all moves and hip motion in particular. I chose to learn the open hand WuShu form called Xuan Gong Quan 1, Taj Ji 28 and Five Animals Qigong.
Five Animals Qi Gong
Wu Dang Five Animals Qi Gong is an ancient Taoist exercise designed to improve one's health and longevity. As the name implies, the movements of this exercise are based on the movements of five animals; the dragon, the tiger, the leopard, the snake, and the crane. Each animal movement improves the function of a specific internal organ. The dragon improves the kidneys, the tiger improves the lungs, the leopard improves the liver, the snake improves the spleen, and the crane improves the heart. Through dedicated practice, Wu Dang Five Animals Qi Gong has the capacity to bring balance back to one's internal organ system. When the internal organs are in balance, the body is able to work at its optimum efficiency, thus improving the overall health and longevity of the practitioner.
In addition to bringing harmony back to the internal organs, Wudang Five Animals Qigong also opens up the joints, lengthens the tendons, and strengthens the muscles. Furthermore, this ancient exercise improves the functions of the respiratory and circulatory systems as well; this not only allows the body to deliver fresh, oxygen-rich blood to all the extremities of the body but it also assists with the elimination of deadly toxins. The overall function of Wu Dang Five Animals Qi Gong is to keep the body soft and supple, like that of a child. If practiced regularly, this exercise can literally reverse the aging process so that one can enjoy the benefits of strong and healthy body well into their years.
Tai Ji Quan
Tai Ji Quan is a deeply relaxing, though not easy to learn. The beauty of Tai Ji motions are fascinating to watch and once learned and understood well, can provide insights into a calming and comforting feeling.
There are many different stories about the origin of Tai Ji. The story shared in Wu Dang says Tai Ji has originated from Infinity by separating Yin and Yang, which are equal opposites. Sometimes Yin stands for female - also representing stillness and Yang stands for male - representing movement. The two are interconnected and should not be separated. Tai Ji teaches you that there is stillness in movement and movement in stillness. I learned that through deep concentration one can affect internal energy prior to any external movement and that Tai Ji Quan is an art requiring perfect simultaneous control of mind and body.
There are 13 postures (8 hand/arm movements and 5 body movements) in the Tai Ji set I learned. The 8 hand/arm movements are: Beng, Lu, Ji, An, Zai, Lie, Zhou, and Gao. In simplified terms they mean: ward off, pull back, push, press, oblique turning, twist, elbow strike, and shoulder strike. The 5 body movements are directional. They are: advance, retreat, shift to the left, shift to the right and stable equilibrium. The 13 postures are based on the 8 trigrams and 5 elements.
Tai Ji Quan is a stepping-stone to Daoism. In Daoism, one has to train one's behavior and mind. It is important to keep a peaceful mind. Through meditation, combining Yin and Yang, and stillness in movement, the internal power will flow through the whole body achieving the ultimate aim.
Wu Dang Wu Shu
Xuan Gong Quan (Mystical Style Form) consists of 32 movements. This form is a Northern basic training form used by Taoist Monks. Wudang Mountain is comprised of both Northern & Southern Kungfu traditions. The Southern tradition is focused on hand to hand combat, while the Northern tradition is most famous for their leg work. Xuan Gong Quan is from Northern Wu Dang & is mainly known for its basic leg movements. Even though this form is basic, it is complex and has many exagerated postures.
The Streets of Wu Dang Shan
Life in Wu Dang Shan is pretty slow - people seem to have very little to do and can often be found just sitting or standing around doing nothing or playing checkers, cards or mahjong right on the street. People are very good about taking care of their gardens though - the vegetables are very neatly planted almost anywhere. The food tastes mostly wonderful - the street food especially. It was advised to not eat meat, as it sits outside on the sun all day and they did not seem to be using refrigerators at all except for the big grocery stores. However, the noodles, dumplings and bread were the most frequent part of my diet - and tasted absolutely amazing... Or maybe I was just too hungry after the long practice.
Wu Dang Mountains
The trip up to the mountains was wonderful - magnificent views, breathtaking scenery, beautiful ancient temples and more. There are a few places in the mountains with a daily live performance of Kung Fu. The Wu Dang mountains are one of the most famous Taoist holy mountains in China, also known as Tai He mountains - situated in Hubei Province near Shi Yan city. There are 72 peaks in the area, as well as 36 sheer cliffs and overhanging rocks, 24 ravines and 11 caverns. The highest peak and temple in the range is Jin Ding, which rises to an elevation of 1,612 meters (5288 ft). As the largest existing Taoist complex, Wu Dang has been built over several centuries. The first temples on Mount Wu Dang were constructed during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). By this time Daoism had become a state religion, coexisting with both Buddhism and Confucianism as one of the three great religions of China. Taoist culture has existed on Wu Dang since the East Han Dynasty (25-220). The movement began with a few early Taoists settling in the mountains in order to practice be closer with nature. In the Song dynasty, the legendary Taoist priest Zhang San Feng achieved immortality at Wu Dang and is credited with originating concepts of internal martial arts, specifically Tai Ji Quan (13 postures).
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