Fast and Slow

by Todd Elihu

One day, while visiting the old stomping grounds of Hong Junsheng in the summer of 2004, we had the chance to spend some time with one of Hong’s most senior disciples, Meng Xianbin, in Jinan due to rather sad circumstances. A little man of 82 years of age at the time, Meng is listed in the Grandmaster’s monumental book, “Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method,” as first amongst all of Hong’s students in terms of seniority based on age. Unfortunately, Master Meng’s wife had suffered an aneurysm earlier that day and was being treated in a hospital. Master Chen Zhonghua had caught wind of this and decided to pay Meng a visit to lend his heartfelt support. Master Chen returned later that afternoon with Master Meng whom he had invited to our hotel to take his mind off his troubles for a little while by focusing on Taiji. I think he enjoyed meeting all of us North Americans, correcting our forms, lecturing on theory, and telling us stories of his experiences with Hong. One of the stories Master Meng shared with us involved a certain  Master Ni, an expert of ground fighting [Digongquan], who desired to study Taijiquan from Hong.

Meng met Master Ni out in the street one day. After chatting a bit, Master Hong happened to walk up. Meng introduced Ni to his teacher. Traditionally, when the teacher arrives the student stops doing the talking so Meng deferred to Hong. After having been introduced Master Ni said to Hong, “I should learn some Taijiquan from you.”

Master Hong replied respectfully, “Master Ni, your martial art is very good already. Why learn Taiji?”

Master Ni, who was about the same age as Hong, explained, “My form is too fast and I am too old to do it anymore. I’m only capable of doing some Taijiquan for health.”

Master Hong replied to him, “You say your form is too fast. I do not deny that it is fast. Tell me though, is the speed of a locomotive in front of a train fast or slow?”

“The speed of the locomotive is fast.” Master Ni answered.

“If it is so fast does it ever stop at the train station?” Hong asked.

“Yes, it has to stop. If it doesn’t stop then it would be like the Earth which goes around and around without end!” Master Ni replied.

Master Hong then concluded, “So if the speed of the locomotive is so fast and yet it can stop then how can you say that your form is too fast and you cannot slow it down. All forms of martial art can be done fast and slow. It’s not that ‘This is ground fighting; you have to be fast’ or ‘This is Taiji; you have to be slow’. These are both wrong assumptions.”

After that Master Ni didn’t know what to say.

Later on, a man named Wu, who was a disciple of Master Ni, went to Daming Lake in Jinan to look for Master Hong in hopes of studying Taijiquan. Upon meeting, Master Hong asked Wu, “What have you studied so far?”

Wu replied, “I have studied ground fighting [Digongquan].” This reminded Hong of Master Ni and their conversation.  

Hong said, “Little Wu, your martial art is already very good. Why learn Taiji?”

The man answered, “My form is too fast… I’m already over thirty and I can’t do it anymore. Some Taiji would be good for my health.”

The Horse Expert -by Todd Elihu

Master Chen Zhonghua is a great storyteller. I have often found myself a member of a captive audience as he relays instructive Chinese folk tales or anecdotes of his teachers’ life experiences. Recently, while discussing the true and the fake in Taijiquan, Master Chen told me the story of “Bo Le the Horse Expert.”

Chest of Steel -by Chen Zhonghua

It was a hot summer day in the practice hall of the Wah Lum Temple in Orlando. A young Danny Abrahms was trying to learn Chen Style Taijiquan from master Li Enjiu. Danny had been a student of the Wah Lum system for many years. He was quite eager to learn this new system

Silk Uniform -By Chen Zhonghua

One of the maxims that Hong Junsheng lived by was never to bend to authority. This soft spoken old man was said to have a character of steel.

In 1981, the sports commission of the Shandong Province organized a large martial marts demonstration

Master Watermelon Peel -By Chen Zhonghua

In the summer of 1991, Hong Junsheng revealed the identity of his secret Taiji master to me. I was quite surprised by this “secret transmission”. I had never heard him mention any such master, other than Liu Musan (his Wu style teacher) and Chen Fake (his Chen Style Taiji master).

Wai Bu Li Shi Kang -by Gordon Muir

In the learning of Chen Style Taijiquan, my teacher, Chen Zhonghua, always advocates the idea that one has to go through fundamental changes of the body in order to accomplish real Taiji acquisition.

However, to cause real changes to occur is not easy.

A Can of Pepsi -by Todd Elihu

One afternoon during our full time Taijiquan studies, in the Hunyuantaiji Academy studio in Edmonton, Master Chen Zhonghua spoke of the mysterious, spiritual borderlands between yin and yang called ling. This gray area created by the overlap of the two extremes is exemplified within the art of a true Master.

A New Standard -by Chen Zhonghua

§ Introduction
Feng Zhiqiang is the ultimate example of Taiji. He is a paradox and a harmonized contradiction. He is the most common retired old man and yet the most feared legendary master. He is our only link (as of 2001) to the time of fists and swords, of legends and heroes, and of dedication and bitter struggle to survive.

A Life of Taiji -by Chen Zhonghua

My master was Hong Junsheng. He was the most prominent disciple of the 17th generation standard bearer of the Chen family, grandmaster Chen Fake. Hong’s ancestors came from the city of Ningbo in Zhejiang province, yet he was born in 1907 in Yuxian County in Henan province. Yuxian is a small town close to the Chen Village . In 1996 he passed away in Jinan of Shandong province. According to the Chinese way of calculating age he was 90 years old.

Jinan -by Chen Zhonghua

In August 1979, a long waited letter came from the national university recruiting office. In it was a cover letter and a letter of acceptance from Shandong University. The Foreign Language and Literature Department of Shandong University had accepted me into the English language and linguistics department. For three days, I cried, hid in my room and refused to eat.