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ORIGINS OF TAI CHI CHUANOBSERVATIONS FROM A RARE OLD ASSOCIATION. (TAPE) My former teacher went to China decades ago to film some of my most precious collection of footage he gave me. On this tape, I have footage of the son of the Chen's family. Two very old men with long flowing white beards are doing two-person push hands. As the camera scans the area, a young woman is demonstrating the unique fa-ging (explosive) hip torque blasts of energy so recognizable in the Chen system. My teacher goes on to say that according to history the Chen's is the most original Tai Chi. It was the Chen Tai Chi first before the Yang, Shin, Ng and many others that came after. Let me just interject here that aside from what I have said so far, let us keep things in perspective. Do not forget that all Tai Chi Chuan really evolved from Taoist moving meditations. With that in proper perspective, let us advance. A man quite elderly, is demonstrating his expertise with the heavy Kwan Do. All the Chen forms are relatively short. This is one of the advantages of Chen. In comparison, the Doo's family adaptation of Five Elder Monk Mew Hing's "Single Moon Ascending to Heaven" around 1895 is extremely long and almost gymnastic in one particular move. Remember, even though the form was not adapted into the Doo's Tai Chi until that date, nevertheless, the form had been absorbed into the White Tiger System according to his wishes ever since Mew Hing's death at the hands of Bak Mae in the late 1600's. The move I am referring to that is somewhat gymnastic calls for jumping up in the air, bringing the heels up behind you and slapping them with your palm and then literally falling straight down onto the hard surface into the 'dragon posture'. For many, moves like these are a great workout, for others they must be modified to fit any physical limitations one may have. Limitations can be a blessing in disguise. The limitation can spur one on to super-develop, to an abnormal level, areas of their body that do function well. Lets take a look at one of the eight Chinese immortals. Li T'ieh-kuai was lame, disfigured and represented as a beggar. He always had is 'iron crutch' or 'staff' for self defense, but there was more to his skills. Perhaps the most interesting of all the Immortals, he was not always lame and disfigured. At the prime of his life and at the peak attainment of his magic, he so impressed Laocius that he was summoned to the Celestial Regions. This was a spirit journey. It was not his first. During these sessions, his body would apparently lay lifeless, in the care of a disciple. The magician was absent so long that the disciple, thinking him dead, burned the Master's body and went off to attend his sick mother. Li Tieh-kuai returned in spirit from the Hills of Longevity and had to search for a body into which he might enter. The body of a lame beggar was the first available. The saint entered, and from that point appeared as a lame medicine man with an iron crutch. In his hand he carried a gourd from which escaping smoke wreathes upward in token of his ability to free his spirit from the body at will. The Great Jung Shee was able to get close up footage of the ancient manuals of the Chen Tai Chi way. The original tomb of the Chen family leader was shown. According to my former teacher, the Chen family history goes back between 300 - 400 years. The camera angle switches to show a painting of the Chen family member 'inventor'. In the same token, he states that these people (Chen) are for real. It is not the same as Yang's origin. The 'people' invented this Tai Chi Chuan. The tape shows a family tree for the Chen system using Chinese characters. The son of the Chen's Tai Chi is shown doing the form. The son's movements speak for themselves. The forms are relatively short, but the applications are tremendous. He was an instructor for the Wu Shu troops in Beijing at the time of filming. As far as I know, he is the main instructor of the Chen's Tai Chi. More footage shows two-person push hands. These forms are smooth and short. Not as long or complicated physically as Mew Hing's White Hair Fist # 3 two-person push hand fighting form. Chen Tai Chi would be a great art to master the 'internal'. The forms are easy to learn and effective to apply in fighting. Great Chen Tai Chi Chuan applications are demonstrated by the son, who defends against multiple attackers. This rare tape takes the viewer inside the many temples in Schezwan's O'Mie mountain range. The communists recognized the profit in kung fu, therefore re-opened the Shil lum temple on the O'Mie Shan (the Kwong Wai temple), and have monks there to attract tourism. This is the original birthplace of 18 Daoist Palms. I should interject here to not forget that the Five Elders were head fighting monks under chief fighting Abbott Fung Doe Duk before ever getting to O'Mie mountain and becoming Taoist to avoid the Ching troops looking for the famous 'Five'. There is great footage of statues and temples on other mountains nearby O'Mie. Statues of monks, written history books of the temples, shots inside the temples showing statues thousands of years old, are made of solid gold. The beautiful countryside landscape is breathtaking. Footage of the chief Abbots and high level monks meditating is classic. Since Mao's death, this was all possible to witness because of the trend toward capitalism. Tourists pay big money to live in harsh conditions. At the time of this filming, my former teacher said it would have cost about $40,000 to visit and study the Chen's. Great footage of the Buddha and his 18 lohon guards, some depicted with weapons, is spectacular. Remember that some of the temples in this region are Buddhist as well. The underground cave where supposedly Ta Mo meditated for nine years, facing a wall is shown, along with a statue of Ta Mo facing the wall. Many statues of Buddha are shown in meditative postures. A huge incense urn outside the temple is shown, much like the one at the Fukien temple famous for leaving the graduate with branded tattoos of the White Tiger on the right arm and the Pure Azure Dragon on the left arm. Aerial views show the various peaks of O'Mie. This is where Fung Doe Duk and the elders revamped their arts. Some great footage I collected shows the following forms, I cannot be certain if indeed Ng is the proper way to spell one of these systems, however, it sounded like I spell it to me.
Sincerely, Jung Shee Lacy 18 Daoist Palms Kung Fu  Phone: (619) 766 - 9256 Mew Hing Productions 42499 Old Hwy. 80 P.O. Box 427 Jacumba, CA. 91934-0427 E-mail: MewHing@earthlink.net ShaBruCha Graphics  618-529-2856 sharoney2@yahoo.com |