An article published in "Fighters" magazine in November 1991
Last October saw the visit to Britain by one of the greatest Taijichuan exponents in the world. There were a few objections to some of the views raised in the article in the September 1990 edition of "Fighters". These soon changed when people decided to give "yet another expert" a try. Master Dong Zengchen, billed as the grandson of the legendary Dong Yingjie (famed disciple of Yang Chengfu and the old-Wu style Li Xiangyuan), vice-chairman of the Xintai Wushu Association of China and a teacher with a following of over 7000 in China, conducted two seminars and a series of other classes in London.
Publicity was minimal, but word got around to both beginners and experienced students. Only a few people know about the reputation of the Dong clan. At first there were some sceptics, but all were genuinely delighted with what they discovered. The initial two seminars quickly developed into a series of classes and many requests for additional tuition had to be turned down. Resentment turned into friendship and hearts were won over by Master Dong's London-based school. Master Dong was inundated with invitations and members of the Chinese community and Kungfu masters held receptions in his honour.
Many participants had already been to one or more schools, and some had attended numerous previous seminars. People travelled from all over the country and some from overseas. For those who were expecting the usual displays of "throwing opponents at great distances", "big chi" and "strong jing", Dong proved boring as there were no fun tricks to amuse us. Instead he revealed how some of the most fantastic displays can be set-ups that exploit the observer's ignorance. If we were keen to learn, it would mean "a lot of effort, hard work, and correct attitude".
Master Dong quickly got down to the nitty-gritty, the real stuff. And this we got, and more. During the seminars and teaching sessions he covered plenty of practical and theoretical material for various forms, push-hands, free-sparring, swords, sticks and long lances. Placing special emphasis on a correct understanding of the requirements of the Form, Master Dong convinced us of the necessity of getting the fundamentals absolutely right. We immediately got down to doing the Form. The postures were taught in precise detail with demonstrations of the correct positions of the palms, wrists, elbows, knees etc at each point along the circular paths. And how the joints, waist and so on can work like clockwork making different rotations but still united as one.
We were taught the various "methods" of the eyes, hands, feet, torso, waist, legs and so on - for instance how the legs should be correctly rounded and weighted, the correct curvature of the arms, etc. We learnt how we could achieve stability and balance, to have "Mian", "Lian", "Yuan", "Guan" and "Chuan" (evenness/resilience, continuity, circular motion, absorption and wholeness involving every part of the body), without losing our focus. We studied the internal - mechanic in actual practical terms - an area often misunderstood: sinking chi to the dantian how to raise jing and feel its flow, applying 'Yidong Yijing' (motion and stillness), 'Kai-He' (open-close), 'Shou-Fa' (accumulate, emit jing), and so on. We looked at the position of the limbs in relation to each other, the shifts, waist turns, and the precise relationship between the arms and how they move with the rest of the body - all from the standpoints of coordination, rhythm, focus, jing flow, meditation and self defence.
Word for word the tenets of the Classics were translated into practical terms, for example 'Xu Ling Dingjing', 'Hadong Babei', 'Chi Cheng Dantam', and many more others (up till now unsatisfactorily interpreted). Training concentrated on how to produce and hold the postures, coordinate the inner with the outer, distinguish the yin and yang, harmonize the upper with the lower, transport jing, how much of it to keep the palms, etc.
From the very first session, students took to the instruction by this master. A regular participant from Brighton who had spent the last three years with three different schools felt it was "the real thing right from the start" and like many others felt his "attention had been guided towards lots of internal movement". Many had "actual experience" of jing for the first time: Instead of simply asking us to do the 'correct' depth of stance, Master Dong handled a question about it by asking us to feel each type of stance, to feel the jing and the relative ease of the body in vanous stances. Much the footwork was examined - he asked us to push the wall in each position we had been taught before to see which gave better stability, which would enable the most jing to be channelled to the palms and feet. We were to discover this for ourselves rather than being told which was 'best'.
We examined 'rooting' in the same way, learning "...to feel through the sensations" rather than being told in obscure metaphysical, woolly terms. We looked at the real meaning of 'relax' and it was decided 'let go' would be the better definition for the Chinese 'sung'. ln order to affect change we had to be able to relax properly, use the waist and control jing. The body had to remain fluid and not lock into rigid postures or become limp like over-cooked spaghetti.
The technique of 'Fa and Shou' (emit and accumulate jing) is present with every move and so is 'Kai-He' (open dose) and the 'Yi Dong - Yi Jing' (motion and stiilness). Concentration posture and movement must unite harmoniously so the 'Yi', the flow and the jing are continuous These are just some of the many techniques and points dealt with. "Absorbing these elements meant my Taijichuan began to come alive", one of the group remarked.
'Chi' and 'Shen' (spirit) have always been areas of great mystery and controversy. 'Raising the spirit' and 'sinking chi to the dantam' are all very well in theory but hard to put into practice. Master Dong explained the Shen aspect (which includes techniques for the eyes) and the 'Jing, Chi, Shen' (Essence, Chi Spirit) ideal in an accessible, down-to-earth manner. He also covered the elusive term 'Yi' (mind/will), and how it is crucial to be clear about this area in order to effectively coordinate changes, move jing, control direction, range etc.
The issues are often conceated by confusion or considered to be "..specialised, esoteric knowledge" filling the volumes and volumes often disguised as or taken for 'profound insights'. Master Dong put ali this across so that material was both meaning fui and practical, attainable even by beginners, or as one person put it, "common sense prevailed". Taiji learnt in this way cannot disintegrate into mere 'arm-waving' lacking all substance.
The Form gained significance with each session and Dong was anxious that we should get as much as possible out of bis visit. He was always happy to answer our questions and every day he demonstrated something new. We saw the sword and broadsword forms, the Dong Taiji Fast Form, and the "...breathtaking and mesmerizing" old Wu Taijichuan Form. We witnessed the "Poetry in motion" of his Yang Form. Not surprisingly even before the first lunch-break, many had booked for the remaining classes.
Every session included push-hands which received the sarne discipline and thoroughness in approach as the Form. The four techniques of 'Peng Lu Ji An' were analysed and it became clear to many of us that there was more to it than many of us had realised. Some found that the main stance encouraged by Dong was very differenet from the positions that they had already experienced, as were the hand techhniques such as the "setting" or the wrists. He showed us to use the whole body to make circles in order to extend, redirect, counter or defend against attack. He taught hwo to neutralize beyong the usual drawing or circles between two players, squared faceing each other.
We were taught to extend the circle deep into ourselves using the undetstanding of 'Yuan Jing Luo Kong' to lead the opponent deep into nothingness. He emphasised emphasised that we should be fuully aware, not merely going through the motions of drawing circles. And we should apply 'Zhan-Nian' (stick, adhere), to keep the flow continuous and smooth and much more. As one of the group put it: "His instruction cleared up confusion I have felt for years . . .I learnt about hard and soft energies, raising energy, 'filling' energy ..." Everyone had the chance to push hands with several partners each time we practised and also with Master Dong himself. One described the experience as "...being in a whirlpool under his control". It was clear that one or two people wanted tu try and floor him but Dong remained thoroughly relaxed and seemed tu dance with his partners.
In single push-hands the often idle hand was put to effective use providing side-on attack and defence or, as in the Form, always 'en garde'. The concept of double-stresses or double-weightedness - which many had found "meant different things to different people" - was clearly explained and demonstrated. Our use of forceful methods could be reduced as we learnt to neutralize - the higher skill. A student who came from a background "..of bag-work and wrestling techniques" commented, "I was really impressed by the skilful use of good posture and technique resulting in 'meeting a big force with a small one'. I was also impressed by seeing Master Dong extricate himself with ease from a forceful attack as if he was drawing big circles and small circles with his body."
Those in special classes were to see him in action applying some amazing Taijichuan techniques when he taught free-sparring - this was no pre-arranged exercises or patterns, and there was no fix on the amount of force nor limitation in techniques, though students were expected to understand 'Wu De'. We never saw the sights deteriorate into ''wild wrestling'' or 'might-is-right'' matches in spite of the fast and funous attacks. Master Dong showed us various ways of dealing with opponents 'not cooperating' by not resisting or forcing them. We saw the 'second line' of defence come into play. We could believe those stories of small old men tackling stronger yuungsters. Dong's father and grandfather were not large or particularly muscular but they saw off bigger and tuugher uppunents. His grandfather was a well known national champion of China.
Until 8 years ago Master Dong lived in Xintai, an area well-known for its high proportion of famous martial artists. During his visit Chinese people here were interested to hear stories and inside information about many greats of Hebei Province, their training techniques and traditions. Master Dong told us what Yang Banhou really taught, what Yang Chengfu was like, and who was Yang Lauzhen. The courtyard of the Dong Hall has always been used by leading figures as a meeting place. Yongnian, Yang Chengfu's birthplace, is nearby and Master Dong is still vice chairman of the Wushu Associatiun of this region. Master Dong's position within this renowned heritage is recognised by some of the rnost distinguished traditionalists. He is said to have "style, finesse and character". Master Dong hirnself emphasised to us the importance of characterbuilding. He spoke of the quality of 'Wu De' ('self-cultivation', literaliy civilization). "Learning a martial art is learning to become a better person. As your temperament improves, so will your Taijichuan and as your Taijichuan improves, so should your temperament. And this is Kungfu".
Many would agree with a comments from one of the group: "Rather than providing instant remedies for our Form or push-hands problems, we were drawn to the root causes and ways of dealing with them". "Forego ego - the ultimate goal is conquering oneself", Master Dong said, "Taiji is natural. Let go, relax and seek tranquility" Master Dong returns in November. This year he will tour South East Asia, Europe and China where he will be an hunored guest at a conference hosted by the Yongnian Taijichuan Association.
Our article in "Fighters" last year opened with a report on the worrying demise of Chinese martial arts and the loss of valuable knowledge no longer passed down from generation to generation. The Dong Clan, however, seems to be going from strength to strength. In August this year, Master Dong's son Alex Da-De, representing the State of Hawaii, won three gold medals, two silver, and the award for the Most Outstanding Martial Spirit at the Arnerican Natiunal AAU Chinese Martial Arts Tournament. His display of Taijichuan won first place in internal style forms, international style weapons and moving step push hands. This seems an appropriate way to finish this year's article.
See also Throwing Light on Taiji Chuan published in September 1990.