субота, 29. новембар 2014.

Deadly finger


Famous Taiwanese master od Monkey boxing brought his students of who one was a westerner, to visit another kung fu master who lived on a farm near Keelung city in North Taiwan . Master’s name was Chen Ching-Chan and he possessed a skill which falls in the category of esoteric arts and it is hard to believe in such things. If this story came from any other source I would not believe it , but the witness of this event had great credibility as a martial artist and a man who put a great effort to separate truth from the myth in Chinese martial arts .
After the was served , old master put the fuel oil on his right index finger and lit it and let it burn for a while. His right index finger was much shorter the one on the left hand and was knobbly, rough and a bit twisted. After the oil burnt out he put the wine on the finger and hold it in a flame of the candle until it became black . When he finished the procedure he touched one of the visitors and he jumped from pain. Next , he put more wine on the finger and without prior burning he lightly drew a line on visitors back , the skin immediately became red and slightly swallowed . Old man refused to show any combat usage of the finger , nor he wanted to show how techniques and training necessary for the development of this skill . He killed a man in fight 15 years prior to this event and decided not show any combat techniques or any skill which would lead to development of this odd skill .

It is hard to believe in this story , especially for the westerner who base his opinion on science and critical thinking . On the other hand event is a clear sign that there is much more in Chinese kung fu than most people are ready to accept .

недеља, 23. новембар 2014.

Taiwanese masters 1- Cheng Man-Ching

Professor Cheng Man-Ching (1902-1975) is one of the most significant Taiwanese martial arts teachers of modern times. Many regard Cheng Man-Ching as the man who brought Tai Chi and Chinese philosophy to the West. He was not only a remarkable martial artist but also an accomplished painter, poet, scholar and doctor of Chinese medicine . Because of his skills in these five areas he was often referred to as the "Master of Five Excellences.
As a child he suffered from a head trauma and was in coma for a short time . To regain his motor abilities he was sent to calligraphy classes and soon he started to practice painting. He studied painting with with Prof. Wang Hsiang-Ch’ian . In 1913 he moved to Shanghai and continued his studies with well known artist Chang Kwong-Hong in Shanghai. In 1916 he to Hangchou where studied painting, poetry, and calligraphy with several prominent teachers if the time .In 1919 he moved to Beijing to finish his studies and soon after he started his academic career at Yu-Wen University where he taught poetry . In 1922 he became a professor of Chinese Ink Painting at the Peking Academy of Fine Arts and 3 years later he taught at National Chi-Nan University and served as Director of painting Department of Shanghai School of Fine Arts.

At that time Cheng developed a chronic lung condition and a local doctor suggested that he take up Tai Chi to remediate his condition. He Studied T’ai Chi Ch’uan with Yang Cheng-Fu for seven years . He also started studies of traditional Chinese medicine with Dr. Sung You-an. Additionally, he achieved mastery of traditional gynecology, and orthopedic medicine.  

In 1949 he moved to Taiwan and continued his career as a physician and as a teacher of his t'ai chi ch'uan form, as well as actively practicing painting, poetry, and calligraphy. He published Cheng's 13 Chapters of T'ai Chi Boxing in 1950 . He started the Shih Chung T'ai Chi Association in Taipei and he was one of the first Chinese martial teachers who accepted and taught foreigners. As much as he left a strong impact on Taiwanese martial arts his work in the area of classical arts , mostly painting is more important. He was on of the most important figures in foundation of the Republic of China Fine Arts Society .He was a head of the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition and was elected as a lifetime professor at the College of Chinese Culture.
In 1964, Cheng moved with his family to the United States, where he taught at the New York T'ai Chi Association
In 1967 in collaboration with Robert W. Smith, and T. T. Liang, Cheng published "T'ai Chi, the Supreme Ultimate Exercise for Health, Sport and Self-defense,". He wrote over a dozen other books on a variety of subjects, including the I Ching, the Tao Te Ching, the Analects of Confucius, books of poetry, essays, medicine, and art collections.
He returned to Taiwan in 1974 and passed away a year later .

Cheng saw Tai Chi as an embodiment of natural laws and as a path of human growth – a way to live, a way of finding meaning, balance and peace and he taught his students in that manner. He was one of the first Chinese teachers who came to the west and openly taught his art, not to mention he taught foreigners much before famous Bruce Lee .Cheng Man-Ching was open minded and he changed his art making it easier for practice and understanding . Through his martial art school and his painting he introduced to the west all the treasures of classical Chinese culture , philosophy and art . He laid a foundation for all the Taiwanese martial artist who later came to the west and spread traditional Chinese martial arts