CHENJIAGOU, HENAN
February 2017
For the past few months Hanneke and I have been learning Tai Chi. The graceful "Martial Art " of fluid movement and amazing complexity.
We have been very fortunate to be trained by "Chen Jun" (June) whose family heritage is traced back to the originators of the art form.
Master June is extremely patient and dedicated , so much so, she invited us to train in her village, Chenjiagao, the home of Tai Chi - what a privilege.
The experience was unique, staying in a Tai Chi school, in a traditional Chinese village in the North East of China.
The day starts with traditional Chinese breakfast, followed by a morning run, three hours of training. Lunch, recover, an afternoon run and three more hours of training, dinner then for the really dedicated more self practice, ensuring each move/form is precise, exact and to the Grandmaster's satisfaction.
Our routine followed a slightly more relaxed style, we omitted the extra practice and we evoked daylight saving to some of the three hour training sessions.
We both really enjoyed the 5 days, our Tai Chi did not improve a great deal but our admiration for the dedication and commitment of those who live and breath this ancient art form (lifestyle) is immense.
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| Our teacher June. Yellow River in the background. |
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| Our Tai Chi school. |
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| Hanneke ensuring our training ground is spotless. |
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| The front of the school. |
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| Ready for action. A pity we did perform as good as we looked. |
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| Chenjiagou village street ; decorations are part of Chinese New Year. |
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| Dinner on the street - yum. |
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| It gets cold in North Eastern China in February. |
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| Statute of Chang San-Feng - founder of Tai Chi. Part of the large complex dedicated to the history of Tai Chi. |
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| More contemporary style. |
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| A lovely sprinkling of snow for contrast. |
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| Grandmaster Chen Zhao Sen (centre). Our teacher from the school (second left) and other students. |
Before returning to Shenzhen we had a quick stop at the famous Shaolin Temple birthplace of Kung Fu.
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| Looking for Mr Lee. |
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| Future Bruce Lees!! |
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| Our visit was Yin and Yang Yang for the experience, Yin for our Tai Chi improvement. |
June's web site:
https://www.china-taichi-guide.com/Taichi-Schools-Teachers/Chen-Jun.php
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