Practicing Tai Chi Chuan in Chengdu
Updated: 2012-06-15 15:25
By Li Yu and Lai Li(chinadaily.com.cn)
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Tai Chi Chuan is a martial arts practiced for self-defense and fitness. It promotes traditional Chinese culture. Tai Chi Chuan consists of different styles: Chen, Yang, Wu/Hao, Wu, and Sun.
It comes from a long evolution that involves traditional Chinese philosophy. Some believe a Taoist Priest from a temple in Wu Dang Mountain developed Tai Chi.
Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, is famous for its historical and cultural heritage, as well as for a slow life style and quality of life, which suits Tai Chi's characteristics of being flexible, gentle and slow.
Chengdu has become recognized as a city of Tai Chi in recent years when the local Party secretary, Huang Xinchu,?encouraged more culture development.
Chengdu People's Park has transformed into a popular spot for doing exercise, such as Tai Chi Chuan, dancing and walking. Xiao Shusheng, Tai Chi Chuan master, has taught for free every weekend in the park for the past ten years. He is the sixth generation successor of Yang style Tai Chi Chuan.
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With the nickname, "Unbeatable Yang", he never lost a match.
He earned a 6th Wushu Rank of China Wushu Association. He also practiced Nanquan, Tai Chi Chuan, and Free Boxing at an early age.
From 1985, he started to follow Li Ziyi, disciple of Yang Style Tai Chi grandmaster Li Yaxuan, practicing Big Frame Boxing and Hand Pushing.
In 1987, he won first place in Chengdu Tai Chi matches for Tai Chi boxing, sword and sabre. In 2004, he championed the Tai Chi spear match in Sichuan Tai Chi tournament.
Xiao has only a few disciples, but hundreds of students study along with him. His students range from the ages of less than less than twenty-years-old to older than eighty-years-old. Approximately, 300 of the students are foreigners.
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"Our master Xiao is a senior in playing Tai Chi Spear", Guo Jiang, one of Xiao's disciples told China Daily, "only two people could play his Tai Chi Spear in Sichuan."
"My physical conditional was not well before, since I rarely exercised and I couldn't sleep well," said 72-year old Chen, a student of Xiao.. "After half a month of Tai Chi Chuan practice, I felt much better. I have been practicing for nearly five years, I'm healthy and I feel younger than before."