Episode 23 - Clivia

I bought this clivia from the flower market 3 years ago. It was then a young seedling with 3 leaves but it grew steadily in the past years and flowered for the first time earlier this year.

The flowers were red in colour and there were around 4 to 5 flower buds in one shoot. Apart from flowering, a leaf bud also grew out along side the flower shoot. It has grown bigger and has 3 leaves now. I am thinking of cutting it out later so that I can have 2 pots of clivia.

As the clivia is growing bigger and bigger, I have replanted it to a larger pot.

It is easy to keep a clivia. I provide it with some sunshine and water every two or three days and gives it some fertilizer occasionally. The flowering season of clivia is in spring. In 3 years' time, it will have around 15 to 20 leaves and will start flowering if it is properly maintained.

Some elderly people said, if your clivia blossoms, it will bring good luck to your family members.

Episode 22 - Black Fish - White Fish

Occupying the Centre (Part III)


Continued from Part 2 .........



It is said that the Taiji symbol comprises of 2 fish. One in white, representing yang, the positive force; the other one in black, representing yin, the negative force.






Picture drawn by
Gogo Tsang







It looks as if the white fish is chasing the black fish, and vice versa.

What does this mean?

It means that Yin and Yang are interrelated. In their extreme forms, the Yin force will transform into the Yang force and the Yang force will transform into the Yin force.

Imagine you stand firm on the ground and use all your strength to push forward. In a normal situation, you will choose the best body position in order to exercise your strength effectively. You are then in a balance position. But if you try to extend your hands and / or body a little bit forward without moving your feet, your strength will decrease as soon as your balance position is altered. Instead of increasing your strength, the extension decreases it. Your Yang force is transforming into Yin force. This is of course only a crude example to help you appreciate the mechanism involves. Obviously, the other party will not do an own goal to unbalance himself. Martial art involves the interaction between 2 human bodies. The transfer of power between 2 persons is more complicated.

Transformation from Yin to Yang requires special technicality. This is not just an increase of force from within a practitioner's own body. Whilst a taiji practitioner is able to exercise powerful internal strength after completing the traditional trainings as explained previously, this is not the flower of the art. Taijiquan emphasises balance, coordination of mind and body and not to use brutish strength. Facing an attack, a taiji practitioner will not use brutish strength to counter-act. In response to a powerful attack, a taiji practitioner merges the Yang (positive) force of the other party with his own force, and then directs the force as merged to such a way that it serves to enhance the momentum of the taiji practitioner, who, as a result of the enhanced momentum, will then be in a position to transmit force with destructive power.

This is what people usually called the "borrowing of power" from the other party.

The follow up questions are:

1. How to trigger off the merger and the conversion?
2. What's the nature of the force exercised by a taiji practitioner in the force merging process?

The secret is in the fish.




(Links for Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 4 , Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7)

Episode 21 - Treasure Basin

Treasure Basin
- Zhou Zhuang (2)

Zhou Zhuang is said to be the home town of Shen Wanshen, a man of wealth living at the time of the Ming Dynasty.

According to a popular folklore, Shen once met a hawker selling frogs in the town. He took pity on the frogs, so he bought the frogs from the hawker and released them back to nature. One night, Shen was woken up by sound of croaks outside his house. He walked outside and saw some frogs holding up a ceramic basin in the pond in front of the house. The frogs were all croaking loudly. He took the basin and the frogs dispersed.

At first, Shen only used the basin to keep water. One day, Shen's wife dropped a piece of jewel in the basin. Before she picked it up, the piece of jewel suddenly transformed itself into a full basin of jewels. The basin was in fact a treasure duplicator. Without doubt, Shen soon became the richest man in the country.

The Emperior learned about this and was envious of Shen's fortune. So he ordered Shen to hand over the treasure basin. To the Emperior's great surprise, the basin lost its magic power once it was changed hands. The Emperior was so angry that he destroyed the treasure basin and buried the broken pieces under the city gate.

The lost basin has been subject of fantasy novels.   The original story was one about rewards resulting from good deed.  Most of the subsequent novels, however, speculated on how to revive the broken basin.    This fits well with the greedy human nature - no / little work but great return!


(Go to Part 1)

Episode 20 - Positve, Negative

Occupying the Centre (II)

This part is written for friends interested in Taiji. The notes below may not be comprehensible for beginners. I will revise it from time to time to make the same more "readable", while leaving some rooms for thought.

Some technical notes on Occupying the Centre:

Each person has his own centre. When in action and in contact, a proficient taiji practitioner, through body contact, uses Yin (negative) force to meet Yang (positive) force and merges the centres of 2 persons into one. Technically speaking, there can only be one centre in a coherent moving force. The practitioner will either use his own centre to take over the other person's centre or use the other's centre as his own centre (advanced technique). The purpose is to procure Yin / Yang conversion between the 2 persons. The centres separate again after the conversion.

+ and - ---> O ---> - and +

separation (Yang / Yin) ----> unification ----> (Yin / Yang) separation


Where there is no movement, there is no Yin and Yang, and there is no room for taiji.



(Click links for Part I , Part III , Part IV, Part V , Part VI and Part VII)

Episode 19 - Waterway at Zhou Zhuang

Waterway at Zhou Zhuang

This photo was taken from a bridge over the waterway. You can see the small harbour where the round-trip pleasure boats are moored.

It took a few hours' travelling time to come here from Shanghai, China, and I arrived in noon.

I had my lunch at a local restaurant. The quality of the food at that restaurant was below average. It's too salty. Although an unpleasant experience, it did not ruin my day as the town and the waterways were really attractive.

At the time of my visit, the town and the waterways at Zhou Zhuang were well maintained and were clean and pretty good looking. There was also a temple next to the town which was also well maintained. However, with the development of tourism, the town was packed with tourists and there were a lot of shops. It appeared that the artistic atmosphere of this traditional old town was fading away.  Would it be the same today?


See Episode 17 for the Waterway in Tai O.

Episode 18 - Occupying the Centre

Occupying the Centre

Can you see a dragonfly resting on the flower bud?

In Taiji, we talk about keeping the centre and occupying the centre so as to maintain the balance and obtain the best positioning.

The dragonfly and the flower bud seem to be on the same vertical axis. Who is occupying the centre? the dragonfly or the flower bud?


(See Episodes 20 , 22 , 25, 41 , 42 and 48 for parts 2, 3 , 4, 5, 6 and 7)


(see also Episodes 3, 5 and 7 for other internal martial art topics, namely:

Movement in Stillness - Episode 3;
Stillness in Movement - Episode 5; and
Bamboo and Mercury - Episode 7)

Episode 17 - Waterway at Tai O

Photo taken by Gogo Tsang

Waterway at Tai O

Tai O is a village in the Lantau Island of Hong Kong. The photo shows its traditional "Pang Uks" (stilt houses) along a waterway. People living in these Pang Uks usually make use of the waterway for transportation. Because of such waterway, Tai O is also known as the "Venice of Hong Kong".

Unlike the modernised Central District, Tai O preserves the atmosphere of a traditional fishermen's village. Apart from fresh sea food shops and restaurants, it has shops which sell traditional produce like salted fish and dried sea food.

The tourists can also enjoy "tea dumpling", a traditional steamed dumpling with leaf warping, in Tai O.

Nowadays, you can only find tea dumplings in the New Territories or Outlying Islands in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the art of cooking tea dumplings does not appear to have passed down to the young generation. The sellers (who are also the cooks) are usually old men or old ladies.

My taste buds (they are professional!) tell me that the tea dumplings at the old lady's stall near the bus station are the best in Tai O. The old lady uses wood and charcoal, instead of electricity, to heat the steam boiler.

(See Episode 14 for another Hong Kong attraction)

Episode 16 - Flower Farm at Furano

Flower farm at Furano
Sea of Flowers (II)

This photo was taken at a flower farm at Furano, Hokkaido, Japan.

The flowers as seen in the photo were for sale purpose but tourists could freely visit the farm.

There are a number of these flower farms at Furano and Biei. Apart from selling flowers, some of them sell by-products of flowers, such as dry flowers, perfume and soaps. Local guide books have detailed addresses of these farms.

It is not convenient to visit these farms by public transport.

To best enjoy the journey, it's better to visit these farms and other points of interest in Hokkaido by private car. I rented a car for my journey. It was equipped with a satillite route finder.

If you do not drive, travelling by bicycle is a good alternative.




See Episode 13 for Sea of Flowers (I)

Episode 15 - Princess Frog

Princess Frog
Children from the Ring (III)

This is another point of interest in the Temple of the Deity of Matchmaking (see Episodes Two and Ten for more), which depict the scene of a Chinese folklore called "Liu Hai playing with the gold toad".

The Liu Hai folklore has many different versions. According to one of the versions, matching with the style of this temple, Liu saved the life of a gold toad from the attack of a snake. The gold toad, which was in fact a fairy from the heaven, turned itself into a beautiful lady and married Liu. The couple lived happily together thereafter.

Sounds like a Chinese version of the "Prince Frog" story.

Episode 14 - Red Archways

Photo taken by Judith Lee


Red Archways

This photo was taken at Kam Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong.

The red decorative archways were erected by people from the nearby districts as part of a traditional ceremony, which held once every ten years, in remembrance of the rebuilding of the Kam Tin Village under the assistance of 2 famous Qing Dynasty officials.

It is said that the ceremony has a history of over 320 years, commencing from 1685.

The 2005 event included a 6-day traditional food gathering and a 5-day opera show.

Whilst not for tourists attraction purpose, such local ceremony attracts thousands of tourists from within Hong Kong and other countries.

With the developments of the cities, traditional ceremonies like this are now mostly held in the New Territories and the outlying islands in Hong Kong.

(See Episode 17 for another Hong Kong attraction)

Episode 13 - Sea of Flowers

Sea of Flowers

This photo was taken at Biei, Hokkaido, Japan.

The flowers were planted systmatically on the slopes along the main road.

At first, I was not aware of these flower beds. I was then driving to another point of interest in Biei. Suddenly, I noticed that a number of cars in front of my car were slowing down to have a left turn. As an experienced traveller, I followed suit. I drove my car into one of the free parking spaces and had a great time. As you can apprciate, it was really a great enjoyment to walk along a sea of flowers like this.

Obviously, these flowers were planted for the purpose of tourists attraction. No entrance fee was required. Surprised?

(See also Episodes twelve for another road attraction and Episode Sixteen for Part II)

Episode 12 - Road Station at Ashoroko

Road Station at Ashoroko

This is a road station (see Episode Eleven for more) near Ashoroko Lake, Hokkaido, Japan.

This station has a restaurant block (see 1st picture) and a shopping block (from where I took the photo). The buildings are perched on top of a small hill from where you can have a spectacular view of the Ashoroko Lake (see 2nd photo). The shopping stores sell, apart from souvenirs, locally manufactured articles, produce and food.

I bought some delicious Japanese style cheese curry. Unlike curry in other Asian countries, Japanese curry is sweet instead of hot.

Episode 11 - Fox Attraction IV

Fox Attraction (IV)

As mentioned previously, there are quite a lot of wild foxes in Hokkaido, Japan (see Episode Eight). Some local towns even use the fox as a symbol.

The photo shows a direction stand in front of a road station at Hidaka. You can see a cartoon fox at the top of the stand.

Road stations are common in Hokkaido. They are built for the benefit of car travellers. Apart from car parking spaces, a typical road station has restaurants and shops. You can stop your car at a road station to take a rest, have food and do some shoppings.

I stopped my car at the station and enjoyed some tasty noodles at a restaurant nearby.

Episode 10 - Pool of Fate

Pool of Fate
Children from the Ring (II)

This is the Pool of Fate in the Temple of the Deity of Matchmaking (See Episode Two and Fifteen for more) in Hangzhou, China.

In the centre of the pool, six children sitting happily together in a ring.

It is said that these six children represent wealth, love, marriage, art, career and off-spring respectively. Before paying tribute to the Deity of Matchmaking, people will first come to the pool, throw in a coin, and make a wish.

How many people are lucky enough to have all six children knocking at their door?

Episode 9 - A Match

A Match

This photo was taken at Salzbury, Austria. You can see a big outdoor chess board at the concourse.

The weather was cold with rain but this did not appear to have affected the players.

Episode 8 - Fox Attraction III

Fox Attraction (III)

This fox has nothing to do with Inari (see Episodes Six and One).

The photo was taken at a public car park at Globe Cape, Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan. The fox walked down from a slope and stopped just next to my car. Obviously it was not frightened by my camera.

There are a large number of wild foxes at Hokkaido (see also Episode eleven). I met another one at Niseko during the same holiday. The Niseko fox was lying on the road enjoying sunshine. It moved its body slightly to avoid my car.

Episode 7 - Bamboo and Mercury

Bamboo and Mercury

The photo shows a bamboo grove in Kyoto.

One of the characteristics of the bamboo is straight outside and hollow inside. Ancient Chinese scholars used it to signify the upright character of a respectable gentleman.

Internal Martial Art requires a practitioner to utilise his internal force like "mercury in a bamboo pipe", to facilitate non-dissipation of power during force transmission process. In an ideal situation, the force as transmitted should like mercury flowing freely within a bamboo pipe.

(See also Episodes Three for Movement in Stillness and Five for Stillness in Movement)

Episode 6 - Fox Attraction II

Fox Attraction (II)

This is a guardian fox at the entrance of the Inari Shrine (see Episode One). The photo was taken on 26 December 2002, a few days before the Japanese New Year day. The guardian fox was wearing a red shawl to celebrate the new year. Every year, thousands of people visit Inari Shrine on the new year day.

It is said that the Fox Spirit has great power but the force exercised by it can be positive or negative and is unpredicatable. It can bring happiness or destruction to people.

It is also said that on the new year day, people beg the Fox Spirit not to create trouble on them or their families in the new year rather than asking the Fox Spirit for benefit.

Episode 5 - Stillness in Movement

This picture was taken at a floating market in Thailand.

The Thai hawkers at the floating market run their businesses on small boats without being affected by the flowing water. Some hawkers cook food on their boats and consume the same there as if they are sitting or standing on solid ground.

Internal martial art requires a practitioner to be concentrated, relaxed, and to maintain his balance whilst in motions, without being affected by any external forces.

This is the principle of "Stillness in Movement" (see Episode Three for Movement in Stillness).

If a practitioner is not relaxed, his internal power will be blocked by the joints in tension. The term "relax" should not be taken in its face value. It involves the flow of energy from within the body and the ability to absolve external force without affecting the balanced bodily structure.

Total "relax" plus high concentration of attention is the key to the effective transmission of internal power.

To maintain one's balance, a practitioner has to adhere to the principle of keeping the centre (See Episode 18)

Episode 4 - Totoro Race Car

Totoro Race Car

In Hayao Miyazaki's "My Neighbour Totoro", a wonderful Totoro Cat Bus drove Satsuke and Mei to the hospital to see their mother. Is the owner of this race car a fan of Miyazaki?

This car is in fact an exhibit inside the Tiger Balm Garden at Singapore and was owned by the late Haw Par brothers.

Episode 3 - Movement in Stillness

photo taken by Gogo Tsang






This photo was taken at the Confucian Temple at Beijing.

Can you see a man practising Standing Exercise in the picture?

Standing Exercise is one of the core exercises of internal martial arts. A practitioner stands in a particular posture and does not move for the whole training session.

The purpose of the Standing Exercise is to enable a practitioner to "get back to the origin".

It is said that when we were at the infant stage, our whole body moved coherently. This was an inborn ability. However, in order to learn those civilised acts such as walking and writing, we learned to use our muscles, joints, etc., separately and independently. In order to do so, we let some of the "useless parts" of our body "sleep" such that they would not hinder the effectiveness of the "useful parts". From then onwards, we lost our ability to exercise coherent bodily force. Through the Standing Exercise, an internal martial artist calls up the "sleeping parts"of his body.

"Absolute stillness gives birth to motion" is the key behind the Exercise. The main purpose of the Standing Exercise is to call up the sleeping parts of the body and not, as some misinformed persons believe, a training of leg muscles - to get a firm "horse stance".

After working through the preliminary training, a practitioner should have a different feeling of his body. It is not unusual to feel "chi" coming out from the finger-tips when doing exercises. He becomes more energetic and healthy. This is an indication that some of the sleeping parts in the body have been awakened.

The next step forward is to:

1. Call up the balance of the sleeping parts, enhance the awakened muscles and joints; and
2. Learn how to transfer, in motion, the power acquired from the Standing Exercise.

For (1), the practitioner will undergo another set of exercises. Part of these exercises focus on training of the back muscles. A normal person has no or little control over the back muscles. Through the training, a practitioner will learn how to control the back muscles and to build up an uninterrupted power channel from the waist through the back to the shoulders.

For (2), it is achieved through forms and various specially designed moving exercises. Through these exercises, a practitioner is trained to coordinate movements with breathing, to enable transmission of power at will. A serious taiji practitioner will proceed to loosen up the 9 principal joints at this stage (this however, is performed by the teacher and, cannot be done solely by self training).

After calling up the "sleeping parts", a practitioner can, and it is only then, start learning various application techniques.

One has to note that before the "sleeping parts" are activated, there is no point learning advanced moving exercises and application techniques. Otherwise, all these moving exercises are useless "empty forms" and all those application techniques are simply impracticable.


(Links to Part II and Part III)


(see also Episode Five for Stillness in Movement)

Episode 2 - Children from the Ring

Children from the Ring

This photo was taken at the Temple of the Deity of Matchmaking at Hangzhou, China.

Without analysing it in details, how many children can you see in the ring at the first sight?

People said if you see 2 in the ring, your first child will be a girl. If you see 4, you will have a baby boy. Believe it or not?

(see Episode Ten and Fifteen for more)

Episode 1 - Fox Attraction

Fox Attraction

This photo shows the famous red torii (holy gates) of the Inari Shrine in Kyoto, Japan.

The holy gates are built so close to each other that they form a red tunnel. There are 2 tunnels of this kind standing side by side in the Shrine. When sun ray passes through the gaps between these holy gates, it creates a strange sphere of red light from within the tunnel.

After passing through the red tunnels, there is a road leading to the hill at the back of the Shrine. This road will eventually lead you back to the entrance of the Shrine. At the end of the route, there are a large number of strange statues (in forms of leg, hand, eye or gods of different religions). As I understand it from my Japanese friend, this is a Shrine of the Fox Spirit. I guess that it represents that the Fox Spirit can turn itself into every form one can imagine.

(see Episode Six for more on Inari)