Episode 127 - Food, Inns and Tradition

This photo shows part of a full Japanese traditional dinner set my family had during our 2003 Hokkaido journey.

Japanese hotels or ryokans usually provide dinners to their guests. At the time a reservation is made, a guest will be asked whether he wishes to have 1. "pure staying" - means a guest room only; or 2. "one stay one eating" - means a guest room plus dinner; or 3. "one stay two eatings" - means a guest room plus dinner and breakfast.

In western style hotels, dinners or breakfasts are usually served, in the form of buffets, in the main restaurants of the hotels. However, in traditional Japanese ryokans or hotels with Japanese style rooms, the dinners as provided can be very special.

1. The dinner time is decided by the guest;
2. It is served inside the room of the guest.
3. As you can see from the photo, a traditional dinner set is really great and you can enjoy the best food of the season in one go.

A dinner set like this is quite expensive but it is worth trying if you have not had one before.

Traditional Japanese breakfast is, however, not very much impressive, unless you love to have rice in the morning.

Episode 126 - Bridge of Love

These photos were taken at the Fishermen's Wharf at Danshui, Taipei.

Danshui is an old town in Taipei. If you take the subway at downtown Taipei, you will arrive here within half an hour's time. Danshui is the terminal station of the subway line so you will not miss the station.

The Fishermen's Wharf is not located at the town centre. However, it's worth taking a leisure walk in the Danshui Old Town, tasting the delicious local food before boarding a bus or a steamboat to the Fishermen's Wharf.

The Fishermen's Wharf features a beautiful white bridge and a long boardwalk (see photos) along the coastal line.

Whilst lovers like to walk along the boardwalk to enjoy the beautiful sunset of Danshui, the "Just Married" couples like to take photos on the white bridge.

Episode 125 - Fish from the Sea

This photo was taken in Tai O in 2003.

A hawker was selling "sea fish" near the footbridge.

I did not verify the position on that day, but the "sea fish" as sold by hawkers in circumstances like this is usually a little bit tricky.

The fish as sold is sea water fish. There is no doubt of it.

What is misleading is that the "sea fish" on sale is, in most circumstances like this, raised up in a fish farm, instead of caught by fishermen in the open sea.

If you have ever tasted a fish caught in the open sea, you will not enjoy eating a farm fish again. The meat of a farm fish is simply dry and tasteless.

Having said that, it should be noted that the selling price of a farm "sea fish" is competitive - the selling price of a fish caught in the open sea is much much higher.

Episode 124 - Artefact in Time

This is another exhibit in the Clock Hall of the Forbidden City at Beijing.

When the minute hand of the clock reaches twelve, the doll will wave her fan. When I visited the Clock Hall in 2005, this doll clock was placed at the demonstration corner. The demonstrator turned it on together with other beautiful clocks at the designated time slot and the clocks sang together like a musical symphony.

Episode 123 - The Four Corners

The Four Square Forces are the four main forces in the Taiji martial art system.

Some contemporary writers consider that the Four Square Forces can only be used in 4 straight forward directions. Hence, according to these writers, the Four Corner Forces were introduced to make up the balance such that a practitioner can deal with his opponents from all directions. Such view is not attractive and is a departure from what has been set out in various Taiji classics.

Four Square Forces can be applied in a circular manner. There is no difference between a "Square" force and a "Circular" force, if you know how to do it. Likewise, there is no such distinction between a "Square Form" and a "Circular Form" if you know the essence of the art. Hence, there is no need to introduce to the system "new " measures to "make up the balance".

What then are the Four Corner Forces?

According to "On the Art of Taiji", the Four Square Forces provides a Taiji practitioner the ammunition required in action. However, a practitioner, unless extremely skillful, will inevitably alter his best positioning in action. What can he do then? The answer is in the Four Corner Forces.

The Four Corner Forces are remedial tools available to a Taiji practitioner when he loses his optimum position. Hence, they are supplemental to the Four Square Forces and the practitioner should recover back to the Four Squares after regaining the optimum position. When a practitioner uses the Four Corner Forces, he is in the recovery mode.

The Four Corner Forces are not higher level forces.

Episode 122 - The Athena

This picture was taken in front of the Parliament Building of Austria at Vienna.

The statue which has a long spear in the left hand is the Athena.

Vienna was the starting point of my 2004 journey.

The old buildings in Vienna are artistic and well maintained. Apart from the Parliament Building, other impressive points of interest include Schonbrunn Palace, Stephandom and the Twin museums. It is easy to travel around the city by trains or by trams.

Episode 121 - The Four Square Forces

The Four Square Forces are interrelated. The "Peng" and the "Lei" form one pair. The "Ji" and the "An" form another pair. You need the "Peng" to do the "Lei", and the "Lei" to do the "Peng". They are "two in one" and which forms "three". This is the "Harmonization of Water and Fire". The same holds true for the "Ji" and the "An".

Each of the Square Forces has its own power generating points. These power generating points are located in such a way that they form an imaginary "cross sign" in the body. Further, "Peng", "Lei", "Ji" and "An" each represent a direction in the I-Ching system, and which 4 directions form a "cross sign". Hence, we have the Four Squares.

Many people (not only the morning exercisers) mistakenly equate the postures in "Grasping the Bird's Tail" with the Four Square Forces.

The saying that "10 out of 10 Taiji practitioners do not know what Peng, Lei, Ji, An actually are" may be an exaggerated statement, but the secret of the Four Square Forces is always jealously guarded and kept away from those outside the door.

"On the Art of Taiji" considers that the abilities to generate the Four Squares (and the Four Corners) Forces are inborn. We lost these abilities because of "civilization".

Episode 120 - Where the deities walk

This photo was taken at the entrance of the Ming Tombs, where the late emperiors of the Ming Dynasty of Ancient China were buried.

The entrance path is guarded by a number of stone craved animals and officials. I do not like to visit the tombs as I consider it very impolite to disturb the peace of the deceased. However, I do like this path as the stone craves and the setting of the place are really attractive.

As you can see, the path is divided into three sections. The outer sections were built for the humans to walk on. The middle section was for the deities. Probably the caskets of the deceased emperiors were carried along this middle section, in order to obtain the blessing of the deities, before resting in their final destination.

Episode 119 - Cool Plants in Hot Weather

The weather is unusually hot this year but, to my surprise, the plants outside are growing well.

The flowers are blossoming and some trees are bearing fruits.

Global warming does not appear to have adversely affected the greens here.

Episode 118 - Turning Yin and Yang Upside Down

The principle of "Turning Yin and Yang Upside Down" involves the harmonizing of two antagonistic forces so that they give rise to a new force.

In the book "On the Art of Taiji", the benefit of this harmonization is explained symbolically: Water and fire are two antagonistic elements, with fire burning up and water wetting down. Putting the fire on the bottom and the water on the top is like turning Yin and Yang upside down. However, it requires special treatment to deal with the new position. The method is to put a bowl in between. The water cannot go down and the fire has a ceiling. We can then have warm water. This is the harmonization of water and fire.

"Turning Yin and Yang Upside Down" is the key to decipher the real meaning of the Eight Forces (The Four Squares and the Four Corners). Each of the Eight Forces is the result of harmonizing two antagonistic power generating points from within the body. These Eight Forces are not to be used separately. They are interrelated and complementing each other in pairs like the Water and the Fire.