Episode 170 - Physical Strength - Do we need it in Taiji?

Some taiji practitioners always claim that their art does not require any physical strength and what is most important is "Fajing".

This view probably arises from the belief that pure softness can overcome pure hardness. Taking this view in their heart, the "soft" practitioners focus their training purely on the taijiquan forms and non-contentious pushhand exercises.

This is however not the position taken in the Taiji Classics. "On the Art of Taiji", talks about "Jing" and "Lik". "Jing" - internal force is generated through tendons. "Lik" - physical strength is generated through bones. It does not downgrade physical strength. "Jing" and "Lik" complement each other.

To overcome pure hardness by pure softness requires a good understanding and mastering of the yin yan conversion principle.

The "Softness" approach originates from the Artisticalisation of the Martial Art - the art is practised as soft physical exercise. The stress in the exercise is on the spiritual aspect and the will power. Artisticalisation of the art at its highest level may enable a practitioner to act more "skillfully" than a man with great physical strength. The achiever should have a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of the art plus the support of training in fighting. However, this is only one of the achievements of the Three Levels. In Martialisation of the art, the "Lik" aspect is stressed. Again, this is another achievements of the Three Levels. Don't forget that we also have the harmonization of the artistic and the martial in another level.

Not knowing the fundamental principles of the art, the beginners (in terms of knowledge - not seniority) focus blindly on pure softness only, believing that such is what taiji is all about, reducing the art to one kind of morning exercises.

Episode 169 - Scarecrows

These photos were taken during our recent visit to the KFBG. The boys were happy to see these beautiful and well dressed scarecrows.

These scarecrows were set up more for educational purpose than to frighten birds away.

Episode 168 - Honey Bee

This photo was taken during my visit to the KFBG.

The flowers were blossoming, and there were a large number of honey bees.

This was the first time I tried to take a close-up photo of a bee. It was not easy to capture the motion of a bee as it would not stay on a spot for a long time. I took a number of photos but most of them were not satisfactory. It would have been a wastage if I were still using a traditional film camera. Thanks to the digital camera, an amateur like me can take a large number of photos at any time without the need to consider the issue of costs.

Episode 167 - Da Hua Bai

We visited Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden ("KFBG") earlier today.

KFBG is situated at Tai Mo Shan and spreads over 148 hectares of land. It was set up by the Kadoorie brothers in the 1950's, with a view to assisting the local farmers to develop and improve the qualities of their produce and livestock.

As there is no canteen inside KFBG, we first had our lunch at Yuen Long before taking the 64K bus bound for Taipo. After a 15-minutes' drive, we got off the bus at the stop opposite the entrance of KFBG.

The sleepy animals in the photo are the famous "Da Hua Bai" pigs. These purebred pigs are originated from Guangdong . It is said that due to the low commercial value of these pigs (too much fat in the meat- which was a big selling point in the past), very few farmers are rearing them and there are not many of them remain. The pigs are given plenty of space and area for exercise. Hence they are in very good forms. Franky speaking, this visit has changed my wrong pre-conception that pigs are ugly and dirty. These "Da Hua Bai" pigs are beautiful, healthy and clean.

KFBG said that they intend to demonstrate a better and kinder alternative compare to the existing practices in most intensive farms where animals are confined to crowded conditions.

These "Da Hua Bai" pigs are probably the luckiest pigs in Hong Kong.

Episode 166 - Lion Dance

This photo was taken by me earlier today at a shopping arcade.

Lion dance is a popular folk performance during the Chinese New Year Festival.

There are two types of Lions: the North Lion and the South Lions. The one in the photo is a South Lion which is popular in the southern part of China. Traditionally, the South Lion is further subdivided into 3 types of Lions: The red, the black and the colourful. The red Lions and the black Lions look fierce. The colourful Lions look more gentle.

In the old days, Lion Dances were mostly performed by people from martial art schools. The Lions danced freely along the street and paid tributes to the merchants during Chinese New Year festival. Some merchants would greet a Lion with a special gift called "Green" - comprised of a bundle of seasonal vegetables and a red packet (with money). The merchants would hang the Greens up at the ceilings of their shop fronts. A good Lion Dance performer would use spectacular martial art skills to take down those Greens one by one. Such performance would attract a large number of spectators and give publicity to the merchants' businesses.

With the development of the city, the traditional Lions become less popular. With a view to having good street order, it is not permitted to perform Lion Dance in the street without a licence.

Notwithstanding the restrictions, Lion Dance has re-birthed in the form of a sport in the modern city. We have Lion Dance competition every year. It is not necessary to go to a martial art school to learn the skill and a player need not be a martial art practitioner. The competition lay importance on the techniques of taking down a Green. The Lion teams are required to dance on high poles before reaching the Greens.

Apart from competition, some Lion teams participate in commercial activities for rewards. The sport lions (like the one in the photo) are usually gold in colour and look more gentle than the traditional Lions. Merchants like to use the beautiful sport Lions to attract customers. Lion teams are invited to perform Green taking shows on festival days. Hence, you can often see Lion Dance performances in shopping arcades during Chinese New Year and other festival holidays.