A "Tai Chi" story

[ChangWuJi]

"Diligent practise brings the skill of interpreting strengh. From this the ultimate goal is complete mastery of detecting the opponent's strengh...Coordinating the solid and empty is the key here. If that is achieved, then you can interpret strengh. After this, by studying vigorously and remembering, one can reach the stage on total reliance on mind.

 

From this, Liang argued persuasively that Tai Chi embraces within all the conditions of Taoist meditation. I heard that Yang Lu ch'an was once ambushed by one hundred ,and not wanting to kill any of the miscreants, he wrapped his cloak about him, submitted to the beatings, and was left for dead. The next day Yang worked as usual, but many of his attackers took to their beds as a result of injuries from beating the cloaked Yang. I scoffed at this example of the summit, but Cheng urged me not to; even he with but a part of Yang's energy had once permitted a famed Shaolin boxer to strike his relaxed arm. The boxer struck once and withdrew. When asked why, he told his friends that his entire side had been paralized on contact with Cheng's arm. Indeed, Wan Lai-sheng writes that when the arms and legs are no longer needed, when the chi holds sway, one is invulnerable to even knives and spears. This is called "Golden Bell Cover" (chin chung chao)."

 

Back in circulation in Taiwan, Cheng soon had a large group of students. And again he was vulnerable to challenges. Once such occured when a well known praying mantis style boxer, Liang Tzu p'eng, came from Hong Kong to Taiwan to try conclusions with the locals. He traded punches (the accepted challenge method) with a leading Pakua/Hsing i teacher, and his free punch put the local man to his knees. In turn, the local boxer did not hurt Liang with his punch, so the affair had to be adjudged in Liang's favor. Strutting out of the park where this occured, Liang asked if Taiwan had any other boxers. Someone mentioned Cheng's name, so Liang accosted Cheng at a party. Cheng resisted the challenge, saying that the place and time where inappropriate. Liang persisted until Cheng invited him to his house a day or so later. Liang came and watched Cheng's demonstration of Tai Chi dynamics. But he was not satisfied. "This is interesting", Liang said, "but what would you do if I attacked you?" Cheng replied that he would attempt to push him away. Liang, by this time convinced that the small man before him was afraid to fight, resorted that it would be well to get ready for he was about to attack.

 

At this point Cheng said, "Very well but if you even see my hands move I'll never call myself Cheng again" (to give up one's name is so serious that many Chinese would rather commit suacide rather than do it). Liang attacked from fifteen feet with a combined foot-fist action. Those watching did not see what happened, only the result. Liang first was on top of Cheng striking, next he was propelled backwards by an unseen force and bounced off the wall unconscious.

 

Those who were there will never forget it. Liang himself took it in good grace, stayed on and studied Tai Chi for a time. But before he went back to Hong Kong he returned to the park to see the man he defeated earlier. That one casually told Liang that he was getting ready to challenge Cheng Man ch'ing. Liang said, "Don't bother I already been there".

 

Once Cheng invited me to attack him in any way I wished. From long years of judo and boxing I thought I knew how to maintain balance. I thought. I faked high with my hands and went in low to push his midriff. But he was not there when I arrived. Holding his hands lightly on mine he avoided my attack and in the same movement I bounced off the wall. I tried repreadetly, but never once did I penetrate his posture. his feet moved very little, but the acute sensivity of his body to my touch permitted him to neutralize me and push and lead me at will. Often he drew me forward so sharply that my ear nearly gazed the ground, and then, at the last moment, he would catch me, saving me some nasty consequences. His art goes beyond technique; I have never experienced anything so relaxed and yet so frightengly efficient in my life.

 

Another time he invited me to attack him. I did. He dodged in, deflected, struck me lightly. He had done this before. But this time he did not stop the attack. Both hands were in my eyes, on my throatm all over my midriff and at the same time his feet peppered my legs. It was so beutifully orchestrated that I could not turn from it. I backed fanatically until I came to the wall, where, after taking his finger from my throat, he desisted. Informal and friendly it should have been, but frightening it was. Against that there is no defense. I am certain that no one has ever been struck more quickly and often in such a short span of time. Fortunetly, he put little energy into the strikes."

 

-"Chinese Boxing" written by Robert W. Smith

[Jiggy9]

Thanks yet again ChangWuJi

[ChangWuJi]

Here is some more from the same chapter...

 

"One practisioner, the daughter of a former Chinese ambassador to the United States, came a few times to observe the practise. I was there the day she told Cheng of Li Huang Tze, her Tai Chi master in Shanghai. Cheng nodded that he knew the man. The woman than said that he had special powers. Cheng asked her to explain. She told how she had tired of pushing hands and asked him what he would do against a real attack. He urged her to attack. She approcahed, attacked him; as she newared him a force propelled her back, and she bounced up and down. When her feet began to hurt she implored him to let her stop. With a pass of his hand, he permitted her to stop bouncing. She also said that when he touched a student his hands generated sparks. Cheng laughed at all this. "I knew Li" he said. "His Tai Chi was not too good. He could do the things you mentoned but only because you are a student. The trick will not work against an equal or a superior." Cheng later told me that Li had learned Tai Chi Chuan from Tung Yin chien (another senior student of Yang Cheng Fu) and subquently had gained special skill depended on student awe, however, would not work against a good boxer.

 

Cheng's teacher Yang Cheng Fu, was said to be friendly- compared with his older brother Yang Shou hou. Several boxers on Taiwan told me that they had friends killed by the latter. These stories were hardly credible, but certain is that Yang Shou was a harsh teacher. However, according to Cheng, Yang Cheng Fu was not all that nice either. A big man from the North, he had an illustrious name. During training he practised the Single Whip for expansive power and play the Guitar for contractive power, holding each statically for lenghy periods. He also moved repeadetly through Step Back and Repulse the Monkey and Step Forward, Deflect Downward, Parry and Punch. But mostly he sat and seldom spoke. The students were afraid to ask him questions. Their fear may have resulted from seeing what happened to Cheng when he approached Yang for some pushing hands practise. Yang used two fingers and threw him twenty feet, knocking him out. When the memory of this faded, Cheng approached him again. This time Yang put a hand (Cheng remembers that it was as soft as cotton) on his jaw, threw him and knocked him out. These were the only times Cheng faced Yang."

[Jiggy9]

I think I'll have to get a copy of this book ChangWuji..."Chinese Boxing" - Robert W. Smith did you say. Well another thank you for the second extract. Really interesting.

[dtstiachi]

Great info. Thanks.