Readers might enjoy a revealing historical consideration, now appearing in the current issue of Tai Chi Magazine (“A History of Chen Fake and Hong Junsheng”, Vol 33, No.2, Summer, 2009).

The author, Gordon Muir, and co-editor, Todd Elihu, report some very significant findings based on first hand interviews with He Shugan, who  trained for many years with both Hong and Chen Fake. This historical perspective might have important implications,

for those who value the structure of an unbroken lineage of a tradition of martial knowledge, and for those who seek the teaching of techniques and principles handed down via direct transmission from the most highly skilled exponent of that tradition, as in the case of the renowned Master, Chen Fake.

In modern society, questions about things such as “tradition”, “lineage”, and “secret transmission”, have taken on meanings very different from those of earlier generations. It has become common practice for countless “masters” to emerge with claims of possession of “secret transmission”,  of various forms or variations of martial arts styles, or claims of unsubstantiated titles as “lineage holder”. In many cases, titles have simply been self appointed, or “conferred” by means of political appointments, or assumed by virtue of family relationships, even though the “title holders” may have never trained or studied with the preceding generation’s representative.

In our internet generation, things can easily get really complicated, as questions of “authenticity” can be devalued to the extent that individuals without any first hand knowledge of any factual foundations, can advocate any position, voicing hearsay, or random or unsubstantiated opinions about anything and everything. These musings can nevertheless gain widespread acceptance by the uninformed. It can be perceived as accepted practice that such questions are simply a matter of debate, to be argued and settled by “logic”, (or worse, by literary or verbal “flaming”, or intimidation), rather than simple review of available historical evidence and testimony. (Unfortunately, in many cases, access to reliable evidence means it is necessary to travel to China, and then establish connections to obtain eye witness testimony. Many who like to argue never make that journey, or never get access to reliable testimony.)

In earlier generations, these issues were usually more apparent to public view. Masters often spent their lifetimes in one place, studying from their master on their home turf. Many martial styles were handed down in villages or other locales, for generations, in this manner. During the twentieth century, it naturally became more common for masters and their arts to “move around”, as societal changes, and means of transportation facilitated travel and relocation.

In cases where a master of some style of martial art would begin teaching in distant locales, away from home and family, naturally the master might choose to accept students and transmit his teachings to his top disciples, as the only option to preserve the tradition which was handed down to him.

Chen Fake was one of these masters who left his home in Chen Village, and relocated in the big city of Beijing. During the time of Chen Fake, it was still quite common for those who questioned the skills of acknowledged masters, to step up with a challenge to hand to hand combat. On the center stage of Beijing, from 1928 to 1957, Chen Fake was never defeated by any of these challengers. Therefore his mastery and the authenticity of his position as acknowledged lineage holder of Chen Style Taijiquan has never been questioned. The question is, how did he pass on his teaching?

The authors of the article relate some of the fascinating events surrounding Chen Fake’s humble beginnings and ascendancy to great fame for his Taiji skills. Of particular interest is the intimate relationship between Chen and Hong Junsheng, throughout Chen’s career in Beijing. During Chen’s early years of teaching, he frequently lived with Hong and his family at their home. During the Japanese invasion of 1937, as Hong’s family lost their wealth and home, and Chen had become quite successful with support from his large group of students, he gladly reciprocated with generosity, opening his home to Hong and his family.

The article recounts this history which is for the most part commonly recognized matter of public record of the close relationship of Chen Fake and Hong Junsheng. It is well known that Hong was among the first disciples of Chen Fake, and that he studied in a close day by day relationship with Chen, longer than any of the great Grandmaster’s disciples.

Beyond this review of history of the master disciple relationship of Chen and Hong, the authors went much deeper into an investigation of the details of Chen Fake’s transmission of the “indoor” teachings of his Chen Taijiquan traditional style to his closest disciple. What lends great import to this recounting, is that Gordon Muir and Todd Elihu gained this information by gathering first hand eye witness testimony from unbiased sources which are certainly worthy of the highest respect.

After Hong had studied with Chen for 15 years, he had attained a high degree of skill. Encouraged to do so by his master, Hong embarked to Jinan, where he could refine his abilities by taking on his own students and working within the framework of a teaching role, to rise to higher levels of mastery.

He Shugan was one of Hong’s earliest students in Jinan, and he was serious enough to become a disciple, training with Hong for 2 years. Then when He Shugan was accepted for university studies in Beijing, Hong gladly granted his request for a formal letter of introduction, to study with the Grandmaster, Chen Fake. He Shugan studied with Chen and became a disciple, eventually attaining high level skills.

In 1956 Hong returned to Beijing and trained with Chen Fake, in what can be seen as the framework of a true master, studying with the Grandmaster. Building upon the strong foundation of so many years developing under the tutelage of the great Grandmaster, with 13 more years of intensive training, with hundreds of students, and many challenges, Hong had risen to a level of great eminence in his own right.

During the following months, the two close friends, Chen and Hong like reunited father and son, worked closely together for hours every day, going over every detail of the form and practice. Chen observed and corrected or refined each and every move and posture of Yi Lu and Er Lu, push hands, applications, until he could pronounce that Hong had “everything correct.”

It is very significant that He Shugan, as a disciple of Hong and long time advanced student of Chen Fake, accompanied them during these sessions and therefore can report as to the exact details of the events which transpired. HE Shugan is now recognized as a master in his own right and is very clear about his recollections during his training with Chen and Hong.  When interviewed by Gordon Muir, He was asked if there was any difference between the forms as taught by Chen Fake, and the forms as taught by Hong Junsheng. He Shugan has stated clearly that “There was no difference, the forms were the same.”

This article can be seen as a very convincing clarification of recent historical events which have somehow become somewhat clouded by misguided speculations of the past few decades. There have been some “analysts” who have suggested that Chen Fake had “recreated” his forms in his last years, into the New Frame forms. Yet here we have eyewitness testimony of  Grandmaster Chen’s corrections of Hong’s forms, at the time very close to the end of Chen Fake’s life. And according to close observation from a well educated, knowledgeable expert in the teachings of both great masters, attending all the daily sessions, of this final transmission of the full range of the traditional teaching—– Hong’s form was the same as Chen’s form.

In the Tai Chi Magazine article, Gordon Muir is pictured in a photo with He Shugan. So we know He Shugan is alive and well, and we can be comfortable in the integrity of the author’s research. Actually, everything reported by He Shugan corroborates what Hong himself documented in his own writing in his classic major work, Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method .

This wonderful survey and well documented research can be appreciated for its illumination of the traditional process and mechanics of  transmission of indoor knowledge, as a great master hands down the treasures of his lineage. As we review this process in the case of Chen Fake, with his longest term disciple, Hong Junsheng, we can draw some conclusions which illumine the simple, natural aspects of this hallowed tradition.

We see that Hong was in the position to receive this treasure from his master, not because he was born into any particular family, or because of some political expediency. It almost seems there was not any matter of choice about the whole thing, by Chen Fake or by Hong. It is just that Hong was there from the beginning, from Chen’s arrival in Beijing, and spent the most time with the Master, almost in a devoted father son relationship, and worked diligently perfecting what he had learned, even training hundreds of his own students during the process. The days of final transmission were the sealing of the process, the grand refinement which Hong would subsequently evolve into his own legendary degrees of mastery, and teaching thousands of students, in the ensuing decades.

Once again, when we consider the life and teaching of the man who brought us the “Practical Method”, we can see through a window which reveals the “practicality” and a common sense view of the nature of the teaching and learning of Taijiquan. This view of lineage and transmission demands that the titles are earned, rather than merely “inherited”. It really should be about how long, and how hard, and how effectively you study and practice. It most likely will come down to whichever student works the hardest, for the longest time—–that student will shine, and the master will not fail to recognize the most deserving disciple.

When the student reaches a level of more deserving, then the hands on corrections from the master will be available. It is only natural that the teacher wants to share as much as the student can possibly absorb. And the student can only absorb more, when the student has reached higher levels of skill which allow further understanding and experience. So from whatever level we aspire, hopefully we can draw some inspiration from the beautiful story of Chen Fake and Hong Junsheng, and keep making progress towards the lofty goals. For those who want to connect directly with this particular  tradition, they can study The Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method as taught by Chen Zhonghua.

We attended Chen Zhonghua’s workshop in Milwaukee, March 13-15. Since this venue replaced Fairfield as the Heartland host for this spring, my perspective was somewhat different as a traveler/attendee, rather than host and organizer. In this and subsequent posts,  I will attempt to share some observations and perspectives, which hopefully will offer a glimpse of the remarkable depth of knowledge and experience brought out by Master Chen at this workshop.

This workshop was somewhat unique in its makeup, as there were no beginners, and almost everyone there had a fairly serious approach to their study of Taiji for its  practical applied value—-i.e., a fairly hard core group even by the standards of most Chen Zhonghua workshops. This degree of interest allowed Master Chen to add layers of depth and subtlety to a wide range of demonstrations of mechanics and foundational skills, and an even greater precision in his execution and instructions for techniques and applications.

This environment resulted in a continuous flow of demonstration of various moves, or drills, or techniques, always accompanied by hands on execution on each workshop participant in succession. To describe it with a pictorial flavor: even more so than usual, all the students were flying and/or rolling on the floor throughout the weekend—- learning by first having it “done” to them, and then attempting to replicate what they had experienced.

Chen Zhonghua’s workshops always provide a vigorous, hands on immersion in the awesome potential of higher level applications of Chen Taiji. But this workshop gave me an even greater appreciation of the marvel of Master Chen’s tireless dynamism in his weekend long outpouring of knowledge from his vast reservoir of experience and skills. So much of what he does creates a sense of awe for the students who witness and feel the effects of skillful applications. This appreciation appeared to be universally felt for all who attended.

In upcoming posts, I will attempt to identify a few key principles and insights garnered from my instructions during 2 private lessons and at the group workshop. The weekend gave me some experiential understanding of some aspects of Master Chen’s teaching which he has emphasized for many years. Yet the teaching on this weekend gave me some very new and fresh perspectives on the means of implementation and the value of these principles. It may be difficult to convey some of the subtleties, but I will strive to at least stir the ingredients for the possibility that some flavors might emerge.

Please note the recent addition to our blog, in the left column: Chen Zhonghua Workshop Schedule. Currently Master Chen is making his Spring Tour of the US, providing the opportunity to attend his workshops in Arkansas, Tulsa, Milwaukee, and New York, as well as the annual Hunyuan World event in Georgia. More events are offered in Canada as well. Click on the links for further information as to the locations, times and other details. More information can also be found at Chenzhonghua.com

Paul, from Des Moines, has attended Master Chen’s workshops in Iowa for the past few years. This time around he took advantage of the opportunity by signing up for multiple private sessions. Listen to his comments with the following clips, as he conveys his appreciation of the experience.

Attendees were most enthusiastic in their appreciation of the experience with Chen Zhonghua, at the workshop, July 29 and 30, in Fairfield , Iowa.  Following the video below, read on to hear from others who attended.

Read more:

Private lesson with Master Chen Zhonghua during the Fairfield Workshop:

I have been to a number of Master Chen’s workshops in the past and have always gotten a lot out of them and I will enthusiastically continue to attend. This is the first time, however , that I have ever scheduled a private lesson with Master Chen. As the time drew closer, I looked forward to my lesson. I had a list of questions and a set of specific goals that I wanted to address during the lesson. When it started, Master Chen asked me what it was that I wanted to work on. I described my goals and he immediately began to lead me through a focused, step by step process of postures accompanied with in-depth explanations.  As one idea became clear, he would start explaining the next part to me. Master Chen would demonstrate a posture and then have me copy him, correcting me so I replicated his examples as precisely as possible.  He would add extra information at just the right time,  as if he could sense when I understood a new concept and was ready for more. This created a nonstop experience of learning for me that was organized and complete. It definitely increased my understanding of Taiji.

I am very glad that I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to schedule a private lesson with Master Chen.  Because of it, I was able to return home and immediately begin to improve the way that I practice Taiji. What a great thing!

Many thanks to Master Chen for offering these private lessons! I’ll look forward to the next one.

Gene Hess

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It was great to come to the work shop. I am starting to really appreciate the special knowledge Master Chen has ………The special personal opportunity to study with him directly………………….to learn from such ancient traditions…………. It really is something to see him in person  ………..

Jerry

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My Experience and Lessons Learned From A

Private Lessons with Master Chen

By John

I’ve been studying Chen Taji for a little more than a year and a half with one of Master Chen’s disciples.  There were a few other options for martial arts instruction available to me that didn’t appear to be options at all.  I am one that is drawn to depth (on many levels), understanding, struggle, and the need to commit time and effort for growth.  After my private lesson with Master Chen I sure was experiencing those growing pains on many levels.

The first lesson I began working on is listening.  Master Chen corrected me on numerous occasions on either making interpretations of what he was saying to me and anticipating what’s next.    He clearly illustrated this to me verbally with this statement of “the principal in Taji is truth is definite—the interpretation is infinite”.  This was then followed up with several examples of misinterpretations I made throughout our lesson that altered the meaning, content and context of what he was teaching me.

It is my nature to anticipate what is next as a means of putting things together to gain understanding.  In doing so, I take myself out of the moment.  My attention becomes split and leads me to missing the subtleties of the art…which is most of it!  If I can’t fully listen to the Master then how can I fully listen to my opponent?

The many other lessons I learned had to do with the structural and operational dynamics of the art…numerous corrections to be mindful of as I continue on this journey.  One of the humbling aspects of my 2 ½ hour private lesson was that I was taught within the construct of one posture, Buddha’s Warrior Pounds Mortar.  Indeed this is an art and a Master with great depth.  I very much look forward to my next lesson with Master Chen.

Chen Zhonghua will be visiting Fairfield on July 29 and 30. The event will be open to the public, offering Southeastern Iowa the unique opportunity to study with a world class master of Taijiquan. Master Chen’s last visit was a memorable experience for all who attended. (For a review of that workshop Fairfield Workshop Review, Dec 10, 2007)

For details on the July workshop please go to the following:

This is to announce our rare opportunity, to study with Master Chen. He is making a special trip here, visiting on July 29 and 30, Tuesday and Wednesday. This time, there is something new, and an overall program which will be better than ever. It is designed to provide the best experience for both beginning students as well as more advanced students. Master Chen has been refining his program for instruction to pack a more valuable learning experience into his workshops and private sessions. Some of you might be especially interested in the chance for private instruction. There are a few slots available for this, so for anyone who wants to take advantage of this please call as soon as possible, the availability and scheduling is on a first come first served basis. (For those of you already aware of this, do not procrastinate any longer, as you must confirm your schedule as soon as possible.) All the details for the workshop and private sessions is included below. I hope everyone can get back to me sooner rather than later, as your feedback and participation will be part of the process of organizing for this event. RSVP as soon as possible, thank you.

Workshop and Private Lessons

Morningstar Studio, Fairfield, Iowa

Tuesday and Wednesday, July 29 and 30

Workshop in Evenings, 6:30- 9:30. Private Sessions by Appointment

Master Chen is spending more months of the year at Daqingshan Academy in China. This means every available weekend of the year is booked for the remaining open dates, to study with him at workshops in North America, Europe and the Caribbean. We are most fortunate that he has decided to make room in this full schedule, to visit Iowa, mid week at the end of July. Hopefully, all interested parties can take advantage of this rare opportunity.

This event will be organized to gain maximum advantage from the time available. Master Chen has structured a beautiful curriculum, which will offer each attending student a chance to make great strides in their experience and understanding of their Taiji practice. The 2 days and evenings will include a full featured workshop, and scheduled appointments for sessions of private instruction. The private instruction will be prepared and structured to answer the specific guidance requested in advance by the student seeking the instruction.

The workshop, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, July 29 and 30, will include in depth, hands on instruction in foundations and practice. The material will be covered by Master Chen with his personal attention to the guidance required, as appropriate for newer students, as well as more advanced students. The structure will be arranged in 4 main sections.

The first portion of the first evening will offer instruction and corrections of foundations of the practice. The emphasis will be on the stationary foundations practice. The second portion of the first evening will include detailed instruction and Master Chen’s personal corrections on form practice, covering the beginning sections of the form. We can expect that Master Chen will also be demonstrating principles, corrections, and applications, with hands on interaction with attending students.

The second evening, during the first portion, will begin with instruction and corrections of advanced foundations, with emphasis on the moving practice. The second portion of the second evening will include Master Chen’s detailed instruction and personal corrections on form practice, covering further sections of the form, beyond the material covered on Tuesday. As always, Master Chen will make connections and illustrate principles with concrete examples and practical applications.

The private instruction will be offered in sessions of 1 hour and 15 minutes. The student will submit a request for specific subject matter, allowing 3 weeks for Master Chen to review the request and respond with his specific strategy to provide the student with the appropriate instruction and guidance to fully realize the desired objectives. Thus the content will be well defined and planned out, mutually approved by the Master and the student, prior to the instruction. We feel this is a tremendous opportunity for students wishing to achieve higher levels of experience and understanding with any aspects of their practice which require this more focused personal guidance.

Private instruction will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis, for times in the day prior to the evening workshops. Our projected times for the group workshop are approximately 5:30- 6:00 to 9:00 or 9:30, depending on venue and considerations voiced by all participants. The rate for the full workshop, Tuesday and Wednesday, will be 150.00. The rate for one evening only, will be 100.00. The rate for private instruction will be 125.00 per each 1 hour and 15 minutes.

We are announcing this event well in advance to alert everyone to plan summer activities to allow for this great opportunity to study with Master Chen in Iowa. It is very important for everyone to connect with the organizer, John Brown as soon as possible, to allow for organizing the best overall combination of times and acquisition of the best training facility, for a most enjoyable experience for all. Also, for those wishing to take advantage of the special chance for private instruction, be sure and commit early, as only a few slots are available.

Contact for further information Ph# 563-773-7958

At  chenzhonghua.org, you can check out a very innovative new program, offering “Online Workshops”. It will include direct contact with Master Chen, via video clips, online video with written instructions, mini lessons on concepts and techniques, and various other communications to enhance your progress. Right now, there is an offer to take advantage of the program for free. Some description of details follows

Membership benefits:
Contents updated weekly, bi-weekly or monthly in the following:
Learning through video clips. Online video with written

instructions.  Mini Lessons on concepts and techniques.
Section on Common Errors in Taiji learning.
Online discussion forum. Daoist/Taiji stories.
Discount products on select items. Workshop listings.
Direct online submission to a variety of sections.
Sign up NOW to receive information and benefit FREE.

Gene Hess attended the Fairfield workshop, and collaborated with the organizers to compile a detailed summary of the weekend’s activities:

The November 10 & 11 workshop, in Fairfield, Iowa was a huge success. The workshop was hosted and organized by John Brown. Assisting Master Chen during the workshop were John Brown, Tim Duehring, and Bill Krumm. Participants came from as far away as Puerto Rico.

The weekend was jam-packed with Taiji instruction by Master Chen.

Saturday included Silk Reeling exercises, including applications of the movements for counters to joint locks. Part of each day was spent working on the Practical Method Yilu, and applications of this form. Moves were broken down, step by step, and emphasis was stressed on key structural points. The first section was repeated many times, with counting applied, for precise recognition of each segment of movement and its corresponding non moving counterpart.

Many different drills were taught to develop skills needed to improve Taiji performance in push hands and applications. Master Chen demonstrated drills in depth, and then followed with discussions of each drill’s intent and purpose. Then he helped each student with individual corrections so that the student’s performance of the drills quickly showed improvement. Focus on the correct usage of the feet and waist was emphasized.

As always great attention was given to fixity of non movement at the point of contact, with attachment as the basis for appropriate alignment of structure. Some of the floor drills were taught to demonstrate how the hands are used to attach to the opponent and then the correct action of the body, to bounce or move the opponent. Training to find the sweet spot on an opponent, (where they are double-heavy) was also taught. This included learning points to aim a push from, and where to aim on the opponent’s body for maximum results. Some of these drills are found on the Foundations 3 Advanced Movements and Applications DVD that has recently been released.

Sunday morning, Master Chen taught Hunyuan Qigong. After a vigorous workout on Saturday, this was the perfect way to start Sunday’s training. Part of the day was then spent training with rubber tubing. There were several different ways of using the rubber tubing as a training tool. One of the drills involved tying two opponents together with the tubing. The tubing bound the upper arms and elbows to each player’s respective torso, so that they had to “keep their elbows in”, and rely on rotation. The players then did push hands. The drills were extremely effective in teaching the participants about of the role of the waist, rotation, and movement of the feet, as well as the obvious value for clarifying what it means, and why it is so crucial to “not move the hand.”

The rubber tubing was also used to practice circles. Many principles and structural requirements were revealed in these drills. The pulling force of the tubing helped train the arm to stay “in the tube”. The resistance was instructive in quickly exposing any incorrect alignment of structure, and pointed the way to adjust the body for better alignment. The practice also served to refine the precision of turning the torso for better flow of movement in each segment of the inward and outward circles. One drill was especially valuable for training the exact positioning of folding the front kua, in coordination with the withdrawal of the front foot on the inward pull. Another drill addressed the sensation of being double heavy and training the body to use the pumping action of the two knees, in an alternating method, while maintaining proper structure and balance, to overcome being double heavy. These drills were really appreciated by everyone there. It was a lot of fun, while inspiring everyone to practice this at home.

Later Sunday, Master Chen performed the Cannon Fist Form and Straight Sword Form. Then Tim Duehring gave a performance of the Hunyuan 24 form as well as the Chen Broadsword form. Xavier Santiago, from Puerto Rico, demonstrated Hunyuan 48. Paul Fabek of Fairfield demonstrated Shaolin Broadsword. Chris Dusek of Des Moines demonstrated Wu style straight sword. Sunday ended with a discussion on the theory and practice of Qigong, and other questions and answers on a wide range of topics.

Spirits and energy were high from the beginning till the end of the workshop. Everyone enjoyed a sense of camaraderie and excitement as they learned more about the art of Chen Taiji from Master Chen Zhonghua. Everyone expressed their zeal and great appreciation, along with an eagerness to see Master Chen again soon.

Iowa will be the venue for a rare opportunity to learn from Chen Zhonghua, the second weekend in November.

Read on for details:

Here is the info for workshop:
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Taiji Master Chen Zhonghua, in Fairfield, Iowa. Master Chen is the International Lineage Holder of Hong’s Practical Method of Chen Style Taijiquan.

You can learn more about his teaching, and see video clips of him demonstrating his high level of taiji and teaching skills, at this blog:

http://internalartsia.wordpress.com/

Master Chen’s Website has lots of Information:

http://hunyuantaijiacademy.com/default.aspx

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Dates: November 10, 11. Saturday, 9:30 AM Registration, Class 10:00 AM – 4:30 or 5:00 PM. Sunday, 8:30-4:00 PM.

Location: Fairfield, Iowa. County Fairgrounds, Fair Board Extension Building, Highway 34, Fairfield.

Material: Lots of value for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students of all styles. Taiji Foundations, Circles, Rotation, and Movement. Introductory principles of form. Partner work, centering, balance, joint rotation for effortless integrated movement. Push hands drills, and advanced techniques for practice. First time in US: Master Chen will teach usage of resistance bands. (Several of Master Chen’s intermediate level students, with bands, will be in attendance, to help everyone benefit from both the partner work, and the usage of the bands.) This practice is especially valuable for cultivation of the precise correct flow of movement in circles and form practice. It develops a centered overall structure, with appropriate coordination of all joint rotations for optimal integrated whole body interaction. This practice has been the “secret” ingredient which enabled many Chen Taiji practitioners from Jinan, China, to attain the skills which brought them so many gold medals in the highest China National level form and push hands competitions. Now Master Chen will make this practice easily accessible for all of us who can attend this workshop.

Cost: 195.00 for the weekend. Advance payment, at least one week early, greatly appreciated. If no advance, we won’t turn away cash payment at door.

Accommodations:

Several motels in 35.00 40.00 range. Comfortable and clean. People can double or triple up in most of them, if desired. Also for a few dollars more, Best Western, and Super 8 Motels, all in Fairfield, Iowa, 52556. All within 1 mile of the likely venue. (The venue is likely right on Hwy 34, 1 mile west of town, or in the town square on Sunday. Very easy to find.) Everything very close together.

Food:

Many great restaurants. Indian, Thai, Mexican, Italian, Greek, and all the fast foods Mac, Taco John’s, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, etc. Prices are very low comparatively. Example, great Indian Buffet, all you can eat, 6.75. All within 1 mile of venue. (Or within a block, if venue on town square.)

Contact: Anyone should feel free to call, anytime:

PH# 563-773-7958, or 641-472-4505
email:internalarts@lisco.com