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| Davidine Sim & Chen Bing |
The following answers are part of an interview, conducted by China's World Martial Arts Union and translated by Davidine Sim. Chen Bing speaks openly about his early years in Taijiquan. Including: childhood perceptions of Taijiquan; the influence of his uncles Chen Xiaoxing and Chen Xiaowang; understanding what Taijiquan is; and the problems that come with widespread propagation.
Q: Can you talk about your early
learning history and experience?
Chen Bing: There was no question of choice when I began practicing Taijiquan as
it's a family heritage. Particularly
being a male and being the oldest, the family started teaching me from the age
of five. Like it or not, you had to
learn. At that time (in 1976) it was
still the tail end of the Cultural Revolution and the country was still not promoting
the practice of martial arts. But, after
some discussion, it was decided that my training should commence, even though
it was not done openly. It is
embarrassing to admit, but as I was still quite young I did not understand
Taijiquan or the fact that it is a family inheritance. Also because the then society did not condone
the practice, and the government policy was still quite restrictive, plus the
fact that most youngsters are more concerned about playing, I really did not
like it at all. This dislike only
changed more than ten years later.
Q: What unforgettable training
incidences can you remember from your childhood?"
CB: At that time I
did not like Taijiquan so I'd think of different ways of evading training. Everyday my uncles (Chen Xiao Wang, Chen Xiao
Xing) would ask me if I had trained and I would say I had. Most times this was untrue. In this way I would try to outwit the
adults. One day my uncle asked me if I
had trained and I said I had. He asked
where and I told him at such and such a place.
At that time it was a predominantly agricultural village and there were
no concreted ground. My uncle brought me
to the place I had pointed out and, seeing no footprints whatsoever, exposed my
lie. I had a beating from him that day
and never dared lie to him again.
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| Chen Bing |
The second
memorable incident happened when I was ten years old and in my third year of
primary school. One morning my class
teacher unexpectedly called me out and personally tied a red neckerchief round
my neck. He told me that it was an important occasion and I was required to go
and demonstrate Taijiquan. I didn't know what was going on and went out into
the school ground where I saw that the whole place was full of people. There
were even people on walls and trees. A
platform had been erected upon which sat my uncles and grandmother. I didn't pay much attention to my family's
history and origin before, but now I realised that my family has a secret that
I didn't know. That was the first visit
by a Japanese Taijiquan organisation who had arrived during a "search the
source and visit the ancestors" trip.
One of the items on the programme was a children's Taijiquan
performance. I was very nervous because
I hadn’t trained properly and was not sure I could remember the middle section
of the form. I managed to somehow get
through the Laojia Yilu. But a strong
message got through to me that day - that
I must practice hard as my whole family and clan are somehow closely linked to
Taijiquan. This occasion also stimulated
a certain pride and sense of responsibility.
CB: It was my aunt
(Chen Ying) who taught me first. My
uncles were very busy and were often away from home. On their return they would watch me train and
check on me. They were very strict and I
was somewhat afraid of them, knowing that ultimately I needed to pass their
approval. Later I heard that my
uncles had achieved many first prizes.
There were few television sets then, but I heard on the radio the name
Chen Xiao Wang, that he had won a gold medal in an inaugural National
competition in Xian. When I told the
news to my grandmother she was very proud.
I had the idea that I would like to follow the same path. In my youth
my two uncles were my role models.
Q: What was the biggest
difficulty you encountered in your training?
CB: Before the age of seventeen, I didn't train
very hard and did not commit heart and soul into Taijiquan, so I didn't sense
any difficulty. When I truly began to like
Taijiquan and train seriously I realised that I needed a very good
teacher. By that time my two uncles had
become sought after and often went abroad and it was not easy to have them
beside me. Sometimes it was difficult to
see them even a few times in the year.
In this period I encountered many problems and, because the opportunity
to communicate with them in person was rare, I was overwhelmed by these
questions and didn't know who I should ask.
When you have many questions that you cannot find answers for it does
affect your positive progress.
I decided to
write a letter to my second uncle. In his reply he wrote: "It is inevitable
that there would be so many questions and that these questions overwhelm
you. But this is how training quan is. By continuing to practice there comes a
moment when you suddenly understand, when the problem is solved. Even if you
understand the theory now, but because your gongfu is not accomplished, your
body is not able to understand so it's still a blank. Therefore you need to practice without break and
in the process of learning you will realise one day that all the questions have
been answered. That's because your body
has completely understood".
He taught me
to "understand during the process; to realise a theory in practice, in
order to own the thing. When one day the
chore of training translates into interest then it is evident that you have
committed body and mind. Your level will
improve and mature very rapidly at this juncture". At the time those words were imprinted in my
brain.
Q: You have now trained for quite a long time. What is your understanding of Taijiquan?
CB: When I was young I regarded Taijiquan as a
combat art, to be used for fighting.
Because of my young age I wanted to be stronger than my peers. Now, from
being a sports person to being an instructor then on to teaching all over the
world, I realise that Taijiquan has multiple functions. As an example when we're teaching abroad, it
is not only a fitness discipline but also a representation of Chinese culture. Through Taijiquan people abroad are able to
become better acquainted with Chinese culture as well as China. It enables deeper understanding and
communication between the East and West.
From a personal point of view Taijiquan offers a means of growing into a
more wholesome person. An individual's training experience, hard practice,
relentless perseverance and consistence cultivates the spirit and tempers the
will. The reward of acquiring gongfu and
enlightenment through the sacrifice of toil, that "heaven rewards the
diligent". The quan theories also
teaches me the laws of nature and the universe. It enables me to better
understand society, the world, the natural world, the universe, thus it enlightens
and augments my mind and improves my wisdom.
Q: You have students all over the
world now. What do you think is the most
important aspect they should learn?
CB: Perhaps the most important aspect is their
understanding of Taijiquan. If they know
the cultural essence of Taijiquan then they have a basis from which to
train. Otherwise it poses too many
questions. For example, What is
Taijiquan? If people know what Taijiquan really is then the often asked
question of why the " Four Jinggang" are not practising the same way
will no longer be a question. They often
ask which of them is right (or wrong) or even who is better (or worse). But if they understand Taijiquan this will
not be a question. And they will know
that if the four of them have identical forms, then that would be abnormal.Q: By that you mean that everyone has a different understanding of Taijiquan?
CB: Taiji means Yin-Yang changes. Most people understand Yin-Yang, but forget
its most important aspect - "changes". Its inevitable aspect is change, and it does
not remain the same. The time is
different, the person is different, the environment is different, constantly
evolving and changing. Taijiquan is the
same. Everyone's practice is different
and this is normal. But there are
aspects that remain unchanged and constant.
We must view change from the viewpoint of mutual transformation of Yin
and Yang, change that occurs within transformation and development. The results of practice have assimilated the
person's personality, realisation, temperament, character etc. It becomes the
person, and is expressed through the physical movements. If you are exactly like your teacher, then
you're stuck at the stage of imitating your teacher and have not moved to the
stage of realising yourself. If we are
clear about the ideology of Taijiquan then we will be rid of many of
Taijiquan's misperceptions.
Q: What challenges do you face in
the drive to promote and popularise Taijiquan?
How do we let the general public correctly understand Taijiquan? In mass propagation how do we express the
core essence of Taijiquan?
CB: From the viewpoint of a teacher what I can do
is teach not only movements but also the theories. As long as the principle is followed the
outward expression is not crucial.
Sometimes an external shape can be very standard and is an exact
duplication of the teacher's, but your execution does not exhibit Qi sunk into
the dantian, therefore your frame is an "empty frame". You have not demonstrated the key
element. The Internal martial system
does not look at the degree of accuracy in the external shape. The underpinning principle is the
criteria. In the absence of this, the
external manifestation is not important.
Let the students grasp this and they will not be entangled about
external movements. Instead they will be
seeking the internal feeling.
Q: What have you gained from your
work publicising and propagating Taijiquan?
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| World Martial Arts Union interview with Chen Bing |
Q: Some people still think
Taijiquan is a health exercise for middle/old age people. What do you think is the best way to engage
the younger people?
CB: I think this is a misapprehension. They don't comprehensively know the root of
Taijiquan. It has been overtaken by one
aspect of its expressions. But it
shouldn't be viewed in a negative way because it has been accepted in that
section of the populace and it's health benefits have been acknowledged. I consider it a success in its mass
propagation on a national scale.
To engage and
recruit younger peoples we must consider 1. that young people haven't as much
free time as the older retired people.
Taijiquan cannot be too time consuming and at the same time need to show
results more quickly. Therefore we need
to have a concise method that is suitable for young people - concise training
that brings out the essence. 2. that it
needs to be modern and trendy in order to attract them in the first place. Yoga has been successful in imaging itself as
body beautiful with graceful movements that are comfortable and flexible. It is an attractive pursuit. Taijiquan perhaps can learn from this. For example Taijiquan instructors need to
present a certain image, its movements require some adaptations, its practice
environment need some appropriate arrangements etc. in order to match the
younger person's tendencies towards trend and modernity.
Q: There is a voice today that
says that Taijiquan is a health exercise and not a combative system. What is your view?
CB: Its health benefits and health enhancing
qualities are undisputed and widely acknowledged. Not only in terms of physical but also mental
health. The main question is Taijiquan's
effectiveness as an actual combat skill.
I think we need to consider this from different angles. Firstly, we live in a time that is very
different from the time of its inception.
When Taijiquan was created its chief function was for the purpose of
bare-hand attacks and defence. If the
then existing model of Taijiquan is transferred to the modern era it may have
become obsolete and extinct. The fact
that it has survived to this day is because it's main function has undergone a
Yin-Yang change. The creation of
Taijiquan with its health-preserving and mental processes was to counteract the
harm and injuries that resulted from martial practices. Today if the combat side had remained the main focus
it will not have been assimilated by the mass and promoted by the government. Taijiquan
is flourishing apace today because its health-enhancing and fitness-promoting
aspect is now the focus. However the
combative side is now under-emphasised. There should be no question to its
effectiveness. It's a matter of which
aspect of it you're focusing. We adapt to our bigger environment…
From a young age we trained, firstly for Taolu competitions and later to
Tuishou contests. Gradually even the
Tuishou contests became curtailed. Our
platforms become lesser and the paths that lead from them become narrower. Extremely high level Taijiquan combat
exponents have limited outlets. As a result, many abandon this route and decide
to follow the crowd and the ever-expanding demand for the health and fitness
aspects. However as the art develops
there are now a section of the Taijiquan practitioners who are again examining
and developing the martial side.
Q: What role does Taijiquan play
in our nation's promotion of Chinese Culture and our future so-called China
Dream?
CB: China is not strong if it grows only in
economic strength. Economy without being
sustained by cultural values will be short-lived. I believe that to realise the China Dream
there's the need to invest robustly in China's traditional cultural
values. China is currently facing the
scenario of having a very strong economy and quite a strong military. However we're look-down-upon by even
countries much smaller than ours. This
is because we're not strong in our cultural values and we need to attach great
importance to this and actively promote it.
In cultural exchanges in the strong civilised nations we're facing many
issues that are not accepted by the West.
I think Taiji culture with its underpinning philosophy of balance,
inclusivity, etc. is a good entry point to promote our culture, that will be
accepted by other nations. My hope is
that it can be promoted from a governmental/national level.
Q: What is the biggest dilemma
that you have faced?
