first met Master Y.C. Chiang about 6 years ago.
Not long after that I had the privilege of meeting
his wife Master Liu. My impression of them was
of two gracious individuals who had great skill and
knowledge.
I was also fortunate enough to take a few classes at the
Wen Wu School while Master Chiang was still teaching. Af-
ter class the students gather in the little kitchen and have tea
with their teacher. When he stepped out for a minute I looked
at the other students, mouth agape, and asked if they knew at
all how very, very lucky
they were to be casually
sitting around with such
a wonderful teacher at
the head of the table.
Over the next several
years I have also had the
pleasure of taking a few
lessons with his ad-
vanced students and
teachers. Fu Tung
Cheng and Allen
Trigueiro come fondly to
mind. I have also been
able to attend several of
the Guang Ping Associa-
tion conferences which
fosters the sharing, learn-
ing and hands on experi-
ence of our form.
However, until the weekend of July 12 & 13, I had not
had the opportunity to witness and participate in an event,
lasting several hours at a time, centered strictly on Shrfu and
Shrmu's teaching. The workshop truly gave me the opportu-
nity to drink in the essence of who they are and what they are
about. The event was held in Orange County, California at
Irvine Community College and was hosted by JoAnna
Schoon, one of the Association's National Advisors and a Tai
Chi teacher at the college. Since I am a tai chi student/teacher
my focus was mainly on Master Chiang although I could ap-
preciate the grace and beauty of Master Liu's Dayan Chi
Kung and tea ceremony.
At 81 Master Chiang is a living example of what correct
living and correct attitude makes possible. He did a demon-
stration of White Crane form on Saturday much to the delight
of all present. The first movement involves dropping to a
level so that thighs are level with the ground (low horse
stance), and holding that position for longer then I personally
would be comfortable holding. Shrfu did so with apparent
ease. Of course, the rest of the form was executed with a power
that seemed unending. And this is at 81! We have all heard the
wonders of the power of practicing with chi over long periods of
time........it is true!! And he shows no signs of stopping. I must
also add that Master Liu's demonstration of the 2nd set of the
Wild Goose form was absolutely breathtaking.
There is a definite reason this man wears the title of Master.
He is an extremely educated and cultured human being. He is a
doctor of acupuncture, an herbalist, world renowned painter and
calligrapher. As JoAnna says "What has always struck me about
Shrfu is the breadth and
depth of his knowledge.
He excels in the Martial
Arts, in Chinese Painting,
in Calligraphy, in TCM,
and in good virtue. Wen
Wu School offers the best
of Chinese Culture, and its
name refers to that: Wen
referring to culture, and
Wu referring to the martial
arts."
Over two days, 5 hours
total, he also demonstrated
each of the Yang Guang
Ping forms replete with
application explanation
and error corrections. He
had everyone spellbound
as he performed each
movement effortlessly. Every one of us felt the specialness of
participating with a true master of movement. And rather then
being dour or stern his lively sense of humor keep us all laughing
and smiling.
Eighty met for a banquet held in Master Chiang and Madam
Liu's honor on Saturday evening. JoAnna picked an excellent
local Chinese restaurant. There were dishes served that most of
us have never had before, everything was delicious. JoAnna pre-
sented the masters with Hawaiian leis which they appreciated
very much. I was lucky enough to be sitting at a table close to
theirs and could appreciate the fragrant flower scents along with
them. Conversations were going on nonstop all evening between
students, teachers, spouses and family members attending the
feast. The only complaint would be that there was too much
good food! Master Chiang and Madam Liu donated 2 paintings
to be raffled off after dinner. I don't know which made us drool
more, the paintings or the food.
The second day Master Chiang spent several hours continuing
