Frank & Tina’s Skipping Christmas Training Trip to Beijing, China

2003

We are planning to go back to Beijing to visit and train in the internal martial arts of Tai Chi, Ba Gua &  Xing Yi  again in Decembe: This Year's Details  Please e-mail us if you are interested in going with us.  Tina Zhang’s email: tineez@aol.com

Dec. 15th – Dec.30th 2003

We climbed the Great Wall!
Temple of Heaven

Visiting the Forbidden City
Ba Gua Dragons at Nine Dragon Wall
Pandas everywhere

Beijing at night
One of the the 88 McDonald’s locations.
Have you seen their delivery by bicycle?

 Master Zhang presented a banner to Frank Allen.
  It says: To Wu Tang PCA, A Tornado Sweeps the Martial Art World!

 

Zhang Sheng-li is a native of He Nan Province, where he began his martial arts studies near the Shao Lin Temple at the age of eight.  Martial arts became his passion and love in life and he has diligently learned, practiced, trained, researched and taught these arts ever since. He received his Phys Ed degree in college in Sichuan Province and won two National San Da Championships at 55 kilos, one in 1989 and another in 1993. He taught Tai Ji for five years at The Beijing Sports Institute and currently teaches Pa Kua, Hsing I and San Da at the Beijing Police Academy as well as at his own two studios.
Still in his mid thirties Master Zhang is the youngest 6th Duan ranked in Chinese Wu  Shu. Zhang Sheng-li has decided to be one of the creators of the arts instead of one of the many recorders of the martial arts and therefore is developing and teaching his own Zhang Style Internal Martial Arts. The Long Xing, or Dragon Shape, Ba Gua set which he taught to Tina Zhang and Frank Allen on their recent trip to Beijing is an advanced form from his Zhang Style Ba Gua Zhang. Within it are many of the classical techniques and signature moves from earlier forms and older masters.
We trained with the best young Master Zhang Sheng-li in RiTian Park (The Temple of the Sun) every day.  Why did we train there? It was ten minutes walk from the Guo Tai Hotel where we were staying and more importantly, there is 2-Star public bathroom you can use that you will not necessarily find everywhere in Beijing.

Frank trained with Zhang on Xing Yi Chuan Elements and a Linking form and the Ba Gua Dragon Shape form, with of course, lots of applications and fighting techniques of  Ba Gua Zhang including Zhang’s specialty Qin Na.
One afternoon Frank went to one of Zhang’s two studios to train and exchange information on Chinese San Da and that was a fun day.

Frank does Push Hands with an instructor from  Zhang’s studio. 

We had very pleasant visit with professor Kang Ge Wu at the China Wu Shu Research Institute.  He rode a bicycle over on a Saturday morning, which the only time he had for us.

He is a very busy person who does a lot of studying and researching and collecting all the valuable information of Chinese martial Arts. 

Visiting White Cloud Temple: 
The most important Taoist practice Temple in the world.
              Frank in White Cloud Temple 
This is a 9 months old boy who came with parents from far away Xin Jiang province to see Doctor because he’s been sick all the time since he was born.  The parents went to the White Cloud Temple to pray for the baby.  One of the old Taoist from the temple told the parents to find few lucky men in the temple to hold the babe to give Yang energy to the baby boy in order to protect baby from sickness and bring him good luck on health.  Frank was one of the few people who was chosen by the parents on that day to hold the baby and give him Yang energy.   We all wish that baby boy good luck to his health and his life.

 

        Visiting Dong Hai Chuan’s Tomb.
During the visiting of his tomb, we saw some famous Ba Gua Zhnag masters graves were put next to Dong Hai Chuan’s.  There are Masters Wang Shu Jin, Li Zi Ming, Liang Zhen Pu, Guo Gu Min. 

Master Dong Hai Chuan (1797-1882) was the founder of Ba Gua Zhang. 

Frank in front of Wang Shu Jin’s Grave
Tina in front of Li Zi Ming’s Grave

 

Professor Li De Yin is the creator of the 48 Posture Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Form, an international Martial Arts judge and has taught in Beijing Sports University for more than 30 years.  Professor Li’s father and uncle both were world-well-known martial artists who trained with the famous Master Sun Lu Tang. Prof. Li learned martial arts when he was 6 years old from his family.  His wife Fang Mi Shou, taught Tina the 24 Posture Yang Style form earlier while on a visit to the United States.   Here we happily met again!

Tina trained 48 postures Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan with Professor Li in the community center near their house during this trip. 
48 Postures Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan was created by Professor Li in 1976.  This form based on traditional Yang large form is combined with signature postures   and movements of Chen, Wu, Sun and Hao styles.  It’s an advanced form and is a requirement course for martial arts majors in colleges in China and wildly practiced around the world. 

Tina enjoyed the training so much!
We are planning to go back to Beijing to visit and train in the internal martial arts of Tai Chi, Ba Gua &  Xing Yi  again in Decembe: This Year's Details  Please e-mail us if you are interested in going with us.  Tina Zhang’s email: tineez@aol.com