Northern Wu Style Tai Ji Quan

                     The Wu Tang Physical Culture Association 

       Welcome Everybody from Anywhere to join us

 the Sixth Annual

Beijing Internal Martial Arts Training & Daoist Study Trip

                                                           Dec. 30, 2008 – Jan. 13, 2009              

            What makes our trip so unique?   

♦ Exceptional quality of training with top internal martial arts grandmasters in the world.  They give special attention to everyone to experience the deep and meaningful level of the internal arts!   

♦ Frank Allen and Tina Zhang professionally organized the study program with the masters in Beijing to make sure the study will benefit all levels of practitioners. Tina Zhang translates the courses, which enables the true understanding for non-Chinese speakers. 

♦ We stay in a central located and comfortable hotel that creates a friendly and fun atmosphere.   The trip  also provides enough free time and respectful space for each individual to explore more culture in the city.     

♦ Something new this year: we will add new courses on Daoist Meditation and Daoist Nurturing Life Qi Gong with the Head Priest of the White Clouds Temple, the headquarters of the Complete Reality Sect of Daoism.  This will gives us a valuable direct transmition, and the true study with an authentic Daoist Priest, who is also a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  

         Itinerary

Dec. 31. Arrival in Beijing – Wan Yi Hotel, Marriot Courtyard, and a welcome dinner. 

Jan. 1,2.Training.

Jan. 3  Visit the Tomb of Dong Hai Chuan, the founder of Baguazhang & the Great Wall (lunch).

Jan.4, 5, 6, 7,  Training. A “Kungfu show” on one of the evenings.

Jan. 8.   Visit the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven, lunch at “the hundreds of  kinds of dumplings restaurant”.

Jan. 9, 10. Training.  “Hot pot”dinner for meat lovers, vegetarians, or raw food enthusiasts.   

Jan. 11, 12. Training & Taoist Meditation & Taoist Nurturing Life Qi Gong (Yang Sheng Gong) with the White Cloud Temple Head Priest Li Yu Lin.   

Jan. 13.  Departure from Beijing back home.

•  Taijiquan -- training with Northern Wu Style Master Li Bing Ci  
• Cheng Style Baguazhang and He Bei Xingyiquan training with Master Liu Jing Ru      
• Taoist Meditation & Taoist Nurturing Life Qi Gong with the White Cloud Temple Priest Li Yu Lin
•   All Courses will be translated by Tina Zhang
•  Course Completion Certificates will be presented and signed by the Masters   

$2600 (single room supplement add $490) Including: 10 days of training and Certificates, Hotel accommodation double-occupancy & Historical sightseeing – Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, White Cloud Temple, Founder of Ba Gua Zhang’s Tomb, and "The Legend of Kung Fu" Show…Not including air fare to Beijing (Air fare: Approx. $850 departure from New York, we strongly suggest to book earlier in order to get cheap ticket)

Deposit $500 due by Oct.1, 2008

Total payment due by Nov. 15, 2008  

• Check or money order. No credit card accepted.
• Please make checks payable to Tina Chunna Zhang

This is a serious study trip, longer or shorter stay, non-training companions, or any questions, please email Tina Zhang at tineez@aol.com 

www.wutangpca.com  and www.qigongforwomen.com for reports on past Beijing trips

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  Highlights of 2007 Beijing Trip

  Ba Gua Zhang  with LiuJingRu                                   Li BingCi                          Helping us on spinal Nei Gong   

  Liu Jing Ru shows applications of the 3rd Palm Change

 Receiving the certificates   

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Visiting the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, A fantastic Show "The legend of Kung Fu". Explore more Buddhist and Taoist temples, and more... 

          Visiting the White Cloud Temple of Taoist (Daoist) - by Tina Zhang  

              I was so happy to make an appointment for Stewart and myself and to translate Chinese into English for his clinic visit to Taoist Priest and Traditional Chinese Medical Doctor Li Yu Lin, who resides in the White Cloud Temple.  He is one of the best TCM practitioners I had ever seen in my life, and one of those, very classy and highest level of TCM Doctor in China , he is the one telling YOU what is going wrong, what is unbalanced within your body by putting his fingers at your wrist to pause and examine you.  What amazed me, as well as Stewart, was his extreme accuracy of saying (telling you) all the symptoms that you had reflected by your medical problems, without asking any questions or information about you, or your medical history! Then, he prescribed Chinese herbs for Stewart to take home to cook and drink for healing.  We'll have Daoist Meditation and Daoist Nurturing Life Qi Gong Courses with Li Yu Li on our coming trip! 

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                    Great Training and Unique Experience! - by Dr. Earl Morgan

           Thanks so much for allowing me to accompany you on the trip to Beijing again this year. I had a great time training. Master Li has such a command of Tai Chi that there’s no way to truly describe the experience. The subtle changes he makes in postures and movements create tremendous feelings of power and root. Master Liu is always fun to study under. He is so animated that even without translation he usually gets his point across.  

      Socializing after classes and seeing the sights of Beijing and the Hutangs was a blast. Hopefully the meditation classes at White Cloud temple come through. The Temple of Hell and the Lama Temple were both unique experiences as was the duck restaurant in the Hutang near the hotel. Finally, as always it was fun watching the girls at the Pearl Market hit my brother Jon again this year. 

Looking forward to traveling with you again next year!

       Daoist - Folk Religion Temple (aka Temple of Hell)  

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      The Beijing trip was great in terms of education and inspiration!                   - Dr. Paul Hannah 

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 Dear Tina and Frank,

First let me thank you for a great time in China.

The training was superb and I feel very priviledged to be able to get instruction from the very best teachers in the world. 

Also seeing Dr. Kong Cheng (one of Master Liu Jing Ru's disciples, a TCM Doctor) was a godsend. When I arrived in Beijing I was in pain and was only able to train at a minimum level. After 3 sessions with him I was out of pain for the first time in 2 months and able to resume my practice. I was also movi ng freely for the first time in months. This was worth the trip in it self. 

Thank you so much for organizing such a great trip and I look forward to Beijing next year. 

Best wishes,

- Michael Goldstein      

 Michael, Jamie, and Frank enjoying the Beijing Duck

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 This was my first training trip to China with Frank and Tina, but having previously enjoyed a great two weeks training with them at a Healing Tao retreat I suspected that they’d  deliver an insightful and enjoyable program. And so it turned out. 

In total there were 10 training days with 4 hours training per day divided between Tai Ji Quan (mornings) and Ba Gua Zhang (afternoons). Business began at 10.00 a.m. so there was plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast before the short taxi ride to the training hall.

Li Bin Ci’s lessons all began with plenty of stretching and included his “Sleeping Dragon” Qigong with its emphasis on the ming men region. Then it was hand form time. Each day we worked a sequence from the hand form. This was reviewed the following day and the next sequence added until we had completed the form. Done this way beginners learned the form, without feeling rushed, and those who already “knew” the form got a deeper understanding of the principles of Northern Wu style.

Like everyone else, I got the “hands-on” treatment from Grand Master Li. This was an unforgettable experience.  Very precise yet subtle movements and all done with a glint in Grand Master Li’s eyes. Even at 79 years old,  he really enjoys passing on his art.

Cheng Style Ba Gua Zhang Grand Master Liu Jing Ru’s afternoon sessions were also great. They began with circle walking before going on to learning/reviewing the basic 8 palms. This was followed by the original Liu De Kuan Classical 64 Palm Strikes.  The “64” broke down into 8 linear forms of 8 strikes each. We tackled one palm change and one linear set each day. Grand Master Liu relished showing applications for each of the “64” strikes.

Other activities were available too. These included bodywork treatments, in the comfort of your hotel room, from licensed Chinese Doctor Kong Cheng. One of Grand Master Liu’s disciples, Kong also assisted during our Ba Gua lessons.  After several massage sessions, Kong had increased my mobility way beyond the levels that any Western bodywork practitioners had managed. And without costing the earth.  I can recommend a session with Kong for anyone troubled with aching muscles. As Kong uses his fingers, thumb, forearm, and rather pointy elbow, to give a deep massage you’ll want to know that “hen tung” means “it’s very painful”! He will ease off the pressure if you ask him.

I also went to the White Cloud Temple in Beijing with Tina. It’s a short taxi ride from the hotel. The temple belongs to the Complete Reality Sect of Dragon Gate Taoism.  We  had consultations with the Taoist Priest and TCM Doctor, Li Yu Lin, at the Temple’s Health Centre. Dr. Li gave very accurate pronouncements (translated by Tina) on symptoms  based on the various pulse readings and made a prescription for Chinese herbs to treat the underlying conditions.  No bargain prices here, but be aware that what you do pay goes to the Temple. As a rare Westerner at the Clinic, I attracted a swarm of locals keen to hear about my personal details. While such info doesn’t have to be shared with the locals it will have to be shared with Tina so she can translate for the Doctor.

While a big part of the trip is studying with the Chinese Masters it’s worth remembering that Frank Allen has more than 30 years in the internal arts and is a skilled teacher in his own right, as is Tina. I took the chance for private study with Frank focused on the Water Method of Taoist Meditation. Frank has been practicing this for many years having learned it directly from Bruce Frantzis. Powerful stuff.

About the hotel, a Marriot Courtyard:  it was very comfortable and probably more so next year as renovations will have been completed. Hotel guests had free access to the gym containing exercise machines, swimming pool, and sauna. Before diving straight into the swimming pool please check the appearance of the life guard – if he’s wearing his overcoat you may want to i) ease your way gently into the pool to avoid unwanted cardiac events & ii) get the heat turned up.

The hotel is attached to the New World Shopping Plaza – 5 floors of shops and restaurants so it’s nicely positioned for shopping and eating. The basement floor is a massive Supermarket (yes, you will get lost the first time but you’ll figure it out soon enough). It stocks Western and Chinese foods and you can get the day-to-day stuff and more. On the same block is a Starbucks (check out the Green Tea Latte), Pizza Hut, MacDonald, & Hagen Daz (Green Tea ice cream!), as well as a sushi place (cheap and tasty) and plenty of affordable Chinese restaurants. For the tourist spots, it’s only a couple of km to the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen, & Forbidden City and you can venture into the nearby Hutongs for an atmospheric but inexpensive eating experience.

Well done and thanks to Tina and Frank for arranging the whole thing. And especially to Tina for her translations in and out of class.

Stewart Hay 

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                                Beijing folk's Life in the Park

    Play "Er Hu"                   Dancing with "Silk"               Practicing Calligraphy 

 Some Lovely Faces from Our Crew...