Kung Fu Tai Chi March - April 2016

As it is the Year of the Monkey, I find myself reflecting on the Monkey King and his impact on Kung Fu. I first read Journey to the West when I was in college. I read it to improve my understanding of Kung Fu as the Monkey King figures so prominently in Kung Fu culture. I had already read two of the other Four Great Chinese Classics, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh, and thoroughly enjoyed them. Both are great martial epics and are required reading for any literate Kung Fu practitioner (as to the fourth Great Chinese Classic, Dream of the Red Chamber, that’s also wonderful book - it has nothing to do with martial arts, but if you’re a student of Chinese culture, well,…

Chinese New Year is celebrated all around the world now. This year is the Year of the Monkey so we are reminded of China’s mischievous hero, Sun Wukong (孫悟空) the Monkey King. His adventures are told in the 16th century novel, Journey to the West, and have inspired countless films, books, videos, plays, operas and, of course, martial arts. Monkey Kung Fu has had a major impact on Chinese martial arts, and many other styles of Kung Fu have a Monkey Staff in their arsenal, which is a nod to Sun Wukong’s magical weapon. In the November 2000 issue of Kung Fu Tai Chi, our resident Feng Shui columnist Wilson Sun launched his Kung Fu Horoscopes column for the end of each issue. At that time, his column was one of…

50,000 Set Tai Chi World Record in Jiaozuo, China On October 18 2015 in Jiaozuo in Henan Province, 50,000 residents gathered in 15 different locations to simultaneously practice Tai Chi in hopes of setting a new Guinness World Record. China is hoping to establish October 18 as an annual Tai Chi day, akin to the World Tai Chi and Qigong Day held on the last Saturday of April since 1999. The organizers in Jiaozuo claimed this was a global event, with over one million participants worldwide. Guinness confirmation is still unapproved at this writing. http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?52601-Martial-Arts-World-Records-and-Stunts&p=1287994#post1287994 Feng Tien 1928-2015 Hong Kong actor Feng ‘James’ Tien passed away last October. A true veteran of Chinese film, Feng Tien had roles in over 150 films, including many vintage Shaw Brother’s films like One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and Five…

IN the dim gym of San Jose State University, fighters battled it out to finish off the season with a gold medal in their hands. The final Shuaijiao tournament of the year, fighters from across the United States flocked to San Jose to compete in the 2015 Taiwanese and Chinese American Athletic Tournament (TCAAT): Shuaijiao Tournament, hosted by the TCAAT organization. Clubs from Ohio, Texas, Washington, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Cupertino competed in youth and adult divisions, with youth divisions having male and mixed categories. After tournament opened with serene Tai Chi and Wushu performances by the University of East West Medicine and the San Jose State Wushu Team, the tournament immediately launched into exciting Shuaijiao matches. Finishing first in the children’s weight classes are Daniel John Dimzon (Las Vegas,…

Australia’s Anthony Kelly now holds 40 Guinness World Records. A practitioner of Hung Kuen, Wushu, White Crane, Wing Chun and an assortment of other martial arts, Kelly is renowned for his ability to catch arrows, underwater spear-gun spears and other high speed missiles. This time it was tennis balls, fired from a cannon-like ball machine at the blinding speed of nearly 120 mph. Kelly was able to catch three out of eight shots. The previous record was only one. This places Kelly as the highest record holder in Australia and one of the top ten record holders of the decade. More martial artists attempted to break Guinness records in Australia. Glenn Coxon hoped to best the record he set in 2005 for breaking 359 boards in one minute. Unfortunately, he fell…

The 13th World Wushu Championships (13th WWC) was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, from November 11–18, 2015. This edition of the biennial world championships drew over 900 participants from 85 countries, and included guest appearances by famous Wushu practitioner and actor Jet Li. Li was the guest of honor at the opening ceremony and was also present to award the competition’s first medals. The US athletes were selected based on their performance during the 2015 US Wushu Team Trials held in San Jose, CA, on July 18-19. This year’s taolu team had a good mix of experience and youth, featuring four returning members from the team sent to the 12th WWC (Benedik, Huie, Fan, and Lee). Wesley, Amy, and Gordon have been world champions at the junior level, while Stephanie made her…