by Andy_S on Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:56 pm
Just got back from a week in Chenjiagou at Chen Xiaoxing's school. Did two, two hour sessions with Chen XX on laojia and xinjia per day, plus one hour with Chen Zijun on shui tui sau.
Spent the rest of the time hanging arond the training hall, playing with others and watching a lot. Some observations:
Chen Ziqiang is The Man. He is full of energy, loves Taiji, and loves applications/fighting. He is happy to take shuia tuisau from long range - kicks, punches - rather than simply from the clinch. He will never say "No, you can't do that in Taiji." I took about 7 throws in one session and called it a day...but he has excellent control, and is not brutal (as some claim). None of his foreign students have ever been bashed, according to the long termers at the school, though he does put his local students under pressure. One trich he likes is to tell his students "I am going to do this.." then does something else to teach them awareness! His forms are much more beautiful in person than on DVD: I seriously wonder if he was downplaying for the camera. This is young man's Taiji. For anyone under 45 who is serious about Taiji, go to him now that he is at his peak. I can't believe he will be this energetic, enthusiastic or open in say, 10 years from now.
Chen Xiaoxing is in excellent form and a very, very detailed, hard working teacher, though AFAICS, only teaches specially scheduled private classes, while Ziqiang teaches the school. Really improved my ability to sink into the gua and transfer weight to the deck. However he it totally the opposite to his son as regards apps: Just doesn't want to deal with it.
Chen Zijun is very, good, though not in his bro's territory. Oddly, I got more lumps from doing technique training from him - taking heavy falls on the wushu carpet; no mats - than I did wrestling his brother (whose control is superlative). Seems to have lest interest in Taiji than his bro, and I wonder if he is considering another career.
Despite the money they are making (one month training costs around US$1000 for training, ex bed and board) neither Chen XX or Chen ZQ live in luxury. Chen XX has a modest apt in the school, while Chen ZQ lives in a dormitory room with his wife and daughter.
Chen Bing is building another school in the village (ie along with the two big schools - Chen XX.s and Wang Xian's - and Chen Zhao-shen's, which looks to be about one third to half the size of the big schools) at the bottom end - ie near Chen Zhaopei's tomb. Not sure if this will damage his rels with Chen XX and Chen ZQ, though apparently they are on good terms.
Increasing competition may bring prices down., and will, presumably, keep the teachers teaching hard and actively.
Word is: Wen County wants to turn Chenjiagou into a Taiji Disneyland. Along with the Yang Luchan house and the Chenjiagou ancestor's temple (about US$6 to get into either, unless you go with Chen XX), a "Taiji Museum" has already been built on a field in front of the ville, but is not yet furnished.
Word is also that Zhaobao Taiji is pretty well prohibited in the local area, as Zhaobao claims their Taiji originates in Mt. Wudang, and there is concern among local bureacrats that Wudang will claim to be the birthplace of Taiji, which Chenjiagou currently claims.
Lot's of local "businessmen" in suits with cellphones visit Chen XX's school, where they are reportedly given short thrist by Chen ZQ, who wants nothing to do with them.
Huleijia village (across the ditch from Chenjiagou) has not benefitted from the Taiji explosion. We visited the "Taiji school" there - actually the master's house - and had a terrific demo - but his only student his his own son. A friend who visited a Xiajia master's house was awed by the skill of one of his students - who blasted him the length of the courtyard - but said master appears to have few students.
It is unclear how many Taiji maestros live in the village. Chen XX estimates between 10 and 20. Most training takes place in private, walled homes. Only 'public' training space in the ville is on concrete platforms built over the ditch - not ideal for training, due to mozzies and humidity. One Xiaojia master who came to visit us (a South Korean group) waited outside Chen XX's school for us; although tourists and locals come and go as they please, he seemed reluctant to enter the school.
Nightlife hub of the village is the noisy (but good - and cheap) restaurant in the same block as Chen XX's Taiji school. For al fresco dining/boozing, take the noodle house opposite the school gate - which has a drinking area out back in the garden/courtyard.
Foreign student rooms are basic, as clean as you make them, with semi-working plumbing.
Despite Chenjiagou being in the middle of rural China, air pollution - dust - is appalling.
Henan beer is piss-poor.
Services available:
Pies scoffed. Ales quaffed. Beds shat. Oiks irked. Chavs chinned. Thugs thumped. Sacks split. Arses goosed. Udders ogled. Canines consumed. Sheep shagged.Matrons outraged. Vicars enlightened. PM for rates.