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太極拳
The tai chi trip to China is intended for anyone who has an interest in tai chi, beginner or advanced. If you have practiced tai chi in the past but are not practising at the moment, if you have just started to practice, or if you have been practising for a long time, the trip will give the opportunity to develop from the level you have reached and experience the natural and inspirational environment where the earliest form of the art took shape. Besides the four days on the Taoist holy mountain for practice, theory and mingling with the Taoist monks in the temples, the group will visit some of the highlights of China in Beijing and Shanghai.
Because the group will consist of people from various levels and types of tai chi, a specific programme of sets will be learnt, practiced and refined during the trip. The DaoYin and Qigong sets we will learn and practice together in this sacred environment will be the Heavenly Master’s Dragon and Tiger DaoYin, Union with Heaven and Earth DaoYin, Tantian Post Heaven Breathing, Wudang San Feng tai chi and the Eight Brocades of Silk DaoYin amonst others.
Tai chi in Wudang
The Wudang Mountains (Wudangshan) are a small mountain range in the Hubei Province, the province north of the lakes. Situated south-east of the manufacturing city of Shiyan, the Wudangshan are a sacred range to the Taoists and were known for the many Taoist Monasteries found there. As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220AD), the mountain attracted the Emperor's attention and, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the first site of worship, the Five Dragon Temple, was constructed.
The Ming emperors Cheng Zu and Zhen Wu built a number of temples here during their reign. Zhen Wu became a Taoist deity and there is a bronze statute of him in the Golden Palace Hall. The hall was constructed in 1416 on the highest summit (1612m), Tianzhu Peak (Heavenly Pillar Peak), and is a complete gilded bronze structure. The total of Wudang's ancient architectural complex is known as the Imperial Palace on the Cliff and consists of eight palaces, two Taoist temples, 72 rock temples, 12 pavilions and 10 shrines and was listed by UNESCO in 1994 as a World Culture Heritage Site. The buildings represent the highest standards of Chinese art and architecture over a period of nearly 1,000 years. Besides the Golden Palace Hall, the Nanyan Temple, and the Purple Cloud Palace are noted structures.
Ancient building complex, Wudangshan
The Purple Cloud Palace, built in 1413 on Zhanqifeng Peak, is the best-preserved temple on Wudangshan. It consists of several buildings, including the Dragon and Tiger Hall, the Purple Sky Hall, the East Hall, the West Hall, the Parent Hall and the Prince Cliff.
Partially built into rock, Nanyan is the most spectacular of the scenic spots in the Wudangshan. Historical records show there were more than 600 buildings in Nanyan but most of them were destroyed in the late years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The Nanyan Palace, Taichang Temple, Thunder God Cave and Crow Temple are still standing. Both built and destroyed by man, the monasteries were emptied, damaged and then neglected during and after Mao’s Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976. In 2003, Wudangshan's 600-year-old Yuzhengong Palace was accidentally burned down by an employee of a martial arts school.
Over time, the Wudang Mountains have become an academic centre for meditation, Chinese martial arts and traditional Chinese medicine. Wudang tai chi is the main component of the Wudang martial arts. It is an orthodox school of Chinese Gongfu. Wudang tai chi is called an internal art because the actions demonstrate both strength and grace and the internal energy is combined with the external performance. It is singular in the martial arts field and has long enjoyed a great reputation. Wudang tai chi has developed from its simple beginnings of five elements, eight methods, and thirteen postures into many different schools. Wudang tai chi is named after the Wudangshan. The Wudangshan have been outstanding in the martial arts; one is indispensable to the other. It is said that Lu Dongbin (one of the eight gods) and Zhang Sanfeng (a famous Taoist priest) cultivated themselves there. Wang Zongyue is said to have studied with Zhang Sanfeng at Wudang. His Treatise on tai chi is among the principle foundation documents on the philosophy of tai chi practice as is Zhang Sanfeng's Treatise on tai chi.
In modern times, some of the traditional forms have been altered and other arts developed so that the martial arts from Wudang have become more diverse as have those who practice them. The name "wudang" has been used to refer to any practice that relies on principles founded in traditional taoist arts. However, there remain traditional forms and teachings which have been handed down directly from teacher to student through many generations and many teachers. These old forms represent the traditional arts from the Wudang school.
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