Singapore

This year my father was invited by the Tai Chi Huang school in Singapore (from which he first started his Taiji Journey) to represent them in a Singapore Taiji expo which showcased different varying styles of Taiji.

Coming back to Singapore is always a very nostalgic experience for me. Though I grew up in New Zealand we went back often enough that some places there feel like home. I love that in Asia Taiji is just a normal thing that people do. No one finds it strange to find someone moving slowly in the park or at the bottom of an apartment complex. Mostly people just continue to go about their day. Unfortunately for me I must have ate too much on the first day or something because for the rest of the Singapore trip (4 days) I had to stay in close vicinity to a toilet bowl.

The event was held on one (very hot) evening. It was interesting to see the various styles of Taiji. Seeing everybody’s experience of the art. Though there were a lot of forms demonstrations (including with different weapons) there was surprisingly very little partner work demonstrations. In fact, I think of all the demonstrations I saw I think my father was the only one who did any partner work at all.

The event: Taiji for all 2026. Showcasing various Taiji practitioners across Singapore.

That was one of the main reflections I had during the Singapore leg. That it seems like partner work is less and less frequently practiced in a lot of schools these days. I can understand the reluctance to teach or practice it. Finding the right person to work with is also hard. Especially if ego is involved. Lastly feedback given through the practice may not necessarily be accurate. However, very few people in life will be able to experience another person’s body in the way that partner work provides. Doing Taiji without partner work is like learning to drive without going out of the carpark. At some point the skills you develop need to be experienced in the real world.

Push hands. An activity that many Taiji practitioners do not like to do.

China

Since we went to Singapore already my father thought it would be a good opportunity to go from there to China and reconnect with the other schools within the Huang system. Last year he went to the Chongqing school and this year he sought to visit another province. We arrived in the city of Jinan in the Shandong province of China. As the plane was descending, I saw what I thought was haze in the city. I was later told that this was just fog as the weather was changing seasons. I admonished myself for my quick judgement to stereotype the place.

The fog in Jinan which I mistook for haze.

Jinan is a city that is full of natural springs. 72 to be precise. In the past the springs were used for everything. Cooking, drinking, washing, swimming. However, with a population of approximately 9.2 million people this was no longer possible without affecting the water quality of the streams. Nowadays, the springs and the streams that feed the lake are more an aesthetic attraction. I found it very beautiful as it balances out the feeling of a modern city with the depth of history and tradition. As you walk through the city, especially places close to the older districts, there are various walkways with streams nearby. These are even lit up at night. Although most uses of the springs are no longer allowed, throughout the city there are places where people can get fresh spring water directly as it flows out. I saw locals carrying big 15kg bottles to fill up for their own cooking. Imagine that! A city with fresh spring water that anyone can use. What a dream…

The springs in Jinan decorate the city. Especially in the old quarters.

Training with the local school began at 5am and ran until 7am. In this group there were also students from Chongqing who flew over to train too. The dedication that these students had, to take time off their work life, fly over and to come practice Taiji was something that I respected very much. Mornings were spent training wherever we could find space. Sometimes in the empty courtyard of shops, other times in parking lots and exercise areas. When it was raining we trained under the cover of buildings. It didn’t matter where and I love that. Below is an example of some of the places we trained.

Training in the Jinan school which was an apartment that they converted to a training hall

Training outside a store front in Qingdao to avoid the rain.

Group photo with the Jinan and Chongqing school

Many nights were filled with delicious food and Chinese spirits (the alcoholic kind). A word of warning for any traveler comes to China and drinks alcohol…. If they know you drink it will be hard to say no haha.

Eventually there were talks of how we could continue the learning and connection in the future and potential ideas for coming back. Returning to New Zealand the ideas solidified: Lets bring a few students over to China for training together. With that we have decided that in May next year (17th to 23rd) we would like to do a seminar in China. For anyone interested in this please click here for more info.

Even though I have never lived in China, and haven’t been back to Singapore in awhile there is a feeling of familiarity in these places. In Chinese there is a saying: “落叶归根” - a falling leaf returns to its roots. Traveling here feels strangely like traveling back. Even though I have never called this place home before.