The first day I arrived in Shenzhen located in Guangdong Province China in 1992 I went to the nearest public park to observe the martial arts being practiced. Several people had mentioned to me that there was an instructor who was teaching Yang style Taijiquan. After observing the class, I introduced myself to a man named Mei Ying Sheng. Mei Ying Sheng, a 63 year old retired doctor of western and traditional Chinese medicine, has been practicing medicine for more than 40 years. Mei began his study of Yang style Taijiquan in the early 1960's with several famous Yang style Taijiquan instructors. Mei was a student of the late Fu Zhongwen as well as a student of 92 year old Zhao Bin and 90 year old Yang Zhaoxi. In 1983 he was given the title of "China's Top Master Instructor" during the National Martial Arts Conference in Beijing. Presently, Mei is a Board of Directors for the International Yongnian Taiji Association located in Yongnian County, Hebei Province. For the last decade Mei has been able to utilize his 40 years of medical experience to enhance the health promoting effects of Yang style Taijiquan.

The first day of instruction with Mei was a lecture on the principles of Taijiquan as related to the Yin and Yang symbol, also known as the Taiji Diagram. Taijiquan originated out of a history of over two thousand years. Its sources can be traced back to various classics such as the "Daodejing" and the "Yijing". These classic documents viewed Taiji as a universal phenomena contained within everything throughout the cosmos. This "Universal Viewpoint of Taiji" led to many advances in astronomy, geography, medicine, literature, mathematics, physics as well as martial arts in ancient China. In terms of Taijiquan, Mei stated that each and every move within Taijiquan, Taiji straightsword, broadsword, and other forms should adhere to the principles of the Taiji Diagram. That is to say, Taiji movements must be circular, even, and natural. Without this it is not Taijiquan. Every movement must contain a portion of the Taiji Diagram or "Taiji Fish" [the tear drop shape] in order to conform to this principle. An example that most people will understand is in the "Commence Taiji" posture at the beginning of the open hand routine. "When the hands begin to move up from the sides of the legs with the use of Peng (wardoff) energy, they trace the outside portion of the Taiji Fish's tail; the hands continue moving up and out to the front tracing the back of the fish and finally the top of the head when the hands reach shoulder level. Next the elbows sink to draw the hands in toward the body utilizing Lu (rollback) energy. The hands then sink down tracing out the face of the fish . The hands relax and move slightly forward using Ji (press) energy and down to trace out the neck and chest of the fish. Finally, the hands lower down and in toward the waist using An (push) energy to trace out the abdomen and inside portion of the fish's tail." From a side view of this movement, one can visually observe the hands drawing out the one side of the Taiji Diagram. By moving the hands, arms, and legs in this manner, the practitioner can maximize movement to aid in circulation and massage of the muscles and acupuncture meridians. The muscles within the entire body will be exercised, toned, and stretched far more than other forms of physcial movement. Mei noted that people who conform to this type of movement will in no time feel the sensations of internal energy (qi) and an increased flow of blood into the arms and hands. All postures and transitions within the traditional Yang style should contain the flowing, circular pattern of the Taiji Diagram no matter if it is the arms or the legs.

Yang style Taijiquan is an upright, full, and rounded style and has an artistically beautiful flavor produced from the regulation of the Taiji Diagram. Just as Yang Chengfu had once said: "no matter what the posture or movement is there must either be large circles, small circles, half circles, and the steps must be based on emptiness and fullness; all of which are manifestations of the Taiji Diagram". Even though some of the spiral {silk reeling} movements generated out of the Taiji Diagram in Yang style are not as obvious as those found in the Chen style, the naturally harmonious silk reeling movements of Yang style give the over 650 muscles found within the body a very beneficial workout and massage. This motion will improve the quality of the muscles (of all the muscles in the body, only one third are used in daily life) that are commonly used in daily life. By conforming to the Taiji Diagram, one will enhance the circulation of blood and internal energy and will also produce a massaging effect on the internal organs. Mei Ying Sheng feels that Taijiquan should not only be a form of martial art, but also a means to develop good health and a way to combat disease.

According to Mei Ying Sheng there are three ways in which Taijiquan is practiced. The first is when the practitioner does not have any understanding of Taiji principles and methods. The practitioner simply imitates the movements as a way of slow motion walking. The movements are empty and do not develop any type of internal strength. The second way is when the practitioner understands some of the principles and methods of Taijiquan. At this level, the practitioner still cannot completely express the principles and methods throughout the entire sequence of movements in the form, but has the ability to apply the principles with strict conscious thought. One can say that this level of understanding is good since most people cannot attain the third level. In the third level, the practitioner has a complete understanding of the principles and methods of Taijiquan and can express these within all the postures found in Taijiquan. Accordingly, Mei has found it is extemely difficult to find anyone who can demonstrate this kind of skill in today's society. By learning the principles and methods behind Taijiquan as well as understanding the traditional philosophical thoughts of China's ancient civilization, the practitioner will be able to bring more meaning and satisfaction to one's everyday life.

It is important for the practitioner to not only learn the movements of the form correctly, but also to master the following objectives in order to truly conform to the essence of Taiji: 1) One must read and understand the various classics writings on Daoism and Taiji such as the "Daodejing", "Yijing", Wang Zongyue's "Discussions on Taijiquan", Yang Chengfu's "Practice of Taijiquan" and the "Ten Essentials of Taijiquan", and other related documents. Without following the principles set up in these documents, one will not completely comprehend the true nature of Taijiquan. 2) One must conform to the principles and requirements of qigong theory; that is to say, one should aquire knowledge in the basic foundation of Chinese medical theory with regards the acupuncture meridian network and the circulation of internal energy. 3) One must conform to the principles of motion mechanics in martial arts theory. 4) One must conform to the artistic beauty found within the postures of Taijiquan. Not only should the movements conform to martial theory and application, but they should also be aesthetically appealing to the eyes. Taijiquan is considered a national treasure and a very profound form of expression. Mei says the pratitioner should always strive to make Taiji movements radiate with energy and spirit.

In order to make learning Taiji conform to the above requirements, Mei teaches each posture by first demonstrating the individual movement, then explains the hand, eye, body, and stepping methods of the posture; following he then combines the components of the move into the overall posture. After the student comprehends the overall motion, Mei then discusses and demonstrates the practical martial applications, qigong theory, artistic appearance, and the classical theories and principles behind the particular posture. Mei emphasizes to all of his students that after leaving the classroom setting, one must practice over and over to develop true skill. A proverb that he often said states that, "ten percent goes into study (classroom) and ninety percent goes into practice (out of classroom)".

Mei Ying Sheng explains that the practice of Taijiquan must also abide to one's own health and medical background in order to benefit from practice. For example, a person with a chronic illness should place more emphasis on the curative nature of Taijiquan to help treat a particular problem and regain optimal health. A young, strong, and healthy person, however, should place more emphasis on the physiological functions of the body to improve internal strength, develop martial technique, increase one's brain power or intelligence, and various other goals needed to survive in today's fast-paced society. I once brought up the fact that many Americans are too busy to put much emphasis on the learning and practice of Taijiquan. In response to this, Mei Ying Sheng replied that there are 24 hours to a day. All that is needed to really benefit from Taijiquan is one hour. That leaves 23 hours for the person to be busy with whatever he or she may be doing, be it working, studying, sleeping, or eating. To illustrate this, Mei pointed out that the practice of the traditional 85 (sometimes noted as 108) posture Yang long routine will take approximately 20 minutes to perform while the traditional 54 posture Taiji straightsword and Thirteen posture Taiji broadsword will take approximately half an hour to complete. By practicing Taijiquan for one hour each day, it will help to greatly enhance the productivity of those other 23 hours. For example, a person who practices Taijiquan for one hour each day might only sleep seven hours a night rather than the usual eight hours. Mei states that the quality of these seven hours of sleep will be much greater than eight if Taijiquan is practiced. Consequently, this one hour of practice in actuality will give the practitioner more in return than the sleep that might have been taken in the night. No matter what the circumstance, the effects of this one hour of practice will be able to increase vitality, brain functions, and improve upon the remaining 16 hours of work and/or study. To Mei Ying Sheng this means that people who are over-stressed due to work, school, and/or living condition should try to find the time to learn Taijiquan to help cope with these problems. This will greatly reduce one's stress level and will help to reduce the chance of illness. Mei often said that "the practice of Taijiquan uses the shortest amount of time to achieve the greatest results".

On the last night of my stay in China, Mei Ying Sheng brought to my attention that Taijiquan could be used in the USA to help combat what he calls "the diseases of society". That is to say, the diseases that are affecting many people living in our modern world such as cancer, heart disease, hypertension, obesity, and nervous system disorders. He feels that Taijiquan is one of the best tools to aid in the prevention and/or treatment of these ailments. Mei told me that Taijiquan was able to help many of his students lose weight, normalize blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, get relief from insomnia, and even treat cancer.

"Not only does Taijiquan aid in the promotion of health in individuals, but it also is a way for people to get together and become friends." In the park where Mei Ying Sheng teaches Yang style Taijiquan, there are numerous groups of people who get together each morning to practice Taijiquan and to socialize. Mei feels that Taijiquan brings people together in a peaceful and nurturing way to make people's lives more meaningful. This is very important for the older generation who need to feel the support of the community. "By practicing Taijiquan in groups, these people build a bond of friendship that brings many rewards." Consequently, Taijiquan has brought about numerous improvements to China's society over the recent years.

Before leaving China, Mei told me that he hopes that Americans will eventually find Taijiquan as meaningful as the Chinese people. He continued on to say that before this happens though, Taijiquan needs to be medically researched in which long-term testing is conducted to provide scientific evidence for the curative effects of Taijiquan. In this way, more people will be inclined to take up Taijiquan as a form of exercise to better their health. Over the years, Mei has conducted several studies on the effects Taijiquan has on blood pressure. His findings have shown that Taijiquan has had marked impact on the reduction of blood pressure for those with hypertension. However, due to lack of funding in China he has been unable to utilize up-to-date instrumentation to support the evidence. It is his hope that the American medical community will provide support for those willing to research the health benefits of Taijiquan.

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