On a Tuesday morning in Shanghai, I woke up only expecting to learn and practice some basic Tai Chi, so I went to EF Headquarter not knowing the marvels after the lesson. This was my second time taking Tai Chi at EF Wellness Center where the master is Nicholas who is the 70th Indoor Disciple of Master Chen Zhonghua.
Peterson Lui and Chen Zhonghua in Shanghai on July 9, 2018.
While teaching me the basic of Tai Chi, he was able to demonstrate with the simplicity of the movement the power and strength that comes from knowing Tai Chi. I watched a bunch of TV and movie but this was the first time seeing Tai Chi in person. It was an eye opener for me. For some other students that Nicolas had, Tai Chi seemed magical but he reminded me that it is a science. Maggie and I did an hour and fifteen minutes of significant training with Nicolas.
After training, he was gracious enough to invite us to see his master which was an incredible surprise since I was unable to attend his workshop. We walked outside the headquarter around the corner to the hotel where he was staying at. We met Steven Lan at the lobby and he took us to see the International Standard Bearer of the Practical Method Master Chen Zhonghua. I greeted him with a warmly handshake and he invited us into his room. He was on his way to host another workshop I believe in Vancouver and then to San Francisco. We decided to go downstairs as he needed to checkout. There was a table in front of the hotel where we placed his bags in front of the table and sat down with Master Chen as he spread a miniscule piece of his wisdom and knowledge he had accumulated through the years on to us.
He told me to shred my muscles as it is inconsistent and that the tissue fibers need to be smooth as air in order for you to move swiftly and robotically. He compared it to rocks and how it is rough and inconsistent but if you break down the rock down to finer pieces which can be turns to glass you will have something that is smooth and consistently flowing. He demonstrated with a handshake where he told me to grip his hand and he showed me how I was using all of my muscle from my bicep to my forearm. Whereas when he gripped my hand he was only using his strength from his hand and not the forearm or the bicep. He was able to pull me towards him without moving his body showing his power, energy, control, timing and consistency.
I enjoyed learning from him in the short time frame I had with him as he was able to open my eyes of the benefits and science of Tai Chi. Unfortunately, he had to go to his next location but it was truly a great experience to meet the International Standard Bearer of the Practical Method Master Chen Zhonghua and hopefully I would be able to attend his workshop one day. Thanks for the knowledge, wisdom and your time. I really appreciated the get together and thanks again to Nicolas for inviting us to meet you. Hope to see you soon.
