Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy

Tai Ji Men's amazing performance kicks off the 2017 Summer Universiade

Tai Ji Ancient Tactical Formation will be demonstrated to the world for the first time

The 2017 Summer Universiade will start on Aug. 19, with athletes competing from over 140 nations. This is a great opportunity to let the world see Taiwan and an occasion for sports competition and cultural exchanges. The awe-inspiring overture to the event will be presented by Tai Ji Men at the Taipei Municipal Stadium at 6:00 p.m. Tai Ji Men’s ancient Tai Ji Formation, titled ’Passing on the Torch, Heart to Heart,’ will be publicly presented for the first time in thousands of years. What it will demonstrate is something extremely powerful that the world has never seen before--the ever-changing formation containing sub-formations as Tai Ji Men dizi (similar to student) will constantly move and change the formation. Its spectacular 9-minute performance will allow spectators from all angles to enjoy an unforgettable and inspirational experience. Before the real event, the event organizer will not disclose the content of the programs for the opening day. To show the host country’s profound and extensive culture, the organizer especially invited Tai Ji Men, which had been invited to perform during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Among the 268 Tai Ji Men dizi who will perform at the 2017 Summer Universiade are those who participated in the cultural performance during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and are now middle-aged or in their 20s or 30s. This shows the spirit of passing on the torch of culture, and this time Tai Ji Men’s performance is even more magnificent than that in 2000.

Tai Ji Men’s formation, ’Passing on the Torch, Heart to Heart,’ will allow people to gain a better understanding of the notion that the highest spirit in sports is to spread peace. Tai Ji Men, an ancient menpai (similar to school) of qigong, martial arts, and self-cultivation, has preserved ancient wisdom of yin and yang. Tai Ji Men shifu (master) passes his kungfu to his dizi and guides them to cultivate their hearts and practice qigong. With years of qigong practice as the foundation, Tai Ji Men dizi work seamlessly with one another on the field. With one heart and with their hearts united with their qi (energy), they will constantly move and smoothly display various formations. Doing so is quite physically taxing and more than ordinary people can endure. People will see Tai Ji Men dizi waving the commanding flag, five-color flags, swords, shields, staffs, double sticks, and all sorts of weaponry and young ladies performing sword dance in the center of the field. The five-color flags symbolize peaceful coexistence of the five continents and also wish all athletes from around the world to set new records. Tai Ji Men young ladies will form various formations while delivering graceful and powerful sword dance. Their dance is heartwarming and contains deep meanings. In the course of their dance, swords of righteousness will appear to symbolize upholding justice, and 7-star swords will appear to point to the light of hope. Young Tai Ji Men members, some with double sticks or staffs in their hands, will infuse youthful vitality and creativity into swift martial arts moves to spread powerful positive energy to improve the world’s destiny. Those holding swords and other weaponry will also gallantly safeguard their homes and the nation while transmitting good energy. These different formations containing ancient wisdom are precious cultural treasures as well as artistic presentation of qigong and martial arts.

Cheng-Fang Ma, former Deputy Minister of Transportation of Taiwan, stated that Tai Ji Men is very admirable. The performers’ movements are perfectly synchronized, and their shouts are full of positive energy. The peace that Tai Ji Men promotes is what the world needs, added Ma. Wen-Yi Lin, a famous writer, said that he hopes that all 7 billion people of the world can see this, which displays the strength of Taiwan and Tai Ji Men dizi’s unity, beauty, and loyalty. He also said that through Chinese culture Tai Ji Men’s shifu teaches his dizi the paradigms for cultivating their hearts and practicing qigong. Through the Summer Universiade, Taiwan’s beauty will be discovered, added Lin. Yin-Zhi Chang, a professor at Stanford University mentioned that Tai Ji Men’s performance is extremely amazing. She hopes that this energy and spirit can be shared with the athletes.

Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy, representing Taipei Martial Arts Association to perform in the event, has long been dedicated to international cultural exchanges. It has been invited multiple times to perform in international events. During the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Tai Ji Men was the only cultural group of qigong and martial arts to be invited to perform in the Olympic Park. Jing-Guo Wu, member of the International Olympic Committee, said that the performance of Chinese culture during the Olympic Games has a positive meaning, and Tai Ji Men’s ideal is in line with the spirit of the Olympic Games, added Wu. He especially extended his gratitude and respect to Tai Ji Men. Chao Hsiung Hong, former president of Chinese Martial Arts Association said that although martial arts have not been incorporated into the Olympic Games, Chinese martial arts are already famous all over the world. He mentioned that, during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Tai Ji Men’s unprecedented performance of qigong and martial arts in the Olympic Park were well received by athletes and spectators from around the world.

In 2001, Tai Ji Men received First Place in Martial Arts and Kung Fu Group Demonstration at the 8th World Cup International Martial Arts Championship and was awarded the first place in 4 competitions, including Internal Quan (Chinese boxing), External Quan, Weaponry, and Qigong. Tai Ji Men was also bestowed the ’World Top’ Outstanding Performance Golden Award. That is a rare feat in international martial arts tournaments. The Japanese chief judge at the 8th World Cup International Martial Arts Championship, Mr. Sawamura stated that he was privileged to witness Tai Ji Men’s martial achievements. Under the leadership of Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, Zhang-men-ren (grandmaster) of Tai Ji Men, Tai Ji Men’s martial arts are truly amazing. In particular, Tai Ji Men’s formation is unpredictable and ever-changing. That really demonstrated what martial arts are about, added Mr. Sawamura.

To let the world see Taiwan and experience the profundity of the excellent Chinese culture, Tai Ji Men will present a spectacular performance under the theme of ’Passing on the Torch, Heart to Heart,’ which contains very deep meanings. Hsia Chin, a Tai Ji Men dizi who has followed Dr. Hong to conduct cultural exchanges across the planet, said, ’Our performance conveys the idea that the origin of martial arts lies in the strong bond between the shifu and dizi and the shifu’s passing on his kungfu to his dizi. Our martial arts display the aesthetics of the unity of the heart and qi (energy). Our martial morality shows that the highest level of martial arts is to stop war and promote goodness.’ In the past three months, Tai Ji Men dizi from all corners of Taiwan have traveled to Taipei to practice together under the hot summer sun. They come from all walks of life, including students, teachers, CPAs, medical doctors, prosecutors, grocers, plumbers, business owners, tech workers, etc. Many of them have conducted cultural exchanges abroad and have touching stories to tell. Tai Ji Men especially demonstrated its ancient formation for the first time in six thousand years to wish the event to be successful, all athletes to surpass themselves and promote sportsmanship, and all people to foster global peace and coexistence. With the 2017 Summer Universiade just around the corner, the people of Taiwan are showing support for the event and feel enthusiastic about the pursuit of excellence in sports and the thrill of overcoming limitations.