Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy

Tai Ji Men Celebrates the Year of the Dragon

Celestial Dragons Roaming the World, Blessing All Living Things on Earth

The event was attended by over 100 people, including Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s representative Jimmy Wu; California State Treasurer Fiona Ma’s representative George Herrera, Arcadia Council Member Eileen Wang, Monterey Park Council Member Yvonne Yiu, Vice President of Pasadena School District Board Jennifer Hall Lee, and residents from various communities.

Tai Ji Men also received kind wishes and praise from many influential leaders and their offices, including the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Senator Alex Padilla, Congressman Ted W. Lieu, LA Mayor Karen Bass, San Marino Mayor Steven Huang, Temple City Mayor William Man, the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, the Consulate General of Romania in Los Angeles, and San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Ted Alejandre and the Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles.

The event kicked off with the majestic Tai Ji Men Drum Performance, transmitting positive energy through unified drum beats. This was followed by the auspicious lion dance, wishing everyone a happy New Year.

Yuda Lin, representing Tai Ji Men members in the Los Angeles area, delivered Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze’s welcome remarks on his behalf. Dr. Hong pointed out the important role conscience plays in a person’s life: “The principle of Yin and Yang balance in Tai Ji represents the highest wisdom of the universe. Faced with a changing environment, by utilizing the wisdom to achieve balance, we can attain physical and mental health and a fulfilling life. The key to balance lies in each person’s conscience.”

He also emphasized, "Conscience is the source of the purest energy inherent in everyone’s heart, guiding us to make the right decisions. I encourage every one of us to spend five minutes in quiet meditation daily, sending out heartfelt blessings to the world, earnestly reflecting on ourselves, and motivating ourselves to do more good deeds to atone for our mistakes. We sincerely hope for a world where everyone follows their conscience, leading to global peace, and where everyone is joyful, ensuring happiness in every family."

On behalf of California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, George Herrera presented certificates of recognition to Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy and Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze. Treasurer Ma also sent a letter to Tai Ji Men to wish the event a great success. She stated, “I commend the Academy for its commitment to fostering world peace through martial arts, volunteerism, and community engagement. The Academy is propelling the world to greater mutual respect and prosperity, one student at a time, through youth development and promoting healthy lifestyles.”


LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s representative, Jimmy Wu, attended the gathering and presented a certificate of recognition to Tai Ji Men on her behalf. In her video message, Supervisor Barger stated, “I’m honored to extend my best wishes as we celebrate the Year of the Dragon.” “The dragon offers a beautiful reminder that despite any challenge we may face, there are opportunities for growth and strength as a result.” She encouraged everyone to be courageous and hopeful by saying, "When we are confronted with an obstacle, we don’t have to avoid it or fear it. We can rise to meet any challenge when we remember the power we have inside of us.”
Arcadia City Councilmember Eileen Wang presented a certificate of recognition to Tai Ji Men and wished everyone happiness, health, and prosperity in the Year of the Dragon. She expressed that she attended the grand opening celebration of Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy in Pasadena last October. She was very impressed by the happy smiles on Tai Ji Men members’ faces and the powerful positive energy radiating from Tai Ji Men’s leader Dr. Hong and the Academy. She greatly enjoyed Tai Ji Men’s cultural performances and had shared the benefits of Tai Ji Men Qigong with others. Attending this Lunar New Year gathering, she once again experienced abundant joy and positive energy, expressing her intention to continue participating in Tai Ji Men’s future events.

San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Ted Alejandre sent a video message, emphasizing, “Tai Ji Men is truly supporting the communities they serve by encouraging healthier lifestyles, fostering impactful connections, and nurturing unity. We appreciate your work and the positive impact it has on our society.”

The dignitaries were invited to share their hopes for the new year. Supervisor Barger’s representative, Jimmy Wu, extended wishes for good health to all. Treasurer Ma’s representative, George Herrera, expressed a desire for everyone to have opportunities to expand their minds and to move forward. Vice President Jennifer Hall Lee emphasized a renewed focus on education and holistic child development. Council Member Yvonne Yiu wished everyone luck, good health, and safety. Afterwards, they led the audience in a moment of silence to pray for the world. Subsequently, through the rhythmic beats of ceremonial drums, they sent their wishes out into the world.

Next, Tai Ji Men presented its Celestial Dragon. As soon as the Dragon appeared, the guests became extremely excited, feeling the warm energy emanating from the Dragon. Tai Ji Men’s Celestial Dragon is unique because under the guidance of Tai Ji Men’s shifu (grandmaster) and his wife, its members ventured into the mountains to select suitable bamboo, crafting the dragon’s skeleton and meticulously sewing the dragon’s exterior stitch by stitch. With the shifu and dizi (apprentice) united as one, over a dozen Tai Ji Men Dragons of various shapes and colors have been created, spreading abundant blessings and energy to people on different occasions.

In the event, the Celestial Dragon was maneuvered by nine Tai Ji Men members, ranging in age from 64 to 12, including a pharmacist, engineers, and students. The youngest were Halvard and Aaron, aged 12 and 14 respectively. As the Dragon’s skeleton is made of bamboo and quite heavy, it poses a significant challenge to maneuver it. Tai Ji Men members practiced the dragon formation on weekends for a period of two months. Throughout the practice, they trained their physical strength, cultivated perseverance in the face of challenges, learned coordination, offered mutual encouragement, and fostered the spirit of unity and cooperation. They presented the Dragon featuring its spirit of compassion, courage, and true wisdom to inspire others. Halvard’s parents were thrilled and honored to see him and the other Tai Ji Men brothers work together to successfully complete this challenging performance. They felt that the entire process was very beneficial for the growth of their child.

Following this, Tai Ji Men young female members presented a silk umbrella dance, where the rotating umbrellas symbolized the continuous circulation of positive energy and blessings, spreading goodwill to every corner of the world, making it a better place.

The youngsters at Tai Ji Men brought forth the Happy Drum, imparting joyous energy to everyone and leading them forward happily, paving the way for a peaceful and prosperous 2024. The audience gave enthusiastic applause for the elegant silk umbrella dance as well as the energetic and cheerful drum performance.

Tai Ji Men members are from various ethnicities, professions, and age groups. Among them is William "Mickey" Stevenson, an 87-year-old former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels, who, along with his wife Michelle, recently joined Tai Ji Men to practice qigong. Mickey enthusiastically shared that through practicing Tai Ji Men Qigong, he feels like he’s ten years younger. His body, mind, and soul have all become healthier. He shared the benefits of Tai Ji Men Qigong with many people, including the renowned singer Stevie Wonder. Mickey’s agility and vitality at his advanced age left the audience astounded, prompting them to burst into enthusiastic applause following his sharing.

Tai Ji Men’s cultural performances concluded with a happy note as the Celestial Official, together with the Auspicious Lions, bestowed blessings upon all. In addition to the wonderful cultural performances, the event also featured traditional Lunar New Year customs such as crafting spring couplets. Additionally, there was an endorsement of declarations including the Declaration of International Day of Conscience, the Declaration of World Day of the Power of Hope, and the Declaration of World Prayer Day. This endorsement initiative sought to awaken individuals’ conscience, ignite their hope, encourage them to pray for global well-being, and engage in acts of kindness, thereby fostering improvement within themselves, their communities, nations, and the world at large.