Beijing 2005
by Josh Hehr
by Josh Hehr
My experiences thus far with the Yin Cheng Gong Fa group have been some
of the most enriching, inspiring, and fulfilling events of my life. The opportunity
to study Chinese martial arts from such a rich lineage as this, to practice with
others with common interests and drives, to become more of a whole and
healthy individual. So when invited to join the Beijing trip I knew that I had to
get myself there at any cost. The chance to see Beijing, to learn from the best
teachers China has to offer, practice with my 'brothers', everything to me was
priceless. I had a wonderful time getting to know my gong fu family; the other
students and my teachers here in the States and Beijing. A handful of the guys
I knew from Pittsburgh already, and the others I had met only briefly. I was
worried at first about fitting in, being the 'youngest' member of the group, but
my fears were dispelled as we spent some life-changing experiences together,
and we all had such great times.
I have to say that our teachers all were very gracious hosts, treating us to
meals, inviting us into their homes, sacrificing their time, taking care of all
aspects of the trip, and most importantly sharing with us their knowledge of
Chinese martial arts.
of the most enriching, inspiring, and fulfilling events of my life. The opportunity
to study Chinese martial arts from such a rich lineage as this, to practice with
others with common interests and drives, to become more of a whole and
healthy individual. So when invited to join the Beijing trip I knew that I had to
get myself there at any cost. The chance to see Beijing, to learn from the best
teachers China has to offer, practice with my 'brothers', everything to me was
priceless. I had a wonderful time getting to know my gong fu family; the other
students and my teachers here in the States and Beijing. A handful of the guys
I knew from Pittsburgh already, and the others I had met only briefly. I was
worried at first about fitting in, being the 'youngest' member of the group, but
my fears were dispelled as we spent some life-changing experiences together,
and we all had such great times.
I have to say that our teachers all were very gracious hosts, treating us to
meals, inviting us into their homes, sacrificing their time, taking care of all
aspects of the trip, and most importantly sharing with us their knowledge of
Chinese martial arts.
The training was intense, One aspect of working with our uncles that I found interesting was to
see high-level skill, and not only that but the different shapes that these skills can take. Each
of our uncles have their own unique flavor for the martial arts, their personalities only
amplified their skill. Zhao Zeren would walk into the room nicely dressed, with his hair combed
back neatly but in an instant he explodes and becomes raw power, an immense force like a
wild animal. When he would demonstrate a technique (usually throwing Strider across the
room) he looks like a beast, his face intense, his hair is all disheveled, but when he's through,
he stands up runs his hands through his hair, and once again is the gentleman that walked
through the door moments ago. Lu Shengli has an intensity in his own right. His movements
are sudden, powerful and almost imperceptible, very serpentine. Gu Yun is very quite humble,
very still and quiet. Don't let his demeanor fool you, his strength and accuracy caught many of
us off guard. Our teacher in the states, Shifu Zhang Yun, has the skill of the others but his
force is more mellow, tossing you with ease because he'll borrow your force so that if you try
to beat him hard, you end up beating yourself harder! We learned so much from all of them,
from basics and beyond, I've got enough to work on now to last me ages!
The meals were incredible, and huge! We would sit at large tables and order many dishes,
spinning the food around a lazy suzanne trying tastes of this and that. The meals were so
large that often we couldn't finish them, Zhang Laoshi would come over to our table and poke
at us saying to eat more! I often found the meal more intimidating than the training!
The sites we visited were awe-inspiring: the Forbidden City, Tian Tan Park, Summer Palace,
the Great Wall, Yong He Gong, White Cloud Temple, seeing the Peking Opera, so many
things! It was amazing to experience the older aspects of the Chinese culture, mixed with the
new.
One of the things that we did that made me feel very fortunate for was visiting Master Wang's
grave. The cemetery set in the mountains surrounding Beijing was beautiful in and of itself.
There we got to meet some of Master Wang's sons, and other family members. We burned
money and charms in honor of Master Wang, which was something very special that our
group was able to participate in. I'm very thankful that his family allowed us to be part of his
ceremony.
There were so many aspects of this trip that were very profound and inspiring, I feel very lucky
that I was able to go, see, and do the things we did. I have to thank everyone involved:
Strider, thanks for teaching and bringing me into the fold; Clayton, thanks for the lessons and
advice, The NYC crew Tito, Frank, Jason, and Peter; David, Milos, and Dmitry; my PGH
brothers, our uncles Zhao Laoshi, Lu Loashi, and Gu Laoshi; but most importantly Shifu
Zhang Yun for sharing his knowledge and making so many sacrifices for all of us. Thank You!
see high-level skill, and not only that but the different shapes that these skills can take. Each
of our uncles have their own unique flavor for the martial arts, their personalities only
amplified their skill. Zhao Zeren would walk into the room nicely dressed, with his hair combed
back neatly but in an instant he explodes and becomes raw power, an immense force like a
wild animal. When he would demonstrate a technique (usually throwing Strider across the
room) he looks like a beast, his face intense, his hair is all disheveled, but when he's through,
he stands up runs his hands through his hair, and once again is the gentleman that walked
through the door moments ago. Lu Shengli has an intensity in his own right. His movements
are sudden, powerful and almost imperceptible, very serpentine. Gu Yun is very quite humble,
very still and quiet. Don't let his demeanor fool you, his strength and accuracy caught many of
us off guard. Our teacher in the states, Shifu Zhang Yun, has the skill of the others but his
force is more mellow, tossing you with ease because he'll borrow your force so that if you try
to beat him hard, you end up beating yourself harder! We learned so much from all of them,
from basics and beyond, I've got enough to work on now to last me ages!
The meals were incredible, and huge! We would sit at large tables and order many dishes,
spinning the food around a lazy suzanne trying tastes of this and that. The meals were so
large that often we couldn't finish them, Zhang Laoshi would come over to our table and poke
at us saying to eat more! I often found the meal more intimidating than the training!
The sites we visited were awe-inspiring: the Forbidden City, Tian Tan Park, Summer Palace,
the Great Wall, Yong He Gong, White Cloud Temple, seeing the Peking Opera, so many
things! It was amazing to experience the older aspects of the Chinese culture, mixed with the
new.
One of the things that we did that made me feel very fortunate for was visiting Master Wang's
grave. The cemetery set in the mountains surrounding Beijing was beautiful in and of itself.
There we got to meet some of Master Wang's sons, and other family members. We burned
money and charms in honor of Master Wang, which was something very special that our
group was able to participate in. I'm very thankful that his family allowed us to be part of his
ceremony.
There were so many aspects of this trip that were very profound and inspiring, I feel very lucky
that I was able to go, see, and do the things we did. I have to thank everyone involved:
Strider, thanks for teaching and bringing me into the fold; Clayton, thanks for the lessons and
advice, The NYC crew Tito, Frank, Jason, and Peter; David, Milos, and Dmitry; my PGH
brothers, our uncles Zhao Laoshi, Lu Loashi, and Gu Laoshi; but most importantly Shifu
Zhang Yun for sharing his knowledge and making so many sacrifices for all of us. Thank You!
Yin Cheng Gong Fa Association North American Headquarters
Copyright © 2000 YCGF_NAH. All rights reserved.
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2005 Beijing Trip - Training and Visiting
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2005 Beijing Trip - Training and Visiting
Impression, Feeling, ...
Impression, Feeling, ...
