Baji in mainland China?

[Brad]

Does anyone know where to find good traditional Baji in mainland China?

[RAF]

Brad:

That is really tough. We visited Xian in 1998 and Ma Shan Da who is pretty famous and thorough in baji, tongbei and is in the Li Shu Wen lineage. He also has 2 or 3 brothers teaching but my guess is that it is hard to break in.

I read about the Yan Gaofei's trip to China and training with one of the brothers (Internal Arts Magazine). Here is the link. They mention it in their newsletter and I bet they could help:

http://www.americanchentaichi.com/

Check out their newsletter and also pictures of their China trip.

Cangzhou, in the Hebei province, home of baji and Wu Lianzhi is a pretty tough place for outsiders, including native Chinese.

Good luck!

[Brad]

Hey RAF, a bit off topic, but do you know anything about a Dr. Wong here in Columbus? One of GM Liu's students?

[Brad]

Oh, and thanks for the reply. I'd like to make a return trip to mainland China, and am trying to decide where to go. It'll probably be a couple years before I've got the $$$.

[RAF]

Hello Brad:

Dr. Huang has a Ph.D. in Chemistry and taught a friend of mine in the mid 1980s. I did not think he was teaching publicly. I have had dinner with him after one of the Jeff Nayres's tournaments and he often comes here for the Hall of Fame. I find him very friendly and approachable. I understand he is quite legitimate and Tony was very good friends with his brother in Taiwan who also is a formal student. He has a da qiang and still trains but I understand that his business takes him out of the country quite often.

Were you in Qingdao this summer for the tournament? I missed it because of my wife's job but we hope to be in Beijing for 3 weeks this May.

You might look into doing a one year exchange student in Xian, Shaanxi province. Better yet, you might go there and teach English.

If I had my youth, I do the adventure thing in China for a year or so. Go for it soon before time passes you by. Martial arts aside, China has got to be one of the most interesting places in the world.

[Brad]

Honestly, I had a very negative experience with Dr. Huang yesterday, and since a couple people I was training with will be learning from him, I wanted to at least make sure his martial arts is legit. He was partners with An laoshi during the summer, but things went south very quickly. If you'd like to know more about what happened you can email me at bradbauman@att.net . I am interested in knowing more about his Taiji as he claimed it is old Yang style, and implied it is superior to An laoshi's, because his Yang comes from Yang Cheng Fu. We probably will not be atending the Hall of Fame tournement this year, and possibly not for a long time after. I'd still like to remain friendly with the Wutan group myself, though :-)

Thanks for the tips on China. I've been feeling restless here in Ohio, and in need of some "adventuring". An laoshi is an excellent Baji teacher, but sometimes it's nice to sample other metheods :-) I've never been to the Qingdao tournement before. We have a student there studying Chinese and An Laoshi hooked him up with some Tang Lang master while he's there. So far I've been to Beijing, Shanghai, and a few other places in between. Got lots of beautiful photographs :-)

[RAF]

Brad:

I'm sorry to hear about that. I like An Laoshi and Dr. Huang. Its probably best not to get in on it.

However, you can e-mail me anytime and keep in contact. I would prefer to stay out of the squabbles. I'm sorry you won't be making it to the Hall of Fame.

Shyt happens and martial artists aren't necessarily above it!

[RAF]

Brad:

This is posting from Cyberkwoon under general discussion, Tadzio. You might want to post the writer and ask him about his experiences in Xian and learning baji.

Xian has a large muslim population and you'll love the yang rou pao mo (lamb stew sort of) and the dumplings and noodles are outstanding.

Check it out. Go over and teach English for year and mayb you can hookup with the poster.

To have youth on your side is a real plus!
__________________________________________________ _
Thank you for the correction. I have checked out emptyflower.com. The layout is beautifull. Good job. I actually pm'ed 'Tadzio' but got no response. No wonder he wasn't able to tell me where in Shaanxi he was. I am also in Shaanxi. Xi'an to be exact. I am currently teaching English at Xidian. (Î÷¾üµç×ӿƼ¼´óѧ).

I have been training bajiquan and baquazhang and will look forward to seeing you on emptyflower.com. Maybee even in person seeing as you are in the same part of China as I.

°×ÀÖÎÄ

[Brad]

Thanks! I'll check it out :)