Iron chopsticks (Tie't Kuai Zi) kung fu magazine article.

[Xin Yi Liu He]

Someone mentioned to me in the latest article of kung fu magazine there is a article by a man called, Dr Johnny Jang. I am not familiar with this name and I do know that there is not a lot of people practicing this art, so I would like to know who he is affiliated to?

If there as anyone who could give me some information regarding him or his teachers, etc, I would be much appreciated.

It is always nice to find someone who practices the same art.

JB.

[Three Harmonies]

I believe he is part of the O Mei Kung fu group is he not? If it is the article I just saw, and the same guy I am thinking of (either of which could be 100% off BTW). Tony Chen I think might be with them somehow, no!?!
Sorry I cannot help more,
Jake :cool:


PS Interesting article though. Would have like to have seen more apps and fighting, then just form. But heh........interesting article on a rare subject. Anyone have anymore on the use of the chopsticks/tie ci = Iron Needles in Xing Yi?

[Xin Yi Liu He]

I believe he is part of the O Mei Kung fu group is he not? If it is the article I just saw, and the same guy I am thinking of (either of which could be 100% off BTW). Tony Chen I think might be with them somehow, no!?!
Sorry I cannot help more,
Jake :cool:


PS Interesting article though. Would have like to have seen more apps and fighting, then just form. But heh........interesting article on a rare subject. Anyone have anymore on the use of the chopsticks/tie ci = Iron Needles in Xing Yi?

Ask Doug Maverick, he said he comes fro Wang Jiwu line, they have Tie't Kuai Zi in their curriculum.

JB.

P.S, in the Dai iron chop sticks form, all it is, is Za Shi performed with the chop sticks, nothing that special.

[doug maverick]

i never learned the iron needles form but yes they are in wang ji wu's line. i mean their are alot of obvious aps within the form. but some tricky ones as well.

[GeneChing]

Dr. Jang has written for us a lot, mostly on xingyi, but he's also done some articles on hung gar. You'll find several of his articles in our archive (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/index.php). He also does taiji, bagua, aikibudo and wing chun. He's actually my double shixiong. Jang started with Sifu Wing Lam back before I was with Wing Lam; we never crossed paths there. He goes to China often, mostly Hong Kong and Guangdong, and studied there under numerous masters. He has also won a few national internal titles and trained a few internal champions; most recently, Ben Tang and James Israel were training under him. He used to teach at the San Leandro O-Mei Academy and is good friends with Tony Chen. However the San Leandro school closed a few months ago and the Milpitas location was too far away for Dr. Jang's regular commute (even though he has a cherry red Porsche with CA plates that read 'tai chi':cool:). The last time I heard from Dr. Jang, he was going to start his classes up again at U.S.A Kung Fu Studio with Sam Deng in Alameda.

As for the apps of the Iron Chopstick form, I've seen him teach it and the apps are mostly just xingyi with pointy things in your hands. He had a few 'kubuton'-like qinna moves, but mostly, it played out like xingyi. You just changed your hand so that instead of striking with your fist, you did it with your chopstick.

[Dale Dugas]

pointy things rock.

[GeneChing]

One of Dr. Jang's students is in auto repair (he had a notorious appearance in our mag (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42966)). He has access to all kinds of machinist friends, and they set to the task of making some intense steel chopsticks - just for fun, mind you. Jang used Korean metal chopsticks for the article (and for his practice) but those are light and skinny. He wanted something more formidable, like the big fat chopsticks you see at restaurants, only made of metal. So the two of them collaborated on it. I don't know if they're still working on those or if they finally reached their ultimate design.

[ngokfei]

I believe restaurant supply is where I saw some metal chopsticks made out of steel. Found that kind of funny because wouldn't heat travel up the metal and burn the cooks hands?:confused:

Definetly make them pointy. While its a nice trick to drive chopsticks into a wooden board its a whole different matter when trying that on flexible flesh.

Gene I really like the inclusion of forms once in awhile. Really makes the issue more collectable, IMO.

What's next?


So Omei is kind of like a Jing Wu like set up whre they have instructors from different styles come to teach programs?

I had thought they were just importing omei practitoners like the shaolin guys imported monks.

[GeneChing]

Forms can be a real hassle to lay out, but I like them too. The trick is finding a form that is short and simple enough to print. What I like about chopstick forms is that you could use pencils. It's basically changing xingyi fists to pointy things - a simple change for a xingyi practitioner - which is why I think this form works quite well in print.

There are definitely metal chopsticks available. The Koreans love them, but like I said, they tend to be skinny. I remember having a hilarious debate between some of our Chinese employees and Korean employees on the practicality of skinny metal Korean chopsticks. There are so many kinds of chopsticks.

[GeneChing]

A little OT but amusing none the less. There's a vid if you follow the link. I couldn't get it to embed here.


Baidu announces launch of 'smart chopsticks' that test food safety (http://shanghaiist.com/2014/09/04/baidu-smart-chopsticks.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/baidu-smartchopsticks.jpg

At its annual technology conference yesterday, Baidu announced the launch of "smart chopsticks" (called Kuaisou in Chinese) that the company claims can detect contamination in food, media reports said.

"The conceptual product 'smart chopsticks' we mentioned in April has come into production. The product can detect oils and the origin of food, which is a new way to sense the world," Baidu CEO Robin Li said at the conference.

The Wall Street Journal has more:

According to Baidu, the product measure the freshness of cooking oil. The chopsticks also will be able to measure PH levels and temperature and calories.

A price tag for the chopsticks hasn’t yet been announced, and the company said the product isn’t yet ready for mass production.

Watch a video to see how the product works:

By Lucy Liu

[GeneChing]

Chopsticks get jammed into boy's throat during scooter accident (http://shanghaiist.com/2014/12/19/chopsticks_get_jammed_into_boys_thr.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/katienelson/chopsticks-throat.jpg

You'll never wanna eat your food on the go again after seeing what happened to this kid in Hubei. The 12-year-old boy actually had a pair of steel chopsticks lodged into his throat as he was walking and eating some lunch.

The boy had just purchased the food and was walking back to school when he was hit by a woman on a scooter who was on her way to deliver some lunch to her own son. As the boy fell to the ground, the chopsticks pierced through his neck and became jammed into his throat.

Doctors were able to safely remove the chopsticks without harming the boy, a fortunate outcome considering the seemingly innocuous utensils can straight up kill a man.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYSM3C0mVa4

They really can penetrate the throat, just like in the movies. :eek:

[GeneChing]

A little OT. There's a vid if you follow the link. I couldn't get it to embed here.

I guess chopstick injuries are 'a thing' in China.



Toddler trips and gets a 2 ½ inch piece of a chopstick lodged in his brain (http://us.tomonews.net/toddler-trips-and-gets-a-2-%C2%BD-inch-piece-of-a-chopstick-lodged-in-his-brain-201062487064576)
The one year old was playing with a chopstick when he fell and jammed it up his nose and into his brain.
2015/03/06

A baby boy in Liaoning nicknamed Hang Hang suffered a terrible accident after he grabbed a chopstick and attempted to dash away with his prize.

Unfortunately, Hang Hang tripped and fell, stabbing himself up the nose with the chopstick.

His horrified parents removed the chopstick from his nose and rushed him to hospital. The doctor did a visual check of the 20 month old baby and told his parents they could take Hang Hang home.

However, a few days later Hang Hang began to run a fever and started vomiting. His parents took him back to the hospital where a pediatric surgeon performed a minorly invasive surgery to remove yellow pus oozing from the baby’s nose.

Hang Hang seemed to get better but then relapsed into a mild coma.

The doctors asked Hang Hang’s parents about the accident and if they’d removed the chopstick and they said they did. Hang Hang’s father had been so upset by the incident that he’d broken and thrown all the chopsticks in the house away.

Doctors then realized that part of the chopstick had broken off inside the baby’s brain. Hang Hang had an X-ray and they found something lodged inside his head.

Doctors then removed a two and a half inch long piece of the broken chopstick from Hang Hang’s brain during surgery.

Hang Hang is now recovering and he has woken up from his coma, but his parents and doctors won’t know the extent of the damage until he is older.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHOXbfjWJsU

[rauljasso]

The issue that features the chopsticks form is the January/February 2008 (the 100th issue). The masters' name is Dr. Johnny Jang, he also wrote an article on the chicken form of hsing-i ! (rooster actually) that is quite enjoyable Both collectors' items in my opinion. Good Luck

[GeneChing]

Xingyi Iron Chopsticks By Dr. Johnny Jang, JAN+FEB 2008 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=738)

[GeneChing]

If you're a facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Kung-Fu-Tai-Chi-Magazine-135964689362/)er, you've probably seen that trending chopstick hack about the joining chunk serving as a chopstick rest. I tried breaking a pair like that and it doesn't break clean at all. This is why:


Trending technique for breaking apart chopsticks turns out to be clever new design by Muji (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/02/16/trending-technique-for-breaking-apart-chopsticks-turns-out-to-be-clever-new-design-by-muji/)
Audrey Akcasu 4 days ago
Comments4

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/f5622915793783-562970e9da49b.jpg?w=580&h=435

A tweet seemingly suggesting a clever new way to snap apart disposable chopsticks turns out to be an awesome product prototype for Muji.

The last time you pulled apart a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks, chances are did it in such a way that you split the thicker, conjoined end pieces up the middle. But a recently trending tweet led to dozens of people mistakenly believing that not only were they doing it wrong the whole time, but there exists a much better way of snapping apart one’s hashi.

Posted by Twitter user @bortofdarkness the following photo took the Internet by storm, seemingly suggesting a new way to break apart any set of disposable chopsticks: just snap off the end piece. If true, this novel technique would not only leave a clean cut at the top, but also provide a handy hashioki, or a chopstick rest that keeps the end you grab your food with off the table.

▼ Too good to be true, right?


Follow
Hairy Panic (https://twitter.com/bortofdarkness/status/696921020054302720/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
‏@bortofdarkness
I.... I never knew *collapses onto floor crying*

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cav19b5W0AEKtOf.jpg

RETWEETS 4,688
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Anila HashaniAbrye GeneGarrett GreenConnie HoefenerMMCRobin GardnerM i c kAlexAle
8:58 PM - 8 Feb 2016
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At first glance of the tweet, we too thought that this was a phenomenal discovery and it had us wondering how it has taken so long for this technique to come to light. We weren’t alone in our amazement, and of course other net users set out to try the technique for themselves, but sadly they came up with less-than-stellar results.

▼ Yes, too good to be true…


P2 NATION. com (https://twitter.com/huey90/status/697170252652613632/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
‏@huey90
@bortofdarkness @Jmcobern1 expectations vs reality

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CazYpnRUEAAx2Gx.jpg

RETWEETS 9
LIKES 13
jacqui h@ayeliennepaulaJay TortoiseDoveiris herselfHillGalvinJim CobernHairy PanicminaC
1:28 PM - 9 Feb 2016
So, what’s the truth behind this “new technique”?

Further research suggests that the picture featured in the tweet was not suggestive of a new technique, but instead, a new kind of disposable chopsticks. So while it may be too good to be true for any pair of disposable chopsticks, there may be some that do break apart like this on the market soon.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/062de415793783-562970e9d36bc.jpg?w=580&h=409

A product/graphic designer from Hong Kong, known online as Orange Terry, writes that these chopsticks are a prototype designed for an international contest held by MUJI, the simplistically hip Japanese company.

▼ Final prototype and mock packaging of novel chopstick design
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/828ee215793783-5629700025c47.jpg?w=580&h=580

The new chopstick design is inspired by the Japanese toothpick design, which has a notch at the end, allowing it to be easily broken off to become a rest for the pointy end when you set it on the table.

▼ Hold on, we didn’t know about this! This is mind-blowing in itself!

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/ef541015793783-5629706c1cee1.jpg?w=580&h=219

The designers took that idea and transferred it to the most commonly used utensil in Asia — which was pretty brilliant if you ask us.

▼ They seem pretty proud of their design, and we don’t blame ’em!

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/b76d2f15793783-56296f57d85c8.jpg?w=580&h=387

So, although the hype on the Internet suggests that this technique can be done with any old pair of disposable chopsticks, it seems that it probably won’t work unless you have this specially designed prototype. Fingers crossed that MUJI, or someone, picks up this cool idea!

Sources/Images: Behance/Orange Terry via Twitter/@bortofdarkness, Yukawa

[GeneChing]

...just like we know the difference between Kung Fu (http://www.martialartsmart.com/kung-fu-tai-chi-shaolin-styles.html) and Karate (http://www.martialartsmart.com/karate-styles.html), right? ;)


One size does not fit all: How some Asian cultures use chopsticks differently (http://mashable.com/2016/03/15/chopstick-traditions/#IqxwMBXi3EqN)
BY SARAH SPIGELMAN RICHTER
9 HOURS AGO
http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE2LzAzLzAyLzU1L0dldHR5SW1hZ2VzLjUyNGM0LmpwZw pwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/cb1c59ca/b79/GettyImages-150322900.jpg
GETTY IMAGES/FLICKR RF

If you thought people using chopsticks follow the same protocol in cultures throughout Asia, start taking notes.

For instance, in Japan people don't stick their chopsticks straight up in a bowl of Japanese oyako don. In Thai cultures chopsticks aren't used to poke meatballs.

Though chopsticks are traditional eating implements in many Asian cultures, the styles and uses of these dining tools are as diverse as the countries themselves.

http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE2LzAzLzAyLzU1L0dldHR5SW1hZ2VzLmEyNTZiLmpwZw pwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/0954fffa/e10/GettyImages-467773955.jpg
GETTY IMAGES/FLICKR RF

Chopsticks were invented in Ancient China, during either the Shang (1766-1122 BCE) or Xia dynasties. Though these first utensils were likely used for cooking instead of eating, they became eating instruments during the Han dynasty and were fully integrated into daily meals during the Ming dynasty.

Since then chopsticks have evolved into a daily utensil, used to eat many dishes in cuisines around Asia. However, the culture for using them isn't the same everywhere.

There are few universal rules around chopstick culture, though one can usually track trends by region. The culinary experience of a large city like Bankgok might be vastly different from traditions in an oceanside Thai village. Likewise, someone raised in an Asian country may have a different experience than someone connected to his or her culture but raised in the U.S.

Mashable asked a combination self-proclaimed foodies from different backgrounds about chopstick use in their respective cultures. These are, for the most part, guidelines, not universal rules.

The one thing everyone agreed upon: It is universally bad form to stick your chopsticks upright in your bowl as that position is associated with death.

Hong Kong and mainland China

http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE2LzAzLzAyLzU1L0dldHR5SW1hZ2VzLjBhMzQzLmpwZw pwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/6f8cb8e7/d1b/GettyImages-57165286.jpg
Chopstick etiquette usually allows for noodle slurping.
IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES

Sam Cheng, Mashable campaign specialist who was born and spent his childhood in Hong Kong, says it's common to use chopsticks in both Hong Kong and across mainland China for everything from noodles and rice to to classic Chinese protein-based dishes. It's common for kids to start using chopsticks from a young age.

However, he notes, "Anything western [like bacon and eggs] is usually eaten with a fork and a knife."

Sam warns never to stick your chopsticks straight up in your bowl, because "it looks exactly like the way the Chinese honor the dead...If you stick it in your bowl it's considered as a bad omen."

Vietnam

http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE2LzAzLzAyL2FjL1ZpZXRuYW1lc2UuMzNkMmIuanBnCn AJdGh1bWIJMTIwMHg5NjAwPg/fc7a1c5a/bb1/Vietnamese_chopsticks_Linh_Indiechine_blog-2.jpg
IMAGE: INDICHINE

Food blogger Linh Nguyen of Indiechine was raised in Northern Vietnam and now lives in coastal Hoi An. She says chopsticks are the gold standard for many noodle and rice soup dishes in Vietnam. "Chopsticks allow us to carry out that tradition of sharing in a way that is polite and hygienic."

Children usually learn to use chopsticks around kindergarten or first grade. Though there are "trainer" chopsticks, often imported from Japan, many families choose to teach their kids using traditional chopsticks on a smaller, shorter scale. She adds, "We also don’t allow children to tap their chopsticks on the table or bowls to make noise, because we believe that it could attract hungry ghosts, but also because it’s a bit rude to make so much noise at dinner!"

Linh says in Northern Vietnam, chopsticks are often made from bamboo, but in the south coconut wood is often the material of choice. Vietnamese chopsticks are often flat and unadorned (she says many Vietnamese people feel the aesthetic is more resistant to the country's heat and humidity) and have a blunt tip.

Japan

http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE2LzAzLzAyLzU1L0dldHR5SW1hZ2VzLjlmMTI2LmpwZw pwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/ea92249a/532/GettyImages-556438231.jpg
Classic pork over rice and bowl with noodle soup, Japan
IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES/GALLO IMAGES

Maya Tanaka, Mashable creative director who is half Japanese, says in Japan chopsticks are used for "everything that isn't hand food, really...Japanese food is often broken up into many small dishes or courses and everything is usually already cut and portioned." She thinks chopsticks are more useful than some Western utensils, "great for picking around fish bones," and it's worth noting that using chopsticks for sushi is a debated topic.

Tanaka also notes many older restaurants in Japan may only offer chopsticks (in addition to spoons for soup and/or dessert), so if you can't use them, you're out of luck.

Tanaka's father Toru, who was born and raised in Tokyo, adds, "When done [eating] you lay your chopstick between your thumb and [pointer] finger...and say gochisosama (delicious meal, thank you)."

In Japanese culture, chopsticks are more than utensils; they can be works of art. It is common for families to have sets made of abalone or painted gold. Painted sets, which may include designs like cranes or cherry blossoms, are usually sealed with lacquer.

Korea

http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE2LzAzLzAyLzU1L0dldHR5SW1hZ2VzLjAzMWNhLmpwZw pwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/eb843b8e/1e4/GettyImages-146423546__1_.jpg
IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES

Many Korean chopsticks are flat and made of metal. Annie Park, who is of Korean descent and is Mashable's visual storyteller, says chopsticks are used constantly at Korean mealtimes. They are especially in high demand when eating traditional assorted side dishes known as banchan.

Jon Park, Mashable branded content intern, pinpoints several faux pas, including picking up the plate or holding it in your hand, holding chopsticks and spoon in the same hand simultaneously and taking food from a communal bowl when there is rice or seasoning stuck to your chopsticks.

Though some kids might practice with short, plastic versions, it's not unusual to see children using full fledged, slippery adult chopsticks. As Annie says, "pros since birth."

Thailand

http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE2LzAzLzAyLzU1L0dldHR5SW1hZ2VzLmZhMDhmLmpwZw pwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/c5c9a270/3c6/GettyImages-131985960.jpg
IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES/DORLING KINDERSLEY

A common misconception about chopsticks in Thai cuisine is that they are used to eat everything. Mashable employee and Bangkok native Tarn Susumpow says western utensils are by far the most common tools. Noodles (including noodles in soup) or rice porridge (known as khao tom gui) are foods most likely eaten with chopsticks. Susumpow says though some people eat straight from the chopsticks, "most use the chopsticks to pick up ingredients (meat, veggie, noodles) and assemble them on the [accompanying] spoon before taking a bite."

If you do have chopsticks on your table, don't bite them or use them as skewers with which to spear meatballs.

Though fancy artisan chopsticks have bee trendy in recent years, Susumpow says disposable wooden or long plastic ones are still the most prevalent.

This list is by no means exhaustive or extensive — there are 48 countries and six sovereign states in Asia, many of which use chopsticks for indigenous foods. This list is the delicious tip of the chopstick.

IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES/FLICKR RF

[GeneChing]

The Chinese equivalent is 'Don't climb stairs with chopsticks.'


Toddler girl has a chopstick lodged in her BRAIN through her mouth after she tripped over on stairs while eating (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4117436/Toddler-girl-chopstick-lodged-BRAIN-mouth-tripped-stairs-eating.html?ITO=applenews)

Stick pierced 1.6 inches into the girl's brain - 0.04 inches from her brainstem
The three-year-old, from China, was eating lunch and took a tumble
The chopstick remained in her head for 11 hours before doctors removed it

By Julian Luk For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 12:34 EST, 13 January 2017 | UPDATED: 13:23 EST, 13 January 2017

A three-year-old girl has miraculously survived after a chopstick pierced 1.6 inches into her brain through her mouth.

The toddler had tripped over while eating with a pair of chopsticks at her home in Hanzhong city on January 8, local media reported.

Doctor successfully removed the utensil lodged just 1mm (0.04 inches) away from her brainstem which controls many vital body functions.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/01/13/16/3C1A776900000578-4117436-image-a-148_1484325383900.jpg
Tragic: The three-year-old took a tumble while holding a pair of chopsticks in China

The toddler, identified as Tong Tong, was about to have lunch at around 2pm when the tragedy occurred. She took a tumble and her mouth impaled on the eating utensil, according to a report on Kan Kan News on January 11.

She was immediately taken to the Xi'an Children's Hospital. Doctors found out that the chopstick had pierced into her cerebellum through the oral cavity.

Tong Tong underwent a CT scan which revealed that some 13cm (5.1 inches) of the chopstick had poked through her mouth and 4cm (1.6 inches) was stuck in the brain.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/01/13/16/3C1A775C00000578-4117436-image-a-159_1484325705060.jpg
Critical: The chopstick was lodged 1.6 inches deep into her brain through her mouth

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/01/13/16/3C1A777000000578-4117436-image-a-151_1484325478432.jpg
CT scan revealed that some 13cm (5.1 inches) of the chopstick had poked through her mouth

Mi Weiyang, a neurosurgeon of the hospital, told Kan Kan News: 'The chopstick was just 1mm away from the brainstem, which is the key organ for a human being.'

According to Britannica, the brainstem houses many of the control centres for vital body functions, such as swallowing, breathing, and vasomotor control.

If the chopstick moved, it was likely to lead to internal bleeding or even death, said Dr Mi.

The doctors removed the chopstick in the wee hours of January 9 - about 11 hours after the girl was injured.

According to the report, Tong Tong remains in stable condition.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/01/13/16/3C1A61F700000578-4117436-image-a-160_1484326083141.jpg
Doctors said the chopstick was 0.04 inches away from the brainstem, a key organ for human

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBOXZBgXqDs