Six years ago I was lucky enough to meet Gao Shifu (Gao Xiuming). I had traveled to China with my girlfriend, and was staying in Nanjing for a few days before moving on to Dali. My first morning there I woke up at 6:00am, and looking out the window decided to walk across the street to practice my tai ji. By 6:30am the park was starting to fill with practitioners - tai ji, and qigong mostly. I practiced some bagua around a tree away from the main groups of practitioners, and then a bit of the Yang long form tai ji. As is standard in China, I attracted a lot of attention being the only foreigner in the park. Many people stopped to watch, pass judgement, and point out what I was doing wrong :) After about an hour, I noticed a man in a bright yellow tai ji outfit watching me finish up my form before starting his own class. It was a peaceful morning, and I returned to the hotel for breakfast and to start my day.
The next morning I followed the same schedule starting at 6:30am, walking through bagua, some xing yi, and tai ji. However, on this day the teacher in yellow came a bit early to the park, and he seemed to be paying a bit more attention to me. I finished for the morning and began to walk back to the hotel, but the teacher stopped me, introduced himself as Gao Xiuming, and asked if I would like to join his class. I jumped in, not knowing what to expect. We worked on some wushu kicking drills, silk reeling drills, and walking drills. It was fun, and I learned some new exercises to take home with me. We then worked through Yang 24 and 42 frame sets. At the end of the class he asked how long I was staying and said that he would like to work with me. I explained that I was leaving the next afternoon for Dali, but would be back after a weeks time for two more days before going home to L.A.. So he said, "let's try." On my third morning in Nanjing I started training with Gao Shifu on the Chen 18 form. He was meticulous, and pushed me into very deep stances. We got as far as we could in 3 hours, and I vowed to practice in Dali.
Upon my return to Nanjing the following week we got through the whole form. Leaving him after that first trip was actually very difficult. I felt very emotional as I said goodbye, and I remember having to leave the park quickly and awkwardly. I had found another great teacher in my life. Over the next few years, every time I returned to Nanjing, I would meet with him for his regular class. We would spend time polishing the Chen form, and I would get extra instruction on the shorter Yang forms that I had not learned in the states. Gao Shifu was extremely generous with his time, and completely giving in his practice and teachings. I have many videos of him performing the forms solo and along with me, as well as class video of drills and forms from my many trips to Nanjing. We would often share lunch after class, and with the help of his students and friends who spoke English, we would talk about tai ji theory, and Chinese medicine.
Upon my return to Nanjing the following week we got through the whole form. Leaving him after that first trip was actually very difficult. I felt very emotional as I said goodbye, and I remember having to leave the park quickly and awkwardly. I had found another great teacher in my life. Over the next few years, every time I returned to Nanjing, I would meet with him for his regular class. We would spend time polishing the Chen form, and I would get extra instruction on the shorter Yang forms that I had not learned in the states. Gao Shifu was extremely generous with his time, and completely giving in his practice and teachings. I have many videos of him performing the forms solo and along with me, as well as class video of drills and forms from my many trips to Nanjing. We would often share lunch after class, and with the help of his students and friends who spoke English, we would talk about tai ji theory, and Chinese medicine.
Due to Chinese medicine school, I had to slow down on my China trips, and in the blink of an eye almost 3 years passed without me seeing my teacher. But finally this year, school and state board exams done, I made a plan to go back to Nanjing if only for a few days to see him, and show my progress. I arrived in Nanjing on a Thursday night to pouring rain, and lost luggage - not an auspicious start. In order to surprise him I had not called ahead. Besides he spoke almost no English, and my Chinese vocabulary is that of a 3 year old so a phone conversation would be difficult.
I woke Friday morning to a light drizzle, and made my way to the park. It was virtually empty as there is very little cover from the elements, but a few people were practicing. I waited until about 7:45, but he didn't show. I finally mustered the courage to speak to a couple guys who had been there all morning. They didn't practice any forms or anything but they had the kung fu walk. If you study long enough, and hangout with martial artists you can tell who practices within a crowd of people. I pulled out my phone with a picture of Shifu, and began to speak mandarin. I said, "sorry to bother, but this is my teacher, is he still here?" They said yes, but not today because of the rain. I asked if he'd be here tomorrow, and they assured me he would. I thanked them, and made my way out of the park for tea, and breakfast. Disappointed that I hadn't seen my teacher, but happy with the knowledge that he would be in the park tomorrow. That afternoon the sun came out, my luggage showed up, and I had a great day seeing the sights around Nanjing. I found a great meditation spot at Xuan wu lake, kind of the Central Park of Nanjing. There's a small island with a memorial to Gou Pu, a Daoist mystic and the father of feng shui where a few people practice tai ji and qigong. It's a nice peaceful place to sit in the middle of a hectic Chinese city. Things were looking up.
I woke Friday morning to a light drizzle, and made my way to the park. It was virtually empty as there is very little cover from the elements, but a few people were practicing. I waited until about 7:45, but he didn't show. I finally mustered the courage to speak to a couple guys who had been there all morning. They didn't practice any forms or anything but they had the kung fu walk. If you study long enough, and hangout with martial artists you can tell who practices within a crowd of people. I pulled out my phone with a picture of Shifu, and began to speak mandarin. I said, "sorry to bother, but this is my teacher, is he still here?" They said yes, but not today because of the rain. I asked if he'd be here tomorrow, and they assured me he would. I thanked them, and made my way out of the park for tea, and breakfast. Disappointed that I hadn't seen my teacher, but happy with the knowledge that he would be in the park tomorrow. That afternoon the sun came out, my luggage showed up, and I had a great day seeing the sights around Nanjing. I found a great meditation spot at Xuan wu lake, kind of the Central Park of Nanjing. There's a small island with a memorial to Gou Pu, a Daoist mystic and the father of feng shui where a few people practice tai ji and qigong. It's a nice peaceful place to sit in the middle of a hectic Chinese city. Things were looking up.
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