2017 in Review

2017 was a year of firsts for Tai Ji Circle. Master Chen Ziqiang came to London and made the school an official representative of Chenjiagou. Shifu Liu appeared on BBC One and in the pages of a French fashion magazine. Grandmaster Zhu Changhai taught push hands in London, and the school's students took the stage beside China's elite Wushu performers. This review gathers the year's news as the school recorded it at the time.

In May we were honoured to welcome Master Chen Ziqiang to London for two evening workshops. The first, on 8 May, was Chen Taiji Ball training, a method for building strength and power in traditional Chen Taijiquan. We practised with small rubber basketballs to become familiar with the coordination of the movements. A weighted ball can be used to practise the style's classic spiralling, twining movements, which over time trains the dantian to lead the body's movement. Thanks to Calvin for translating for Master Chen.

The second seminar, on 9 May, was Tuishou, Chen-style push hands, Master Chen's specialism and the practice for which he is renowned worldwide. Push hands works to undo a person's natural instinct to resist force with force, teaching the body to yield to force and redirect it. We were very grateful to Master Chen for giving us his time and energy over two wonderful days of training.

It was also a great honour for the school: on 9 May Master Chen signed the contract that made Shifu Liu and Tai Ji Circle the official representatives in London of the Chenjiagou Chen Taijiquan Association and the Chenjiagou Taijiquan School, at the home of Chen Taijiquan in China.

Blink and you would have missed it: on 15 May Shifu Liu made a brief appearance in the opening credits of the BBC One series Doctor in the House. In the third episode, broadcast on 29 May, he featured teaching Taiji to help one of the programme's participants relieve stress. It was a thoughtful programme: its presenter, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, takes a holistic approach, helping people through changes to diet, activity and lifestyle. Shifu Liu also appeared in a photograph with the BBC News article Doctor in the House: How to manage back pain.

On 27 and 28 May Grandmaster Zhu Changhai and the Irish Wushu Association invited Shifu Liu to give a Qigong seminar in Belfast. It was lovely to reconnect with friends we had met the year before at the Duan Wei gradings, and to receive such kindness and generous hospitality. Over two days the workshop focused on Da Bei Qigong, a quiet, meditative practice. Our thanks went to Grandmaster Zhu, the members of the IWA, Yun Long for his translation, and the four Tai Ji Circle students who came over to Belfast to join us.

On 2 December Grandmaster Zhu, chairman of the Irish Wushu Association, came to share his expert knowledge and experience of Taiji push hands at our London workshop. We worked mainly with Cloud Hands, and it was fascinating to see how many different martial applications, from both Chen and Yang style, can come out of a single training practice. We greatly appreciated his patience, his skill and his detailed explanations, and his travelling over to London at ungodly hours for such a short visit.

On 9 December Tai Ji Circle students joined other Shaolin schools to perform at the Chinese & British Elite International Wushu Show at Walthamstow Academy. Shifu Liu performed a section of Xinjia Erlu, the New Frame Cannon Fist, and followed it by breaking a concrete block with his palm.

Later that day came the Chinese Martial Arts Night Show at The Brewery in the City of London. Six members of the Tai Ji Circle team, selected by Shifu Liu, had the honour of performing on stage with the elite Wushu champions. They had their first rehearsal with the team just a few hours before heading to the theatre.

The events were organised by the Chinese Wushu Association with the Anglo-Chinese Sports Exchange Association and the Sino-UK Kung Fu Association, as part of the cultural celebrations marking 45 years of diplomatic relations between Britain and China. After the performances the team was photographed on stage with Shifu Liu and Chen Entang, Vice President of the Chinese Wushu Association.

To round off the year, Shifu Liu appeared in a fashion shoot in the December issue of M Le Monde, the magazine of the French newspaper Le Monde.

• Chinese New Year. On 4 February Tai Ji Circle students demonstrated Chen Taijiquan, including the Silk Reeling foundation training, at the Islington Chinese Association's Fire Rooster celebrations, and Shifu Liu performed and invited everyone to try. The next day he demonstrated Sifang Quan, his Chen Four Direction Fist form, at the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine's New Year celebration.
• Chen 56 Form. On 11 March Shifu Liu led a workshop on the 56-movement Chen competition routine, formulated to show the characteristics of Chen style in a competition setting.
• Easter Retreat. On 14–15 April the Easter Retreat was nearly cancelled when the original venue forgot the booking; Stephen at the Islington Chinese Association saved the day with the loan of their hall. Students studied Laojia Yilu, the classic Chen long form, finishing with "pick a posture" for Shifu Liu to adjust.
• World Tai Ji Day. On 29 April we gathered in Camden Square Gardens at 10am, the local hour of the worldwide celebration, for warm-ups, standing practice, Silk Reeling and a section of form with fajin. Thanks went to Camden Council, who waived the event fee that would otherwise have prevented the session. Free Chen Taiji classes also ran in the square on the first Saturday of the month.
• Da Bei Qigong. On 12 August a summer workshop in London explored what Qigong practice is for. In the traditional account the body's internal qi is the medicine for healing, and Da Bei Qigong encourages its free flow through the body.
• A tribute to Geshe-La. The Venerable Geshe Damcho Yonten passed away on 26 August 2017. Chris had visited his Lam Rim Buddhist Centre in South Wales with her yoga group through the 1980s and 1990s, and later shared the beauty and calm of staying there with Tai Ji Circle students.
• A new Sunday home. From 10 September, the first Sunday of term three, Sunday classes moved to the Islington Chinese Association, with new Foundation courses and the 19 Step Form.
• AGM and party. On 16 December the charity's AGM was followed by a free two-hour winter workshop with Shifu Liu and a Christmas party of shared food, music, singing, Taiji and favourite poems.