Way of the Warrior - BBC series ep 5 Tai Chi - The Soft Way

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Disclaimer: This is copyright to the BBC UK and is presented here for educational, Critique and review purposes only. I claim no copyright to this material and my channel is not monetised so I will not be making any money from this material.
This series is no longer available on the BBC that I am aware of and yet the series had some very good aspects to it therefore I felt that it would be of use to the general public to be able to see this again and introduce it to new audiences also.
Discussion regarding the episode in the comments is very welcomed. There are things I agree with within it and somethings I don't.
What do you think?

[@spinningdragontao]

One issue you might notice with this episode on Tai Chi is it is not about Tai Chi (very much is at all). It features quite a bit of hard style training (I think tang Soo Do but don't hold me to that) the Gee's are a bit of a giveaway, lot's of Xing Yi and some Bagua Chang and the Tai Chi is in the background. Sadly the narration is not great and not that informative on the Internal arts, in fact at times it is fluff and nonsense. If the BBC want to get in touch I'd be very happy to help them make an updated better series with them. 😊 The cupping displayed is not the type of cupping I am fond of and do not recommend. I prefer flash cupping to get the desired effect without leaving huge dark bruises that the body then has to heal. Master Hung I Hsiang, I understand it, is known far more for his Xing Yi than for his Tai Chi. Daniel Reid however has written some very interesting books. So what do you guys think?

[@smoggie2833]

I found this very interesting and had to watch it through more than once in various sections as I found it hard to follow. As far as I can tell this shows how in this lineage students are developed - children start with external hard style Kung Fu, then as they improve and mature they are introduced to the next part/art in the system... Tai Chi being the pinnacle. My view on this method of training is that it would have taken a long time to get to learn Tai Chi! That said I suppose in this school or tradition the students must have had a different perspective to training as people in the west. I think the narration was a bit misleading at times, but I won't hold it against young Dennis ;) Thanks for posting.

[@spinningdragontao]

@@smoggie2833 You are absolutely right. you'd be 60 plus before getting to Tai Chi Chuan. Children often start with the hard styles because they are full of energy and vigour. Keeping them calmed down long enough to learn any of the Internal soft styles would be nigh on impossible. This school shown here doesn't do much Tai Chi from what we see, in fact tehy appear to do Tang Soo Do and Xing Yi which is fine. I still find the Gee's odd though :) Thanks for your comment.

[@TheGrmany69]

​@@spinningdragontao Sure enough about the kiddos, some have natural talent to mimic posture but in general they need to learn meditation and develop "shen" or "intention"/"will" which is seldom found in children.

[@NH1973]

It isn't the Korean art of Tang Soo Do being shown here. This is often a point of confusion. Master Hung's organisation was called Tang Shou Tao. It was not the name of a style, but rather his approach to teaching various styles in a unified system. It contained Shaolin (possibly white crane), Xingyi, Bagua and Taiji. Totally separate to Tang Soo Do, despite the similarity in the names. The use of Japanese-style gis is something that Master Hung introduced, after being impressed with seeing Judo This also leads to confusion. However, the guys wearing the gis are all showing Chinese martial arts, mainly Xingy.

[@spinningdragontao]

@@NH1973 Thank you for your comment. It is very interesting and informative. Yes the bulk of what is shown here is Xing Yi, a little Bagua and the hard style stuff I will accept your definition as it is unclear what exactly it is and it is not explained in the narration. I have to confess I have no idea why they asked Hung Yi Hsiang for his contribution in this episode. I'm guessing the bbc crew wanted a holiday in Taiwan. They could have asked any number of well known or not well known Tai Chi experts to demonstrate and explain but they failed miserably. I appreciate your input, especially regarding why they use Gi's , it just adds to the question - Why? :)

[@bajuszpal172]

Dear Gentlemen of thee BBC team, and Master Hun and his family, Many many thanks.Good health and Blessings to all of you in Tai Wan. I think I got, learning from outside inward from body to mind sensitiiveness. Best regards.Paul,68

[@raksh9]

At 27:37 is a young Luo Dexiu, known for teaching Gao style Bagua to current teachers like Tim Cartmell.

[@spinningdragontao]

Indeed, Time rolls on and new generations are taught then become teachers. I just hope there are enough people learning these arts to preserve them in full for the future.

[@raydeters496]

I had seen this episode multiple times, and never realized it was him. Great catch! He is fantastic.

[@carlosroji4144]

thanks for sharing such interesting material. Be well!

[@spinningdragontao]

You're welcome. Thanks.

[@user-st3vs9ie1q]

台始易宗唐手道，洪懿祥宗師，感謝你的影片 this video is very precious for taiwanese, thank you very very much。Master Hung I Hsiang speak his mother language "Tai-gi" (taiwanese branch Hokkien) not maindarine, it sounds very warm for us.

[@spinningdragontao]

不客氣。 我很高興能夠與你分享這個。 請隨時與盡可能多的人分享，讓其他人也能享受。 來自英國的問候。

[@RS-xx9ve]

Is that Dennis Waterman doing a posh voice? RIP Dennis, a true icon.

[@spinningdragontao]

Indeed it is. 👍🏻

[@conwaytwitty8634]

I like the sculptures the most. I also like Tai Chi. It gets a bad rap. Beautiful documentary. I wonder if that kind of world still exists in China.

[@spinningdragontao]

To be fair this is filmed in Taiwan. However, I spent 6 months in China in 2005-6 and in many ways this aspect of China is still very much there, the culture is still very much alive. The quality of what is there is as varied as it is in the West. I found the people to be very genuine.

[@spinningdragontao]

If you want to support the channel: www.patreon.com/SpinningDragonTao ko-fi.com/spinningdragontao

[@jenh4129]

Tai chi documentary should really interview the Prince of Tai Chi - Sitan Chen! He is the only person what can demonstrate the true beauty and art of Tai Chi

[@spinningdragontao]

I've not heard of him. I'll check him out. However I would say that there are many that can demonstrate the true art of Tai Chi Chuan and this documentary sadly was not the best; that's the bbc's error.

[@jenh4129]

@@spinningdragontao I don’t disagree with you. Master Sitan Chen is one of the only two Chinese people that receives the most (32) gold medals for Tai Chi in various world wide martial arts competitions - but more importantly to me, I am often moved into tears when watching his Tai Chi demonstration. The link below is performance of a group of the most famous world champions of Tai Chi, and Master Chen’s demonstration is 12:18-16:18. You are welcome to take a look and compare

[@jenh4129]

@@spinningdragontao m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqTRfaCldpuFfLc&pp=ygUh5p2O5b635Y2w5aSq5p6B5ouz5pWZ5a2m5bGV56S65Lya

[@jenh4129]

@@spinningdragontao Master Chen is teaching in Syosset, New York. (227 Michael Dr, Syosset, NY 11791) You are welcome to visit it

[@spinningdragontao]

@@jenh4129 Hi, thanks for the information. The link is not visible to me for some reason. Please send it to me via email. [e-mail] Thank you

[@TheGrmany69]

As I understand Nei Gong practice in general is meant to promote detachment or relieve of "notion" which goes hand on hand with the mindfulness element of meditation implied in taichiquan practice, but also baguazhan and xinyi. Sure enough I've been able to experience mindful awareness in combat and predetermined practice, so the point of this is Nei Gong is anti dogma, it's more scientific than most "rational" practices in the west and requires dedication to this purpose as it is projection of rationality in place or "at run time" (if you want to use an IT term) so you have to follow the logos but not worship it.

[@spinningdragontao]

Nei Gong means "Internal Work" It is a practise that is designed to build Qi. With time and practise Qi changes to Jin and jin is used in the Internal arts e.g. Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua Chang and Xing Yi Chuan to name the most commonly known three. The teaching is very much on a one to one. It's similar but not like meditation. Perhaps this would be useful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/epDaaoWwr8lqfZY

[@edwardrichard2561]

I believe most Chinese martial arts were a great form of defense prior to Mao. Since he killed most of the sifus what left is a water down version. Tai Chi is no exception. Todays version will only get you hurt in a real life confrontation.

[@spinningdragontao]

Well we can agree on most of that. The biggest purge was in the late 1930's I believe when traditional Chinese martial arts were originally outlawed. A law that lasted until 1978 I think. It's true that many arts including Tai Chi Chuan have had their teeth and claws extracted. But like I said, many Sifu escaped and left for the West and of course Taiwan etc. So not all have lost their essence. Of course I don't agree that all TCC is useless in a fight, it depends very much on how one trains and if your teacher has the appropriate skills to pass on but there are still definitely some teachers, students and styles of TCC that are still effective as a martial art.

[@edwardrichard2561]

@@spinningdragontao my uncle’s been practicing martial arts since the 70’s. He’s was a black belt in Karate, practiced Wu shu and Tai chi. Mainly Tai Chi for 40 years. He truly believes it’s superior than most arts. Though a high school state wrestling champ would probably beat 99% of practitioner’s.

[@spinningdragontao]

@@edwardrichard2561 I agree with you for the most part. The vast majority of people training in Tai Chi are either doing it for health and completely ill equipped to defend themselves or do not train fully for combat. Wrestling is slightly different to actual combat as rolling around in the street is usually hazardous to your health however you make a good point tbf most combatants are not ready to deal with wrestlers yet if you train for such an outcome they can be dealt with too. Competition isn't really a measure of how good one would be in a fight on the street without rules. Does it mean anything that one of my students won the British open contact at Dan Docherty's competition? Maybe, maybe not. Fact is one must train for combat in any art and train properly if you want to be able to use it to defend yourself.

[@ARE_YOU_SICK_OF_YT_CENSORSHIP]

seems like noise pollution was significant there at that time, wonder what the situation is like today

[@spinningdragontao]

Well with the current geopolitical situation probably worse with the potential to finishing your form or Qi Kung and bring surrounded by an invasion force. 🙂

[@erikkdraven]

first thing I noticed is the belts lol Iownder how many people know wha tI am speaking of

[@mikehunt9884]

his taiwanese martial arts school has clear japanese influences, not just because they wear gi but also in some of the movements. I find this very interesting, just as some mainland chinese martial art styles have clear modern influences, from the CCP national wushu program, where they really concentrate on the esthetics and the beauty of the movements, and promotes sportsmanship instead of cultural and martial aspects, and where you see a lot of really pretty stances and very refined movements, some butterfly kicks and flips.

[@spinningdragontao]

I agree, there are definitely Japanese influences here. Sadly the Wushu influence in Mainland China is pervasive,I suspect in the early days of the CPC they were aware of the dangers of a Boxer Rebellion against them. However, the father of modern day China is Sun Yat Sen who advocated to all his followers that the lethal aspects of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts be removed and replaced with gymnastic moves and poses. Both Mao Tse Tung and Chiang Kai Shek were devoted students of his. Sadly this influence won the day which is why the greater martial arts skills are taught in the West by those who fled the uprising. The natural cultural defensive strategy of not teaching Westerners properly or at all pervaded until the advent of Bruce Lee and his attitude to teach anyone. Unfortunately the defensive attitude remains to this day.

[@isaiahwilliams7492]

35:59 did bro break his arm for demonstration? 😂

[@spinningdragontao]

Hopefully not but that cut in the editing makes you wonder

[@keithrai]

The Narrator sounds like Dennis Waterman....

[@spinningdragontao]

It is 👍

[@LaoZi2023]

Why is the school using Japanese belt system?

[@spinningdragontao]

Hung Yi Hsiang was impressed by the Japanese system and adopted it

[@mustamuri]

2:14 asti näkyy aito hyvin hidas Tai Chi kadulla ja puistossa👶👏 ...loppu osaa videosta ei kannata katsoa ...

[@spinningdragontao]

No, on totta, että tämä jakso on vähemmän Tai Chillä kuin Xing Yillä ja (mahdollisesti tang Soo Dolla?). Se ei kuitenkaan ole täysin ajanhukkaa. siellä on tiedon helmiä, jotka ovat ymmärtämisen arvoisia. Mutta olen kanssasi samaa mieltä siitä, että näistä aiheista tarvitaan parempia dokumentteja. Well it is true that this episode is less on Tai Chi than it is on Xing Yi and (possibly tang Soo Do?). However it's not entirely a waste of time. there are gems of information in there that are worth hearing for those with the understanding. But I do agree with you that there needs to be a better set of documentaries on these subjects.

[@davidmiller4078]

I remember this series i taped them on VHS back in the late 70s as i recall when any one wearing a japanes gi could pretend they could do Tai ji Quan Title is extremly misleading as there definately seem to be a style of Karate being practised here ? The so called Soft arts like Tai ji Xsyingi and Bagua look similar but are Practise in a differant way to most but not all of the Japanese styles Overall a very dated film typical of the a made for TV veiwing of that period ie 40 years ago

[@spinningdragontao]

Indeed, I agree. Thank you for your comment. It's time they did a more accurate updated series.

[@clacicle]

Whatever uniform someone is wearing doesn’t affect the skill level of the person practicing. Many people claim to practice Taiji, wear fancy silk pajamas yet have no internal skill. Are the internal arts expressed differently by different teachers? Of course. Master Hong traveled to Japan and was influenced by some of the training methods he encountered because he felt strongly about need to be able to fight with these arts and to teach certain foundational skills in a systematic manner. He had many students, including some foreigners but he was also quite selective in who and what he taught. As is the case with many Chinese internal martial arts teachers, he withheld a lot from many. The result was many people practicing very hard martial arts with very little concept of internal development. On the other hand there are many teachers teaching these arts in a “soft” manner who have very little or no concept of internal development and they are the one’s teaching millions around the world.

[@spinningdragontao]

@@clacicle A very interesting comment and one that is not without a grain of truth. There is absolutely a dearth of real masters of internal arts that are willing to teach students, at times especially Westerners. This is a huge problem because the truth is that the young Chinese are more interested in Western culture and arts than Chinese Culture and arts. Just like in true Yin Yang Theory the Western youth are far more interested in Chinese Culture and arts than Western Culture and arts. And this is important, because the masters need to teach those who are genuinely interested in the arts, as that is where their salvation and continuation lies. Chinese masters need to embrace their Western students to save these arts we cherish so much. There are those that teach the Internal arts with no Internal understandings, as there are those that pick and choose their indoor students, perhaps to too high a degree of scrutiny. One thing is certain, we will lose these arts should they not be passed on correctly and fully before too long. So my sentiments are this: To maintain the truth and integrity of Traditional Chinese martial Arts, be they internal or external in nature; Teach, honestly, with integrity, to the fullest content so that we keep these Chinese Treasures for all time.

[@clacicle]

@@spinningdragontao Much has been lost as a result of ignorance and stupidity. Furthermore, I think you’re a bit too idealistic because many of the teachers with valuable skills have a mindset that is about withholding things and never teaching completely. That’s why any good student needs to go out and train with as many people as possible in order to gain as much as possible. This is what most great practitioners did. They’ll often lie and say they only trained with “their” teacher but the reality is you must go out and steal from anyone who has something worthwhile.

[@zatrusofnietzche2281]

We are not masters and do not know all the different styles. Let us use humility instead of negative comments. Remember - No negative thoughts, No negative words, No negative deeds ☯️🙏 this is extremely difficult art to master that I encourage all to try. Amitofuo ☯️🙏

[@gregorylatta8159]

Basically they are trying to summon the dark arts!!!

[@spinningdragontao]

???

[@gregorylatta8159]

@@spinningdragontao Sorry didn't mean to insult but The Tao is just another form of the Occult.

[@noklarok]

@@gregorylatta8159 are you an Evangelical Christian or something? Have you read the Tao Teh Ching?

[@gregorylatta8159]

@noklarok In fact, I am a warrior Christian martial artist and military veteran, and yes, I read it. So what???

[@jackhammer5683]

Why are they wearing karate gi? Tai chi is a Chinese thing.

[@spinningdragontao]

It's a fair question. I think their other art is tang Soo Do however someone in the comments section said that Hung I Hsiang like the Gi so - shrugs- I guess it's not about the clothes.

[@michaelboen1979]

All of this is oral tradition, so no documentation, but... Hung went to Japan to open a school, while there, he was impressed with the systemization of the instruction in Japanese Martial Arts, part of that was the introduction of "uniforms," hence the gi. Seeing a need for a more comprehensive formalization in his instruction of the art, he sought to "fill in any voids." All three Hung Bros. studied Shaolin early on, then TCC, BGZ, and XY from Cheng Chun Feng. Each taught only one. Hung I Hsiang taught Xingyi, but he added 40 plus "Ba" sets, as introductory forms. These, together with the elements and animal sets, formalized conditioning and stretching, single technique practice et al created a large curriculum. The gi never made it to our school in the US and the belts were changed out for sashes.

[@chrislucy3778]

PRE-woke days when BBC great programs.

[@spinningdragontao]

Not sure what woke has to do with much but definitely before the BBC was co-opted to the biggest propaganda launch ever that I'm aware of in the UK. You are right they made far better programmes back then

[@blaa443blaa2]

there is so much similarities between aikido and taichi that they could be argued to be almost the same art..

[@spinningdragontao]

I have to disagree; there are huge differences between the two arts. Aikido was innovated to help people reach a level of spirituality that morihei ueshiba felt he had gained from his years of training. So he wanted to develop something that would give that to people without the many many years of training - basically a shortcut. Tai Chi is an Internal martial art that, from my perspective, does have a spiritual aspect but primarily is a martial art that is often taught only for its health calisthenics aspects.

[@blaa443blaa2]

@@spinningdragontaok. I see them both as martial arts which share some major (internal) concepts. I'm only a beginner though

[@lifewithtaichiandals3488]

disagree too, Aikido is missing the ancient internal foundation, theory and @@blaa443blaa2

[@spinningdragontao]

@@blaa443blaa2 Fair enough. Find a good Tai Chi Chuan teacher and by all means explore them both fully and post your findings here

[@blaa443blaa2]

kinda impossible task, but I'll keep it in mind ;D @@spinningdragontao I would istantly try it out if found one though.

[@TheGrmany69]

Nice but extremely outdated, hardly neigong at all. The school remind me of that of Venezuela back in the day, good stuff but highly syncretic and karate/ Hung ar like. Just as the pinned comment says, very much is it at all about taichiquan

[@spinningdragontao]

It is old, it is from a 1970's television series. There were 8 in the series and unfortunately in this episode they went to a Xing Yi expert instead of Tai Chi Chuan. But that's the way of things.

[@TheGrmany69]

@@spinningdragontao haha yes, exactly... back in the day having enough information was just precious. Imagine having a concrete definition of the art detached from others.

[@MartinJutras]

Why do they wear Japanese gi and belt? Hummm

[@spinningdragontao]

Apparently Hung Yi Hsiang liked them but possibly also because of the Tang Shou Tao they practiced

[@KeithOng]

Tai chi...fighting art....SOrry to say, the fighting part is lost....There is also no scientific evidence for chi.

[@spinningdragontao]

Well you make two statements here: 1st that the fighting art of Tai Chi Chuan is lost. Clearly I'm going to beg to differ. Certainly the vast majority of people do not train with the martial aspects and of those that do not all train in a martial manner but the fighting art is not lost. 2nd that there is no scientific evidence for Chi. This is not what the Quantum physics scientists are saying. Furthermore Science, as we all know doesn't have the answers to everything, nor does it claim to. Science tends to be reductive in its research so looks to reduce something to its active ingredients. So what makes people alive? Science would pull them apart to their cellular make up by which time the people are dead and not be able to identify what makes people alive. So science doesn't have all the answers nor can it. As for whether Chi/ Qi exists let's leave that to the individuals to decide. Btw there's no scientific evidence for Magic - Yet you call yourself a magician. now that's comedy! Lastly; you are dissing your own culture - shame on you.

[@lifewithtaichiandals3488]

No evidence is what the ancient masters intended when they left traces in the classical writings. What is not right in front of your eyes doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Fighting is only a small aspect of TC.

[@noklarok]

there is now good scientific evidence for acupuncture

[@kimjongun-ii294]

Fake fight.

[@spinningdragontao]

Which fight was that?

[@noklarok]

yes it was a performance with a fake referee