The China Connection
The Center sponsors Cultural Exchange Tours to China in cooperation with various Chinese universities and cultural institutions.
The latest tour took place in October 2007. On this trip, participants studied traditional Chinese culture, with a focus on Buddhism and Taoism, as well as deepening their practice of Tai Chi Chuan by studying with Lily Qin's master, Lin Mogen. The participants stayed for two weeks in the Wenshu monastery guest hotel in Chengdu and dined in the famous monastery restaurant on delicious vegetarian food. The two-week program included day trips to a the Green Ram Taoist temple, to the Sichuan Wu Shu academy, and to a temple dedicated to Kwan Yin (under construction and being built and sponsored by the senior monk at Wenshu monastery), along with frequent trips to Master Lin Mogen's teaching space. In addition to the daily study of Chinese Buddhism with the senior monk, several artists, doctors, and specialists in various aspects of traditional Chinese culture visited the group at the monastery and presented workshops and lectures.
Several of the participants stayed on a few days longer to visit the Nine Tibetan Village valley in NW Sichuan.
China trip October 2005.
Meeting Master Lin Mogen
Twenty eight persons accompanied Lily on the recent trip to China in October. It was, you might say, a bus full. Literally we came close to filling a bus.
Sichuan Province, the focus of the eighteen day trip, covers a large plain surrounded by mountain ranges in the central west of China. Very different from previous trips which focused on the major cultural and scenic centers on the East Coast - Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Suzhou, Shanghai. A third of the time we were in the city of Chengdu, population about 10,000,000; the remainder was spent visiting truly marvelous scenic areas in the high mountains that ring the central valley. (Those in the group for whom this was the first China trip were given the option of a day in Xian to see the amazing Terracotta Warriors Exhibition and, at the end of the trip, spend several additional days in Beijing visiting the main tourist sites there.)
A Taoist Monastery near the top of Qingcheng Mountain was the setting for one of the many trip highlights. The monks there provided an hour long "prayer ceremony" specifically for our group, which included chanting accompanied by several percussion instruments and a flute. Lily wrote our names (in Chinese characters) for the head monk who chanted each name 90 times (90 is a 'good' number) and then prayed for our health and safety, along with prayers for our families. It's interesting to note that for the most part the large group managed the physical and mental exertions of the trip quite well, and stayed relatively healthy.
The main event of the trip, however, was the chance to meet and have several hours with Master Lin MoGen, who was Lily's Teacher for years while she was a faculty member at Chengdu University. Master Lin is the fifth generation exponent of Yang Style Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan), a Special-Class Taijiquan Master in China. He is an Honored Chinese Wushu highest seventh grade, and is president of the Sichuan Taichi and Wushu (GongFu) Association. Master Lin evaluated our group's Taichi practice. He appreciated our Taichi skills, saying we had learned well. It was a happy connection for all - Master Lin, his students, and our group.
For our Center the most important outcome of our stay in Chengdu was this connection made with Master Lin. It means that a foundation has been established for the future development of our Center's program in cooperation with the Sichuan Taichi and Wushu Association. It is a significant step in the ongoing building of the Bridge between East and West.
The Center's Program Is a Bridge between East and West
The classes are part of the Bridge. Another is the Cultural Exchange trips to China. Those of us who've had the good luck to join one of the tours have seen for ourselves China's rich and ancient culture up close and day to day. We've been deeply touched through conversations with students in English classes at Suzhou University. We've practiced Tai Chi Chuan and Qi Gong side by side with Chinese people in city parks at 6 in the morning. To be welcomed so graciously into their practice circles helped us understand in a very direct way that we have so much in common with Chinese people. We've feasted on the delicate and tasteful Chinese food in its amazing variety. We've seen the view from the Great Wall. And we've landed back at Sea-Tac with rolls of film, a bag of wonderful souvenirs each, and much much more.
