For years, I have been writing about Taijiquan. A dictionary. Blog posts. Reference articles. All of them non-fiction, all of them trying to get things right. Then an idea hit. An idea for a Tai Chi novel! When I started writing, it was strange at first. To write fictionally. To just go with the flow. […]
My plan is to publish a new post every Friday here on Qialance. But sometimes life gets in the way. This week it’s a cold. I recently wrote about Tai Chi with back pain. For me, pain and practice can go together. But it’s different with a cold. My body asks for rest, so that’s […]
Recently, my Tai Chi teacher said a term in class that was new to me: magpie bridge (in German: Elsterbrücke). Magpie Bridge (Què Qiáo) is when you touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth. I have done that so many times, for many years. I was astonished that I had never heard that […]
I’m currently reading The Art of Fighting* by Priya Parker. The book is about conflict in groups. And Taijiquan is mostly practised and learned in groups. One short sentence made me stop: “Feelings are energy.” The Art of Fighting, Priya Parker, p. 13 We talk a lot about energy in Taijiquan. And we rarely talk […]
Do you remember the first time you tried to do the Taijiquan form by yourself? In class, following along with the teacher, it was easy. But alone at home in your living room, suddenly the next move was not clear anymore. With practice, though, you managed to do the form on your own. Once you […]
Last summer I read Real Americans by Rachel Khong*. I read the book in German, and one paragraph stayed with me. It went something like this: “That’s impossible.” Ping sounded annoyed. “Dà hǎi lāo zhēn.” Like fishing a needle out of the sea. (German edition, page 391)* Uups, I thought, is that a Chinese saying? […]
