Grandmaster Tse’s Chùn Yuén Diaries 俊元日記 26

In 1988, I went to Běijīng 北京 to study Qìgōng 氣功 with my Sīfú 師父, Great Grandmaster Yáng Méijūn 楊梅君 . On that trip, in a park, I met my other Sīfú, Great Grandmaster Wu Chùn Yuén 武俊元. He was teaching some students a staff form. As I watched, I immediately knew I wanted to learn this. I had never learnt other traditional Chinese weapons, apart from the Jiàn 剑 – Sword , the Wing Chun pole Lùhk Dím Bun Gwan 六點半棍 – Six and Half Point Pole, and the Wing Chun knives, Baat Jáam Dōu 八斬刀 – Eight Chopping Knives. Wu Sīfú, casually accepted me and said, if you like you can join in.” Of course, I joined in, but I did not have a staff. He kindly lent me one and told me where I could go and buy one. In that lesson I practised some basic staff movements, and afterwards I went to the place Wu Sīfú told me about, to buy my own staff. Over the next two months, before I went back home, I went to study with him every day. This was the beginning of my studies of traditional Chinese Wushu weapons, with a great, kind and friendly Sifu. After studying with him for many years he taught me the most difficult weapon, the Jiǔ Jié Biān 九節鞭 – Nine- Section Whip, I never realised Sīfú knew so much!