Vol 13, Issue 3/2003
Where is the true Taijiquan?
Impressions from a workshop and a conversation with Cheng Lijun.
By Ingeborg Kalischer
There are many divergent ideas about Taijiquan – while in German-speaking regions a few small tournaments can spark passionate debate, in China it is an established school and competition sport. This became clear to Ingeborg Kalischer in a conversation with Cheng Lijun, who himself can look back on a highly successful tournament career. During a seminar in Berlin he talked about the importance of competitions for maintaining the quality of Taijiquan, as success in tournaments is a condition for gaining an official teaching certificate. However, he rejects the European tournament circuit because of the insufficient qualifications of the participants and especially of the judges.
