Jonathan has agreed to write another guest post, this time telling us a little more about his teacher Master Zhou, which you'll find below. Enjoy.
Master
Zhou:
The
Man, The Artist, The Teacher
By Jonathan Bluestein
Over the last few years, master Zhou Jingxuan
has become a known figure among some online martial arts communities, due to
the many videos of his published on youtube, featuring action from a wide
variety of traditional Chinese martial arts. Relatively few people, though, are
really familiar with the man behind the videos – the unique personality that he
is in the real world. In this article, I wish to therefore allow a glimpse into
the life and times of this fascinating individual.
It is a peculiar and
somewhat surreal thing that, a Westerner belonging to a nation of people who
are less than 15 million in number worldwide, who dwells in the Middle-East,
would come to be a student of another man, half a world away – one of nation
counting over 1.5 billion people. Some would call it Karma, Fate, or Divine
Intervention. I, for one, attribute this to the power of Human Wills. For where
two people search the same thing, its shape, nature or distance matter less
than its essence. What one looks for, with unquestionable desire and an utmost
thirst, will bring one to find the answers, in the existence of other human
beings. So it came to be, that I have become a student of master Zhou Jingxuan;
a man quite unlike myself, who nonetheless shares with me something transcendental
and special. A connection to an ancient mindset, now long gone from the soul of
the majority of humanity. This keen interest in the Martial Arts – a glue that
brings persons together and bridges across cultures like no other; a gift that
Zhou is handing over to those eager to accept, passing it on as it had been
passed to him.
Seeking truthful and
serious traditional instruction, I came to study, many years ago, under master
Zhou's student, Nitzan Oren – a fellow Israeli, and nowadays also a dear friend.
Later, on two occasions, I have had the chance to study directly under Zhou
shifu. With both teachers I have studied Xing Yi Quan and Pigua Zhang. My
latest training period with Zhou had been for 40 days of daily training, during
summer 2012. Prior to that, I have also trained daily with Zhou shifu for a
month in summer 2010, when he had come to Israel to instruct his Israeli
students and their students.
Master Zhou, now about 48
years old, was born and had lived all of his life in Tianjin city, China.
Today, Tianjin is a booming metropolis of 13 million people, with
infrastructure and facilities no less impressive that those of famous European
cities (albeit its pollution being quite terrible). But at its core, Tianjin is
an ancient city, and up until 30 years ago, it was still quite primitive in its
construction and accommodations, not to mention the living standards, which
were quite fitting to a third-world country. And, while culture in some
respects has always flourished, either above or below the surface, the
mentality and mindset of most of this city's inhabitants was always that of the
poor and struggling. Even today, it can be said that large portions of the city
are one big 'rough neighborhood'. This is the environment Zhou had grown up and
still lives in – a place which builds character, psychological endurance, and
sharp survivalist instincts.
Tianjin, circa
1930:
Tianjin, 2012:
In 1931, the Empire of Japan had invaded
Manchuria, with the goal of conquering all of China, marking the (true)
beginning of World War II. The China that had been invaded had been at its
weakest point in many centuries, following 200~ years of economic conquest by
Western powers, and a succession of terrible civil wars. The Chinese barely
survived the war, in which the Japanese Imperial Army was not only close to
occupying all of China, but performed some of the worst atrocities and war
crimes in modern times, including mass murders and rapes of thousands and tens
of thousands of people at a time. Tianjin suffered greatly from this
occupation, and so had Zhou's family. His grandfather in turn, set out to fight
the Japanese. The Chinese army was so scarce in resources, that it was frequent
that the soldiers would run out of ammunition, or lack firearms altogether. The
29th army, which Zhou's grandfather joined, had therefore
experimentally equipped their soldiers with additional weapons – Dao and Da Dao
swords, to fight the Japanese at close quarters, or when the ammunition would
run out. It is almost unthought of that in the age of automatic and
semi-automatic guns, that people would be fighting against such weapons with
swords, but the 29th army did so quite successfully. Zhou's
grandfather survived the war, at the cost of seeing all his friends being
killed by the Japanese. It seems to me that this traumatic experience of the
most brutal kid of fighting had undoubtedly affected young Zhou shifu, who took
to heart the lessons of war and violence.
Pictures: Left – A Chinese soldier, carrying a Da Dao
sword on is back, waiting at the Tianjin railroad station. Bottom – Another soldier of the 29th
army, carrying Dao swords on his back.
For Zhou, it was obvious
from a young age that he was going to practice martial arts. The district he
was lives in, Hong Qiao, is one of two districts in the city of Tiajin famous
for their martial artists (the other being Nankai). He lived (and still lives)
near Xigu park – an impressive island of greenery in the middle of gray
Tianjin, which had over the years become an attraction point for many martial
artists. The teaching atmosphere was very different from other places,
especially compared to schools in modern times. People simply came to the park
and practiced. You could have a choice from many teachers, and if you had the
right connections, also be recommended by your own teachers to become a student
of others. Because of these unique circumstances, Zhou had the opportunity to
get to know hundreds of highly-skilled martial arts teachers in his lifetime,
and study under quite a few of them.
Beginning at age 9, Zhou started his
studies with the arts of Chuo Jiao, Fanzi Quan and Tan Tui. Later, he also learned
Pigua Zhang (under two teachers), Xing Yi Quan (under four teachers), and Baji
Quan and Jingang Bashi (under two teachers who are gongfu brothers) and Li
style Taiji Quan. Additionally, all of Zhou's teachers taught him several
weapon forms, each. Some of these weapons are related to the arts he had
studied, while others (such as the Six Harmonies Spear form) are interdependent
from style. Overall, Zhou shifu ended up having 11 long-term teachers, out of
which he became an official disciple (indoor student) of 7 of them.
Zhou also had encounters and knowledge exchanges with several other martial arts teachers. Since he had over the years become such an enormous fountain of martial knowledge, there were always people who were interested in learning his skills – especially material from his rare art of Shaolin Jingang Bashi. It is not the custom in Chinese society, however, that two people of the same class (say two veteran teachers) would become each-others student. Because of this, Zhou exchanged knowledge with these teachers on a friendly basis, and gained insight into the use and theory of many other martial arts and weapons in that manner.
In the picture: Members of Zhou's gongfu family –
practitioners of Baji Quan and Jingang Bashi, together with members of the
Communist Party. Circa 1980s. Zhou is sitting in the front row, on the far
left, wearing a white shirt. Behind Zhou stands his grand-teacher, Tian
Jinzhong, wearing glasses. To Tian's left stands another grand-teacher of Zhou's
– Zhao Fujiang (bald man with dark-blue shirt), who was master Tian's younger
gongfu brother in their Baji lineage.
As a child, Zhou was
mischievous and adventurous. This had probably been his way of coping with the
harsh living conditions in Tianjin, past the Cultural Revolution (a time of
great poverty and death throughout China). The country was difficult to survive
in, and life was chaotic at times. People had to learn how to endure and
manage, and teach these skills to their families as well. Thus, beginning when
Zhou began his martial arts learning at the age of 9, and through his teenage
years and early 20s, he was involved in a lot of fights that were forced upon
him by others. Times have since changed, China and Tianjin have become
relatively safer places, and Zhou have since turned more peaceful in nature. Also
in accordance with the times, Zhou has since been accepting students with all
types of goals in training – not just martial; enjoying teaching people who may
seek learning the arts for self-preservation and development as well. He
himself has too begun to practice more health-oriented methods over the years,
to balance his previous martial experience. Zhou's previous martial experiences
are still evident though, when demonstrating the proper execution of movements
and martial techniques – with a fierceness of a true fighting scenario.
When Zhou was a young
teenager, he recalls, there was a certain Taiji Quan teacher in the park. To Zhou
and his friends, he was a target for ridicule, as he looked funny, and they did
not think much of the slow movements he had been practicing. The old man, on
his part, did not mind at all the children's behaviour, and completely ignored
them. They used to come at him in the park when he was not training, and try to
push him over. Zhou vividly remembers how, despite their best attempts, they
could not do anything to him. Whenever they pushed on him, his body would
collapse and absorb their energy with no apparent effort. Those who used too
much force on him would be bounced back on into the ground by their own
strength and momentum. Today, Zhou is stricken by this silliness and his
disrespect towards the old man, when he was younger. He says: "I wish I
was wiser, and would have gone to study under this man, as he had obviously
possessed a great skill in the martial arts".
Such experiences, as well as Zhou's tutelage by many teachers over the years have made him garner much respect towards other arts and martial artists. It is difficult, and often impossible, to make Zhou shifu speak badly of other people and their arts. He could go in-length for many minutes on end, on the wonderful skills of practitioners which he thinks highly of. But ask him of someone who is not skilled or is not a good person, and Zhou would rather say he does not know enough about this person or his martial art, than speak badly of them. He also regrets not having the chance or the time to practice under or with martial artists of styles he has not learned. While Zhou is very satisfied and enthusiastic about the styles he practices and teaches, this yearning for more knowledge is derived from his great appreciation of other practitioners and their arts.
Such experiences, as well as Zhou's tutelage by many teachers over the years have made him garner much respect towards other arts and martial artists. It is difficult, and often impossible, to make Zhou shifu speak badly of other people and their arts. He could go in-length for many minutes on end, on the wonderful skills of practitioners which he thinks highly of. But ask him of someone who is not skilled or is not a good person, and Zhou would rather say he does not know enough about this person or his martial art, than speak badly of them. He also regrets not having the chance or the time to practice under or with martial artists of styles he has not learned. While Zhou is very satisfied and enthusiastic about the styles he practices and teaches, this yearning for more knowledge is derived from his great appreciation of other practitioners and their arts.
Having trained in Xigu
park since childhood (and later started teaching there), Zhou is a very
familiar figure in the park. It seems that most people who go there know him
somehow – if not by name, at least by recognizing his face and composure. Since
his youth, he has also been famous around his neighborhood for his excellent
skills in Pigua Zhang.
In Chinese society, where one's name, Ego and 'Face' often play a huge role, it is rare that people publicly ask others, who are not their own teachers, to instruct them. Such an act would, in this traditional society, indicate that the person asking instruction is 'lesser' or even 'inferior' to the other. Nonetheless, I have myself seen many people in the park approach Zhou shifu, asking him to teach them little something here and there, or to correct their practice. I have also been witness to several parents who came to Zhou, and asked him to formally accept their children as his students. These parents were interested in the physical well-being of their children – their health and ability to protect themselves, and also in exposing their children to traditional Chinese culture, in an age in which most Chinese children are more interested in imitating American culture.
In Chinese society, where one's name, Ego and 'Face' often play a huge role, it is rare that people publicly ask others, who are not their own teachers, to instruct them. Such an act would, in this traditional society, indicate that the person asking instruction is 'lesser' or even 'inferior' to the other. Nonetheless, I have myself seen many people in the park approach Zhou shifu, asking him to teach them little something here and there, or to correct their practice. I have also been witness to several parents who came to Zhou, and asked him to formally accept their children as his students. These parents were interested in the physical well-being of their children – their health and ability to protect themselves, and also in exposing their children to traditional Chinese culture, in an age in which most Chinese children are more interested in imitating American culture.
China at large has
suffered from two centuries of Economic and Military occupation by Western
powers. The very center of this ugly takeover was the city of Tianjin, which
still features several neighbourhoods with lots of Western-style architecture,
reminiscent of 19th century Europe. These times were then followed
by several decades of strict Communist rule, which was also anti-Western in
ideology, and actively fought the West in the Korean War and during the Cold
War. That said, it was to be expected that the older Chinese generations would
not think highly of Westerns. Neither did Zhou think too positively of
Westerners, when he was younger. Having never learned a foreign language or
known a Westerner as a friend, like most of the Chinese of his generation, his
opinion of Westerners was shaped by the bloody, turbulent history of China over
her last few centuries. While one could hardly suggest that this social mindset
was stained by harsh things like Racism, one could say that suspicion,
prejudice and bias are definitely common in this society towards foreigners.
Which is perfectly understandable, by the way, considering their historical
circumstances, and China's isolation from the Western world throughout most of
the last 100 years.
In the picture:
Zhou shifu, with one of his top students, Nitzan Oren from Israel.
HaYarkon Park, Tel-Aviv, Israel, August 2010.
I believe that Zhou's
ideas about foreigners must have taken their first shift once he began to teach
Westerners in the 1990s. Slowly but surely, he came to understand that they
were not at all as bad as they were always portrayed to be when he was younger.
A major change of heart was in the years following Zhou's acquaintance with my
teacher, Nitzan Oren. At the time, and also nowadays, Zhou have had trouble
with students leaving his side before they could learn a reasonable amount of
martial material and skills. Most of the young Chinese tend to neglect serious
martial arts practice, possibly because Zhou is more readily available to them
(don't appreciate him enough because of that), and also because the pursuit of
careers and finance is of a greater interest to them than training. Few of
Zhou's Chinese students have stuck around for over 2-3 years, and those who
did, usually never trained as hard as Zhou had probably hoped for. One Chinese
female student of Zhou had stayed with him for 11 years, and had reached a very
good level. Unfortunately, she quit training altogether once she got married
(as commonly happens in Chinese society, which is still very chauvinistic
compared to the West).
In the picture:
Zhou shifu, with one of his top students, Ben Bario from Israel.
HaYarkon Park, Tel-Aviv, Israel, August 2010.
Nitzan was the exception, remaining by Zhou's side for 7 years straight, and studying with him daily. It was the first time that Zhou had had such a serious-minded student. In the beginning, Zhou still carried some cultural biases and prejudices towards Westerners. Over time though, Nitzan's persistence and perseverance have made him change his mind about Westerners. Following Nitzan, more and more Westerners came to study with Zhou. He then noticed that, not only were these people willing to come all the way from another continent to train with him, some of them also invested more effort in their training than many of his Chinese students. He also figured that these Westerners were genuinely interested in traditional Chinese culture, which ironically, many of the younger Chinese were now throwing away, in favour of chasing fantasies related to the Consumerism and Hedonism of the globalized "American" culture. In an age in which the Chinese are quickly losing their own cultural roots, Zhou has found comfort in knowing that there are foreigners willing to put in the time and effort, to preserve what is dear to him, besides his few dedicated Chinese students. That is why, as a mature adult, he had a drastic change in some of the ideologies he had been indoctrinated into since early childhood, and have come to accept Westerners as equals, and decent people. To the extent that at such an age (when he was over 35), a person is willing to consciously have this big a change of heart, is in my opinion a wonderful testimony to Zhou's pragmatic, humble and down-to-earth character. In our time, many Chinese (in mainland China) treat foreigners nicely, but think and speak badly of them behind their backs, as a result of the education they had been receiving from youth (though the situation is improving, and there are also many Chinese who are most welcoming and kind towards foreigners). Zhou has transcended that nationalistic mentality, and have come to accept Westerners without prejudice or bias. That sort of attitude may 'go without saying' for a person educated in the safe confines of a Liberal Democracy, but for a person who has been brainwashed all his life as a citizen of a Totalitarian state, this is not at all obvious. Today, Zhou has many foreign students worldwide, and takes great pride in all of them.
In the picture:
Zhou shifu teaching Ilan – a 3rd Dan Aikidoka from Israel.
HaYarkon Park, Tel-Aviv, Israel, August 2010.
In general, it can be
said that Zhou is very dedicated to his students. He treats everyone with equal
care and attention, whether Indoor or Outdoor students, young or old, Chinese
or Western, long-term or short-term. He garners respect for any student with
sincere interest in martial arts, and would out of his way to teach more if the
student works hard. Sometimes, one even has to ask Zhou to slow down, as he is
so eager to teach more as soon as he thinks the student is capable.
As mentioned earlier, in China, many still have mixed or negative feelings towards non-Chinese. Therefore, in the park, rude people would sometimes pass by and mock or laugh at foreign practitioners. These acts are disgracing, since usually a Chinese would not dare to behave in that manner towards another Chinese in public (that said, we should consider that sadly, this phenomenon also exists in the West). Zhou can become very upset with such people, and would immediately shout at them and scold them for talking of or behaving badly towards his students; making sure they would leave the place at once. It is important that I stress in any case, that such people are an exception to the rule, and that most Chinese think positively of people who are sincere in their efforts to learn aspect of their culture. More commonly, I would encounter Chinese people who were very happy to see a Westerner practicing Chinese martial arts.
It is important to
understand that martial arts are everything to Zhou – his hobby, his job, and
his way of life. While educated to an extent in Calligraphy, Chinese literature
and Classics and even in Traditional Chinese Medicine, martial arts were always
his focal point. In his lifetime, he has had many jobs in commerce and trade,
from book-salesmanship to gem-trade, but teaching martial arts have remained
his only steady occupation. Like many other great teachers in the past, this
kind of lifestyle is what had helped him reach a superb level of skill in his
pursuit of choice.
There are some teachers
who have had more influence over Zhou than others. One such teacher, which he
holds in high esteem, is master Li Guoliang (of Tianjin; there is another known
teacher by the same name from Taigu, whose name is written with different
characters in Chinese). From master Li, Zhou had received much of his knowledge
of Xing Yi Quan – a lot of which is rarely seen elsewhere nowadays, and have
also gained the deep foundations in Zhan Zhuang (standing post) training. These
teachings have deeply affected the way Zhou shifu practices and teaches martial
arts. Zhan Zhuang, and other skills taught
by master Li, are now 'obligatory material' for any student who comes to
study under Zhou (with proper, specific adaptations being made for the
particular martial art the student is practicing). Zhou considers the Zhan
Zhuang training to be the most important, and have told his students that:
"Even if one cannot practice at all on a certain day, it's still vital
that one would somehow make time for practicing Zhan Zhuang for at least 20
minutes". Another skillset that Zhou would teach, to advanced students,
are his Dan Tian development methods, which he had learned from several
teachers, but in particular and most of all from Zhao Fujiang (one of his
grand-teachers). To train these, one first needs a solid foundation in Zhan
Zhuang, which requires prolonged daily practice. The Dan Tian methods can then
be introduced, and later be implemented and embedded into any of the arts Zhou
teaches, in most fighting movement.
Master Zhou is also a big exponent of the notion of Quality being more important than Quantity. Although he himself have studied many arts, he had dedicates several years, and many hours a day, for the practice of each of these arts. Therefore, it is important to him that student spend the time required to hone their ability with each method, drill or technique, before they move on to learn more material. That said, Zhou is pragmatic in his approach, and does not force the students to abide by his wishes. Nor does he even force anyone to study a particular art or skill, and the final choice is up to the student. His words are a hearty recommendation – one's that's often better adopted, but is not strictly dictated or enforced. A student's free will and self-actualization is, eventually, what's most important to Zhou when he teaches.
In the picture: Master Zhou, demonstrating application with his
Israeli student, Etai. During this particular moment, Zhou was showing how
proper alignment and structure, as developed through Zhan Zhuang training, can
make it easy for a small person to resist a much larger individual. Zhou is
roughly 5'6 in height, and Etai is 6'4. HaYarkon Park, Tel-Aviv, Israel, August
2010.
Because many of the higher-level skills Zhou has learned had originated from his Xing Yi Quan practice methods, and possibly because of his teacher's requests, Zhou refrains from allowing video of his Xing Yi to be taken. It is a shame, as his Xing Yi truly exceptional. I remember vividly how I watched Zhou demonstrate things with his Xing Yi that others only speak of.
For example – many people have written of the difference between 'Ming Jin' (obvious power) and 'An Jin' (hidden power) in the art. Few teachers, though, can show the difference well. Zhou once demonstrated this difference to us students, using the same movement – Pi Quan – Xing Yi's most basic movement. The first variation, of 'obvious' power, had cut through the air like a baseball bat making a home-run. It was blunt, solid, sharp and defined. Then he delivered the 'hidden power' variation, which is of the higher level. It shot away like lightning tearing a gap in the air, lashing out with a true killing intent, which was at once both subtle and frightening. Myself, I could demonstrate this too, but certainly not as brilliantly as master Zhou does. In his demonstration, even though he had not touched anyone, you could feel the differentiation of spirit and intent behind the movements in a very distinct fashion.
Another time, I've had the 'privilege' of Zhou asking me to try and use short-power striking (Cun Jin) on him. This meant I needed to shock him with a strike from zero distance – my hand already on his chest. I was not skilled enough at the time, and Zhou was not satisfied with my power. I could not at all affect him. He then asked me to be his dummy. I was to stand in a strong stance, and flex my chest muscles as he was about to release his force on the side of them. As he did, I felt nothing on the surface of my skin, and he barely seemed to move at all. It was as if he had touched me with cotton. From roughly the middle of his striking palm, it felt as if a very thin needle had dug deep into my chest, and within it had carried an explosive charge, which was then detonated as it had reached the middle of my torso through the route set by the 'needle'. For a split of a second, I felt Death. Psychologically, the closest sensation I could think of is when one vomits badly when one is very ill, and momentarily feels like he is about to die. That is somewhat how I felt – for a moment, as if my game was over; there wasn't even enough time to fear what was going on – it was only the knowledge of impending doom that was quick enough to enter my consciousness. Luckily, master Zhou knows what he's doing, and did not shock me with his full capacity. Neither was there any damage or pain following the moment of the strike. Still, this was a humbling experience, which had made me realize some of the true potential of what Zhou is teaching.
In the picture:
Zhou shifu, demonstrating an application on Tom, one of his Israeli
students. HaYarkon Park, Tel-Aviv, Israel, August 2010.
This all reflect Zhou's
liking for the hands-on teaching approach. He rightfully believes that in order
to truly understand martial arts, the student must feel
them. This means, beyond the obvious, that the student should have free access
to touching Zhou's body when he performs movements, to get a sense of how the
body is supposed to move; also, that the student be able to execute the
techniques on Zhou himself. These things are absolutely essential for learning
Zhou's martial arts. They also expose the intimacy of the relationship between
Zhou and his committed students – with both sides expected to openly ask any
question, and not shy away from physical contact. This is the traditional
manner in which many Chinese martial arts were taught, but this approach is
becoming exceedingly rare in the teaching of traditional martial arts;
especially in the West and in Japan, where because of cultural politeness and
social norms, many prefer a more 'sterile' learning environment and a teacher
that keeps his distance and plays the role of an 'authority figure'. Zhou would
have none of that, and would never claim to be an authority on anything, or
expect a better treatment by anyone because he is a teacher.
Now closing in on his
50s, measuring by his skill and power, one could never guess. He would still
casually perform splits, move faster than any of his students, exert a greater
amount of force than them in his strikes, and easily toss people weighing twice
his weight. Other things Zhou can do are, too, out of the ordinary. By the
power of his mental intent alone, for example, he could make the hairs on his
hand stand erect or fall (these are moved by tiny muscles under the skin, which
in medical literature are said not be under one's conscious control). I have
also seen Zhou using mere one or two fingers to strike people in
demonstrations, making them collapse sideways or to the ground at a great
velocity because of the shock.
It is not that Zhou is a Superman of sorts. He is nothing but an ordinary person who has taken his skills to a very high level, in a process lasting several decades. He is the first to admit, for instance, that he is not a strong man, and cannot carry or lift exceedingly heavy weights. His skill with the martial arts, involving an attuned technical ability and a body built around this skillset, is what enables him to handle other human beings, in fighting, much better than people who are physically bigger and stronger than him. Some of the arts his teaches, such as Baji Quan, lend themselves well to people of a greater mass and height. Still, Zhou has proven that with dedication and perseverance, one can reach a level in which is the skill itself matters much more than other attributes.
In the picture:
Zhou shifu, teaching Baji Quan to a group of Chinese students. All of
them are bigger and heavier than him. The Chinese guy standing directly behind
Zhou is Xiao Hei – a national Western-Boxing champion, who is 6'3 and weighs
twice Zhou's weight.
To have had the
opportunity to learn with Zhou and his student Nitzan is something I shall
always cherish. I feel that such a privilege, of finding a true traditional
teachers of the Chinese fighting arts, who is both capable and a good person,
is rare, even in the age of globalization and access to Internet resources. One
of the biggest regrets I have in life is, that my own personal circumstances
have not allowed me to spend more time with Zhou shifu, and take from him what
he so willingly aspires to give to those interested. It is my hope that, in the
future, many others would have the opportunity to get to know Zhou, as a
teacher and a human being. From the times I have spent with man, I have
undoubtedly benefited more than I could have ever described in an article.
.
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Master Zhou sadly passed away in January of 2015. He was 50 years old. May his memory be blessed.
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You may also subscribe to Shifu Bluestein's youtube channel, which is regularly updated with rare and fascinating martial arts videos and lectures:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmg7ZGfBdToVl_p_KAfMR2A
All rights of this article are reserved to Jonathan Bluestein © 2020. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission, in writing, from Jonathan Bluestein.
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