Ghislain

I began my Tai chi journey in San Francisco Chinatown in 1980 with Master Choy Kam Man. I remember loving walking in the evening on Grant Avenue to go to tai chi class. Having grown up in a little town in France and having just moved to the U.S., the sound, smell and feel of the place was just overwhelming. Right away I felt a deep affinity for tai chi.

Over the years I’ve studied with many teachers, from Yang and Chen to Sun Style – each giving me new perspectives. In 1992 I met teacher Raymond Chao who introduced me to the Wu style and fell in love. It fit my personality, small frame, and pace.

My real first encounter with push hands was a one day workshop in 1998 or 99 with the late Wang Hao Da, a Wu stylist, that Master Georges Xu brought to San Francisco. I didn’t understand anything of what he was doing but being pushed by him was just something else.

In 2003 I met the person who taught me more in a year and a half than what I learned in the past twenty: Sifu Liu Wing Him (Wu stylist). It was the first time that I felt I had met someone who was actually soft. His listening ability was remarkable, and we had so much fun! Pushing hands with him was such a pleasurable exercise: I remember the joy, the awe at being pushed. I have never seen him hurt anyone in push hands. This is what I have been trying to emulate for the last few years