Like so many friends fond of Health Qigong, I am also an expert in practicing it. I have been frequently asked by others about how much difference it made. If I aim at keeping fit, why not go to the fitness center. In case of such doubts, I always tell them, calmly and patiently, I practice Health Qigong just because it has realized three dreams for me.

Dream one: To keep fit

I am fond of doing sports by nature. Even when I was in primary school, I started to be backbone of cultural and sporting activities in my class. There is not any sport that I do not like, such as running, dancing and playing table tennis. Logically, as such a fan of exercising, I should not easily get sick, not to mention serious diseases. However, it was unexpected to anyone, including myself, that I had heart attack, or specifically myocardial infarction in 2003, when I was in my year of forty-six. If I had not been promptly rescued, I was afraid that I would lose my life long ago. Doctors had warned me to stop every strenuous exercise.

Following doctors’ advice, I only took part in some acrobatic gymnastics such as low-speed bike-riding other than any sport requiring even a bit of efforts. In consideration of my health conditions, I was transferred from vice director of the taxation sub-bureau to vice chairman of labor union, which was a sinecure. But consequently, I felt my physical quality was dropping as I was idle and did less exercises than before. In physical examinations for consecutive years, I was found to be with problems like mild fatty liver, high blood lipid and high blood pressure (blood pressure turned normal under drug control). And I was often bothered by shoulder and lumbar pains one after another. I remember in one year, I spent almost all money on my medicare card on tuina, acupuncture and moxibustion, and massage, only resulting in no obvious effect. I was so uncomfortable at that time that I usually asked myself, should I spend my remaining life like this? How nice if someday I could return to great health as in previous years!

It turned better in 2009, when Li Chun, director of Haian Sports Bureau, organized a training class of the shadow boxing among county-level authorities, where masters of Chenjiagou were invited as teachers. I also took my part in the class and learned simple Si Zheng shadow boxing. I did not enjoy myself to the full, so later I followed Director Li to learn the Chen Style shadow boxing. Little by little, I found I had kept learning it for nearly a year. Afterwards, I was recommended by Director Li to participate in the Health Qigong training in the Nantong Party School that was organized by Nantong Sports Bureau. Although through the one-day training I only learned one method, that was the Liu Zi Jue, I became totally attached to Health Qiong. Not long afterwards, in September of 2010, I was privileged to go to Nanjing to participate in the training class for Health Qigong 1st-level social sports instructors of Jiangsu, when I learned Yi Jin Jing, Wu Qin Xi, Liu Zi Jue and Ba Duan Jin in a system. Ever since then, I took Health Qigong as my key sport and spent more than one hour every morning and night practicing it. I also studied many books on Health Qigong carefully, did repetitive exercises according to teaching videos that were issued by the government, and often exchanged experience with practitioners to for mutual improvement. What particularly worth mentioning was that I learned from Zhang Yinzhu, a famous Health Qiong coach of our province. Under guidance of teacher Zhang, I acquired deeper understanding of Health Qigong, mastered four sets of old methods “Yi Wu Liu Ba”, studied five sets of new methods and experienced sharp improvement in maneuvering technique.

Alongside with improvement of techniques, my physical quality was also bettering unconsciously and rapidly. In this year’s physical examination, all indicators were showed changing better. Blood pressure was around 120/80 (all hypotensive drugs were suspended one year ago), blood lipid dropped from 2.7 in previous years to 1.4, and mild fatty liver disappeared. I had no idea when did shoulder and lumbar pains that tortured me in previous years went away. And now I will not feel tired even after playing table tennis for two hours. On last year’s fun game of my unit, I was competing alongside with colleagues who were one or two decades younger and unexpectedly, I won championship in both jump rope (160 jumps/minute) and sit-up (42 sit-ups/minute) competition, which attracted new eyes from my colleagues. What makes more sense is that, practicing Health Qigong keeps my mind in peace. Since companies have been under rapid development in recent years, I have to deal with heavier workload as a taxation officer, and there is no distinction between “idle days” and “busy days”. But through practicing Health Qigong, I am able to release pressure and relax my body and mind to keep a peaceful mind. No matter there is heavy work or trouble, I could manage to deal with them with peace of mind. When talking about good health and good spirit, I always say gratefully, it is Health Qiong that realizes my dream of keeping fit.  

Dream two: To harvest success

Maslow regarded self-actualization as the highest request of people in his theory of hierarchy of needs, which was also proved by facts. In the beginning, some people did not understand or support my idea of practicing Health Qigong. But now, what I have harvested are applauses for my healthy body, flowers for our Qigong performance, and the gold medals for exchanges and competitions.

Ever since October 2010, I had successively participated in, as member of Health Qigong team representing Nantong, the 2nd to 4th Jiangsu Health Qigong Exchange Competition, the 1st and 2nd Exchange Competition for New Qigong Methods of Jiangsu Province, and Health Qigong competition in the 6th People’s Sports Meeting of Jiangsu, and in each provincial-level competitions, I had won the first place in Wu Qin Xi competition, the first prize in Tai Chi Yang Sheng Zhang competition, the 2nd place in Liu Zi Jue competition, and the 2nd prize in Ba Duan Jin competition. And in terms of team events in which that I participated, our team won three first prizes, four second prizes and four third prizes. In February 2012, our team took part in the 10th “Gan’en Cup” Hong Kong International Wushu Competition and won gold award in team competition of Liu Zi Jue and Ba Duan Jin as well as a third prize and fourth prize in individual competitions.  

In August 2011, Haian Health Qigong Association was invited for a sixty-people performance on the “Haohe River Night” art performance that was jointly held by Nantong Public Security Bureau and Nantong Sports Bureau. We made use of morning and night for training and guidance at each training station. After more than one month of separate training and joint training, it finally came to acceptance before the official show. On the night of August 8th 2011, our Health Qigong performers in white brocades clothes appeared on the stage by the Hahe River with great beauty, indicating start of the large art performance in dark blue setting, gorgeous lighting, thunderous applause …… Accompanied by melodious Jiangnan Sizhu folk music, I stood in forefront of performers’ team as leader of the continuous Health Qigong • Ba Duan Jin. We were showing health and energy of new-era fitness fan to the heart’s content and brand new glamour of Health Qiong. Our performance in perfect union left audiences with very deep impression and endowed every performer with the joy of harvesting success.

Dream three: To guide others

If the above-mentioned two dreams are dreams of individual, then the third one should be sublimated to higher state of mind. All in all, what we are pursuing is all flowers bloom together.

Impressive achievements of my team and me, no matter on provincial stage or international stage, have made quite a difference in the society and won us high attention from related leaders and departments in charge. Under concern and guidance by Haian Sports Bureau, the Health Qigong Association of Haian (hereinafter referred to as the “Association”) was established in 2011, with me serving as association chairman and legal representative. After establishment, the Association has organized and participated in various activities to promote Health Qiong, expand social influence and guide the mass.

Performances one after another have spread Haian Health Qigong to every corner of central Suzhou. Afterwards, there will always be Health Qigong show in all large cultural activities and volunteer activities in Haian. Moreover, to provide more practitioners with experience opportunity for unique fitness effect of Health Qigon, help the mass build up the habit of scientifically keeping fit, and integrate Health Qigong into their everyday life, I have taken an active part in organizing and participating in all kinds of activities on Health Qigong, aiming at guiding people to change from passive recipients to active practitioners and gradually develop fitness into a life-based and normal activity. Therefore, I often go to each station for training guidance and exchange. At present, more and more people are actively involved in practicing Health Qigong. Every morning and night, larger crowds of Health Qigong practitioners can be seen in park, square, community garden and space by river, which has become a beautiful landscape with Haian characteristic. Only on the Nanhai Square, there has been the record of 180 people practicing simultaneously in one day.

A lot of friends learning and practicing Health Qigong have come to exchange experience with me after a period of exercise. Some of them said their stubborn insomnia was eliminated, some said their appetite was improved, some said they became dexterous and quick in action, and even more said they had happier mood. Whenever these words come to my ears, I could not say how delighted I am. Is this just the feeling I have been pursuing?  

I am moving forward on the road from “helping myself” to “helping the others”. The moment my three dreams come true one after another, I start to think about a new one: that is to turn Health Qigong, depending on our joint efforts, into the most effective and convenient path towards physical and mental health during the course of realizing our Chinese Dream.

(Ma Qiang)