Taichi by the harbour

Exactly how many more "unique-to-Hong-Kong" experiences I can have, I'm not sure. But this morning was definitely one of the coolest. The Hong Kong Tourism Board puts on these free tai-chi classes, designed purely for the tourists, that are held at various locations around Hong Kong. The instructor speaks English, the moves are basic, but the locations are stunning. This morning's session was held at the Avenue of the Stars, sort of like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but capturing the handprint's of Hong Kong's iconic movie industry (sample above). The Avenue of the Stars is nice, but the clincher is its location across the harbor from the Hong Kong skyline.

So my friend Dan and I showed up bright and early and were definitely not disappointed. Although I cannot say that I'm in shape, I felt that tai-chi was going to be easy to practice given its slow, rhythmic movements and gently hypnotizing moves. Of course, I underestimated how out of shape I was because my leg muscles were really sore afterwards. I should have known better from my own experience with martial arts - one uses muscles that one never knew they had, in ways those muscles were never intended to be used.

The session lasted 90 minutes, and it was easy to get lost in the moment - there was a gentle breeze, ferries plowed the bay, skyscrapers towered in the distance, and there I stood in a tai-chi stance called Plucking the Needle from the Ocean Bottom (I'm not making that up.) Priceless.

Once we were done, our instructor and a couple of his students were kind enough to show us more complex moves, including a routine involving the Chinese fan. Dan caught a great picture below.


It's activities like these that rekindle my interest in karate again, and I end up getting angry at myself for having neglected it for so long. Granted, I have the MBA "I'm too busy for anything else" excuse to fall back on, but that's just weak. I need to make more time for these things again, especially Aikido, which I fell in love with when I trained in it before the MBA. With enough practice I should soon end up looking like this dude...