On Sunday, May 23rd, Mr. Sun Yang from our J3D class was invited to the Saitama City Taijiquan Federation’s 15th Annual Taijiquan Tournament held at the Saitama City Omiya Martial Arts Hall.
Mr. Sun Yang comes from the Henan province in China, where he started practicing wushu, or Chinese martial arts, at a very young age. Later, he studied the Chinese combat sport of Sanshou at the prestigious Chengdu Sport University, from whose Physical Education Department he graduated before coming to Japan.
Here in Saitama, he was invited to open the martial arts event, and performed a Shaolin style called “Chang Hu Xin Yi Men.” Upon seeing this feat, the approximately three hundred people in the audience let out an “ooooohh” in unison. In Japan, tai chi is most popular among junior high school students, and while there are many forms (types) of tai chi, they are all typified by slow movements. However, Mr. Sun Yang performed at a speed that we had never before seen. His skill was a testament to his devotion to the art, and impressed everyone present.
Mr. Sun Yang, I hope that you will be accepted into the graduate program at Nippon Sport Science University next spring as you hope. We’re all rooting for you!