Looking out from morning training at the Grand Theatre the Hangzhou Civic Centre rises like a sci-fi Stone Henge into the misty grey sky. Today I was early enough to watch Teacher Liu’s students practice the Long Form. While we do 81 forms, the movements within movements make this seem like 1000 forms of Tai Chi. 

There was much review of basics in good couple of hours push hands with various students under the critical eye and direction of Teacher Liu before we stopped for lunch. Key points were follow then change, moving forward while moving back and vice versa.

The afternoon session was a change of pace with internal aspects of ward off, roll back, press and push, stepping forward and stepping backward. more emphasis on going one way to go the other, foot placement and inversion of palms.