Qi-Kong Group Gave Me A Farewell Party At My Residence On July 11

Members of the Qi-Kong group came to my residence for fellowship as well as signed names on the group photo to send me off on July 11 after morning practice. Each friend was then gave a 2-3 minutes on the reflection how did they start Qi-Kong and how did Qi-Kong help them all through these years.

The name of the Qi-Kong group is called Taichung Wisdom-Energy Qi-Kong Chung-Hsing Practice Group, 台中智能気功中興練功場. It started in 1992 when Mr. Wang Pou 王博, father of our captain, went to China to learn about this Qi-Kong hoping not only to cure his liver disease but help the populace. When the Qi-Kong practice started, every cost was payed for by Mr. Wang. Till these days, this Qi-Kong group teaches based not on profits but on charity; members pay only minimum membership fee for the basic cost which includes group uniform, banquet cost and scholarship money for members' children.

Here are the members' reflections except those of Coach Tong 童菊蘭 , Mr. Yiao 游国, and Mr. Tsai 蔡奕淦 . The reflections of Coach Tong 童菊蘭, Mr. Yiao 游国 , and Mr. Tsai 蔡奕淦 had been reported in my previous postings. (See my 7/7/09 and 7/08/09 psotings.).

Mr. Chiang Chiu-Kwei 冮秋癸 reflection: Mr. Chiang was forced to retire in 2007 from a factory because of knee cap problem. Doctor said that he needed a knee replacement. Mr. Chiang started Qi-Kong in 2007. His knee has been completely recovered plus had more energy than the year he retired.

Ms. Lin Su-Jeng 林淑真 and her husband Mr. Yang Sun-Seng 楊順生 came to practice at the nudge of their relative, Ms. Chang Chun-Mei 張春美. Ms. Lin said that Qi-Kong helped her not to sneeze easily and less body pain. Her husband said that this Qi-Kong is too easy for him. He went to other group to practice Tai-Chi instead.

Mr. Yiao 游国 Works Harder Than I In The Qi-Kong Practice

I am posting two more photos here to show my other Qi-Kong friends. One is a photo with Mr. Yiao 游国 . Mr. Yiao 游国 is in the 70s, but he looks younger than that. Mr. Yiao 游国 started Qi-Kong practice in 2004. He comes to Qi-Kong practice every morning, at least 10 minutes earlier than everybody else. After many years of practice, he is trimmer and less prone to cold.

The other photo is with Mr. Tsai 蔡奕淦 who is in the 50s. Mr. Tsia 蔡奕淦 is a successful business man. He comes to coach us on Saturday. He does have much medical problem to start with. He use Qi-Kong as a method of maintaining good health. He has practiced Qi-Kong since 1992.

Coach Tong 童菊蘭 Was Influential In Convincing Me Usefulness of Qi-Kong

I had reported several stories describing me how did I start with Qi-Kong practice about 6-7 months ago. I use the time for my morning exercise; having no thought about Qi-Kong can do more than the regular exercise such as swimming or playing tennis. My idea about Qi-Kong changed when coach Tong approached me with CDs and a book, "The Melody of Qi" 氣的樂章. The book describes blood circulation in terms of resonance which I understand. That book has made me a convert and coach Tong really plays a key role in making me serious learning about Qi-Kong.

Actually, she had done more than that. She gave me few private lessons teaching me Squatting feet (in front of wall), Swirl ling waist etc. For that I am expressing my sincere thanks to her.

On July 11, Qi-Kong group had a farewell party for me allowing everyone to say few reflection words on Qi-Kong practice. Coach 童菊蘭 Started Qi-Kong in 1996. She was in such bad physical shape in 1996. She could not eat; and alarmingly underweight. She caught cold often; each time she got a cold, the cold would linger at least a month. After practicing Qi-Kong, she no longer catches cold easily. Actually she maintains her beauty and vitality in her 50. She is a good role model for everyone in the group.

The Friendship Given by My Qi-Kong Practice Group Have Deeply Warmed My Heart

Living alone is not easy. This sabbatical leave gave me an experience of living alone which had occasionally given me blue mood.

Fortunately, I found several groups in Taiwan giving me great support, physically, intellecturally, and spiritually.

The students' group gave me intellectual support, the church group gave me spiritual support, and the Qi-Kong Practice Group gave me physical support.

In these one and half an hour daily practices of the group, I had developed deep friendship with the practice members. I will devote several stories introducing my Qi-Kong practice members.

Playboy-Like Jeng Jin 鄭經 Exhibited Unusual Diplomatic and Political Skills In Governing Taiwan

The oldest son of Koxinga 鄭成功, Jeng-Jing 鄭經(1642-1681), was a playboy and a womanizer. He once had sexual relationship with his brother's (Jeng Hsienh) mother . Even Jeng Jing 鄭經and Jeng Hsienh had different mothers, this unusual sexual relationship was considered as an incest according to Han-Chinese ethics code. This had angered Koxinga who ordered to execute Jeng Jing 鄭經. Koxinga's deputies did not follow the execution order; the execution of Jeng Jing 鄭經 was spared because Koxinga died on 1662.

Koxinga's death brought in power struggle among Jeng Jing and his brothers and uncles. Jeng Jing 鄭經 then stationed at Ei-Mung 廈門. He had displayed unusual diplomatic and political skills. First, he dealt with Ching agreeing to follow Korea-China relation model for Taiwan-China relation to buy time for him to defeat his political enemies in Taiwan. After he consolidated his power in Taiwan, he allied with Japan and England against Ching which then allied with the Dutch. Jeng jing 鄭經 developed naval forces, ship building industry and trades which made Taiwan one of the richest countries in the Southeast Asia. Jeng Jing 鄭經 further developed agriculture system in Taiwan, built soldier-farming systems that made Taiwan self sufficient in food supply.

Jeng Jing 鄭經 biggest blunder was his involvement in Chinese civil war in the so-called Three-Territory-Event 三藩事變 in 1673. The involvement of such civil war consumed mush of Taiwanese resources and brought the end of this kingdom in Taiwan.

Jeng Jing's 鄭經 unrestrained private life brought his early death in 1681. His death brought another power struggle among the successors of Jeng Jing 鄭經. This gave Ching an opportunity to conquer Taiwan in 1683. After that Taiwanese lived a very miserable life under Ching's administration.

Koxinga 鄭成功 May Be A Hero; But He Also Committed Atrocity Against Dutch

Facing with the advancing Ching's army together with the shame that Ching had inflicted on the Jeng's family because Ching had raped Ms. Ta-ga-Wo-Ma-Tsu 田川氏 (たがわ まつ)(1601-1646) (wife of Iquan and mother of Koxinga) and later forcing Ta-Ga-Wo-Ma-Tsu 田川氏 (たがわ まつ) to committ suicide, father 鄭芝龍 (1604-1661) and son 鄭成功 (1624－1662) had completely different responses. Iquan 鄭芝龍 chose to surrender. He betrayed Ming but himself betrayed by Ching and was imprisoned for 22 years and was eventually executed by Ching in 1661. The son, Koxinga 鄭成功 chose to fight. At the peak of his career, he successfully expelled Dutch from Taiwan in 1662 and became a hero.

Koxinga was not interested in invading Taiwan until 1658 when he lost his campaign in Nanking because of his blunder. While army and naval fleet had already encircled Nanking and were counting days for the victory, Koxinga threw a birthday party outside of the Nanking castle. His soldiers and sailors were drunk when Ching had sensed the opportunity to attack Koxinga's army. Koxinga hurriedly retreat; and from that moment, he lad lost the military upper hand against Ching. Koxinga needed a base to retake Ching; this time, he targeted Taiwan, then a Dutch colony.

Koxinga invaded Taiwan on APril 30, 1661. His fleet and army took Provincia castle quite easily on May 4. The Dutch defended Zeelandin for more than 10 months. The Dutch surrendered to Koxinga on January 25 of 1662.

When Dutch defending Provincia surrendered to Koxinga, they had expected that Koxinga treated them with the status of prisoner-of-war. Well, this was not the case. Koxinga's army killed the men and raped the women. Also during the Zeelandin siege, Koxinga hunt Dutch all around Taiwan, killing them with cruelty such as nailing them on a cross etc. In fact, in those campaign, Koxinga had committed atrocity against the Dutch.

This is part of the bloody history of Taiwan. While most Taiwanese worship a hero-like figure of Koxinga, Koxinga did have his dark side needed to be discussed.

Pirate Jeng Ju-Long 鄭芝龍 Was A Complex Character

Pirate Jeng Ju-Long 鄭芝龍 (1604-1661) inherited Lee Dan's pirate empire and became a godfather himself in 1625. Jeng was a genius of language and he had many other skills. Besides Mandarin, Jeng also mastered Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch. He also played Spanish guitar. The Europeans called him Iquan because this was the name when Jeng was baptized with the Catholics religion.

The relationship between Dutch and Iquan was uneasy. They fought war in 1633 but without any win or loss on either side. Iquan agreed to give Dutch a port at Fu-Jou 福卅 in exchange of giving Iquan monopoly of sea-transportation between China and Taiwan.

During 1633 and 1635, there was a famine in China while the Dutch needed Chinese labor to develop her new colony. Iquan's fleet then transported Chinese laborers to Taiwan and made a good fortune himself.

These Chinese laborers were not human slaves because at the time the Dutch gave them great incentive to come to Taiwan to develop agriculture. However, Dutch squeezed them with hefty tax which resulted in Kuo Huei-I's 郭懷一 rebellion in 1652.


Iquan himself made a huge political gamble by accepting Ming emperor's invitation to become an Ming's minister while ending his pirate career. With his new minister position in the Ming's court, he took his Japanese wife 田川氏 (たがわ まつ) (1601-1646), and his oldest son Jeng Chung-Kung 鄭成功 or the Koxinga back to China and gave his son Chinese-style education. Iquan further expanded his naval fleet power by attacking other pirates who were not under his control.

As Ming's 明 government and troops got weaker and weaker when Ching's 清 troops advanced and took control huge territory from the Ming 明, Iquan betrayed Ming 明 and surrendered to the Ching 清. It was an irony. As Ching threw a big party accepting his surrender and as the banquet came to an end and as Iquan was isolated from his own troop, the Ching清 handcuffed Iquan and escorted Iquan to Peking. There, he was imprisoned for 22 years.

There was one thing Iquan finally did it right. He refused to persuade his son to surrender on Ching's 清 behalf. For that refusal, he was executed. At the execution, he finally made peace with himself and with his son.