After seeing The Professor: Tai Chi’s Journey West, I was surprised to learn about the divide amongst the Chinese population in New York City concerning teaching Americans Tai Chi. During the film, when the Professor Cheng Man-Ching returned to Taiwan, the Tai Chi studio was shut down after the Chinese community in the area decided to prohibit Americans from learning. It gave an aspect that I was unfamiliar with, as in today’s society there are dozens upon dozens of martial arts institutions in the United States, many of which now are Tai Chi based. Yet, back in the turbulent 60’s, there was a certain amount of a restricted nature to the spread of Chinese culture.

Another aspect of the film that I found interesting was the concept of Tai Chi itself as something other than a martial art. From everything I’ve heard about Tai Chi, I assumed that it was based on a combative nature. It was surprising to learn of the different uses of Tai Chi for health purposes, as well as just being a way of life. I certainly did not expect brush strokes or drawing lines to be a part of a martial art, but when placed in context with the rest of Cheng Man-Ching’s program, it began to make sense. It was also amazing to learn of the routines that members would go through everyday, especially when one interviewee spoke of doing a hand motion over and over again for an entire session with the Professor. Overall, the film has definitely sparked my interest in not only martial arts, but Tai Chi in particular.