It’s pretty crazy to imagine that a good portion of the American population know what Tai Chi is. This is largely thanks to “The Professor,” Cheng Man-Ching. Cheng is heralded as the man who brought Tai-Chi to the west. As an ethnic Chinese-American male, I have enormous respect for the Professor, especially since my mom was at one point heavily into tai chi. To us, tai chi is in a way like yoga. In another way, it’s a lifestyle. To be in tune with your “chi”, or spirit, is to know yourself.

The documentary did a great job in explaining tai chi in terms of 1960s America. Indeed, the students of the Professor were mostly “hippies”- odd folk who were open to learning new things. Now, it is an exercise performed by many in this country and around the world.

And sometimes, I wish my mother would go back to doing tai chi. I think she was a lot happier then. Having that spiritual and emotional outlet would be incredibly helpful as life gets more hectic. As such, I have a strong desire to learn tai chi. If I only I could find a Professor like Cheng.