I started taking tuition under my late Master Deng Yunfeng when I was eight years old. At that time in Beijing the Nei Jia Wu Shu masters were not few, but the “Complete Hand” ones were rare to find. Tai Ji has been widely spreading in the West, but still few know about the existence of its two other sister arts Ba Gua and Xing Yi.
It was my late Master’s taste and wish that we value "the Art
for the Art’s sake", so no mystified tales or any tales with the nature of
individual character glorification will be narrated in my writings. I endeavour
to use direct and simple language, in sincerity and truth, to try to introduce
these arts to the West, in order not to fail those who begin to take a genuine
interest in the Nei Jia Wu Shu of my culture.
Deng Yunfeng was born in 1873 in Dengzhou, Shantung
Province. He had two sons and a daughter – all married. His wife died several
years before him. Unfortunately, his two sons both died young, though the second
son was survived by an heir. Later nobody knew his daughter’s whereabouts. His elder
son, Deng Wenying, was extremely skilful in Xing Yi; but his second son, Deng
Wenshun, was a playboy and his daughter, Deng Wencheh, was never interested in
Wu Shu at all.
Master Deng was outstanding in character and skill. His
achievements did not rest only on martial arts skill, as a Nei Jia “Complete
Hand”, but he also attracted many officials and scholars towards a transcendental
direction in Wu Shu. It’s a great pity and loss to Nei Jia Wu Shu that Master
Deng was not able to write down in letters, as Sun Lutang did, his experiences
and achievements, knowledge and interpretation of the arts.
Among his pupil-sons there were many outstanding people such
as bank managers and army generals, Christians and Daoists, street sweepers and
Qing eunuchs alike. His People’s Martial Arts Society was situated in the Temple
of the Fire God on Di'anmen Street, and I believe the temple is still there.
The abbot was his pupil, a very outstanding one. Master Deng died from cancer
of the stomach in the guest room of the abbot’s quarters in 1941. His funeral was held
in the third courtyard of the temple. He is survived by many loyal pupil-sons,
mostly in China, and the only pupil-daughter, an exile in the West. They all of
them cherish his memory with devotion and love.
“Wherever his way may take him, the pupil, though he may lose sight of his teacher, can never forget him. With a gratitude as great as the uncritical veneration of the beginner, as strong as the saving faith of the artist, he now takes his Master’s place, ready for any sacrifice. Countless examples down to the recent past testify that this gratitude far exceeds the measure of what is customary among mankind.”
“Wherever his way may take him, the pupil, though he may lose sight of his teacher, can never forget him. With a gratitude as great as the uncritical veneration of the beginner, as strong as the saving faith of the artist, he now takes his Master’s place, ready for any sacrifice. Countless examples down to the recent past testify that this gratitude far exceeds the measure of what is customary among mankind.”
In Remembrance of my Teacher Deng Yunfeng:
Gao shan yang zhi, jing xing xing zhi,
Sui bu neng qu, xin xiang wang zhi.
Looking up to the high mountain, stopping for a view on my
journey,
Even though I cannot reach there, my heart is longing for
it.
