In her master's footsteps

A British tai chi master in China lives the aspiration she shared with her late husband

A back injury led Rose Oliver to tai chi, which led her to her husband and then took both of them to China. But three years after moving to Shanghai in 2000 to pursue their dream, Oliver's husband died, leaving her alone to follow their shared passion for tai chi.

Twenty years ago, Oliver's back injury crushed her childhood dream of becoming a ballerina. But the injury led her to tai chi, a martial art typically practiced in slow motion. Her initial hope was to improve her health.

She later married her instructor, Rey Nelson, and founded a school with him, teaching the martial art to more than 10,000 students over eight years.

The 49-year-old Englishwoman recalls the injury that left her bedridden for six months when she was 21 and with constant pain for decades.

"I was active and could not bear resting in bed. But the soft tissue injuries were hard to heal. I thought I had to find some way to recover my health."

She saw a poster for a tai chi class and decided to try the "mysterious exotic sport" and was struck by the beautiful movements and the "nice, patient instructor", Nelson.

The couple later opened their school but felt that their growth path was blocked.

"It was not enough for us to improve ourselves when we just learned from tai chi masters for two or four weeks a year," she says.

So they moved to Shanghai in 2000, teaching English in universities and learning tai chi with various teachers.

At first, Oliver says, some tai chi masters did not treat her as an equal with her husband.

"The masters were in their 50s or 60s. Their first thought was that the man was to learn and the woman followed that was their mindset."

After a month or two, "they realized I was serious and made progress. The teacher would notice the student who really wanted to learn."

After years of practice, she found her occasional backaches had disappeared, but her greatest pain came when her husband died in 2003.

She thought of giving up, but says she carried on to honor him.

"It was his dream to come to learn in China. He motivated me to come. Give it up and return and not pursue what we came here for? That sounded easy. But it wasn't easy at all."

Apart from her many tai chi activities, Oliver now teaches English at Shanghai University.

Her tai chi "family", the masters and students, have provided a great support network, she says.

Earlier, her spiritual mentor was Dong Bin, a tai chi master who died in 2009, aged 88.

She says of their first meeting: "I had been told that his skill was of a very high level and for some reason I had a mental image of a powerful, big man. But my shixiong (fellow male student) pointed to a small, wizened old gentleman, sitting on the ground.

"I felt amazed as I realized that this was the master himself, and then a sudden feeling of pleasure hit me. Of course this was exactly the kind of person who would be a tai chi master, the last person you could imagine.

"I learned tremendously from him. He not only taught me physically about tai chi but also the philosophy of how to be a better person, how to keep going when you felt you were tired."

Dong had been sent to a labor camp during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) because he wanted to quit his job to practice tai chi full time. He was not allowed to practice in the camp. So, he secretly did the movements while in bed.

"He was treated unfairly. But he was not angry or bitter or hateful but just became sweeter, nicer and kinder," Oliver says.

"His ethos was that one should not pursue riches and fame but endeavor to be happy and share one's knowledge and wisdom with others."

Following the master, Oliver learned to lead a simple life, perhaps more traditional than most Chinese lead. She does tai chi in the morning and brews kung fu tea for guests. Ink-wash bamboo paintings hang on her apartment walls.

In 2005 she founded the Double Dragon Alliance, which helps Chinese kung fu masters teach martial arts to Westerners and organizes seminars and events for them to experience Chinese massage, acupuncture, traditional medicine, calligraphy and tea ceremonies.

"There is a lot of talk about harmonious society. How do you get harmony? It is the understanding of cultures."

Oliver inspired another Briton, Virginia Withers, 55, to take up tai chi, and it has led to an eight-year friendship.

"Rose is a lovely person," Withers says.

"She is kind and supportive, always enthusiastic and generous with her time."

Luo Jifeng, an associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has learned tai chi with Oliver since 2009 and often attends her organization's events. His home is now a site for foreign visitors Oliver invites to experience Chinese life.

"I admire her most for her selflessness to share what she knows," Luo says. "She's happier to see our success and achievement than her own."

Last year Oliver was given the Shanghai Magnolia Award, named after Shanghai's city flower, and given to foreigners who have made significant contributions to the city.

In 2011 she has made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. "She (Queen Elizabeth) asked me some questions about China (at the awards ceremony). We talked about cultural exchanges in building friendship. And she said: 'This is very important work. You must keep it up'."

wuni@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 01/17/2014 page29)