New Centre for Daoist Studies announced by University of Wales Trinity Saint David

In late October, more than 100 delegates gathered on the Lampeter Campus of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David to launch the Centre for Daoist Studies.

Vice Chancellor Dr Medwin Hughes welcomed numerous guests from China including Abbot Wang Chengya, President of the Chinese Daoist Yangsheng Association, and Abbot Liu Suibin, Head of the Qingcheng Daoist Association, as well as Chinese Embassy representatives and
conference contributors and delegates.
Outlining the importance of the new Centre for the University, Dr Hughes highlighted the unique intercultural collaboration with Chinese scholarship and culture represented by the venture.

He said: “Together, today and tomorrow, we will identify an academic, theoretical and practical curriculum which will be taken forward within the Centre. We envisage the development of postgraduate, undergraduate and applied research and training opportunities, and working together with our two distinguished Abbots, we will then hopefully build a Daoist Temple, here at the University. That is a major achievement. It shows respect, it shows inclusivity, it shows readiness by the University to build upon harmony of traditions, faiths and culture.”

The large turnout from members of the local Taiji and martial arts community showed that there is significant interest in the local area in the ideas and history behind one of China’s oldest religions. Entitled ‘The Embodiment of the Dao: Daoist Yangsheng (道家养生) Practices and the cultivation of Health and Vitality’, the conference focused on the theme of Yangsheng, literally translated as the nourishing and cultivation of life. Yangsheng practices are already familiar in the West to those who practice Taiji, Qigong, and some forms of martial arts, but the concept also includes Chinese principles of diet, herbal medicine and massage. The key note speech was presented by Dr Vivienne Lo and Michael Stanley-Baker from the Wellcome Trust’s Centre for the History of Medicine at University of London. Dr Lo specialises in the history of Chinese medical practice and her conference paper examined ideas of Chinese self-care and issues of authenticity. Professor Jiao Guocheng of Renmin University presented a talk on the Daoist Approach to Yangsheng.

During the afternoon the audience was enthusiastic in their appreciation of a number of different styles of Taiji including Wu, Yang, Chen and Qingcheng as well as sabre forms, from both Chinese and UK masters. The event was a true meeting of East and West, as local Taiji Master Michael Henley of the Infinite Way School gave a demonstration of Yang Style form while  Abbot Liu Suibin, a Black Dragon 7, led the audience in Nine Style Taiji and other special therapeutic forms for specific health problems. Other practitioners from the UK were Mr Don Spargo, Chief Instructor of the Tai Chi Chuan Academy, London, and Dr Vivienne Lo showed that accomplished Taiji practice is by no means confined to the boys.

For more information please see the Confucius Institute website, or contact Krystyna Krajewska, Confucius Institute, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, 01570 424887, k.krajewska@tsd.ac.uk