A Royal Tea Party

 

Cheers Everyone!

 

Today marks a very special day in the UK, the coronation of a new King, King Charles lll.

 

Around the country many people are having celebrations, either via a right royal booze up, or by way of an afternoon tea party (a very British way to enjoy the Spring), and it is this very idea that made me want to share, once again, ‘The teacup story’.

 

I remember when I first went to Hong Kong back in 1991, I was already a Wing Chun Instructor at that time but had been invited to go to there by Grandmaster Ip Chun himself, to train directly under him, and become his disciple.

Well, at that time I was so full of ideas, so full of questions, and so full of, thinking I already knew the answers, which I did not.

 

The aim of my training with Sifu Ip Chun, was to relearn what I had been taught, and to take onboard a fresh and far deeper understanding of what I was doing, and in order for me to do this, I had to, not only open my mind, but to stop clinging onto the previous ten years of my thinking, what Wing Chun was about.

 

Sifu (Ip Chun) reminded me:

 

“If you wish to enjoy the full flavour of my tea, you must bring an empty cup,

Do not have if half full of your own brew”

 

That message landed with me immediately and my progress from then on with Sifu, was rapid, allowing me to cover SO much over the first five and a half months of training there.

Training which only paused then, as I had to return to the UK for a short while due to personal reasons.

This advice however, is something I often repeat to my own students.

 

Tea plays such a big part in Chinese culture, and also in that of Wing Chun, the tea ceremony for instance, when the Master takes onboard his disciple.

Then there’s also the idea that when dining, that you always keep the Masters cup full, as this represents life, and considering that Sifu is now 99 years old, I do believe that we have done well in keeping his cup topped up.

 

There is also another tea story which Sifu shared with me, and this is my favourite, I hope you enjoy it too, please listen to its message, keep an open mind, and if you wish to learn more of what the Master offers, do visit us at WingChun.Online

 

Thank you for watching.