An Amazing Example of Tai Chi Photography

There is an important Tai Chi (Taiji or T’ai Chi) Chuan principle that in Tai Chi Chuan movement there is neither a straight line nor a plane.  We move our body and arms in a three-dimensional sphere. So the question is: How do we photograph a Tai Chi movement to illustrate it’s fluidity and three-dimensional maneuvering? Many try to capture the true essence of Tai Chi movement but fall short. After years of experimenting with various cameras, lenses, and lighting, Mr. Yin Jie Li 李英杰 of Henan, China found the secret to capturing the dynamic beauty of Tai Chi Chuan on film.  Critics praise him for successfully illuminating the Jing 精 (strength), Qi 氣 (energy), and Shen 神 (spirit) of the Tai Chi masters.

A few months ago, I came across Mr. Li’s photos by accident while browsing through the posting in WeChat (a Chinese social media app on smart phones). I was mesmerized by the exquisite images he created. I was glued to the photos as if I was watching Grandmasters Wang Xi-an, Chen Xiaowang, and Chen Zhenglei performing Tai Chi chuan live in front of me. I was perplexed at how these photos were created. With the kind introduction of Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei, I was able to interview Mr. Yin Jie Li. 

Mr. Li has been an aficionado of photography since his college years. He has photographed various subjects and events.  Mr. Li is a pubic servant of Wen County, which is in the vicinity of the confluence of the Yellow River and Luo River.  This is the birthplace of ancient Chinese culture or Tai Chi culture.  Wen County is unique because four hundred years ago General Chen Wangting 陈王庭created Tai Chi Chuan in a small village: the famous Chen Village (Chenjiagu).  Chen village is under the supervision of Wen County. So Li sees people in the village practice day and night. He befriended grandmasters and masters of the Chen Tai Chi linage. He photographed them in action and in stillness, in color and in black and white, indoors and outdoors, in the fog, under the moon, in the smoke, on snowy days, at sunrise and at sunset, using flash bulbs, with light and without light. Year after year, gradually he developed a technique and called it Tai Chi photography.  

Tai Chi photography uses photography to demonstrate the Tai Chi philosophy through the Tai Chi Ch’uan fundamentals, mainly Peng 掤, Lu 捋, Ji 擠, An 按, Cai 採, Le挒, Zhou 肘, Kao 靠, Stepping forwards 前進 and backwards 後退, Looking Left 左顧 and Right 右盼, Central Equilibrium 中定, External Three Harmony 外三合, Internal Three Harmony 內三合, Silk Reeling 纔絲, Solid and Emptiness 虛實, Action and Stillness 動靜, Yang within Yin 隂中有陽, Yin within Yang 陽中有隂,  Alternate Fast and Slow Movements 快慢相間, Qi Flowing through Joints One by One 節節貫穿, etc. Even though Li does not play much Tai Chi, he is well aware of the meaning of the Tai Chi movements and the principles required to execute them. Li has developed a profound understanding of Yin and Yang theory, and he realized early on that to capture the essence of the art, one must take the picture at exactly the right moment. 

He utilized a large abandoned warehouse that has no windows and painted the floor black. He employed a special lighting setup with multiple lights. He carefully lengthened the lens exposure to record the actual movements. There is no post-production or manipulation of the images digitally. We can vividly see how a master moves his arms and legs through time.  

There are three Tai Chi photography series. The first collection are Chen Style Tai Chi Grandmasters: Chen Xiaowang, Wang Xian, Chen Zhenglei, and Zhu Tiancai demonstrating Peng, Lu, Ji, and An.  Then Masters Wang Zhan-jun, Chen Bing, Chen Pei-ju, Chen Yuan-yuan, Chen Bin, and a few others demonstrate barehanded movements, weapons, and push hands. (See slideshow below) In general, these photos are more realistic. 

The second collection consists of photos that are more abstract. Mr. Li tries to use Tai Chi movements to explain the Tai Chi philosophy. We can see the movements and spirits being fused together to exhibit Yin and Yang, opening and closing, and Hardness and Softness are complementing each other. In this collection, he used two Tai Chi practitioners for most shots. Some of the pictures took eight to twelve hours to photograph and some demanded retakes.  (See slideshow below)

Recently, Li has been working with a few masters to produce a high resolution Tai Chi Chuan textbook so people can easily tell the exact trace of each Tai Chi movements and make learning much easier. See the attached slideshow for examples. 

Mr. Yin Jie Li’s photos have won many first places in national photography competitions in China. His collections have been on exhibit in the U.S., France, Russia, South Africa, and Thailand.  

(Edited by Sifu William Phillips. Note: The Editorial Board of www.VioletLiTaiChi.com is not responsible for the content of the article.)