My PhD research project “Shefu” follows the dream of a Chinese Canadian woman to build a global network of Taiji.
In the martial arts world, both male and female teachers are referred to as shifu. While shifu in Chinese is a compound word of master and father, “Shefu” is my word play to reflect a feminist ambition of making a dent in the ancient patriarchal lineage.
A child prodigy in wushu (martial arts), Master Li Rong migrated to Canada in 1992 and established her own school. Sanxing (Tristar) Taiji is modelled after the poses of human-like statues unearthed from the archaeological mounds of Sanxingdui in Sichuan, China.
shanrann.com 