Janet Jin: Sharing the Essence of Tai Chi for Personal Transformation

HonoluluVibes.com Photo Ronen Zilberman

Like many of us who call Hawai’i home Janet’s life journey began in a different place yet upon visiting the islands something touched her inside calling her back to make Oahu her home. A move that eventually led her full circle back to her childhood passion for martial arts when she discovered Tai Chi at Magic Island. Now a high level practitioner and teacher her approach to Tai Chi is a reflection of her own personal journey and years of dedicated study. With a profound understanding of the art’s principles and a commitment to traditional teachings, she has developed a teaching style that is both authentic and accessible to practitioners of all levels. As a student with Janet for the past year I’m excited to share a little bit about her life and tai chi experience in her own words in this edition of Common Threads…

EM: Tell me about where you’re from Janet.

JJ:   I was born and raised in Taiwan which is an island very similar to Hawai’i. The culture is very diverse and the whole history, it’s very interesting. The first settlement of Aboriginal people, they are very similar to the Hawaiian. Then there are people from many provinces in mainland China and you have Japanese influence, Dutch influence, and later on a lot of Western influences. All these people speak different dialects, eat different food, and then also think differently so it’s a very diverse culture. 

Because of this cultural diversity Taiwanese are very open minded, adaptable, and resilient.  They’re caught between superpowers so the Taiwanese are constantly trying to find a way to survive and then keep moving forward because most people in Taiwan value peace and harmony.

Growing up there I was called a mainlander which is pretty ironic because I was born & raised in Taiwan but my father was a colonel who left mainland China, settled in Taiwan, and got married to my mother who is also from mainland China. That’s why I feel connected to both places (Taiwan and mainland China) because when we visited our families in mainland China I didn’t really see a difference, they’re very nice people. 

EM: You mean that when you put all the politics aside there’s not much difference between the people of mainland China & Taiwan?

JJ: Yes, we’re common people and common people want peace in the land. That way they can go on doing their things, enjoy prosperity, and have a good life for their children. 

I think most people prefer peace because when there’s a war, the common people suffer the most. Especially my parents’ generation, they went through pretty serious stuff. 

EM: Can you share some of that with me?

JJ: My paternal grandmother had a hard life because she had bound feet and she had 9 children but she lost 5 of them during the bombing time by the Japanese army but my father survived and he was the youngest. He left China because they went through a very long period of starvation across the countryside. He lied about his age and joined the Chiang Kai-shek’s Army so he could have food to eat. Because of that he fled to Taiwan and didn’t see his family for almost 40 years. When he left, he was 17 years old and when he went back it was 1990.

 My mother is from Nanjing and she was there when all the massacre and tragedy happened, but my parents are both very traditional Chinese. They don’t talk about their past, they bottle up emotionally so I couldn’t find out much of the stories about what happened to them.

EM: So how did life with your family in Taiwan shape you?

JJ: I was the only child in my family.  Growing up, at home, nobody played with me. So I would go out. I grew up in what you’d call a military officers’ village and there were always a lot of kids out there. Every day we’d just wake up in the morning and would pretty much be gone for the whole day just playing. We would go adventure, do all kinds of crazy things. I was always the youngest in the group and followed the older kids. We did a lot of fun stuff, but also dangerous stuff. Almost got me killed many times. We explored nature and played very creatively because there were no toys around. We made our own toys from whatever was around  and learned from the older kids what were the dangerous places to go… and we would still go.

Then I started school where I got a lot of intellectual stimulation and my curiosities were satisfied. Studying was never hard for me and I was always at the top of my class. I never had help because my dad wasn’t around due to his work and my mom was illiterate so I always kind of figured it out on my own.

EM: I sense a connection between your lifelong study of martial arts and your father’s military history, how were you introduced to martial arts?
JJ: My dad, because he was a colonel he was really into the Chinese martial arts but he never practiced. He loved reading kung fu novels. In those days, the guys just loved reading the kung fu novels because it takes them to a different world. I didn’t have any interest in reading kung fu novels but I was watching martial arts movies, not movies for kids, it was just martial arts movies. 

My dad was hardly home because of his work so every time he came back, I said,” I’ll go with you dad, I’ll watch the kung fu movie.”  That’s what got me interested in martial arts.  Even though I couldn’t understand all the stories, I really liked all the movements, all the moves and how they interact when they have sparring with each other. As a child, I kind of understood who’s the bad guy and who’s the good person. So then the good person in the movie is always trying to save the innocent people and that interested me too. 

Then, later on, my dad sent me to his friend who had a martial arts school and was very skilled in TaeKwonDo and Karate. Even though I was a girl and much younger than his regular students he trained me because of my dad not because I was really qualified to be in that school.  

EM: What was that experience like for you? Were there other girls training too?

JJ: I was the only girl there but I didn’t think anything of it. Everything just seemed very natural but the exercise was hard for me. The other students were older and larger than me. I remember we had to jump around the dojo like frogs or run fast and kick punching bags and I was always behind in that part because they could jump and run much faster and further than me. I just had to keep up and do it  like when I was a young kid following the big kids around. 

We also practiced forms and that part was easy because for me the movements were easy to remember. But then they also had sparring in every class. I would sit and watch and that’s how I learned. My shifu (master/teacher) couldn’t find a sparring match my age & my size because the other kids were all way bigger than me. One time he paired me with another student who was sixteen years old and I was eleven. When we sparred he did not hold back at all. His leg was longer than mine so when I kicked him I couldn’t reach but when he kicked me – easy.  One day, I was so mad and I just cried.  I went to my shifu and complained that this wasn’t a fair match. He felt a little bit awkward and just smiled because he felt I was still a small young girl. To the boys he would say to tough it out, because in the real world you don’t get to choose your opponent. So that was how I started martial arts, with a different age group, different size, and different gender. 

EM: Was there anything that helped you deal with those challenges?

JJ: Yes, I was in school then I think the sixth grade. I was taller than most, even the boys and  they said, “wow, don’t mess with her, she studies martial arts.” Then the rascal kids would focus on other less dominant students and do naughty things to make them cry  like hide their books and pull their pigtails. I would just step in like a bodyguard and say, “leave them alone!” That part gave me a lot of confidence. I think from watching all the martial arts movies I thought I was like the Chinese superhero and it was time to step in and defend the innocent!

EM: So, why did you stop practicing martial arts when you got to high school?

JJ:  In the high school years it was intense but at the same time we got really good quality teachers in our school.  I learned a lot and was marked as a good student so there was a lot of pressure and expectations for me to do well.  Plus I really liked to study so that energy started to channel into school, preparing for tests, preparing for college.  In that period of time there was nothing else.  I wanted to learn piano and learn to draw but my dad said no so it was only studying.  Even on the weekends I would just go to the library and study more. 

In college I studied horticulture, which wasn’t my first choice, but my father wanted me to pick something more practical than an astronaut. As I studied horticulture I realized I like trees and flowers but I didn’t like to remember all the Latin names and when to fertilize and trim them. Still, I graduated from horticulture and returned to Taipei where I found work and my ex-husband at the Hilton Hotel. 

EM: How did that relationship change your life?

JJ: I discovered Hawai’i because of my marriage with him. He was a journalist from Maryland and came to Taiwan to study Chinese language and culture. When we decided to marry we chose to have the ceremony on Big Island so both of our families could attend the wedding. So that was my first experience of Hawai’i. 

EM: Is that when you decided to move to Hawai’i?

JJ: No, I didn’t think about that at the time. We went back to Taiwan and that’s when I started to pursue my other interests.
EM: Like Taichi?

JJ: No, I went to an art studio and found two very good teachers to study drawing and painting with. After several years of moving back & forth between Taiwan and California I got pregnant and we settled into life again in Taiwan because we had more support there. When my daughter reached kindergarten age we decided Taiwan was not the best place for our family. 

EM: Why is that?

JJ: Taiwanese love hapa children and so she got way too much attention. We felt if she went to school there she would not be able to really live a normal life.

EM: Sounds like celebrity status, why do you think that is?

JJ: Yes, whenever we went out as a family too many people would approach us. They think children that are Eurasian mix are very cute and they also say they’re smart too. So any kind of difference in appearance draws attention. It was good attention but still too much. It’s not normal. 
In the meantime, after our honeymoon, we always felt like Hawai’i was calling us. I felt like I could smell and feel Hawai’i. I could feel the land calling and once we moved here I felt like I’d been here before. That’s a very special feeling! That kind of connection, it’s hard to describe. You can only feel it. For me, I feel like Taiwan is my hometown, where I’m from, but in spirit I feel that Hawai’i is my hometown. 

EM: I think many people who choose to live in Hawai’i share a similar feeling. So what did you do with yourself once you settled in Hawai’i?

JJ: I continued my art. I would work in the studio (at UH art school) all of my free time unless I had to go home to take care of my kid and do housework. I even spent weekends and a whole summer there when the students were gone. I really enjoyed that, it was a fun time.

EM: What was something that inspired you in your artwork?

JJ: I loved to experience all the different styles in school. You get to see all the different artists working in different media with different ways of presenting their ideas, feelings, and culture. So many perspectives. 

EM: I see that diversity has played a role throughout your life, in your homeland, your spiritland, your family life, and your artistic life. Do you still paint?

JJ: I was planning to continue on to graduate school but around that time I started having health problems because I was oil painting so much in the studio and inhaled a lot of turpentine. I had a lot of reactions on my face and skin and later on serious headaches. Even though I loved painting I felt like I had to put my health first so that’s when I stopped and changed directions. My daughter asked me, “Mom, when are you going to start painting again?” but all that energy is channeled to the tai chi & qigong now. 

EM: So what brought you back to your martial arts training?

JJ: After my health problems began, I started to take daily walks to help. Every morning at 5:30am I would walk on the beach at Magic Island and I was thinking that maybe I should start doing yoga or some energy work for my health. One day I saw three men practicing taichi under a tree at the park and I said, “yeah, I think that’s what I would like to learn.” They told me their master would be there the next day so I returned and once I met Master Dong he became my Shifu from that point on. 

EM: What was it about the tai chi that you were attracted to at that point?

JJ: When I saw the men practicing under the tree I thought that it looked very peaceful and graceful. It brought back some memories of my childhood, of watching those martial arts movies. Seeing them practicing in nature like the Kung fu masters in their garden or home environment… the memory just came back alive. Especially the second day when I met Master Dong. He comes from many generations of high level  martial arts practitioners.  When I talked to him he shared with me his father and grandfather’s story and it was just like the martial arts movies that I watched as a child. I felt a strong connection and everything started to come together. My personality is very driven so from that point on I was in and if I’m into something, I’m totally 200% in. When I want to be good at something, I cannot do many things. I didn’t want it to be just a hobby for me. I wanted to know what Tai chi is and to achieve the highest level possible. In order to do that one must put in lots of time, practice, follow a master closely, and have dedication. 

EM: Tell me more about your studies with Master Dong.

JJ: Master Dong teaches Traditional Yang Style Tai Chi with movements he has modified over time to express his understanding of the arts and renamed Dong Style Tai Chi. I began studying with Master Dong in 2001 and translating for him. Master Dong had a very heavy accent and even people who speak Mandarin had a hard time to understand him. Because I was exposed to many different dialects of Mandarin growing up in Taiwan I could understand him completely so I was a good translator for him and got to work with him closely. I got to learn a lot of his knowledge, Tai Chi theories, and stories beyond just the movements. 

He has been my biggest inspiration. To this day I can go to practice or discuss Tai Chi with him and he continues to teach me. He’s been a really good teacher to me. His father, Dong Hu Ling, and grandfather, Dong Yin Jie, have also been a big inspiration for me. When I saw his father’s video I said, “Wow, I wish I was 50 years older so I could learn from him too!”  I also read his grandfather’s red book sometimes when I help to translate. It’s so amazing! I’ve read it over 30 times and every time I feel like there’s always something new in it. 

His grandfather’s red book reminds me of the martial arts movies where they find a secret book of scriptures by the masters and whoever holds that book has like a password to high level achievements. Even though the book is available to everyone it’s very difficult to translate so I feel like it’s my secret martial arts book. So, even though I’m not learning from them directly, through the videos and the book, I feel that connection to their lineage and that in spirit I’m continuing to study with them, three generations of masters. 

EM: Yes, you’re absorbing and carrying on that legacy. Tell me, what’s the importance of studying more than just the movements in Tai Chi?

JJ: It’s important not just to read the words but to study, to comprehend. You need to read and think, practice, and comprehend so you can understand and make connections not just in your mind but also with your body. 

EM: What are some of the guiding principles of Tai Chi and how is that cultivated through practice?

JJ: In Tai Chi we talk about Qi or Chi  – vital energy. Tai Chi is about developing internal energy and in order to do that we have to go back to the “e” our intent. We use that intent or focus to lead our “chi” or internal energy, to develop awareness, to understand how energy works in our body and how we can apply that to simple things and movements. This will help you to know yourself and when you know yourself you don’t overextend yourself and you will be more physically balanced. 

There’s many Tai Chi saved-my-life stories that become life changing moments. It’s because the Tai Chi movement put them back in balance. So I would say that chi development is very crucial. The Tai Chi principle we call Wu Guo Bu Ji is that you don’t do too much, but you don’t want to do too little either. You don’t want to overextend yourself, but you also don’t want to restrict yourself. You always want to find the most balanced harmonious position so physically and emotionally you move through space and life with that kind of energy. Then you can go with the flow and you’re going to be okay. 

A lot of our actions are mind-driven like, I’m going to tell my body to do this or that. I’m telling my body to do squats, to run 10 miles even if my legs hurt, my feet hurt, and my head hurts. These are mind-driven exercises. In Tai Chi, we always listen, we always want to breathe naturally, move naturally and from that you reach a state of natural comfort, not limp or lazy but a natural comfort zone. From here you gain life energy and awareness that can help you long-term. 

We have a lot of students that come to Tai Chi practice after training in very hard style rigorous martial arts like ex-marines, veterans, karate, Tae Kwon Do, etc. They’re all ages and they find the whole body just couldn’t handle after a while, couldn’t even handle daily tasks. You don’t see that with Tai Chi practitioners. 

EM: What are some of the biggest differences between soft martial arts like Tai Chi and harder martial arts? 

JJ: In Chinese traditional martial arts there are two major schools, of external training and of internal training.  External arts are very physical so they’re very suitable for young people. They use dynamic moves, jumping, leaping, and kicking. That’s the external. They really focus on muscle strength, speed, and the physical elements. But in the internal training, physical development is a big part of it, but it’s not everything, it’s more internal focus. It’s more of cultivating the chi and that chi helps us generate more internal energy. We use the softness to overcome, conquer the hardness and borrow or deflect back the brute force energy. 

 In serious external and internal martial arts practice they both do meditation, so I would say in the end, the high practitioners, they all meet at the same place once they reach the higher levels of practice. For the ones more at the entry or mid-level you see the big difference. The Shaolin monks do serious meditation. The Taoist monks or the other internal martial arts schools, they do meditation to cultivate their energy, but they don’t do that while they are practicing the form, they do it separately.

EM: Are there any other influences in your martial arts practice?

JJ: I spent time studying and practicing  Yi Quan , Intent Boxing. Tai Chi and  Yi Quan  are both Chinese internal martial arts. The practice of  Yi Quan  was crucial to my Tai Chi internal energy development. I did a lot of standing meditation, body coordination, and testing energy exercises that the Chinese would call Ji Ben Gong which means fundamental drills. It helped me lay a solid foundation physically and mentally for internal martial arts practice.

EM: Would you say that your teaching style is a blend of these two practices?

JJ: Yes, very much so. They are part of me and it has expressed in all aspects of my life, especially in teaching. I would like my students to focus more on their internal energy development instead of just external form so they can get more benefits out of their practice in mind, body, and spirit.

EM: You spend a great deal of time now teaching Tai Chi in person and online, how has teaching evolved your practice?

JJ: My first year I was translating for Master Dong and then he started asking me to teach beginner students and then to lead classes. I tried to run to the back of the group many times.  I remember one time I felt the group was too big for me with a lot of pretty high level students that were practicing for decades and a lot of men that felt more like mentors for me.  So I went to the back of the class hoping he wouldn’t see me but he called my name and had me stand right next to him. Training to be a teacher wasn’t my intent, it was his. 

But it was good, the Chinese have a saying that teaching is learning because when you’re teaching you learn in the meantime, they’re helping each other. Many students, when they begin, don’t know what their bodies are doing. I have to get them to do something very basic and try to become them myself. I think about what’s happening in their body and mind that’s preventing them from learning to move naturally and what can I do to help them really get the concept and do to their best ability. 

I also have students that come from a richer and longer experience of martial arts than me so when I’m teaching them they motivate me to study deeper. Even though they’re already really good I look for what they’re missing and how I can help them to achieve the next level. Teaching is constantly motivating myself to be a better practitioner,  a better teacher for all different levels, and ultimately to understand myself more. 

EM: What do you hope your students will gain from their practice of tai chi?

JJ: I want them to really find the balance in their lives, the awareness, and then to really know themselves. To know what they can do, what they cannot do, and know what their bodies are trying to tell them. I want them to find their own potential beyond this physical body, the energy part. A lot of people aren’t in touch with that too much. 

EM: What do you want to achieve in your practice of Tai Chi? 

JJ: I love where I’m at but when I get into that comfort zone I start to get uncomfortable. I want to keep challenging myself and even though my students call me Shifu, in Tai Chi the sky is the limit so I feel like I’m still far from a point of mastery. In the meantime, I try to be like water because it flows and constantly changes form for different environments, climates, and situations.  I’d like to cultivate my chi to the point that I reach a very high strong spirit and feel one with everything, no self. 

EM: Do you see an evolution happening in the art of Tai Chi into the future?

JJ: I see that Tai Chi is continuing to appeal to more people globally in all different cultures. It’s a different experience from what my generation had because everything is so much more integrated now. Especially since the pandemic people understand more the importance of having really strong mental strength and spiritual health. More young people understand that aspect is important. At the same time as we go into this AI stage with all the electronic things I see it taking peoples’ minds away from the present moment. So it will be even more challenging for say the upcoming generation to stay in touch with that energy and have that awareness but then maybe that extreme will be a fertilizer or motivation to help them appreciate the energy. A person who has really strong internal energy, and that’s what they learn to value. Strong chi. 

EM: Amen to that! Janet, it seems that martial arts movies have been an influence on you throughout your life, before we wrap things up, can you share what your favorite martial arts movie is and why?

JJ: ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ by Ang Lee. The movie is a masterpiece based on a Chinese Martial Arts fictional story. The two leading female characters live in a closed, male dominated society during the Qing Dynasty. One is a smart young rebel and the other is a suppressed mature woman. Their enthusiasm and dedication to Martial Arts are expressed in opposite ways and yet both are beautiful in form and spirit. The Green Dragon Sword or Green Destiny Sword in the movie that everyone fought for symbolized the highest achievement of the Martial Arts. Only the one who has mastered the arts with the good spirit deserves the sword. I found this very true in life. Being skillful and powerful is one thing, but only kindness and wisdom will lead us to a good destination!

EM: Thank you Janet!

To find more about Janet Tai Chi click on this link: Taichi-janetjin.com

by Erica McMillan