Master Kao's Visit to the USA

June 4 2010

YMAA Taijiquan grandmaster, Master Kao, Tao, travelled to the United States this past May 2010 to visit Dr. Yang and the students at the Retreat Center, and to teach seminars in Qigong health and longevity in Boston and Memphis. At 78 years old, Master Kao is surprisingly fit, energetic, and seemingly always the most spirited person in the room. He spent a relaxing week at the Retreat Center, teaching Qigong exercises to the disciples daily.

Master Kao taught the six Qigong healing sounds, discussed Taijiquan principles, and helped the disciples with their Chinese language studies. While at the Retreat Center, Master Kao was interviewed by Craig Atkinson, a New-York based filmmaker who has been diligently documenting the 10-year training program thus far, since 2007. Master Kao was also filmed for an instructional DVD demonstrating Qigong for Longevity, directed by David Silver and planned for release in 2011.

Grandmaster Kao, Tao is Dr. Yang's first Taijiquan teacher. Dr. Yang first began learning from Master Kao when he was 16 years old in 1962. The disciples performed a special demonstration for Master Kao, which you may see in the demo video.

After visiting the Retreat Center, Master Kao went on to teach Qigong seminars in Boston and Memphis.

Grandmaster Kao was a true inspiration, with a sense of humor and enough energy to power a city for days ;). After 12 solid hours of teaching a class of over 30 participants in Boston, he was still making jokes and still had the most energy out of everybody at the seminar. It is simply amazing how spirited, optimistic, and determined his mind can be. As more than one student commented, Master Kao has the spirit and mind of a 20-year old in a 78-year old's body!

But Master Kao was not only mentally strong, physically he was also quite in tune. When he asked the seminar attendees to touch his calf muscle, students who tried it were surprised to find a physically rock-solid leg. That simply comes from training, Master Kao revealed.

In Memphis, YMAA director Milan Vigil hosted Master Kao in a seminar having about 15 attendees. With a mix of learning in a classroom-style setting, in desks and chairs, and a studio practice environment, Master Kao continued to wow participants with his strong voice, solid low stances, and endless energy.

From everybody who came to see Grandmaster Kao, Tao in California, Boston, and Memphis, we want to thank Master Kao for sharing his knowledge, experiences, stories, and energy with us. It was truly a great experience and we hope to see him again in the future.

• See more photos from the Boston seminar here
• See more photos from the Memphis seminar here