In late October, 2000, Tu Chin-sheng (涂金盛) and his genital-based form of qigong (氣功) known asyin diao gong (陰吊功) made international headlines after three of the qigong master's students hauled a flatbed truck weighing 25 tonnes 1m across a Taipei car park using nothing but their penises.
At the time, reports said that Tu planned to achieve this feat with the backing of the Guinness World Records. Sadly, Guinness didn't sanction the event and, according to a spokesperson for Guinness, "would not accept a record in this category."
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
Not that getting in the record books really mattered, as since that eventful day four years ago the Chiu Chiu Shen Gong (九九神功) guan and its students have become celebrities of the martial arts world. The school has been the focus of countless television documentaries and has also been the subject of an even greater number of articles penned in over a dozen languages.
Tu no longer teaches in Taiwan, but now divides his time teaching at his Chiu Chiu Shen Gong guan's in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles and Hawaii. The master's original Taipei chapter, which he established over 20 years ago, continues to thrive and attract students, even in his absence.
One such student is 62-year-old Shen Shyr-jong (申時中), who joins a group of a dozen men at the small second floor guan three days a week. There, under the glare of florescent lighting and the guidance of instructor Li Rong-chou (李榮秋), the group practice yin diao gong, or "genital hanging qigong."
Like many of the current batch of students, Shen never learned or practiced qigong before attending Tu's school. Introduced to the unconventional form of qigong by a friend while living in Los Angeles two years ago, Shen has been studying at the guan since he retired and returned to Taiwan.
"I'd never studied qigong before and had never really thought about it much. When I was introduced to Tu's school it became clear that his form of qigong was designed for older people with health problems like myself. I figured I should give it a go," said Shen. "It helps me feel young and gives me the energy to study and learn new things now that I'm retired."
Although attracted to Tu's teachings, the art of yin diao gong wasn't the main reason Shen opted to study at the school. Chiu Chiu Shen Gong is not only aimed at improving libido and increasing hormone production. There were, according to Shen, an often overlooked aspect to Chiu Chiu Shen Gong that led to his choosing to study at the school.
"Diao gong is an important aspect of the qigong we study, but it is not the primary reason we study. Master Tu's qigong is both internal and external," said Shen. "Externally it improves ones skin complexion and boosts energy levels. Internally it helps strengthen bones and muscles, reduces arterial blockages and cholesterol levels and eases allergies that effect orifices such as the nose and ears."
Unlike other forms of martial arts that attract students of all ages, many of those who choose to study at the Chiu Chiu Shen Gong school are, like Shen, retired or close to retirement age. The age of the students in Shen's class ranges from between 50 to 72 years old.
"I figure young people think its silly. They think it is an old person's activity and look down on it and laugh," said Shen. "But then they're fit and active and probably don't understand the real meaning of the qigong we practice. For us older people it is very important."
One of the main reasons so many predominantly elderly people attend the classes are the reported powers with which Tu's qigong can cure ailments relating to the liver, kidneys and bladder that effect the elderly.
"I used to have a problem urinating. I'd have to get up three or four times a night to go to the bathroom. Since I've been practicing this form of qigong I've learned to control this problem," he said. "I also had a problem defecating, but now this has been cured as well."
There are many important therapeutic aspects to Tu's qigong, yet the most widely publicized feature of the art, which has been dubbed "Iron Penis" by a leading a US-based martial arts publication, remains that of genital hanging qigong and the benefits it plays in increasing virility.
After an hour of warm up qigong exercises Shen and his fellow students don special light blue mini-skirts and make their way into an adjacent room where a selection of iron weights ranging in size from 1kg to 20kg lay scattered on a specially cushioned floor. And here the real business of yin diao gong begins.
Before yin diao gong can be practiced the students must first massage, slap and pull their genitals and the lower abdomen warmed up by striking it with a device that resembles a heavy metallic cake whisk. Only after these fundamental exercises have been completed and the qi is flowing freely can a yin diao gong practitioner begin pulling exercises.
Comparable to weightlifting, in some aspects, newcomers like Shen begin by using 1kg weights. Once affixed to their genitals with a blue silk ribbon that is looped around the base of the penis, these weights are then swung slowly back and forth for roughly 10 minutes in order to allow the qi to flow smoothly throughout the body. With years of training the students will be able to lift weights over 150kg with their penises.
"As a beginner I can only lift the smaller 1kg weights at the moment. It doesn't hurt at all, in fact, it's quite comfortable," said Shen, who, while happy to talk about his exercise regime declined to be photographed while genital hanging. "The practice is very good for elderly men and helps with premature ejaculation and other genital-related problems that arise when men reach their golden years."
While sex-related issues are not the primary focus of Chiu Chiu Shen Gong qigong classes, the sexual benefits of yin diao gong cannot, said Shen, be ignored. One 82-year-old student of Tu's reportedly fathered a child a couple of years ago and Shen's wife has, according to the sprightly and reconditioned sexagenarian, also been stunned with the results.
"I lifted the skirt we practice in one day and the only thing she could say was `Oh! I'm surprised how much of a difference the yin diao gong has made,'" Shen said with a smirk.
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