Eastern Mythology at Universal Studios Hollywood

At Universal Studios Hollywood on the morning of September 17th, four characters from the Eastern mythology “Journey to the West” came to life to showcase Chinese martial arts and promote the movement of An Era of Conscience (ANEOC). The event was not only entertaining and meaningful, the vibrant energy displayed in Chinese martial arts and traditional wedding ceremony was also significant. These performers came from Taiwan’s Tai Ji Men Cultural Goodwill Group. The group recently performed at Arcadia Performing Arts Center to celebrate Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy’s 50th anniversary and was received by the mayors of Arcadia, Walnut, and Rosemead respectively. A representative from Universal Studios also presented a gift to the group to express its acknowledgement.

The classical story of “Journey to the West” arrived at Universal Studios Hollywood, featuring characters Monk, Monkey, Pig, and Drifting. During the journey, they encountered a ferocious ice storm, only to be rescued by a female knight-errant, who led the four to the Wulin Village, where villagers practiced martial arts and swept floors as they exchanged friendly smiles and greetings, a place resembling Paradise. Coincidentally, the four travelers also witnessed the village chief’s daughter’s wedding. The wedding ended abruptly when the King of Darkness suddenly appeared and kidnapped the chief’s daughter. The Monkey summoned a group of young warriors to battle the King of Darkness, ultimately defeating the king and rescued the chief’s daughter. The four travelers continued on their journey to spread positive energy across five continents. Through the journey, they learned a lot of valuable lessons from the discovery of conscience, allowing them to believe that achieving world peace is no longer a dream.

At the event, both children and adults displayed their curiosity in martial arts. One audience member claimed that the stories displayed by the performers contained hidden messages that are beneficial towards children’s development. The person even suggested that more events like these should take place in the future. A family from Australia said that their favorite part of the show was the Happy Village. The family thought the ANEOC movement is meaningful, so they immediately endorsed the movement to show their support.

These performers are all Tai Ji Men members and have practiced qigong for many years. Cheng Xuan-ming plays the character Monkey. He said he had scoliosis that resulted in a lot of pain in him. Through qigong practice, he saw gradual improvement of his body and ultimately led him to find happiness again. He participated in international events like these with Dr. Hong in the hopes of helping others. Also among the performers was the 10-year-old Guan Hao Gen, who said that “self-reflection” is the most important thing he learned from Dr. Hong. According to Gen, he had little interest in writing his homework neatly in the past and thought that as long as the homework was completed, that was good enough. Now, he learned to correct that mentality and habit, which led to his earning better grades in school.

Tai Ji Men is an ancient menpai (similar to school) of qigong, martial arts, and self-cultivation. Tai Ji Men is a treasure trove of traditional Chinese culture and holds the key to unlock the origin of wisdom. Zhang-men-ren (grandmaster) of Tai Ji Men established Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy in 1966. Over the years, Dr. Hong and his dizi (similar to students) have visited over 200 cities in 66 countries and presented over 2000 cultural performances. To celebrate the academy’s 50th anniversary this year, Tai Ji Men began a world tour starting in Taipei. In September, the academy held two separate event celebrations in Los Angeles and San Jose. Both events were fully booked two weeks before the performance. The movement of An Era of Conscience, jointly organized by the Association of World Citizens (AWC), Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL), and Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy (TJM), was initiated in 2014. As of today, people from 196 countries and over 3000 organizations have jointly promoted this movement. The “Declaration for the Movement of An Era of Conscience” has also garnered more than 230,000 signatures of endorsement. In response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the ANEOC volunteers also promote online endorsement of the “Declaration for the Movement of An Era of Conscience” and “Declaration of World Citizens.” They welcome everyone to visit http://www.worldcitizens.org.t... to endorse the two declarations and show his/her support for a better world as a responsible world citizen.