After Master Jou left this realm two main events surfaced after the Tai Chi Farm was closed. the Zhang San Feng Festival (aka The Tai Chi Gala) hosted by Loretta Wollering and The Master Jou Annual Birthday Celebration hosted by Bruce LaCarrubba. Each of these amazing events serve to keep the principles and preserve the legacy of one of the founding fathers of Taijiquan in the West, Master Jou, Tsung-Hwa.
Shifu Loretta Wollering’s Tai Chi Gala
Loretta Wollering was Director of Operations for Jou’s 103-acre retreat and convention center known as “Tai Chi Farm” in Warwick,NY. She was an assistant instructor formally apprenticed to master instructor Jou, Tsung-Hwa’s Taijiquan school and assisted the master in domestic and international seminars. She also worked to develop curricula for the programs and in organizing a Tai Chi Farm group trip to China.
One of her most important tasks was to produce and direct the annual taijiquan convention, Master Jou’s “Zhang San Feng Festival.” She worked tirelessly to overhaul the structure of the Festival’s promotion and registration procedures, growing the event from 200 attendees to over 500 attendees during the last years of the Farm before Master Jou’s untimely death. She developed a highly successful work-study program to maintain the premises, produce its events, and drastically reduce costs. As President of the non-profit that helped transition Tai Chi Farm after Master Jou’s death, Wollering was instrumental in creating the Tai Chi Farm Memorial site and gazebo within Warwick Town Park (Warwick, NY) – the only public memorial of Tai Chi Farm and Jou Tsung-Hwa.
After the passing of Master Jou the event was held one more time before the Farm was closed, after which Loretta Wollering began keeping the concepts of her teacher alive through her annual Tai Chi Gala. Here is a short video showing some of the activities at the Tai Chi Gala.
Loretta also served as an editor and contributing writer to Master Jou’s best-selling Taijiquan book, “The Dao of Taijiquan.” Loretta Wollering has written numerous articles on health, well-being and Taijiquan, produced books and videos and received many accolades and awards. She later authored a formally published book, “The Anatomy of Fitness: Tai Chi” (Hinkler, 2014). She is certified in a number of health and fitness methods outside of her Taijiquan studies, with graduate and research work in the cognitive sciences and ergonomics, which she uses to help systematize the teaching methodology of Jou, Tsung-Hwa.
Today she teaches classes at her online school, helping to preserve the legacy of Master Jou’s Taijiquan. Loretta has plans to resurrect the Tai Chi Gala in a new venue with all the excitement, fun and instruction of the previous celebrations honoring Master Jou. Here are a few more highlights of the Tai Chi Gala event:
Along with Master Jou, Loretta Wollering also helped to promote and assist Dr. John Painter in producing the annual Li family Baguazhang Gathering of The Circle each year following the Zhan San Feng Festival – an event attended by teachers and students from around the world. Here are a few photos from this great event, featuring many of the top teachers celebrating Master Jou’s legacy:
The Gathering of The Baguazhang Circle
The Gathering of The Circle tradition following the Tai Chi Gala was a fun-filled get-together of people from all walks of life and different arts all coming together to experience the Li family Jiulong Baguazhang. Here is a short preview of some of the goings on at the Baguazhang Gathering of The Circle event.
Master Bruce LaCarrubba Carrying the Torch of Tradition
In 2009, Bruce LaCarrubba retired from the practice of law and began teaching the Taijiquan, Qigong, and Meditation principles of his long time friend and mentor Master Jou, Tsung-Hwa. Bruce believed that not only Taijiquan but the spirit of family and friendship should be part of the legacy of Master Jou. He started teaching at his New Jersey property, dubbed The Master Jou, Tsung-Hwa Memorial Tai Chi Park as well as private and group classes at his winter home in Florida.
Tai Chi Park Genesis
After Master Jou’s death in 1998 his students continued classes, workshops and the Annual Festival at the Farm until it was sold in the year 2000. It was then that Master Jiang, Jian-Ye, a great friend and colleague of Master Jou, suggested that students approach the Jou Family for their approval to continue to carry on teaching their father’s principles, practices, and philosophies on the grounds of an old farm owned by long time student Bruce LaCarrubba in Wantage, NJ, 12 miles due west of the original Tai Chi Farm.
The family gave their approval and The Master Jou, Tsung-Hwa Memorial Tai Chi Park was dedicated in 2001, with the family cutting a ribbon at the Willow Lawn Gate on the property. Master Jou had visited the grounds several times during his lifetime and always remarked on the wonderful, peaceful energy he felt there. He also noted the remarkable physical similarities to Tai Chi Farm: the open fields, deep woods with old-growth trees, and the steep slopes running down to the meandering stream bisecting the property. At one point he said, “You can have a Tai Chi festival here.” and motioned where the tents for the workshops should be set up.
In 2003, Master Jou’s daughter, Liz Jou, the President of the Tai Chi Foundation (which continues to publish his three books) flew from her home in Phoenix, Arizona, to attend her father’s 3rd Annual Birthday Celebration. Since then, she has attended each year and has been a wonderful friend and advisor to The Park. All of Master Jou’s students and fans should express a heartfelt gratitude to Liz Jou for her unflagging support and encouragement in sustaining these efforts to help keep her father’s teachings alive and to advance his dream.
The annual event came to be known as The Master Jou Annual Birthday Celebration. The celebration hosted hundreds of attendees comprised of teachers, students and fans for a weekend of workshops instructed by many of the same presenters who had taught at the original Tai Chi Farm. There has been learning, fellowship, good food and fun all in honor of Master Jou. Special recognition should also be given to Dr. C.J. Rhodes who managed the website for the Tai Chi Park and helped coordinate the annual event. Listen as Bruce talks about studying with the master and gives a lesson in Qigong.
Master Jou, Tsung-Hwa Tai Chi Memorial Park
This is a small sample of the many people and programs that were a part of the Master Jou, Tsung-Hwa annual birthday celebration at Tai Chi Park in Wantage New Jersey. The 103 acre property was very similar to the original Tai Chi Farm. It had various area in the wooded acres for training and workshops. The 100 year old farmhouse served as teacher’s quarters and a place for meeting and telling stories of the Tai Chi Farm days.
During these celebrations owner Bruce LaCarrubba and Josephine Mulcahy were the consummate hosts making everyone feel as if they were family. Josephine was always busy cooking and serving lunch to the multitudes. A highlight of the event was having a special dish called Master Jou’s noodles a recipe that was a favorite of the great master. Sadly, all things must come to an end. Tai Chi Park closed in 2023 and like the Tai Chi Farm is now also gone into the mist.
Shifu Pat Rice’s A Taste of China
A Taste of China hosted by Taijiquan instructor Pat Rice of Winchester Virginia produced an annual series of presentations in Taijiquan and other Internal Martial Arts and Qigong hosting workshops by a who’s who in the Chinese internal martial arts world with guest teachers coming from all corners of the globe. One of her top presenters and supporters was Master Jou, Tsung-Hwa.
Pat Rice has been involved in Chinese martial arts and health practices since 1975 and has studied extensively in the U.S. and abroad from well-known teachers. She has studied Taijiquan, qigong, and other arts privately in China and Europe, having traveled for that purpose to China nine times.
Mrs. Rice was an athlete member of the 1988 U.S. Wushu Team and competed in Taijiquan at the International Wushu Invitational Tournament in Hangzhou, China where she met lineage holder to Yang style Taijiquan, Yang Zhen-duo. She earned a diploma at the Wushu International Judges Course in Shanghai in 1988 and is certified by the China Wushu Association to judge in international tournaments.
Starting in 1983 her “A Taste of China” organization presented Taijiquan training seminars featuring many notable and famous teachers including Master Jou, Tsung-Hwa who was a prominent supporter of her annual event in Winchester Virginia. Master Jou also accompanied her on sponsored student group trips to China.
From 1988-2005 she organized the “U.S.A. All-Taijiquan Championships.” Pat Rice was named in 1999 by Inside Kung Fu magazine as one of the 100 most influential persons in martial arts in the U.S. in the past 100 years. She was inducted into Inside Kung Fu’s 2001 Hall of Fame for “Outstanding Contribution to Martial Arts.”
Although the ATOC event was retired in 2012, after 30 years of service to the internal arts community. Ms. Rice continues to teach at the Shenandoah Taijiquan Center / Winchester Virginia Yang Cheng Fu Center of the International Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Association. We thank her for her many years of service to the Taijiquan community.