We spoke to a few incredible activists in the community about their work and what they’d recommend checking out at this moment in time. Don’t miss the powerful picks in this series from Tai Chi master Rui Li.
Sharing Tai Chi with everyone
Rui Li has practiced Tai Chi for more than 30 years. Raised in China, he found a “sifu,” or Tai Chi master, at a young age. Li considers himself very lucky to have found such an understanding, supportive teacher. His sifu learned from another Tai Chi master, who learned from a member of the Yang family. Members of the Yang family are responsible for developing the Yang-style of Tai Chi, one of the most popular forms practiced in the world.
Li shares that his teacher's clear charge still guides him today: "...spread Tai Chi to everyone."
Li studied under his sifu for more than 20 years. Even after moving to the United States, he kept in close contact, and he still reaches out for advice if he runs into challenges today. When he moved to the U.S., he began teaching Tai Chi at a small YMCA in Grants Pass, Oregon, for eight years before moving to Portland. After moving, he began attending Tai Chi classes as a student at Woodstock Library. There he met Toan Lam-Sullivan, a bilingual librarian at Multnomah County Library, who noticed his talent and asked, “‘do you actually know Tai Chi?’" Toan recalls, “And that’s how we learned about his history.”
The encounter led to six years of Li partnering with the library to offer Tai Chi classes himself. He taught first in-person, then online during the pandemic, and joyfully back in-person again after libraries reopened.
In classes, Li focuses on breath, posture, and spinal alignment, and shares that these can be powerful tools for improving your health. He’s seen Tai Chi help people manage chronic pain, mobility, kidney issues and more. Li shares that learning Tai Chi can help older people prevent falls and maintain independence.
Teaching also deepens his own practice. Demonstrating the different movements requires awareness and precision. “Teaching is the best form of learning,” he says.
Each class he offers helps him continue to refine his own skills. “As I teach Tai Chi, this will help me correct bad or incorrect positions. That helps me to improve my own practice and that’s why I do it daily.”
For Li, teaching Tai Chi is a form of community care. His mission is simple: if someone is interested in learning, he will teach them, no matter what community they may belong to. “If anyone is interested in learning martial arts, I’ll teach them,” he adds. “Everyone.”
If you want to get more involved with your community, Li recommends being kind and doing good things. “It’s important that each of us care for ourselves [and] our health,” says Li. Also stay humble and don’t brag ... but teach when needed. Stay low key!”
Li shares, “I hope everyone can approach everything around them with a calm mind, help each other, be harmonious with their neighbors, and work together to create a safe, peaceful and harmonious community environment.”
Rui Li’s recommendations
Li recommends exploring the works of Bruce Lee and Tai Chi master Zheng Manqing to learn more about martial arts and Tai Chi. Here's a few options to get your journey going:
- Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits combines five of Lee’s best-known films into one collection, which you can enjoy in Mandarin, Cantonese or dubbed English
- 我是李小龙, or Bruce Lee: the Celebrated Life of the Golden Dragon tells the story of Bruce Lee’s life in photos in Chinese.
- Master Cheng's New Method of T'ai Chi Self-cultivation: Li recommends exploring the work of Tai Chi grandmaster Zheng Manqing, a hugely influential figure in the Tai Chi world. You can see a video here of him performing the 37 movement Tai Chi form, which he created.
These excellent recommendations are a fantastic place to get started. Make sure to check out the full series!
Feeling inspired? Want to dive into activism yourself? In February, you can learn how to make change happen in a civics for adults course.
If you’re itching for even more books to read, check out our community care and activism reading list.
Reading lists
Community care and activism
When the world asks you to step aside, these titles show you how to stand up. Care for your community and care for yourself in times like these.
Get inspired by community activist recommendations from Multcolib
We spoke to some incredible activists in the community about their work and what they’d recommend checking out at this moment in time. Don’t miss the powerful picks in this series.
