How I became a Taiji Auntie and took part in my first competition

In my beautiful costume, felt like a cosplayer among the seasoned competitors. But I overcame my nerves.

- Sumiko Tan

Three Saturdays ago, I woke up and, for a few blissful seconds, didn't know where I was.

Then it hit me. I was in Penang to take part in a taijiquan competition that afternoon.

The WuDeBei Traditional Wushu Competition 2024 was my first-ever competition - taijiquan or otherwise and I felt totally inadequate despite having practised for it for months. I was so nervous, my stomach hurt.

The road to Penang started in May 2023 when my husband and I began private taijiquan lessons with Ms Hazel Ng, the founder of Hui Taiji Training Centre and a former champion.

For the uninitiated, taijiquan is a form of Chinese martial art, or wushu. The shorthand "taiji" or "tai chi" commonly refers to the gentle, slow-motion exercise derived from taijiquan.

This was our second attempt at learning taijiquan, which I'd always admired for its gracefulness.

Six months earlier, we had signed up for a course at a community centre. Although it was advertised as a beginner's class in English, the instructor spoke only Mandarin and the first lesson was geared towards students already familiar with the basic stances. We couldn't follow, and didn't return.

Months later, a businessman I was interviewing mentioned learning taijiquan near where I live and that his teacher spoke English. I got Ms Ng's contact details and signed us up for lessons every Wednesday evening.

Ms Ng, or "laoshi" (teacher) as we call her, teaches the Chen style of taijiquan. This is a blend of slow, flowing movements punctuated by quick and powerful ones. I haven't moved from the fist to weapons, but the latter include the sword, sabre, spear and long pole.

Though I've done some running and yoga, I'm not naturally athletic. My lack of coordination, strength and flexibility made mastering the stances really difficult.