Gio taught me so many things about tai ji and living . Impossible to say what an amazing support he was to me at a very difficult part of my life in vancouver twenty years  ago.  Most things I believed in at that time were falling apart but Gio was building a new foundation in me -very slowly I might add! -that has continued to remain strong and firm.  . Gio with Esther - an example to me of a couple working together to manage their lives and support their children and  others. A generosity i felt many a time. In the final years of his life, Esther there to manage his needs with such grace, loyalty and practicality that allowed Gio to remain in safety and peace until his passing. Thank you Gio- teacher and  friend for these many years . I will hold dear all  you shared with me .

I am thankful and grateful to my brother Gio who had sponsored my father, my sister and me to immigrate to Canada 50 years ago. I am also really appreciative and indebted to Gio for introducing me to Letty Shea, my famous Chinese painting teacher who taught me the painting techniques and style of Professor Chao Shao-an one of the most outstanding masters of the Lingnan School of painting which I had admired for years. I am also blessed to marry my teacher’s cousin. 
For brother Gio’s birthday, I always baked him my cheese cake and split pea pudding and he savoured them very much. The one thing I regret most was that I did not learn Taijiquan from him over the years.

The one thing I admired most about my eldest brother was his intelligence. He was good in all his studies. His understanding of both Chinese and English literatures was undeniable. I always enjoyed when he would tell the latest book he read or when he tried to explain 四書五經 to me ( I would pretend I understood his teaching). Being the youngest in the pack I acknowledged his stern eldest brother role, but mostly with his passing, I feel my guiding light is dimmer.

Dear Esther: My heart goes out to you and your family.
I will always remember Gio as a kind  and honest guy  .
Sincerely,Laura

I remember when he used to fish, when we called he would talk about fishing for hours, what type of lure to use, the requirement of a fishing licence, and where to fish, the lot. He seemed quite passionate about it.
Sometimes he would send me images of the fish he caught, like the one above.

Several years ago, Gio agreed to let me help him write a book about Taiji. It was important to him that what was expressed in the book were not his words but the words and expressions from the ancient Taiji Masters. He took definitions from Chinese classical books of Taiji, and some of the most important rules and guiding principals became the titles of different chapters in the book.

Part Two:
This is how my 25-year mentorship with Gio began. Gio first taught me the Yang 108 form. He said the Yang Form teaches the foundation of Taiji, as it emphasises how to relax. Gio explained
Taiji isn’t about moving slowly, it’s about moving differently. Gio taught me many forms of Taiji, including the Yang word Set, Chen One and Two Fist and Sword Set, the Wu Fist Set and Sword Set. In between teaching these styles Gio would take time to show me different forms of moving and stationary Qigong. Gio learned much of his Taiji from his sifu Grand Master Xu Gong Wei who came from China and carried within him a rare knowledge of many styles of Taiji.
Gio was a very strict teacher. He had a keen mind for details, and he believed that the successful study of Taiji involved mastering the postures and transitions correctly, so you could maximize the special alignments in the body. 
Although Gio was a strict teacher, he was also very kind and had a big heart. He wanted his students to improve, but he also understood life had its challenges. As our teacher-student relationship became richer, Gio and I became very good friends.
From my first days with Gio, right to the end, Gio always emphasised that Taiji could be mastered as a martial art for fighting, or it could be used to lead a person on a spiritual path.
Over our many years together, Gio taught me the spiritual path was the most rewarding.
For me, Gio embodied many of the qualities of a great Taiji Master. He was one of the most stubborn men I have ever met. He never compromised on his ideals, and he never sought fame or prestige from his abilities. He pushed me to become the best I could at Taiji, and through this he helped me to become a softer, kinder person. A large part of who I am today is because of Gio. 
[photo  Gio and Paul on Ferry to Powell River 2010]

My time with Gio
Part one
I first met Gio in a courtyard behind the Vancouver Planetarium. This was back in the early 1990s. It was a warm spring day, and the Cherry blossom trees surrounding the courtyard were in full bloom. One morning, as I was about to start practicing, Gio came walking along the path and noticed what I was doing. There I was, this tall, lanky, Canadian kid, trying to do the Taiji 24 form and not too far from me was Gio began practicing the Chen Fist Set. As I watched Gio out of the corner of my eye I was amazed at how smooth, fluid and powerful his movements were. Even with my limited experience I could tell his way of moving was far superior to mine. After a while I sucked up my courage and went over to Gio and said ‘hi’. I wasn’t even sure if he could speak English, but I was anxious to ask him about Taiji. Gio was polite and told me that he was practicing the Chen style. I told him I was practicing the 24 form and asked him what he thought. He looked at me for a moment and then said in his matter-of-fact way, that my Taiji wasn’t very good. Then he turned to leave. I rushed in front of him and asked him if he would teach me. He hesitated for a moment, then told me his phone number. I phoned Gio the next day, and he told me to come over for an interview. I wasn’t sure what that meant but was happy he remembered who I was. A few days
later I was at his home, sitting at his kitchen table. With a stern look he asked me why I wanted to learn Taiji. I told him I had been practicing Taiji at the local community centre for over a year, but I felt something was missing. When I said this Gio simply nodded and told me “People can’t  teach what they don’t know, nor what they don’t understand.” Then Gio asked me how I wanted to learn. He said you could either learn a little about Taiji, or you could dive deep and learn a lot. I was young and enthusiastic, so I told him I wanted to learn everything!”
[Photo taken in early 1990s]

My Big Brother Gio
The start of the middle school was an important milestone for Gio's path to maturity.  He discarded his jacket of street kid, put on his school uniform, and transformed into a highly disciplined disciple of the servants of God.  His middle school was the famous Wah Yan College.  It’s a Roman Catholic all-boys secondary education institution run by Jesuit priests in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.  He admired the dedication of his teachers and gradually built close friendships with a few.  It was during this period that his personality, values, and beliefs are significantly shaped.  His interest was wide, spreading out into music appreciation, inner workings of the universe, astronomy, quantum mechanics, literature, art, religions, philosophy, Chinese calligraphy, and martial arts, etc.  He took good care of his little brother Chi Hung, making sure that he followed closely, sharing his interests.  With our mouth harmonicas we played music together.  We constructed audio amplifiers, hi-fi loudspeaker from scratch, and recorded classical music broadcasts from FM radio together.  We even attempted to build our own reflector telescope, starting from grinding the big reflector lens.  Yes we were comrade in arms to one another.  During his very busy matriculation years, he would spare time to help me out with schoolwork.  In my own formative years he provided me with leadership, help, guidance, encouragement, brotherly support and love.   I felt deeply indebted and grateful.  After he left Hong Kong for Canada, though we did kept in touch, our paths diverged and we pursued our own dreams. Have a great journey ahead, brother.

Reminiscence: scenes of childhood

Gio or Chi Keung (Ah Keung, as our parents called him) and I were very close when growing up in the district of Wanchai in Hong Kong.  We lived on Jaffee Road with our parents back in the late forties and fifties.  Ah Keung and a few other kids used to terrorize a stretch of Jaffee Road.  Like one of the strikers in a soccer team, he would be the one rushing forward while I played the position of
defenders or his sidekick.  We used to roam the street together looking for trouble, stray dogs or cats to beat up, fighting with other little street gangs, bullying good boys or girls.  Or we would just played marbles, went to the water front to do some fishing, etc. There was one time when we were kicking some stones into the water for fun and got ourselves into real trouble.  We were wearing flip flops, one of which happened to come loose and went into the water with the flying stones.  It was carried out and away by the current.  Well, another wave of scolding and beating from dad followed.  
In the fifties near Chinese New Year a section of nearby streets would be closed and scaffolding were erected to form temporary bamboo structures for a new year bazaar.  Ah Keung and I would climb these prior to their completion, pretending they were monkey bars.  It was exciting but dangerous to say the least. And we ended up with splinters and scratches on our fingers and hands. Another wave of scolding from mom and dad. 
The July Ghosts Festival was another great event for us street kids. In the evening there were neighbours who would set out delicious food trays on their front steps, lit up incense, said prayers, sprinkled rice wine on the ground, and the best part:  threw out a bunch of coins onto the ground.  Street kids would gather around, watch closely the whole ceremony and then scramble and fight for a share of the food and of course the coins.  Without a doubt, Ah Keung and I would be right there joining in the fun and action.

OBITUARY

Gio Chi Keung Leung

Mount Pleasant Universal Funeral Home

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